News & Views Archive
17th February 2009 - Government launches campaign in fight against infections
The latest phase in a campaign to remind the public that antibiotics do not help to treat viral infections such as coughs, colds and a sore throat was launched today by the Chief Medical Officer for England.
Press adverts and posters will appear in newspapers and magazines from today are aimed at patients and Clinicians and are intended to reduce unnecessary requests for antibiotics from patients. The campaign forms part of the Government's strategy to tackle the increasing problem antibiotic resistance which could make treatment for common bacterial infections such as pneumonia much more difficult in the future.
Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson said: "Antibiotics don't work on colds, most coughs or sore throats or even the flu. Using antibiotics when they are not necessary will increase resistance to them and make it difficult to treat serious bacterial infections in the future.
"If you are suffering with cold and flu symptoms or a sore throat you should rest, take plenty of fluids and speak to your pharmacist who will advise you on over the counter remedies that are available."
Antibiotic resistance is a global public health issue in which we all have a part to play in order to keep antibiotics effective. Latest data from the Health Protection Agency shows that resistance to the antibiotic most often used to treat E.Coli increased by 10% between 2001 and 2007.
Bacteria will always try to find ways to survive by evolving and developing resistance to antibiotics so we must stay one step ahead of the game.
Many Women In The Dark Over Laser
26 Jan 09
Millions of British women are potentially putting themselves at risk due to their lack of awareness about laser hair removal treatment, new Which? research has uncovered*.
Out of the estimated 6 million British women considering laser**, 74 per cent were unaware that having a natural tan could affect their treatment and just over two thirds did not realise that even a fake tan would make a difference to the effects of laser on their skin***.
Over half of these women were unaware that a heart condition could cause complications, and even more (65 per cent) were unaware that diabetes as well as certain medications could influence treatment.
Laser and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) hair removal involves a short burst of light (matched to the patient's skin type and hair colour) being fired at the skin's surface. This is absorbed by the pigment in the hair, which heats up and damages the hair follicle and should prevent hair from re-growing.
Problems that can arise from laser and IPL treatment include burns, skin damage, blistering leading to mild scarring and changes in skin pigmentation****.
Which? has launched a new online web guide to provide information and give advice to people considering laser treatment at www.which.co.uk/laser
Winter is a good time for this treatment as pre-laser skin must be tan-free and post-laser skin will not tolerate sun exposure.
Jenny Driscoll, Which? health campaigner said:
"No more waxing, shaving and bleaching may seem like the perfect solution for many women, but in the wrong hands, or on the wrong skin laser hair removal treatment can be dangerous. Women have contacted us who have been badly burned and scarred.
"As with all cosmetic treatments, we advise everyone to make sure they do their homework first, check out the person who will be giving the treatment and be aware of what to expect and ask at their consultation."
Shedding light on the cosmetic laser treatments industry:
• Laser treatment is one of the most common non-surgical procedures. According to Mintel, the non-surgical procedures market doubled in 2 years to the point where it approached half a million procedures in 2007.*****
• In July 2008, over thirty patient groups, medical bodies, cosmetic clinics and industry representatives joined forces with Which? to oppose Government plans to stop regulating cosmetic laser treatments from 1 October. The deregulation was postponed and there has been no further information from the Department of Health or the Government regarding this issue. The Government stated that 1700-3400****** more people could be harmed each year if deregulation of cosmetic laser treatment had gone ahead.
• For more advice and information on laser treatments, consumers can visit www.which.co.uk/laser
* A telephone omnibus survey among 1035 adults of whom 541 were women (aged 16+) between 12-14 December 2008
** Based on there being 25 million women aged 16+ in the UK (ONS statistics). Which? research found that 24 per cent of women would consider having laser hair removal treatment.
***As fake tan can have the effect of making someone (temporarily) have a darker skin type, laser treatments may not be as effective in targeting darker pigment in the hair and not the surrounding skin.
****Source: Light-based hair removal. Department of Health website (www.dh.gov.uk)
***** Source: Cosmetic Surgery (Nov 2007, Mintel)
******Source: Department of Health (March 2008) Private and Voluntary Health Care: Care Standards Act 2000, Appendix A: Deregulation of lasers and lights - possible effect on number of adverse incidents
Paul Burstow, MP holds Q & A with nurses
Sutton and Cheam MP, Paul Burstow, met nurses from Sutton's St Anthony's Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Neuro disabilities.
Being relaxed halves the risk of Alzheimer's
Being laid back and outgoing makes you 50 per cent less likely to develop Alzheimer's, according to research published in the journal Neurology.
Researchers assessed the personalities and lifestyles of 506 older people throughout a series of questions and monitored them for six years.
Dr Hui-Xin Wang who led the study said it was not yet clear how mental attitude influences dementia risk.
5* Rating for Food Hygiene
Following an unannounced visit by Sutton Environmental Health inspectors at the end of last year, St.Anthony’s Catering department has secured a top award for food hygiene. Under a national scheme known as “Scores on the Doors” St.Anthony’s is one of only three establishments in Sutton to be awarded five stars signifying “Very high standards of food safety management and fully compliant with food safety legislation”.
While many of the organizations inspected are small restaurants, St.Anthony’s Catering department serves not only the hospital restaurant where it serves up to 500 meals a day, but also patients in their bedrooms, the Hospice, the Convent and St.Bede’s conference centre where there may be up to 100 delegates for a meeting.
Scores on the Doors is a pilot scheme being run by London Boroughs and supported by the Food Standards Agency. Results will be listed on the website www.food.gov.uk/scores but we are advised it may be some time until the Sutton results are published.
In the meantime, if you can’t eat at St.Anthony’s you can at least check establishments in nearby Kingston and Merton.
Investing in Quality
The principle of Infection Control is paramount in healthcare environments. St.Anthony’s Hospital has been investing heavily in its principles.
Control of infection has been top of the agenda in healthcare for many months. Aside from the so-called ‘superbugs’, decontamination and sterilisation of instruments has also been in the news. New regulations have made it increasingly difficult for hospitals to meet the high standards required of them. Within the NHS, the government has encouraged the development of private super-centres providing centralised sterilisation services for groups of hospitals. Several of these projects are now struggling with both the sterile quality and administrative efficiency needed to provide a viable service to their client hospitals.
St.Anthony’s Hospital decided against contracting out its sterile services and instead has invested £1.2m in rebuilding its own unit. The result is an ultra-modern unit incorporating clean room logistics and the very latest decontamination technology.
Department Manager, John Stevens, explains that service was maintained while work was in progress by hiring a mobile unit originally built for the Swiss army. “The department has 16 staff across all shifts working from 7am to 10pm six days a week. With the faster cycle times of the new equipment we will be able to offer an express sterilisation service to local GP surgeries and could even go to a 24 hour operation”
At its last inspection of St.Anthony’s in 2006, the Healthcare Commission’s report made particular note of infection control which it said “is managed enthusiastically and effectively” and also of the “ethos of continuous quality improvement”. Evidence of the hospital’s continuing commitment to this strategy can be seen in the recent significant investment in the Sterile Services department.
