Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Carol Lewis.
Football clubs are short of cash and communities are short of sites for new facilities. Health initiatives can use football stadiums, bringing in rent for the clubs. A primary care trust is setting up a healthcare centre offering a wide range of services at one stadium.
The new GP contract will be a catalyst for nurse prescribing. With most GPs choosing to exercise their right to opt out of out-of-hours care, nurse prescribing will be a key part of establishing new multidisciplinary teams. Factors hindering progress may include nursing shortages and limitations of the independent nurse formulary.
Liaison psychiatry offers valuable support to general hospital patients, but remains an underdeveloped service. Although there is no mention of liaison psychiatry in the mental health national service framework, other NSFs emphasise the need for medical patients to have access to such services. Barriers to development are the lack of understanding of the service and funding issues arising from services falling between mental health and acute trusts.
A Middlesbrough general practice caters exclusively for drug addicts. There is opposition to this model, with some preferring to see all practices able to care for drug misusers. Practice nurses are seen as key to good service provision in primary care.
The government's vision for community pharmacists sets out essential, enhanced and additional or supplementary services that they could provide. Some pharmacists are already training to be supplementary prescribers and planning specialist services. Supporters of the scheme hope that funds will be made available to primary care trusts for the development of community pharmacists' role; there are currently disparities in training budgets.
This is a year of change for children's services, with reports, proposals and new clinical guidelines. Some primary care trusts have been accused of using the focus on the core programme as a way of cutting services. A royal college report may clash with the imminent national service framework.
Remote disease monitoring uses IT to link a patient at home with medical staff and systems. The potential is to improve chronic disease management and cut costs in the long term. Despite a tough government take-up target for 2007, there is little activity in the UK.
'Evercare nurses', based on a US model of an expanded clinical role, are being piloted in 10 trusts. Pilots report good results in increasing quality of social care. There has been criticism of diverted resources and unthinking importing of US ideas.
The cost of alcohol-related illness could be as high as 3 Pounds bn a year. Charities are pushing for the inclusion of alcohol intervention in the GP contract. PCTs in the West Midlands are pioneering a range of initiatives, including the employment of specialised alcohol workers.
Strategic health authorities are driving closer monitoring of local performance on public health. Trusts in the South East and North West are pioneering co-operative work. Acute medical directors and PCT directors of public health are working closely together.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Areas taking part in the original CHD collaborative have seen a fourfold reduction in deaths from heart attacks. Improvements are based on more rigorous and accurate information gathering. The skills learned should cover the 10 clinical domains of the new GP contract--and more.
Tayside diabetes network includes an advanced patient auditing system which highlights risks. The clinical governance peer support system is designed to help GP practices hit targets. Diabetes resource centres have helped the area achieve a one to two week wait for insulin initiation.
Three distinct pathology services in Kent merged into a single network. By working under a single directorate, there have been cost and efficiency benefits. The new service has improved recruitment and retention of biomedical staff through the availability of better training.
Independent and innovative GPs are often attracted to a specialism. Specialist GPs provide a bridge between primary and secondary care. A formal framework for specialist training is now in place.
Diagnostic and treatment centres are providing a boost to community hospitals through improved technology and specialist skills. The first primary care DTC was opened by North Hampshire PCT last year. Plans in Bristol include a community DTC alongside an independent sector treatment centre and local authority leisure facilities.