An "enhanced recovery" programme partly undertaken bynurses andallied health professionals could save the NHS more than £40 million a year, according to the Department of Health.

A pilot at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford showed that making simple changes to how patients are prepared for surgery and how they are helped to recover afterwards could dramatically reduce NHS costs.

The programme was found to reduce the number of bed days for patients from 10 to four for some surgeries.

Adopted nationally this could save £42.7 million by freeing up 171,500 bed days, the Department of Health says.

The innovations in surgery preparation include: having GPs assess patients to ensure they are in the best possible condition before entering hospital for surgery; talking to patients about the process to minimise stress; using minimally invasive surgery; encouraging patients to get into a routine as soon after surgery as possible.

About 50 healthcare providers so far have clinical teams that use the "enhanced recovery" techniques. The department said it was strongly supportive of the methods but was not providing any additional funding.

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

Patients have been urged by a team of researchers to report directly back to the Government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe.

A study by Nottingham University Medical School found that patients gave much more detailed accounts when outlining the side effects of medicines, compared with the descriptions provided by people with NHS jobs.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) currently runs a Yellow Card Scheme, which monitors the safety of the medicines and vaccines on the market.

The researchers think that patient contributions to the scheme will help the MHRA build a more accurate picture of what drugs and treatments work most effectively and which ones are problematic.

Study leader Tony Avery said: "Patients filling in their own reports explain the side-effects in their own words and often provide more detail than healthcare professionals. Suggesting that patients consider filling in a yellow card may help to indicate that their symptoms are being taken seriously. Also, patients may be motivated by the idea of providing information that will help improve understanding of side-effects."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

A "polypill" treatment can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%, the world`s first international study of the drug has found.

Aspirin and chemicals that help to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol have been combined to produce the four-in-one pill.

Therapies to reduce the chances of heart attack and stroke are already prescribed in the form of separate drugs to millions of people across the world.

But the prospect of developing a combined drug has been investigated by researchers and those in pharmacy jobs for a long time, with some claiming that it should be given to everyone aged over 55 to reduce the risk of disease.

It is also believed that taking one pill would be easier for people, and that it could be made cheaply.

In the latest study, published in the journal Public Library of Science One, experts tested the pill in 378 people who did not already need any of its components, but who had more than a 7.5% estimated risk of cardiovascular disease.

The drug contained 75mg of aspirin, the two blood pressure drugs lisinopril (10mg) and hydrochlorothiazide (12.5mg), and 20mg of the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin.

The participants came from the UK, Australia, Brazil, India, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and the US.

Twelve weeks after the start of the study, experts analysed the effect of the drug on blood pressure, cholesterol and how well it was tolerated.

The drugs did cause side effects, including stomach irritation and coughs, in about one in six people.

Overall, about one in 20 people stopped the treatment due to side effects, suggesting the drug may be best targeted at those with the highest risk of disease.

Professor Anthony Rodgers, from The George Institute for Global Health, said: "The results show a halving in heart disease and stroke can be expected for people taking this polypill long-term."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

With millions of people currently undiagnosed with depression, family doctors are being urged to do more to spot signs of those with the problem.

An estimated one in six adults is suffering from a common mental health condition such as depression, anxiety problems or even difficulties such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Other common problems include social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, which are thought to remain largely hidden conditions from those withNHS jobs.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has now published guidance which aims to improve doctors` skills at spotting these problems. Experts have previously said there is not enough evidence to suggest the whole patient population should be screened, but GPs should seek to ask a simple question if it looks like someone is struggling.

Patients could be questioned over being unable to halt worrying thoughts, indicating an anxiety disorder. Two key questions asked could be: "Have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless? And, "During the last month, have you often been bothered by having little interest or pleasure in doing things?" Positive responses would lead to more detailed questioning.

According to studies, only 30% of those with depression are spotted in GP surgeries, with another 30% never coming forward to get help. Chairman of the Nice guidelines development group, Tony Kendrick, said GP services "vary, but are getting better" when it comes to mental health issues among patients.

He added: "The costs of common mental health disorders are very high. They are estimated to cause one in five days lost from work in Britain. There are existing problems with identification of people with the disorders and with access to primary and secondary care."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011