A DRUNKEN patient armed with a pair of scissors threatened to stab nurses and police before he was hit twice with capsicum spray at the Toowoomba Hospital.Police claim Morris Arthur Brock, 34, awoke in an emergency department bed and accused the nurs More....
Nurse-led clinic 'could harm patients'
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has criticised the ACT Government's decision to allow a private nurse-led clinic to operate out of a pharmacy in Canberra's south. The clinic in Tuggeranong will employ five nurse practitioners who wil More....
Demand for health study surges
HEALTH has been revealed as the most popular field of study for potential tertiary students this year, but there are not enough training places available to meet the surge.The first figures released to The Advertiser by the South Australian Tertiary More....
Educate hospitals on sleeping with newborn babies: Nursing Federation
The Australian Nursing Federation has urged the State Government to educate hospital staff about the dangers of mothers sharing beds with newborn babies. The Deputy State Coroner, Evelyn Vicker, has recommended all WA hospitals discourage mothers fro More....
ANF Claims Aged care sector to suffer as nurses face $300 pay cut
The Australian Nursing Federation has said that it is deeply disappointed at a decision by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to reject a two-year delay to the award modernization process for NSW and Queensland nurses.ANF Acting Federal S More....
Fair Work rejects attempt to remove overtime pay
FAIR WORK AUSTRALIA has rejected a pay deal for nurses at one of the nation's biggest aged-care operators, which sought to remove overtime payments if staff had volunteered to work the extra hours. Commissioner Greg Smith said the deal woul More....
Nurses slam 'unsafe' staff cuts
The Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) says care will not be affected by altering the cardiac, intensive care and discharge positions.It says the restructure aims to match staffing with patient demand.But the branch president of the Nurses More....
Triage Protocalls Questioned
In response to a complaint about delays in treatment in the Emergency Department, Nurse Unit Manager Matthew Boyd at Toowoomba Hospital has explained that triage protocalls ensured that patients were treated in order of urgency. Ms Grethe Peters More....
LaTrobe course a boost to local hospitals’ staff
TWENTY-FIVE international nurses will have the opportunity to work in Australia, thanks to a new course at La Trobe University. Twenty-two of the nurses are from India, with one from Japan and two from the Philippines, and all are registered nurses i More....
Pambula hospital management cleared of bullying allegations
A report into allegations of bullying and harassment of staff at the Pambula District Hospital has drawn a blank in that respect. But the report did find there was room for improvement in relationships between management and staff. Greater Southern A More....
Gastro outbreaks downplayed
A number of nursing homes in Tasmania’s north west have had gastroenteritis outbreaks but, according to the Health Department, there is no cause for alarm. Public Health deputy director, Dr Chrissie Pickin said gastro outbreaks have been happen More....
Nurse Supervisor Slept on Shifts
A SUPERVISING nurse at Wacol’s under-fire mental health centre, The Park, slept for entire shifts and ignored high-risk patients for hours, a former employee has claimed.The alleged behaviour is currently being reviewed by Queensland Health aft More....
Scotland's largest health board makes £12 million of nursing cuts
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) said unqualified support staff will be trained to take on some lower-level duties currently carried out by nurses. Health board chiefs refused to say how many jobs would be lost, but the cuts will be achieved throu More....
Increasing Abuse Allegations in Nursing Homes
VIOLENCE and sexual assaults against the elderly are increasing, according to new figures. More than 1400 assault allegations were made by nursing-home residents in the past financial year - a record, and a 52 per cent rise on the previous year's More....
Nursing Chief Endorsed to Become ACTU President
In the event that the current ACTU President, Sharron Burrows, is appointed to the position of General Secretary of the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation, next year, the current chief of the Australian Nursing Federation - Ged Ke More....
Launceston Hospital Opens Extra Intensive Care Beds
The Launceston General Hospital will be able to open more intensive care beds after the hiring of more nurses. Eleven nurses will begin work in the new year.The hospital's CEO, John Kirwan, says the recruitment will allow three more intensive car More....
2009 Ministers Awards for Excellence in Aged Care
Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot announced the recipients of the 2009 Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Aged Care at HammondCare’s Southwood facility in Sydney’s south west today. The awards recognise best practice and innovati More....
Nursing Federation Chief Front Runner in ACTU Poll
ACTU senior industrial officer Cath Bowtell has nominated for the presidency of the peak union body, and will contest a ballot against nurses union chief Ged Kearney to replace Sharan Burrow. Ms Bowtell, 46, confirmed her nomination More....
Study ignites debate over nurse ratios
The debate about nurse to resident ratios has surfaced again following the release of a report from the University of Melbourne.The second phase in a longitudinal study on the aged care workforce in Victoria found that staffing levels have fallen sig More....
Nurses' Outstanding Contribution Recognised
Trish Clark is one of Invercargill's quiet achievers. The modest specialist cancer nurse has been recognised for her outstanding contribution and commitment to her profession and the New Zealand Nursing Organisation by being given a service award More....
NZ New Nursing Hours Bill
NZ clause 125 of the new Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Bill reads as follows: - "Except in case of emergency the hours of employment of nurses, probationers, and dressers in any hospital shall not exceed 56 hours in any one week." A More....
Aged-care system needs major reform: support groups
Fundamental reforms are needed to put the interests of the elderly at the heart of Australia's aged care system, says an alliance of support groups. The National Aged Care Alliance says if older Australians are to live independently with dignity, More....
Penington: Decisions loom for Australia’s public hospitals
On Monday December 7, Kevin Rudd will present to COAG what recommendations of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) or what alternatives should be adopted. COAG will reach final decisions at a further meeting in March 2010. More....
Outstanding Nursing Graduates from Wellington Hospital
The largest group of graduate nurses to complete their final stage of training at Wellington Hospital has been honoured. Kerrie Hayes, director of nursing, said the group of 68 was the largest intake taken on to complete the final y More....
Aged care goes from bad to worse
AGED care has deteriorated in Victoria over the past two years, with some nurses looking after 47 elderly people at a time at nursing homes, compared to 39 in 2007.The Australian Nursing Federation has called on the Federal Government to introduce mi More....
Geelong nurses enforce work bans
GEELONG council nurses will divert all incoming calls to the office of City boss Stephen Griffin as part of workplace bans approved last week. Ten bans are likely to be enforced by the Australian Nursing Federation in the coming days, some of which w More....
Ultimatum over crisis in aged-care funding
Church providers of aged-care around Australia have banded together to form Homes for Older Australians, threatening to turn on the Rudd Government with a marginal seats campaign before next year’s Federal election unless the Prime Minister com More....
Chief of the Australian Nursing Union in race for ACTU leadership
THE contest for the ACTU presidency has intensified, with nurses union chief Ged Kearney yesterday declaring her candidacy and a number of left-wing union leaders publicly backing her potential chief rival, Cath Bowtell. Announcing her nomination, Ms More....
Red tape harms nurse practice
A new survey carried out with assistance from Australian Catholic University (ACU) staff has found that Australia is failing to make best use of nurse practitioners within the health system.The role of nurse practitioners was created several years ag More....
New findings shake the foundations of Alzheimer's research
Tel Aviv University finds that a destructive protein is also essential for normal brain functionAlzheimer's disease is caused by the build-up of a brain peptide called amyloid-beta. That's why eliminating the protein has been the focus of alm More....
GWAHS Still Waiting for Admin Support to Free Up Nurses
Nurses at Dubbo Base Hospital are still waiting for administrative back-up but it’s not because of a lack of cash, says the Greater Western Area Health Service. Money to employ seven clinical support officers (CSOs), to free nurses from paperwo More....
Clinical support officers ease strain on hospitals
When a clinical support officer, Amy Menegazzo, started her job three weeks ago, she was welcomed with open arms. The 21-year-old is one of 16 staff at Wollongong Hospital who will take over senior clinicians' paperwork to give them more time wit More....
Weak leadership’ fails to deliver clinical staff
Dubbo Base Hospital is missing two of the seven clinical support workers it was promised seven months ago, but is better off than hospitals in western Sydney where none have been employed. It’s reported that on March 30 this year the then-NSW h More....
Some frustration over proposed national health system reform
The first steps towards the Government's proposed reform of the national health system has begun. The country’s first two super GP clinics have opened and, by next week the services of nurse practitioners will be eligible to Medicare. More....
Jobs unfilled as staff buckle under pressure
LIZ McCALL spends most of her time holed up in an office buried in paperwork. The nurse unit manager is a de facto payroll officer, recruitment agent, stores manager and, not by choice, a data entry expert.Instead, Ms McCall, a Nurses Association of More....
Victorian Nurses Union Working to Retain Regional Nurses and Midwives
The Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) will launch new initiatives next Monday 23 November 2009 designed to keep more than 1000 injured and ill nurses and midwives in the nursing workforce each year. This will save regional hospitals mi More....
