Having broken up from school, for a revision break over easter, I'm going to take a short break from my blog. This is because if i've fortunate enough to get a medicine offer, the grades are the most important thing! I wish everyone else studying for their A2 exams, or alternatively GCSE's or AS the best of luck! Along with best wishes for medicine applicants! Thank you,
Sarah
Monday, 31 March 2014
Sunday, 23 March 2014
NHS 7 Day Working
Evidence shows that the limited availability of some hospital services at weekends, can have detrimental outcomes for patients, including raising the risk of mortality, for example deaths can be 11% higher on a saturday, and 16% higher on a Sunday. These mortality rates are increased because of variable staffing levels on the weekend, fewer decision makers at consultant level, lack of consistent support units and a lack of community based and primary care services that could prevent unnecessary admissions. The need for change is also identified in Patient experience at weekends, the length of hospital stays and readmission rates.
Therefore the NHS is aiming to provide a more patient focussed service, the change is proposed by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, and will take three years to implement. A major part of this is making NHS services seven days a week. This seven day working scheme will lead to new clinical standards, the board of NHS England has set out new standards for hospitals, for example, all emergency admissions will be sen by a consultant in 14 hours and patients in intensive care and other high dependency units can be reviewed twice a day. There will be seven day access to diagnostic tests, for example X-rays, ultrasounds, MRI scans and pathology. Making seven day working will provide weekend access to multi-disciplinary teams including nurses, physios and other support staff. The increase in consultants will reduce the amount of patients being discharged on a monday and improve patient outcome, because delaying discharge can adversely affect their outcome as it increases there vulnerability to hospital inquired infections.
Using all resources seven days a week, is more financially beneficial, whilst currently there is poor management of hospital resources. The scottish administration has committed to having consultants on the ward 7 days a week, while Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to decide.
References:
http://bma.org.uk/working-for-change/the-changing-nhs/nhs-culture/seven-day-services
http://www.england.nhs.uk/tag/seven-day-services/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25381319
http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/7-day-week/7ds/
http://www.england.nhs.uk/2013/12/15/sir-bruce-keogh-7ds/
http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/news/article/uk/7_day_working_in_the_nhs
Therefore the NHS is aiming to provide a more patient focussed service, the change is proposed by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, and will take three years to implement. A major part of this is making NHS services seven days a week. This seven day working scheme will lead to new clinical standards, the board of NHS England has set out new standards for hospitals, for example, all emergency admissions will be sen by a consultant in 14 hours and patients in intensive care and other high dependency units can be reviewed twice a day. There will be seven day access to diagnostic tests, for example X-rays, ultrasounds, MRI scans and pathology. Making seven day working will provide weekend access to multi-disciplinary teams including nurses, physios and other support staff. The increase in consultants will reduce the amount of patients being discharged on a monday and improve patient outcome, because delaying discharge can adversely affect their outcome as it increases there vulnerability to hospital inquired infections.
Using all resources seven days a week, is more financially beneficial, whilst currently there is poor management of hospital resources. The scottish administration has committed to having consultants on the ward 7 days a week, while Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to decide.
References:
http://bma.org.uk/working-for-change/the-changing-nhs/nhs-culture/seven-day-services
http://www.england.nhs.uk/tag/seven-day-services/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25381319
http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/7-day-week/7ds/
http://www.england.nhs.uk/2013/12/15/sir-bruce-keogh-7ds/
http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/news/article/uk/7_day_working_in_the_nhs
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Sperm, Egg and Gamete Storage
A widow, Beth Warren, whose
husband lost his life to cancer, stored her husband’s sperm for IVF; for once
she was stable ‘emotionally, financially and professionally.’ Beth wanted to
extend the storage of the sperm, so she will have more time available to decide
whether to conceive a child. However, gametes and embryo’s can be stored for 10
years, and when the statutory storage period comes to an end, the gametes and
embryos must be destroyed. For
this reason the UK regulators, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
(HFEA), said that the sperm could not be stored beyond April 2015. This is because
there was no written consent, previous to her husband’s death specifying that
his gametes could be stored beyond the statutory period. Extending storage is done in ten-year periods;
the law allows sperm and eggs to be stored for up to 55 years, if consent is
regularly renewed.
The HEFA, is dedicated
to the licensing and monitoring UK fertility clinics and all the UK research
involving human embryos, and providing impartial and authoritative information
to the public. Alternative ways against the HFEA’s appeal could be to export
the sperm so they could be used for fertility treatment in another country. Within
the UK, all clinics are controlled by the HFEA. The HFE Act of 1990 was changed
in July 2007, and so the EU Tissues and Cells Directive (EUTCD) became part of
the UK law. This allows the transfer of sperm, eggs and embryos between
accredited clinics, within the European Economic Area. However the donor of the sperm (or
eggs) would have to give consent for the transfer, and in the case of Beth,
this would not be possible. Or alternatively, the sperm could also be used to
create embryos, which could be frozen and stored to seven years.
References:
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