Earlier operations and better care can improve the lives of thousands of hip fracture patients

In its first clinical guideline on hip fracture, NICE recommends that early surgery can help speed up recovery time for patients, lower the number of follow-up procedures necessary, and reduce the length of hospital stays.

Stroke prevention surgery 'not performed in time'

This report from The Vascular Society says that the majority of patients (60%) with symptoms of TIA or stroke are not receiving carotid endarterectomy surgery within the two-week timescale recommended by NICE.

New NICE quality standard published on chronic heart failure

NICE has published quality standards for the assessment, diagnosis and clinical management of chronic heart failure1 in adults, adding to the bank of quality standards already completed.

Integrated care for older people: examining workforce and implementation challenges

This report is the first in a series investigating the workforce implications of moving towards an integrated health and social care system. This report considers eight different ‘point’ models of care, describing the service provided and assessing economic, quality of care and workforce implications.

Largest ever diabetes audit shows people still not receiving all their basic health checks

The National Diabetes Audit 2010 shows that 2/3 of people with Type 1 diabetes and almost 1/2 of Type 2 patients do not receive all nine annual health checks to manage their diabetes effectively and that children and young people are less likely to receive all the recommended checks, such as blood pressure, blood glucose and foot checks. It also identified substantial regional variations in both the prevalence and treatment of complications such as kidney failure and dialysis.

Local adult neurology services for the next decade

This report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Association of British Neurologists evaluates local adult neurology services and finds that overall they are poorly organised and do not meet patients’ needs.

Eyecare commissioning guidance launched

This guide from the UK Vision Strategy supports clinical commissioning groups through all stages of the eye care commissioning process in a straightforward and comprehensive format.

Lincolnshire Research Observatory publishes health profiles

Health Profiles provide an overview of health and health inequalities. The LRO has published eight profiles, one for each district and one for Lincolnshire. The profiles provide a consistent and comparable view of the population’s health by means of some useful key indicators. They also highlight some key messages for Lincolnshire and each of the districts.

No marked improvement in transport service for kidney patients, national audit shows

The second major survey into kidney patient transport across England, Wales and Northern Ireland shows that while most patients are happy with the service they receive, there has been no marked improvement since the first survey's results were published two years ago.