Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Desember 2013 | 21.24
13 December 2013Last updated at 04:57 ETBy Nick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News
The NHS in England has missed its four-hour A&E waiting time for the first time this winter, figures show.
Continue reading the main story
In the last week, 94.8% of patients were seen within four hours compared to 95.6% the week before. The target is 95%.
The figures cover all centres - major A&Es, smaller minor injury units and urgent care centres.
Waiting times are worst in the major units where only 92.2% were seen within four hours.
The figures show two thirds of the 144 trusts with major units are missing the target.
It is the first time since April the target has been missed overall - although the major units have been below the 95% mark since July.
'Leeway'
It is not unusual for performance to drop in December.
For the last three years individual weekly figures have fallen below 95% before Christmas.
Last winter the NHS was consistently below the 95% figure overall from January to April.
Hospitals are given a 5% leeway to allow doctors to prioritise the sickest patients.
Continue reading the main story
This was always going to happen. Every winter the NHS will miss the A&E waiting time target from time to time. What is important is where the NHS goes from here.
The government has thrown extra money at the system - about £400m in total - to try to stop a repeat of last year when the waiting time target was consistently missed after Christmas.
There are a number of factors that are out of everyone's hands, including the weather. But there is a worrying picture developing.
The number of patients that come to A&E and then are admitted into hospital - ie the most serious cases - are high. What is more, hospitals are finding it difficult to discharge its frailest patients. These people often need support once they leave and the numbers show there are increasing delays in arranging that.
The extra money was meant to ease these two problems in particular, but there is little to suggest that has happened.
The worry now is that hospitals get clogged up and pressures continue to build.
NHS England chief operating officer Dame Barbara Hakin said it was "disappointing" performance had dropped, but said last week was the busiest so far this winter with more than 415,000 people attending A&E, while the numbers that needing admitting to hospital for further treatment - emergency admissions - hit its highest level since 2010.
She added: "We know the A&E standard is ambitious and that is only right. This is the first week since April the 95% standard has not been met, however we do know that sometimes this will happen.
"Every year we see a dip in the figures for December, with week on week variations which is why we fully assess how local systems are coping with winter pressures over a longer period.
"We knew this winter would be difficult but it is important to stress the NHS continues to deliver a good service. This is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our frontline staff."
The drop in performance comes despite the government giving the NHS extra money to cope with winter - £250m was announced in the summer and another £150m was pledged last month.
A Department of Health spokeswoman added: "We have always been clear that this could be a difficult winter - and there could be more difficult weeks ahead. But the majority of patients continue to get the excellent care they deserve."
12 December 2013Last updated at 20:06 ETBy James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News
Vodka martini, "shaken not stirred" - often said as part of a bad Sean Connery impersonation - is one of the most quotable lines from Bond.
Yet Her Majesty's top secret agent's love of the bottle would leave him impotent and at death's door.
Doctors analysing the Ian Fleming novels show James Bond polishes off the equivalent of one and a half bottles of wine every day.
They say he is not the man to trust to deactivate a nuclear bomb.
Doctors in Derby and Nottingham sat down to read the 14 Bond novels in their spare time.
With a notebook at hand they charted every day and every drink.
Excluding the 36 days Bond was in prison, hospital or rehab, the spy downed 1,150 units of alcohol in 88 days.
It works out at 92 units a week - about five vodka martinis a day and four times the recommended maximum intake for men in the UK.
The doctors' report in the festive edition of the British Medical Journal concluded: "Although we appreciate the societal pressures to consume alcohol when working with international terrorists and high stakes gamblers, we would advise Bond to be referred for further assessment of his alcohol intake."
Patrick Davies, a consultant in paediatric intensive care at Nottingham University Hospitals, told the BBC: "You wouldn't want this person defusing a nuclear bomb.
"He's a very glamorous person, he gets all the girls and that's totally incompatible with the lifestyle of an alcoholic, which he is."
He said Bond would be classified in the "top whack" of problem drinkers and would be at high risk of liver damage, an early death and impotence.
"So he might be practising safe sex after all," said Dr Davies.
From Russia with vodka
He also had a "Drink and Let Drive" habit after consuming 39 units in Casino Royale then crashing in a high-speed car chase and needing two weeks in hospital.
On his biggest bender, Bond had 50 units in a single day during From Russia With Love and only 13 days in all the novels were free of the sauce.