Industrial Strength Bias
Do you know what atorvastatin is? How about esomeprazole? Olanzapine? Valsartan? Lansoprazole? Most people don’t recognize these drug names, even though they are among the bestselling drugs of all time. But how many do you recognize from this l More....
National call for regional cancer centres applications
Applications for the Rudd Government’s $560 million Regional Cancer Centres are now open via a national advertising campaign.Eligible public or private organisations will be able to apply for infrastructure funding to establish new or enh More....
Health services fail to hit targets
NOT one area health service in the state has completed the entire first set of reforms recommended in Peter Garling's damning review of public hospitals, an independent audit found yesterday.The audit praised clinicians for their ''good p More....
New Guidelines a Model for Better Care of Rare Conditions
Families and clinicians caring for girls with the rare and debilitating neurological condition Rett syndrome can now access a comprehensive guide to the best management of one of their most significant issues, scoliosis.The new booklet contains a set More....
Hospitals 'need' complementary medicine
There is a place for complementary therapies such as herbal remedies and acupuncture in Australia's hospitals, an academic says.Professor Marc Cohen says the therapies should be part of the drive to make the nation's hospitals more efficient, More....
South Australia needs overseas nurses to overcome shortage
SOUTH Australia must "open the doors" to overseas nurses to solve the workforce crisis in the profession, Business SA states.The Australian Nursing Federation estimates SA is short of about 500 nurses and that number will rise to about 5000 More....
Surgeons prepare to separate conjoined twins
Later this morning, a 16-strong medical team will begin the mammoth, long-awaited operation to separate the conjoined Bangladeshi twins, Trishna and Krishna.Members of the team gathered at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne yesterday to a More....
Nurse board rejects blame
TASMANIA'S nursing board is sick of being blamed for preventing nurses from returning to work.Nursing Board of Tasmania chief executive Moira Laverty said the board had been framed as the "culprit" for the absence of a course that allow More....
Effectiveness of nurse bonus questioned
The Federal Government’s plan to attract nurses back into the workforce doesn’t appear to be doing the job, opponents of the scheme say.Nearly two years after the nurse bonus was first introduced by the Rudd Government, questions are bein More....
Inquest launched into nursing home death
A coroner has opened an inquest into the death of a nursing home resident in the Wide Bay Burnett.Kenneth John McMurtrie died in Bundaberg in November last year.Coroner Jennifer Batts says she called the inquest to reconcile conflicting medical repor More....
Rural doctor calls for more nurses
A rural doctor is calling for the state and federal governments to address a nursing shortage which is forcing the transfer of emergency patients from his western NSW hospital.Dr Tilak Dissanayake, the only doctor at Coolah Hospital, says he was told More....
Governments back plan to boost breastfeeding rates
MOTHERS will be urged to ditch the baby bottle under a controversial and potentially divisive five-year plan to boost breast milk feeding rates. The government-backed pro-breast milk message will argue that babies fed on breast milk for longer may re More....
NZ Support workers worried over effect of ACC cuts
Otago's support workers are being paid generously and impending cuts to travel reimbursement will create greater equity across the entire health sector, the Accident Compensation Corporation says. But support workers in the region are concerned t More....
Innovative aged care and accommodation scheme seeks hearing
The Benevolent Society has initiated a hearing in the Land and Environment Court on its innovative aged care and accommodation project – Apartments for Life (AFL) – at Bondi.The proposed hearing will seek endorsement of revised developmen More....
IVF doubles rate of obstetric haemorrhage
Obstetric haemorrhages are about twice as common in women who have undergone IVF, a Monash University study shows, with researchers saying events around the time of implantation may be responsible and that suboptimal endometrial function is the criti More....
CSU nursing first in line for new equipment
The Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Nursing and Midwifery at Orange is the first to receive state-of-the-art facilities and equipment at the new Nursing Experiential Learning Centre which opens on Friday 13 November.The Nursing Experien More....
Care after accident was wonderful
AT 5pm on Wednesday, October 21 I was involved in an accident and became immobile. Luckily I was supported by caring people who provided assistance by phoning my family, and helpful ambulance staff who took me to hospital.Following my admission and s More....
World remembers WWI sacrifice
GERMAN and French leaders stood side by side at the World War I remembrance ceremony in Paris for the first time overnight as events were held around the globe to honour the millions of dead. In London the Queen led tributes to the war dead, includin More....
