Current Awareness Bulletin - LondonLinks

~ Additional five debilitating disorders in newborns to be tested in screening pilotCurrently every baby born in the UK – around 700,000 a year – is tested for one of five illnesses. The test –willnow be extended to include five more rare conditions in five pilot areas. The pilot scheme in Sheffield, Leeds,Manchester, Birmingham and London means 430,000 newborns a year will be also screened for: Maple syrup urine disease Homocystinuria Glutaric acidaemia type 1 Isovaleric acidaemia Long chain fatty acidaemiaAll affect about one in every 100,000 births - or about seven babies - a year.The trial, which will run for one year from July 2012, will be funded by the National Institute of Health Researchwhich is providing £600,000 to researchers based at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. The results ofthe trial will be evaluated after a year and results will be considered by the UK National Screening Committee.http://mediacentre.dh.gov.uk/2012/04/08/430000-babies-to-be-screened-for-five-extra-rare-conditions-in-newbornscreening-pilot/~ Guidance on direct access to diagnostic tests for cancer publishedGuidance on direct referral by GPs to specific diagnostic tests for the assessment of particular symptoms wherecancer may be suspected but the urgent GP referral (two week wait) process is not applicable, has beenpublished.Cancer survival rates in England are lower than the best outcomes in Europe and the Government has set alevel of ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives each year by in England by 2014/15 – equivalent to theEuropean average.In the majority of cases the GP is the first medical professional to see a patient with symptoms suspicious ofcancer and GPs need easy access to the right diagnostic tests to help them diagnose or exclude cancer earlier.The guidance aims to help GPs in determining which patients would be suitable for direct referral to localservices providing the diagnostic tests.http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/04/access-cancer-tests~ Eyes on EvidenceThe April 2012 issue of Eyes on Evidence is available on the NHS Evidence website. It includes articles on:- Clinical benefits of kidney transplants compared to dialysis- Risk of stroke associated with secondhand smoke exposure- Timing of postoperative information- Improving efficacy of topical treatments for psoriasis- NHS Evidence Resources: Alzheimer's Research UK- NHS Evidence QIPP Case Study: Oesophageal Doppler-guided fluid management during major surgeryhttps://www.evidence.nhs.uk/about-us/eyes-on-evidence/eyes-on-evidence-20123