Charting James Bond's drinking habits with age, he starts off drinking heavily in Casino Royale (1953) before seemingly starting to get his life in order as he heads towards Goldfinger (1959).
However, his intake starts to soar again and peaks at 132 units a week in You Only Live Twice (1964).
The researchers argue this may be a response to the death of his wife a year earlier in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
They say the study is light-hearted, and did not interfere with their day jobs, but raises an important message about alcohol.
Excessive alcohol consumption is thought to cause 2.5 million deaths every year around the world.
"The level of functioning as displayed in the books is inconsistent with the physical, mental, and indeed sexual functioning expected from someone drinking this much alcohol," the doctors said.
Drug company Novartis is recalling thousands of bottles of Tixylix cough and cold medicines over fears plastic may have got into the medicines.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says consumers should return affected bottles to the place of purchase.
Novartis said it had been made aware of a possible fault in the tamper seal.
There is no evidence that anyone has been harmed, but Novartis has set up a helpline on 0800 854 100.
The affected medicines come under 37 different batch numbers and have expiry dates ranging from 01/08/15 to 01/06/16. A full list is available on the MHRA website.
Consumers are advised to check their products to see if they carry an affected batch number and expiry date.
'Precautionary'
The action by Novartis follows Boots taking the same step last month over its cough and cold medicines.
The Novartis and Boots products are made by the same company, which is part of the Boots stable of companies.
Novartis Consumer Health has been made aware of a possible fault in the manufacturing process of the tamper seal, which might result in small pieces of plastic being found in the liquid medicines.
Adam Burgess, the MHRA head of defective medicines reporting centre, said: "This is a precautionary recall and there is currently no evidence that people have had any problems with these medicines.
"If people have bought Tixylix, we ask that they check the batch number on the bottle label next to the expiry date to see if it is one of the batches being recalled.
"If anyone has an affected batch, they should return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
"If people do have any questions they can contact Novartis on 0800 854 100 or visit tixylix.co.uk."
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 12 Desember 2013 | 21.24
12 December 2013Last updated at 05:56 ETBy Nick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News
A quarter of women in England are left alone during labour and birth at a time that worries them, according to an official survey.
The finding comes from a poll of 23,000 women by the Care Quality Commission, which is carried out every three years.
While care improved on many antenatal and postnatal measures, the regulator said it was concerned about what was happening in the delivery room.
Midwife leaders said the problems were directly linked to a shortage of staff.
There are currently over 21,000 midwives in the NHS in England - a rise of 1,200 in two years.
But the Royal College of Midwives believes there is a shortage of 4,800 because the birth rate is at its highest since the early 1970s.
The survey showed a significant number of women were concerned about the care they got during labour and birth.
'Not good enough'
Some 39% reported raising concerns - although the CQC did not ask whether they were minor or major issues.
Of those that complained, a fifth said they were not taken seriously enough.
Continue reading the main story
The bottom line is that in order for things to improve we need more midwives, working effectively, providing continuity for women"
End QuoteNational Childbirth Trust
Overall, the poll showed:
25% of women were left alone during labour or birth - up from 22% in 2010
Half did not use the pain relief they had planned to, mainly because of medical reasons or a change of mind but in one in four cases lack of time was cited
9% reported problems with the cleanliness of bathrooms and toilets
During antenatal care 34% saw the same midwife, 37% did not see but did not mind and 28% did not but did mind
78% of women said they had confidence with the midwives caring for them - up from 73% in 2010
Three quarters of women said they were always involved in decision about their care - again up from the previous survey
Nearly nine in 10 said they were spoken to in a way they could understand during both the antenatal and labour/birth periods
About 10,000 women provided detailed comments about their care as well as filling out the survey.
A number of themes arose from their reports, including poor pain management, cleanliness and a sense of bullying over breastfeeding.
Sir Mike Richards, the CQC's chief inspector of hospitals, said he was "encouraged" by the improvements.
But he added: "In too many cases the quality of care delivered is just not good enough.
"Women and their partners are being left alone when it worries them, toilets and wards are described as unclean and some women are not given the pain relief they had expected or planned to use in their birth plan."
Disheartening
Sir Mike said one of the key issues he would be looking at during future inspections would be staffing levels.
He also listed the seven hospitals - out of the 137 delivering maternity care in England - that came out worst in the survey.
These were:
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Barts Health NHS Trust
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Lewisham Health Care NHS Trust
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Cathy Warwick, of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "The survey shows that the NHS continues to fail too many women. It sets out yet more evidence of the real-life and disheartening effects on women of the shortage of midwives. How many more flashing red lights do we need?"
A spokeswoman for the National Childbirth Trust added: "The bottom line is that in order for things to improve we need more midwives, working effectively, providing continuity for women."
12 December 2013Last updated at 05:24 ETBy James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News
The number of people being diagnosed with cancer in the world each year has leaped to more than 14 million, the World Health Organization says.
The data for 2012 shows a marked rise on the 12.7 million cases in 2008.
In that time the number of deaths has also increased, from 7.6 million to 8.2 million.
The rising burden of cancer is being driven by a rapid shift in lifestyles in the developing world to more closely reflect industrialised countries.
Rising rates of smoking and obesity as well as people living longer are contributing to the rise.
Lung cancer, which is mainly caused by smoking, was the most common cancer globally, with 1.8 million cases - about 13% of the total.
The WHO also described a "sharp rise" in cases of breast cancer. Both the incidence and mortality have increased since 2008. The disease in now the most common cancer in women in 140 countries.
Dr David Forman, from the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer, said: "Breast cancer is also a leading cause of cancer death in the less developed countries of the world.
"This is partly because a shift in lifestyles is causing an increase in incidence, and partly because clinical advances to combat the disease are not reaching women living in these regions."
The WHO said there was an "urgent need" for the advances made in detection, diagnoses and treatment of breast cancer to be implemented in developing nations.
The WHO predicts the number of cancer cases will soar to more than 19 million a year by 2025.
12 December 2013Last updated at 08:30 ETBy James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News
A "landmark study" shows a drug can more than halve the development of breast cancer in high-risk women.
A trial on 4,000 women, published in the Lancet, showed anastrozole was more effective, cheaper and had fewer side effects than current medications.
It stops the production of the hormone oestrogen, which fuels the growth of the majority of breast cancers.
Doctors and campaigners are asking health services to consider offering the drug to healthy women.
Some countries already offer the drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene to prevent breast cancer.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News
The use of drugs to prevent cancer has the potential to transform care - a mastectomy is no longer the only preventative treatment.
But who should get the drugs?
There are side-effects to chemicals which affect the hormone oestrogen so these drugs will not be given to all women.
Meanwhile, those with very high risks, such as BRCA gene mutations, may think the risks are still too high even with medication so may still opt for a mastectomy.
A challenge for cancer research will be to identify those women who would gain the most from treatment.
Advances in genetics and new ways of analysing breast tissue are getting a clearer picture of a woman's risk.
However, it is important to remember that many lifestyle choices have a huge impact too.
Breast feeding, reducing alcohol intake and loosing weight will all cut the risk of breast cancer.
They both block oestrogen activity, however, they also increase the risk of cancers of the womb, deep vein thrombosis and hot flushes.
Aromatase inhibitors, such as anastrozole, stop oestrogen being produced in the first place and are already used as a treatment for breast cancer.
'More effective'
The study at Queen Mary University of London has followed women with a high risk of breast cancer, based on their family history, for an average of five years.
It showed that out of 2,000 high-risk women given no treatment there were 85 cases of breast cancer in the study.
But in the same number of women given anastrozole there were 40 cases, with virtually no side-effects.
Lead researcher Prof Jack Cuzick, who also pushed for the introduction of tamoxifen, told the BBC: "I think this is an exciting moment, breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women and we have a chance to reduce cases."
He added: "This class of drugs is more effective than previous drugs such as tamoxifen and crucially, it has fewer side effects."
Prof Cuzick said there was now enough evidence to consider offering the drug.
Prof Montserrat Garcia-Closas, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, who led the world's largest study into the causes of breast cancer, told the BBC: "This is a very significant and very important finding.
"The question now is will it reduce mortality and that will require longer term studies.
"But it adds very important evidence for recommending the drug as an alternative to tamoxifen, we now need to identify those women at highest risk who will benefit the most from this treatment."
Post-menopause
Both tamoxifen and anastrozole are cheap as the patents have run out on the drugs. For five years of treatment, tamoxifen would cost £157 and anastrozole £137.