Newly developed rehab program
After being told he may never walk again, Sydney builder Rhys Tappenden is now making a remarkable recovery thanks to a new rehabilitation program, with an emphasis on intense physical exercise. But before the program is launched in Sydney next year, More....
Hope for home birthing midwives
On September 7, thousands of women protested in Canberra to have their rights to homebirths protected, as private midwives faced the prospect of continued lack of access to medical indemnity insurance, and, as a result, the inability to register with More....
Palmerston Court Aged Care Facility To Close
Palmerston Court Aged Care in Drysdale on the Bellarine peninsula in Victoria will close at the end of next month after being placed into voluntary administration. It is the second aged care facility on the Bellarine Peninsula to clos More....
Federal Government announces funds injection into rural health
The federal government has announced it will inject a further $6.1 million to improve health infrastructure in 40 rural and remote communities across Australia. Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health, Mr Warren Snowdon who was More....
Poll finds voluntary euthanasia gains support
A new survey conducted by Newspoll on behalf of Dying with Dignity NSW, has indicate a 5% increase in support for voluntary euthanasia since the last poll was conducted in 2007. The study involved 1,201 adults. Mr Robert Marr from Dying w More....
Hospice Nurses concerned about job status
The ACT Government has agreed in-principle to sell the hospice to Little Company of Mary Health Care (LCMHC) for $9 million.The sale is part of a proposed deal in which the Government plans to buy Calvary Public Hospital from LCMHC for $77 million.Nu More....
Greater Southern Area Health Service having to contract out maternity positions
In order to cover maternity services at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, Greater Southern Area Health Service is having to contract out maternity positions. Executive Director of Medical Services, Mr Joe McGirr said that "I think sometimes o More....
Former Nursing Home Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Patient's ID's
Erica Fowler, aged 27 from Virginia Beach in the US, has plead guilty to aggravated identify theft after stealing identity information belonging to nursing home patients. According to court documents, Fowler worked as at Our Lady of Perpetual He More....
Childhood Vaccines at an all time high, but access not yet equitable
Reversing a downward trend, immunization rates are now at their highest ever and vaccine development worldwide is booming, according to a new assessment released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the World Bank. The State of th More....
Health concerns over Australian tyres
The World Health Organization has warned about the Australian tyre industry's trade with South East Asia which it says is responsible for health hazards in the region.Australian motorists wear out 11 million tyres each year. But most of More....
Nurse practitioner role here to stay
By Nina Hendy Nurse practitioners will become an increasingly important part of the country’s healthcare landscape after the role attracted Federal Government funding in this year’s budget. Lengthy reports commissioned by More....
Thousands of reasons to support aged care reform
In excess of 15,000 charters signed by the community and aged care workers calling on the Federal Government to properly fund aged care were handed over to the Federal Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot MP today at Amaroo Aged Care Facility in Tweed More....
Nursing numbers increase but profession under pressure
The number of nurses employed in health increased by 11% between 2003 and 2007 but, unlike their medical counterparts, nurses are working longer hours, and the ageing of the workforce poses challenges for Australia’s healthcare system the ANF s More....
APHA claims report shows private hospitals to be "less costly, more efficient and safer"
On submission of its Public & Private Hospitals comparison draft report, the productivity commission has reported its key findings as follows: The Commission's experimental cost estimates suggest that, at a national level, public and private More....
Fielding offends Nurses and Midwives
Senator Steve Fielding has offended more than 300,000 nurses and midwives in Australia by suggesting they are not able to provide high quality care in the community.ANF Federal Secretary Ged Kearney said Senator Fielding had displayed a lack of under More....
Australian Nursing Federation Calls for long term health care strategy
The Australian Nursing Federation has called for a long term health care strategy to address the pressure on public hospitals, in response to the AMA’s report card on public hospitals.ANF Federal Secretary Ged Kearney said that nurses are More....
Reducing Childhood Deaths from Diarrhoea
Global campaigns to fight diarrhoea - the second deadliest illness for children – must be re-energized to prevent the deaths of millions in the developing world, UNICEF and WHO said today as they released a new report on the disease. “It More....
Quick diagnosis for mental illness
Australian researchers have for the first time developed a biological test to diagnose mental illness such as depression and schizophrenia.Researchers at Monash University have invented an electrode that, when placed in the ear, can detect chang More....
Public hospitals in decline nationally
AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that Australia’s public hospitals continue to be seriously under-funded and are struggling to meet growing public demand for their services. The AMA Public Hospital Report Card 2009 is an analysis of t More....
