Hospital
Dr Liam Fox backed Dr Elizabeth Whipp, Consultant Oncologist, who was suspended from the Bristol Royal Infirmary. Dr Fox said \"From the information that I have got I cant see any case to say this doctor acted in an unprofessional way.\"
Dr Brian Petheram, based at Frenchay hospital, has been honoured by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists for his outstanding contribution to research and development.
The BUPA hospital in Bristol has seen a 52% increase in the number of patients paying for their own treatment over the last 5 years. BUPA has introduced a new Inclusive Care Package for local patients to make it easier to access independent hospital care.
Bristol Royal Infirmary now has no wards shut by the Norwark virus for the first time since October.
The League of Friends of Thornbury hospital have donated more than £20,000 to provide the latest beds for part of the North Bristol NHS Trust.
Patients waiting for heart surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary are blocking hospital beds unnecessarily. This is because the only way in which the bed can be reserved is for the patient to occupy it! One surgeon has now taken steps to free-up hospital beds by sending patients home but promising them that their operation will still take place within a month.
The Bristol Royal Infirmary received an \"acceptable\" grading in a recent study on food and cleanliness. The Bristol Childrens Hospital and the Bristol General Hospital received the top grading.
The residents living near Southmead hospital have complained that staff and visitors use their street as a free car park. Some cars have been towed away by the police. Local residents are requesting further action.
Up to 17% of elderly patients admitted to some Bristol hospitals are malnourished according to a new study commissioned by the North Bristol NHS Trust. One study has shown that 13% of the population over the age of 65 in the UK were not eating properly and that as many as 20% of elderly patients in hospital and nursing homes could be malnourished.
General
Professor Carol Propper, working in the Centre for Market and Public Organisation at Bristol University, has published evidence that shows that competition in the NHS can reduce the quality of health care.
Bristols Dial-a-Ride service is to be extended. The City Council has agreed to award £524,817 for the next financial year. This is a 25% increase on last year. Dial-a-Ride currently operates in 29 of the Cities 35 wards and the extended service will see all wards serviced.
Childrens Hospice South West has purchased Charlton Farm on the Tyntesfield Estate at Wraxall for 1.4 million pounds. The aim is to convert it into a facility for children in the City and their families. The organisation is launching an appeal to enable it to build, and equip the new hospice at Wraxall shortly. It is hoped to open the hospice in 2005.
All community health councils are to be scrapped from September 1st. The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health was set up on January 1st. There is a new duty on the NHS to involve and consult the public. A spokesman for the NHS said \"This is not just about replacing CHCs. This is about a new, different, better way of supporting patients.\"
The most recent Which survey has shown that Bristol is amongst the worst cities in the country for relatives who are searching for a care home. The editor of Which said \"Care homes closing down, rising fees and the shortage of places mean that it can be impossible for many older people to find a suitable or affordable room in a residential care home.\"
Bristol City Council faces major bills if the government presses ahead with plans to impose fines for bed blocking in hospital. The plans were defeated in the House of Lords but ministers have announced their intention to overturn the ruling in the Commons.
NICE (The National Institute for Clinical Excellance) has announced their new programme to assess whether interventional procedures are sufficiently safe and efficient to be used routinely in the NHS. The safety of new surgical procedures will be monitored.
A study from the Bristol University Primary Care Department involved experimental asthma clinics in a number of Bristol schools. The results showed that although the clinic did not improve their health it had boosted their awareness of the condition and teenagers said that they much preferred treatment in school than attending hospital or GP surgeries.
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership has established an agreement under the Private Finance Initiative whereby 9.5 million pounds will be invested in developing new buildings and facilities. These include a new mental health in-patient unit at Callington Road in South Bristol.
The new Dorothy Hodgkin building is due to be opened in the autumn and will create a Clinical Research Institute bringing together scientists from outdated premises throughout the City. The University will receive £26 million for research allocated by the Science Research Investment Fund.
Babies who died in the Bristol Royal Infirmary heart affair are to be remembered with a memorial woodland glade. An agreement has been reached with the Woodland Trust for an acre of ancient broad-leaf woodland to be donated free as a memorial to the children and their families.
A recent study has shown that 88% of district and community nurses in the UK have encountered elderly people who have been abused. Research found that less than half of the 5000 nurses surveyed have ever had any formal training.
Duncan Goodhew, Olympic Gold Medallist has opened a new dyslexia centre in Bristol.
The Department of Health is to offer all children aged 6 months to 4 years old, immunisation against Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib).
Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire will receive £30.1 million for pre-registration training of midwives and therapists in the next financial year. This is an increase of 11% on the previous year. This will enable extra training places for nurses, midwives and therapists to be set-up.
Bristol has been picked as one of 9 areas in the UK which will share a £1.4 million fund to improve the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.
A £100,000 a year dedicated medical service for asylum seekers and refugees is being set-up in Bristol. Dr Stefan Cembrowicz spoke enthusiastically about the new service and felt that it was a sensible use of NHS money.
Two years ago East Bristol and Weston Super Mare were included on a list of areas officially recognised as being \"under doctored\" by the Department of Health. However an updated list, published this month, does not include a single district covered by the new Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority.