First National Survey Seeking NHS Staff Views On Improvement And Innovation Launches This Week

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement launches its first National Innovation and Improvement Survey. Created in partnership with strategic health authorities, the survey offers all NHS staff in the UK an opportunity to influence the national innovation agenda.

The survey has been designed to provide insight into the current challenges faced by frontline NHS staff and better understand what they need to improve patient care. It will give staff the opportunity to feedback on what improvement approaches they are already using, and suggest new ideas about how innovation in the NHS should be encouraged. The results will be used by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and SHAs to prioritise innovation programmes for development over the course of 2010.

Take The Sex Survey During National Condom Week, UK

Terrence Higgins Trust is using this year’s National Condom Week (18-24 May) as an opportunity to promote safer sex. The aim of the initiative is to raise awareness of the importance of condom use to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies.

THT will be displaying National Condom Week posters in its service centres and using campaign materials in its outreach work.

This year National Condom Week also heralds the start of a massive survey into the sexual habits of the Brits. Durex is launching The British Sex Survey which covers everything from safer sex to what’s hot and what’s not!

Mississippi State Department Increases Flu Surveillance Activity Following National Reports Of Swine Flu

Today, in response to reports of human cases of swine flu in California and Texas, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is alerting its statewide flu surveillance system to increase its testing of patients with influenza-like illness.

MSDH’s flu surveillance system consists of selected healthcare providers across the state who report possible flu cases to MSDH for confirmation by laboratory testing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating eight human cases of a new type of swine influenza in Texas and California. At this time, there have been no cases identified in Mississippi. The symptoms of swine flu in humans are similar to those of seasonal flu, causing fever, respiratory symptoms and body aches.

Statement On The Healthcare Commission’s 6th Survey Of National NHS Staff Conducted Autumn 2008, UK

This survey has revealed significant improvements across the NHS contributing to patient safety. Key findings shows there was an increase in the reporting of errors, near misses or incidents coupled with staff now feeling more encouraged to report these errors. There is strong evidence that increased reporting is a reflection of a transparent organisation with a strong safety culture.

“We welcome this report and are greatly encouraged by the findings showing an increase in staff reporting patient safety incidents. This is strong evidence that we are making gains in ensuring that all NHS organisations promote an open and fair culture. This is a vital foundation for improving patient safety because a culture of blame will only drive problems underground.” says Martin Fletcher, Chief Executive, NPSA

Majority Of Local Drug Treatment Networks Score Top Ratings In National Review

But improvements are required in the monitoring and support of patients discharged from detoxification, to minimise overdose risk

Healthcare watchdogs today (Thursday) rated 87% of the local networks for drug treatment services as “excellent” or “good” in a national review.

A report released today by the Healthcare Commission and the National Treatment Agency (NTA) shows how well local areas are meeting the needs of diverse communities and people who require inpatient or residential drug treatment.

Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) Accepted For Indexing By The National Library Of Medicine (NLM)

Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ), an official peer-reviewed publication of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), has been accepted for indexing by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in MEDLINE/PubMed (http://www.pubmed.gov), the world’s most widely accessed medical database. MEDLINE is the NLM’s premier bibliographic database containing references to journal articles from 1950 to the present in the life sciences with a concentration on biomedicine. PubMed is a searchable database that includes over 18 million citations and abstracts from MEDLINE and other life science journals. It includes links to full text articles and other related resources.

South West Chlamydia Testing Team Beats National Average – Innovative Campaign Doubles Testing Rates In Six Months, UK

The Park Centre for Sexual Health at Weymouth Community Hospital is celebrating the success of its Chlamydia screening programme, which has screened more than 1,700 young people in the last five months alone, more than doubling its screen-rate and beating both local and national averages. Now, the campaign is being introduced to other Primary Care Trusts (PCT) across the country.

The campaign, branded ‘Not for Virgins’ and devised by Roche Diagnostics, was launched across Dorset in May 2008. Given the Government’s targets set out in the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP), Not for Virgins was devised specifically to generate awareness of Chlamydia among 16-25 year olds and to encourage them to self-test confidentially.

American Veterinary Medical Association Urges Veterinarians To Support National Animal Identification System

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is showing its strong support for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) by urging veterinarians to actively participate in the system and utilize the new Veterinarian’s Toolkit.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (USDA-APHIS) Veterinarian’s Toolkit is an online resource developed by veterinarians for veterinarians. It provides a myriad of information including a detailed guide to how NAIS works and resources to help communicate its importance and benefits to producers.

VAT Reduction – National Pharmacy Association Advice To Members, UK

On the reduction of VAT to 15%, as announced in the Chancellor’s Pre-budget Report, Raj Nutan, Head of Business Development at the National Pharmacy Association, said:

“HMRC has confirmed that there is no legal requirement for pharmacies to pass on these savings, as pricing decisions to consumers are made by individual businesses – so we will not instruct our members to do so. However, we would advise pharmacists to consider the image that they are portraying. If pharmacists are not seen to be passing on VAT savings, public opinion of pharmacies may be affected.

National Academy Of Sports Medicine Launches New Course: Introduction To Personal Fitness Training

The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), a leader in fitness training certification, announced today the release of its new Introduction to Personal Fitness Training (IPFT) course. The new program serves as an entry point into exploring a career in personal training. The Introduction to Personal Fitness Training course also serves as a precursor to NASM’s signature Certified Personal Training course, which is considered the gold standard in the health and fitness industry.