National Health care system to go online
For much of the past decade, various federal and state health authorities have been working towards a national, super-connected health system; and it's supposed to be finalised within the next three years. The new, so called E-Health system will More....
Study and Support Assist in Recovery from Victorian Fires
When nurse, Joanne Craven moved into her parents’ Gippsland home in September 2008, she had no idea she would stay in that house for only a few months.Joanne’s father had suffered a stroke 12 months earlier and was now wheelchair bound, s More....
Royal Darwin Hospital unveils refurbished operating theatres
Royal Darwin Hospital today unveiled two operating theatres that have been refurbished with a million dollar grant through the Federal Government's Elective Surgery Waitlist Reduction Plan. The Health Minister, Kon Vatskalis, says he is due More....
UK inquest clears doctors who allowed a 26 year old woman to die
An inquest into the death of a 26 year old in 2007 has found that doctors had no legal alternative but to allow a 26 year old woman to die. The woman, who was believed to be depressed due to her inability to have children, had swallowed antifre More....
Maternity Ward to Stay Open... For now
After management at Armadale Kelmscott hospital last week announced that the maternity ward would be closed due to staff shortages, WA Premier Colin Barnett now says the ward will remain open at least until the end of October which will allow the mot More....
Urgent Shortage of ED Nurses at Port Macquarie Base Hospital
NSW Nationals Leader Andrew Stoner has advised that documents obtained under Freedom of Information reveal that the Port Macquarie Base Hospital urgently requires nine extra nurses. Mr Stoner said that NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt continues to More....
Griffith Base Hospital left without an ICU until Friday
The Griffith Base Hospital ICU has been closed due to the Greater Southern Area Health Service being unable to secure a locum physician until Friday. Western Sector manager Ken Hampson does not expect this closure to have a significant impact o More....
WHO Warns Of Need to Protect the Effectiveness of Tamiflu
The WHO, in its latest update in relation to the H1N1 pandemic, has advised that cases of Tamiflu resistant H1N1 virus are limited and sporadic (a total of 28 cases world wide have been recorded), and that person to person transmission of Tamiflu res More....
ANF Lauds the success and importance of nurse to patient ratios
The NAF (Victoria Branch) has welcomed the announcement of the recruitment of the 10,000th nurse in Victoria since the introduction of nurse to patient ratios in 2001. Acting secretary yvonne Chaperon has said that "they (nurse to patient More....
Surgery improves survival
Women with breast cancer that is diagnosed late and has spread to other parts of their body can still live significantly longer if the original tumour is removed, research has found.The main treatment for breast cancer is surgery to remove lumps of b More....
New drug targets melanoma
Scientists say a breakthrough drug for treating the deadliest form of skin cancer could be on shelves within a couple of years.Until now traditional chemotherapy has helped reduce about 15 per cent of melanomas. But the new drug shrinks 70 per cent o More....
Rural babies at risk
Rural babies at risk - the human face of health-care cuts The closure of maternity wards in regional public hospitals by state governments has meant that women living out of the cities now have longer distances to travel to deliver their babies. More....
Paralysed rats run again
In some remarkable medical research with long-term consequences for tens of thousands of people with spinal-cord injuries, scientists in Switzerland have been able to make paralysed rats run again.A new study shows paraplegic rats don't need thei More....
Ageing - Nation's Biggest Employer
IT'S age before stimulus. The ageing of the population has outrun the Rudd government's attempts to prop up the economy, with the health sector replacing retail trade as the nation's top employer.The historic realignment was sealed by a 4 More....
Swing Flu Vaccine Given Approval by TGA
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has registered a vaccine for the H1N1 virus. The vaccine, developed by CSL, was found by the TGA to be safe for people over the age of 10. Federal Health minister Nicola Roxon has announced an un More....
After having been forced to bid for work in Queensland for the first time due to pressure from rival operators , The Royal Flying Doctors Service - Queensland division, has secured a contract enabling it to expand its operation and operate additional More....
NT Chief Justice Expresses Frustration at the Lack of Mental Health Facilities
Chief Justice Brian Martin has expressed his frustration at the lack of appropriate mental health facilities during a Supreme Court hearing. He said the lack of appropriate mental health facilities has forced the extention of prison terms for p More....
Rethink on access to mammograms
BREAST cancer patients are pushing for the abolition of rules that prevent women diagnosed with the disease from further access to free mammograms - claiming the bar is discriminatory and penalises women when they need help the most.Breast Cancer Net More....
