A nurse from Guy and St Thomas` hospital has been handed one of the most important nursing jobs at the Olympic Games.

Tracy Holmes, who usually works as a site nurse practitioner, has taken on the role of venue medical manager at the London 2012 Games. Ms Holmes will ensure top athletes like Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis are looked after, as well as members of the public.

Ms Holmes will be based at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford and will be in charge of a team of medical staff who will organise the care of athletes and the public. She will ensure anyone who is injured or taken ill on site will be treated by the relevant medical staff, while serious cases will be sent to a nearby hospital.

She said: "In the build-up to the Games I`ll be involved in setting up the medical treatment area in the Olympic Stadium. I`ll work closely with other venue medical managers so treatment areas in each Olympic venue are exact mirror images of each other to enable medical staff to work easily in any venue, and be able to find everything quickly.

"We`ll also get involved in `test events` at the venue so medical staff can practise their roles, and to check that I rota enough staff to look after the crowd and the Olympians."

Copyright Press Association 2012

A difference in blood pressure between the right and left arm could be a sign of underlying health problems, according to research published in The Lancet.

Taking the blood pressure in both arms should be routine in nursing jobs because a large difference could indicate a heightened risk of vascular disease and death, the study found. Guidelines currently state that both arms should be measured, but it is not always done.

Some 28 previous study papers looking at the issue were reviewed by Dr Christopher Clark and his colleagues at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Exeter.

A difference in systolic blood pressure of 10 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) between the left and right arm could indicate a patient is at a heightened risk of asymptomatic peripheral vascular disease, said the report. Meanwhile, a difference of 15mg Hg could reveal a higher risk of cerebrovascular disease, a 70% risk of death from cardiovascular diseases and a 60% higher risk of death from all causes.

Prof Jonathan Mant, from the University of Cambridge`s department of public health and primary care, and Prof Richard J McManus, of the University of Oxford`s department of primary care health sciences, said the research backs the current guidelines.

"Ascertainment of differences should become part of routine care, as opposed to a guideline recommendation that is mostly ignored," they said.

Copyright Press Association 2012

New guidance from the Department of Health will abolish `open but full` lists at GP practices because it is too confusing for patients.

Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) must state whether lists are `open` or `closed` under the proposals, which aim to make the availability of primary care services clearer to patients.

Action should also be taken to ensure patients registered with a GP outside their home area can get the same level of care that they would receive at their nearest practice, the Choice of GP Practice document says.

Patients who move home but remain within an outer boundary area agreed by the PCT cluster and the practice can remain registered with their practice under the proposals.

However, the guidance also acknowledges that patient choice needs to be balanced with practicality. GP practices with reasonably large boundary areas may not be required to set up an additional outer boundary area, according to the document, but this is expected to be "the exception rather than the norm".

"PCT clusters should work with GP practices to ensure that the arrangements are as fair and equitable as possible and that they serve patients` interests," the guidance states.

Three pilot schemes will be run around the country in areas where a high number of patients travel in for work. Nottingham City; Manchester and Salford; and Central London: Westminster, City & Hackney and Tower Hamlets, are the chosen areas.

Copyright Press Association 2012

Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease could be revolutionised on the NHS if it embraces genetic testing, the government`s genetics adviser has claimed.

Prof Sir John Bell said patients would pay the price if the NHS misses out on genetics, when he presented a report on how advances in the field should be prepared for. Prof Bell has long advocated the adoption of genetic tools, while he has called on ministers to have current and new staff in NHS jobs trained in genetics.

Plans to speed up the introduction of genetic cancer tests have been announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

A problem in modern medicine is that the definitions of some diseases are too broad.

"Breast cancer has always been defined because it is a tumour in the breast," said Prof Bell, speaking to the BBC. "But if you look at the molecular detail of those cancers, some are much more similar to ovarian cancers than they are to other breast cancers, in molecular terms and in terms of their response to therapy."

The report states that cancer drugs are generally effective in less than a third of patients who take them. But the theory is that by analysing which genes are active inside a tumour, picking the correct treatment will be made possible.

Copyright Press Association 2012