On the Rounds

Published on Monday 26 January 2009 19:20

PEOPLE

A FORMER director of Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland and Northern Ireland has been re-appointed to the board of NHS Borders.

Catherine Duthie, who is also a lay chair of fitness to practise panels for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, has served on the board since 2005 and will remain in her position until 2013.

&#149 KATHY George has been confirmed as the new chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Currently the organisation's director of standards and registrations, she will begin work in her new role in March.

NEWS

A NEW treatment for stroke victims using stem cells will be pioneered by scientists at Glasgow University and the ReNeuron Group, after approval for clinical trials was granted by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The treatment, which is the first of its kind in the world, will see expanded neural stem cells used to treat patients disabled by an ischaemic stroke, the most common form of the condition. The treatment does not require the administration of immuno-suppressing drugs after it is used, eliminating the risks normally linked to that type of regime.

Held at the university's Institute of Neurological Sciences at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, the study will begin following the completion of an ongoing pre-clinical study and ethics approval.

Research will be led by Dr Keith Muir, a senior lecturer in neurology at the University.

He said: "Stem-cell treatment offers the potential to repair brain tissue lost as a result of stroke. We are very excited at the opportunity to undertake this, the first clinical trial involving neural stem-cell therapy in stroke. At this stage, we are primarily seeking to establish the safety and feasibility of this form of treatment, and, if successful, we hope that it will lead on to larger studies looking at the effects of the treatment on patient recovery."

&#149 OLDER people receiving care in dedicated geriatric hospital units stand a better chance of returning home after they are discharged, according to a study published on BMJ.com.

And the research suggests they are also more likely to maintain mobility and carry out everyday tasks, such as dressing or bathing.

Researchers in Spain compared 11 cases where a patient aged 65-plus was cared for in an acute geriatric unit (AGU) with results from normal hospital units. In each case, the elderly patients had acute medical problems, such as pneumonia or heart failure, and most were tracked for the three months following their discharge.

The researchers found that, where AGU care was used, the rate of functional decline among patients was reduced, and discharged patients were helped to return and remain home three months after leaving hospital care.

The report's authors suggest that this may be due to the implementation of geriatric assessments with a focus on early discharge planning.

&#149 THE General Medical Council (GMC) has launched a consultation on its draft licence to practise regulations and guidance for doctors.

From this autumn, all doctors who wish to practise in the UK will be required to hold a licence. The GMC consultation covers the proposed procedures for the granting, refusing and withdrawing of the licences and is aimed at doctors, employees and others affected by the proposed changes. The consultation will run until April and can be viewed at www.gmc.e-consultation.net/econsult/default.aspx.

EVENTS

&#149 THE early antenatal care movement in Britain is the subject of the latest seminar by the Edinburgh History of Medicine Group, to be held tomorrow afternoon at College premises in Queen Street.

Promoted by Edinburgh University and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the seminars are open to anyone with an interest in medical history.

For further information visit www.rcpe.ac.uk.