Royal Flying Doctor Service secured lifeline
The Royal Flying Doctor Service has secured a lifeline from the Queensland government, winning a crucial contract to expand operations.This deal will allow the RFDS to base additional aircraft in Brisbane, Rockhampton and Townsville and carry ou More....
Public Smoking Ban Dramatically Reduces Rate of Heart Attacks
A ban on public smoking across England Scotland and Wales in 2007 has been shown to have resulted in a significant reduction in the rate of heart attacks. It is understood that exposure to cigarette smoke has an immediate effect on blood chemis More....
NSW Health Department Owes Creditors $69M
John Roach, the Chief Financial Officer for NSW Health has revealed during a budget estimates hearing that the total amount owed to creditors at 45 days after the due date is $69M highlighting the persisting cash flow problems that are undermining th More....
Roxon push for means test of private health insurance may trigger election
After the senate last week rejected a bill that would have introduced a means test of the private health insurance rebate, the federal government has sought advice on recalling Parliament in December to reintroduce the bill. Health Minister Nic More....
One flu injection enough - trial findings...
As reported by ABC News, Drug manufacturer CSL says a single dosage of its swine flu vaccine will be adequate to protect most Australian adults from the virus. The company has released the preliminary findings from its vaccine testing on 240 adults, More....
NSW Improves Hospital Waiting Time Performance
The NSW Government has announced that despite a 4.9% rise in visits to emergency departments in the three months to June, 113,000 people were admitted through emergency departments - a 2.2% improvement on last year, and surgery performance More....
Monkey Gene could fight HIV
Swiss researchers from the University of Geneva have artificially reproduced a gene found in a South American owl monkey that has shown resistance to the HIV virus, and successfully transplanted the gene into human blood cells and mice.&nbs More....
NSW rejects federal emergency funding proposal
NSW Treasurer - Eric Roozendaal has rejected a health emergency funding proposal by federal treasure Wayne Swan. According to Mr Roozendaal, if implemented, the proposal would require the NSW government to spend over $1.44 billionA befor More....
Mother's protest the demise of home birthing
More than 2000 people have rallied outside Parliament House in Canberra protesting the effective illegalisation of home birthing. After 2012 midwives performing home births will be required to carry indemnity insurance as requirement of their m More....
New Alzheimer's genes discovered
Scientists have made huge inroads into the study of Alzheimer's, by identifying three new genes linked to the onset of the disease. A team of scientists in the UK and France, with help from an Australian group, made their discovery after stu More....
Woman gives birth to still born while in a coma - unnoticed by staff
Ms Sharon May was initially diagnosed with pneumonia at Armadale hospital and was subsequently admitted to Sir Charles Gardiner hospital where she was placed in an induced coma in intensive care. As reported by the ABC - the following day, while stil More....
Handover error thought to be behind patient being left on bed pan
A spokesman for Concord hospital in Sydney has acknowledged an error was made which resulted in a very ill elderly man on a bedpan for some period of time (the full extent of the period of time is in dispute). The spokesman said he believed tha More....
State and Territory Ministers give indemnity exemption to home-birth midwives
Under plans for national registration of nurses, state and territory health ministers have exempted midwives performing home births from the registration requirement to carry indemnity insurance until 2012. Federal health minister Nicola Roxon More....
Hospital Infections costing $1 Billion per year
As reported in the Healthcare Infection journal, approximately 5% of all hospital admissions are associated with infections acquired in hospitals or in the healthcare system. This translates to about 850,000 'lost bed days'. If th More....
Boost for HIV Researchers
As reported in New Scientist - a team of researchers have identified a previously unknown weak spot on HIV that can be targeted by antibodies and potentially contribute to the development of a vaccine. The rapid mutation of HIV to avoid the bod More....
NSW Greater Southern Area Health Service Chief Executive Explains Redundancies
Heather Gray, CEO of the Greater Southern Area Health Service has explained in the face of criticism over staffing cuts her plans to mitigate budget pressures associated with staffing costs. Ms Gray endeavoured to reassure the community that st More....
US Regulators fine Pfizer $2.8 Billion for fraudulent marketing
The US Attorney General's office has announced a US$2.3 Billion (A$2.8 Billion) fine against Pfizer for marketing four drugs not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One of these drugs was Bextra - an arthritis drug that Pfiz More....
Queensland abortion bill gives doctors greater protection
The Queensland state parliament has passed a Criminal Code (Medical Amendment) Bill which reportedly clarifies section 282 of the the criminal code to provide doctors carrying out drug-induced terminations with the same legal protection provided for More....
