health

RD&E celebrates apprentices during National Apprenticeship Week

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 03/06/2017 - 10:35pm

The work of Apprentices employed at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust is being celebrated during National Apprenticeship Week 2017 (6th – 10th March).

Apprenticeships play a vital role in helping young people to get a foot on the career ladder and enable employers to develop a skilled workforce for the future. The national event, now in its tenth year, celebrates the important contribution made by apprenticeships and highlights the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

The Trust currently employs over 70 Apprentices in a...

Dawlish patient in national campaign promoting health research

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 02/17/2017 - 10:55am

A Dawlish man has shared his own experience in support of a national campaign promoting participation in health research.

The National Institute for Health Research promotes opportunities for taking part in clinical research and the benefits for patients through its campaign called ‘Our Stories.’

Howard Almond was diagnosed in 2015 with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) which progressively scars the lung and affects breathing. The cause of IPF is unknown and there is currently no cure for this condition. The British Thoracic Society estimates 5,000 people are diagnosed...

Thousands at risk of sudden death from silent heart conditions

Around 52,000 people in the South West are carrying a faulty gene that puts them at high risk of developing coronary heart disease or sudden death, according to new estimates from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Worryingly, the majority of people affected are undiagnosed and unaware that they may be at risk of a deadly heart attack or cardiac arrest. The figure is higher than previous estimates due to better understanding of the prevalence of inherited heart conditions.

The UK’s leading heart research charity warns the overall figure could be much higher due to...

Super slimmers shed 365 stone in 2016

Authored by Penniball
Posted: Wed, 01/04/2017 - 10:29am

Super slimmers in Pinhoe have lost a whopping 365 stone in weight in 2016 – that’s the equivalent of 1 stone for every day of the year or to 25 baby elephants. All together the members of the Thursday night America Hall Slimming World group are now 365 stone lighter than they were last December 2015. Consultant Penni Ball set up the group in January 2010 and has seen countless members reach their weightloss dreams and the group reach the fantastic accolade of being award winning Gold! Over 100 members, attend the group every week, following Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan...

Life Education Wessex launches SCARF aimed at improving children’s health, wellbeing and achievement

Coram Life Education (CLE), the largest provider of wellbeing and drug education in schools, has developed a new range of education support tools to help schools meet Ofsted requirements for safety, personal development, behaviour and welfare. Through Life Education Wessex, a delivery partner of CLE, these resources are available to schools in Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Hampshire.

Called SCARF: 'Safety', 'Caring', 'Achievement', 'Resilience' and 'Friendship', the tools are aligned to the National Curriculum, providing a whole...

SW ambulance ranked top nationally for health research

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 10/26/2016 - 9:45am

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is the top ambulance service in England for running the most clinical research studies to inform and improve patient care and treatments in the future.

One hundred per cent of all the NHS Trusts in England are offering the opportunity to participate in health research to patients according to a league table published today by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN).

The 2015/16 NIHR Research Activity League Table shows all NHS Trusts in England are delivering clinical research,...

Exeter wins £1.5m funding for world-leading initiative to advance health research

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 10/21/2016 - 2:29pm

The University of Exeter has been awarded £1.5 million by Wellcome to enable translation of findings from its world-leading research programmes into improvements in human health on a global scale.

The University has received the substantial grant from Wellcome’s Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) – the third time it has successfully applied for funds through the leading scheme.

The five-year award will be used to establish the Translational Research Exchange@ Exeter (TREE) – an innovative programme designed to build research links between biomedical and clinical...

Honiton residents urged to use Minor Injuries Unit

The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust has become the new provider at Honiton Minor Injuries Unit (MIU).

The Trust is running the service, based at Honiton Community Hospital, for a 12-month period. The MIU was previously run by Northern Devon Healthcare Trust. Highly qualified nurse practitioners with expertise in treating a whole range of minor injuries will staff the unit.

Adel Jones, Divisional Director for Medicine at the RD&E, said: “We would encourage the population in and around Honiton to use the Minor Injuries Unit as much as possible whenever it is...

New technology reduces length-of-stay times at the Nuffield

Authored by Anna Pryce
Posted: Sun, 09/11/2016 - 10:45am

New data released by Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital shows the length-of-stay for orthopaedic surgery has declined by forty per cent in the past decade. The figures relate to patients undergoing a total hip or knee replacement. The length-of-stay for a total hip replacement has declined 42 per cent from an average six night stay in 2006 to three-and-a-half nights in 2015. For total knee replacement the decline has been equally as dramatic, down from 5.8 nights in 2006 to 3.5 nights in 2015, a reduction of 40 per cent.

Mr John Timperley, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon said, “The...

Exeter GP takes on new health research champion role

A GP in Exeter has a new role championing health research and encouraging doctors to increase the opportunities for their patients to take part in clinical research studies conducted in the county.

Dr Lisa Gibbons – a GP and partner at St Thomas Health Centre - has been appointed as the Clinical Research Specialty Lead for primary care in the South West peninsula.

Lisa, who has practised at the health centre in Cowick Street for almost two years, has been involved in health research throughout her medical training and she says she has seen the positive impact of research...

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