MP’s website checks two-day GP target
A website that enables people to report problems getting appointments with their GPs within the 48-hour national target has been set up by a Conservative MP. Grant Shapps, Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield, says that he has set up the website because he believes that many patients are not seen within the 48-hour target – […]
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Proper testing needed for reforms, says TUC
A call for public sector changes to be properly tested and for staff to be consulted on and involved in reforms has come from TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber. In a TUC analysis of reforms taking place across the full range of public services, Barber says: "A state of ‘permanent revolution’ in public services is running […]
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Kodak announces mammography archive partnership
Kodak has announced a partnership with the US-based National Digital Medical Archive (NDMA) to create new solutions enabling hospitals to better manage, archive and process images and information related to mammography screening. The aim of the collaboration is to “support the European mammography market’s transition from analog imaging to digital imaging and information technology.” The […]
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Minister praises NHS 24’s ‘tireless’ staff
Scotland’s deputy health minister has praised staff who keep the healthcare telephone advice line running over Christmas and the New Year and appealed to the public to use the service responsibly. Lewis Macdonald paid tribute to the tireless work of front-line health staff over the festive season in advance of a visit to NHS 24’s […]
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Oasis helps cut surgery waits in Surrey
The Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford says its 12 operating theatre suites are now running at over 90 per cent available capacity, after the successful implementation of a Capula Healthcare system. The 90 per cent figure has been achieved by a combination of the accuracy of the data on its Oasis patient administration system […]
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Northern Ireland to invest in telehealth
Northern Ireland health minister, Paul Goggins, has announced a £1m investment in telehealth and telemedicine initiatives across the country. The announcement follows a telehealth seminar in Northern Ireland, hosted by the Belfast Boston Connection earlier this month. Goggins said: “We live in remarkable times and we have technologies that have the potential to bring […]
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High-tech radios rollout for ambulances in 2007
A new radio system to be installed by all NHS ambulance trusts in England beginning in early 2007 will offer interoperability with other emergency services and better coverage in rural areas, the Department of Health said today. Ambulance trusts have chosen to implement radio terminals provided by Sepura which will operate on the O2/Airwave network, […]
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i-Contact aims to combat missed appointments
A new web-based communications engine called i-Contact has been developed to help GPs combat the problem of missed appointments. The i-Contact system, from communications specialists Data SMS, is a two-way communications tool allowing surgeries to text patients or leave voicemail messages on their mobiles reminding them of their appointments. It also allows patients to leave […]
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iPod access to health records launched in US
New software called HealthFrame 2.1 has been launched in the US allowing patients to access their personal health records using an iPod. HealthFrame is described as a software system designed to permanently record, organise and help users, and those to whom they permit access, to understand their personal health more easily and completely. Suppliers, Records for Living […]
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Practice data controller jailed for record tampering
A data administrator at a North London medical centre has been jailed for tampering with records using the practice’s computer system to receive extra payments from the NHS. Vinod Thapar, 62, of Fairgreen, Cockfosters, admitted four accounts of altering medical records and obtaining property by deception after falsifying contracts at the Silver Street Medical Centre, Edmonton. […]
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