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

New technology which measures blood flow during surgery could save the NHS £880 million a year in England, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

NICE has published guidance on the use of the oesophageal Doppler monitoring (ODM) system in surgery, which it said brings a whole raft of benefits to the NHS and patient care.

The ODM - which could be incorporated into future health training - accurately measures changes in the rate of blood circulating around the body, helping clinical teams ensure the right amount of blood gets to vital organs.

NICE`s Medical Technology Advisory Committee (MTAC) said the system could lead to an average cost saving of £1,100 per patient, reduce average hospital stays by two days per patient, reduce complications and result in fewer hospital readmissions.

With more than 800,000 relevant operations a year in England alone, MTAC`s guidance means the new technology could potentially save the NHS more than 1.6 million bed days.

Deltex Medical`s CardioQ-ODM is suitable for use in all major surgery including colorectal, genito-urinarygeneral, vascular, urology and renal, orthopaedic and gynaecological surgery.

Monty Mythen, clinical lead for the Department of Health`s Enhanced Recovery Partnership Programme and professor of anaesthesia and critical care at University College London, said: "I have worked with ODM for almost two decades and have seen the benefits in my patients. By offering a much less invasive method of fluid management during and after surgery, ODM helps patients recover more quickly.

"I am delighted that this guidance has highlighted the advantages of this technology, and I hope that it gives the NHS the impetus it needs to ensure better access for all."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

Trained doctors who miss out on surgical positions are increasingly using their core skills in other medical specialties, the Department of Health (DoH) has claimed.

A survey carried out by BMJ Careers showed that competition for surgical training posts can be as high as 15 to one, with a DoH spokeswoman saying the process ensures the best candidates go on in the field.

She added: "Surgical training has always been highly competitive. The profession knows this and is supportive of it - competition helps to ensure that the best candidates progress in the field. A lot of work has been done nationally by the Royal College of Surgeons and other surgical bodies to determine how best to recruit the most promising doctors into surgical training.

"The expertise of those who do not progress into higher specialty training is not lost. For example, doctors who have completed core surgical training posts progress into other specialties, for example, a number apply to be radiologists."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2010

Surgeons have revealed that laws introduced to improve their working lives and patient safety have "failed spectacularly".

A survey from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has shown that patients in NHS hospitals are far more at risk following the measures and the issue is getting worse.

The publishing of the findings coincided with the first anniversary of the implementation of the European Working Time Regulations (EWTR), which prevents doctors from working more than 48 hours a week.

The survey of 980 surgeons and surgical trainees covered all nine surgical specialities and all Strategic Health Authorities in England as well as surgeons based in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and compared responses to a similar survey undertaken last year.

It revealed that 80% of consultant surgeons and two thirds of surgical trainees (66%) say that patient care deteriorated under the directive. This compares with 72% of consultants and 59% of trainees consulted in October 2009.

Two thirds of trainees (65%) say their training time decreased - a quarter more than in October 2009 (41%). More than a quarter of senior surgeons are no longer able to be involved in all of the key stages of a patient`s care (18% in October 2009).

Two thirds of trainees reported a decline in training time in the operating theatre and 61% of consultants report that they are operating without trainee assistance more frequently since the EWTR was introduced. The RCS said the survey paints a picture of an NHS that, one year on, "is still totally overstretched due to an arbitrary hours regulation".

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2010