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote
This landmark study shows that anastrozole could be valuable in helping to prevent breast cancer in women at higher-than-average risk of disease"
End QuoteKate LawCancer Research UK
However, anastrozole cannot prevent the ovaries producing oestrogen so it would work only after the menopause. Tamoxifen works both before and after.
In 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, in England and Wales, said high-risk women, over 35, should be offered tamoxifen or raloxifene.
The decision affected around 500,000 women. Cancer Research UK estimates that 240,000 of them would be suitable for anastrozole.
Prof Mark Baker, from NICE, commented: "We will certainly consider this research - along with all other available evidence - when the NICE guideline on familial breast cancer is next updated."
But he cautioned that tamoxifen was recommended for just a "relatively small percentage" of people so far.
Dr Caitlin Palframan, the head of policy at the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, commented: "The challenge will be ensuring drugs like these are actually offered on the NHS, as many eligible women still don't have access to the risk-reducing treatments already recommended in national guidelines. "
Kate Law, the director of clinical research at Cancer Research UK, which part funded the study, said: "This landmark study shows that anastrozole could be valuable in helping to prevent breast cancer in women at higher-than-average risk of disease.
"We now need accurate tests that will predict which women will most benefit from anastrozole and those who will have the fewest side-effects."
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 11 Desember 2013 | 21.25
11 December 2013Last updated at 06:34 ETBy James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Tom Coppins speaks of the frustration and fear he has regarding his dementia
The UK will aim to double its annual funding for dementia research to £132m by 2025, up from the 2015 target of £66m, David Cameron has said.
The prime minister's announcement comes before a dementia summit which is part of Britain's presidency of the G8.
Meanwhile, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) plans unannounced inspections of the care of dementia patients at 150 institutions across England.
The global number of dementia sufferers is expected to treble to 135m by 2050.
A dementia brain scan will also be introduced for some NHS patients with complicated symptoms.
It could help rule out Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, by hunting for damaged proteins in the brain.
Continue reading the main story
Dementia across the globe
44 million
globally have dementia
135 million
will have the disease in 2050
By then
71%
will be poor and middle income
$600bn
global cost of dementia
In the UK, cancer research gets
8x
as much funding as dementia
Source: Alzheimer's Society
The disease is incurable and ultimately leaves people needing full-time care as brain function wastes away.
There is growing concern that some countries will simply not cope with the growing burden of dementia.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News
Dementia is heading towards being the biggest health and care problem of a generation so you'd think it would have the funding to match. Yet it really is the poor relation of other diseases.
In the UK, about £590m is spent on cancer research with £267m coming from government. At the moment £52m of government money goes to dementia research.
It's a pattern reflected around the world.
Part of the problem is that until recently dementia was considered a "normal part of ageing" whereas cancer has been documented as far back as ancient Egypt.
It means dementia research is starting from a low base.
The UK is aiming to double its spend, but this will still leave dementia significantly behind.
The Alzheimer's Society says it expects more.
It costs the world billions of dollars each year: £370bn ($604bn) in 2010, according to the World Health Organization.
Health ministers from the G8 nations will meet later to find the best ways to advance research.
Ahead of the meeting, Mr Cameron called on government, industry and charities all to commit more funding.
He said government would boost annual research funding from £66m, the 2015 pledge, to £132m, which will be adjusted for inflation, by 2025.
He said: "If we are to beat dementia, we must also work globally, with nations, business and scientists from all over the world working together as we did with cancer, and with HIV and Aids.
"Today, we will get some of the most powerful nations around the table in London to agree how we must go forward together, working towards that next big breakthrough."
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This mustn't be about paying lip service to dementia, it must be about actually changing things - and the biggest thing we can do is make sure we have a proper diagnosis to people.
"By the end of this Parliament we will have doubled the money going into dementia research, so there is a real increase happening, and we have put £0.5bn into additional support for carers."
Labour's shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, commenting on the summit, said dementia was "one of the greatest challenges we will face in this century.
"The prime minister is right to focus on it and Labour will give the important commitment to research cross-party support."
But he added: "The sad reality is too many people with dementia are not getting the support they need at home and are ending up at A&E in increasing numbers. These are problems of this government's making."
'Rallying cry'
Author Sir Terry Pratchett, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2008, told the BBC's Newsnight "a lot more" money should be spent on dementia research and care.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Sir Terry Pratchett said he was angered by the lack of notice paid to dementia
"Every time I read a newspaper or look at a screen, some bad care has been found somewhere in Britain," he said.
Sir Terry said people were afraid of dementia, and that fear could be reduced if they knew they would be "well looked after".
The Alzheimer's Society charity said the summit was a "once in a lifetime opportunity".
Chief executive Jeremy Hughes said: "Given that this is the first time a prime minister has used the presidency of the G8 to take action on a single disease, we are expecting a rallying cry from the UK government.
Continue reading the main story
What is dementia?
It is an umbrella term that describes about 100 diseases in which brain cells die on a huge scale
All damage memory, language, mental agility, understanding and judgement
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form, affecting 62% of those living with dementia
It gets worse with time and eventually people are left completely dependent on carers
It is incurable
"Yet the details we have seen so far are not enough.
"As we enter the summit today, the UK must show an injection of ambition, commitment to a long-term strategy and more funding."
Bran scans
Patients with complicated symptoms or early onset dementia will now be able to get a new brain scan on the NHS to aid diagnosis.
A radioactive marker which binds to amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, will be injected. If there is amyloid in the brain then the tracer will show up on brain scans.
The test will initially be offered at Imperial Hospital Trust in London and will be rolled out to other specialist centres.
Dr Richard Perry, a consultant neurologist at Imperial, told the BBC: "For a patient who can't get an answer using the usual tests this will make a big difference as it'll provide clarity.
"Knowing the cause is the first step to getting treatment."
Around 100 patients a year are expected to get access to the scan.
There have been a flurry of other funding announcements tied to the talks including:
The Medical Research Council (MRC) will commit £50m to improve treatments and delay the progression of the disease
The Alzheimer's Society has promised to spend at least £100m on research in the next decade
A new £3m "Dementia Consortium" will unite the charity Alzheimer's Research UK, two pharmaceutical companies and MRC Technology in the hunt for new drugs
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has put up £5m improve ways of diagnosing and measure disease progression.
Hilary Evans, from Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "It will be heartening to thousands of people living with dementia to see the UK leading the way in dementia research and know that scientists are fighting for them.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Jeremy Hunt: "The biggest thing we can do is to make sure that we actually get a proper diagnosis for people"
"We boast some of the world's leading scientists in dementia, and these announcements are a clear backing of their crucial work - this support must continue.
"We hope this package of announcements will set a good example to other G8 nations to galvanise international research efforts."
Announcing its plan to inspect 150 English care homes and hospitals, the CQC said it would look at what needed improving, how to cut hospital admissions from care homes and ways to help people with dementia maintain their physical and mental well-being.
David Behan, chief executive of the health regulator, said: "We know that these people are often vulnerable because of their condition and can rely on a number of services across health and social care to support their physical, mental and social well-being.
"Our findings will draw conclusions on a national scale about what works well and where improvements are required."
A national report on the issue will also be published in May.
The number of obese and overweight children in the final year of primary school in England has fallen for the first time in six years.
A third (33.3%) of pupils aged 10-11 measured in 2012-13 were obese or overweight, compared with 33.9% the previous year.
The number of obese and overweight children also fell in reception (age four to five) for the second year.
The National Child Measurement Programme was set up in 2005.
Data shows the proportion of obese or overweight children in reception classes is slightly lower at 22.2% than in the previous year (22.6%).
It is also the first time that children who were measured in the first year of the programme when they were in reception in 2006-07 have been measured a second time when they are now in year 6.
"The first drop in obesity prevalence among year six stands out, although we will need to see what the numbers say in future years to determine if this is the start of a decline or more of a blip," said Kingsley Manning, chair of the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Prof Kevin Fenton, national director for health and wellbeing at Public Health England said: "This provides us with a clear picture of the scale of child obesity in England, which we use to inform priorities and actions around tackling child obesity.
"The data also helps local authorities to understand how child obesity affects their local population and determine what actions they can take on a local level."
Poor supervision of midwives led to the deaths of three babies and a mother at a Cumbria hospital, a report has found.
Babies Joshua Titcombe and Alex Davey-Brady, and mother and son Nittaya and Chester Hendrickson died at Furness General Hospital in 2008.
A report by the Health Service Ombudsman found measures failed to identify poor midwifery practice.
NHS England offered its "deepest apologies" to the families and said changes had been implemented.
'Unanswered questions'
The report said: "In all three cases, the midwifery supervision and regulatory arrangements at the local level failed to identify poor midwifery practice.
"The families who complained to us could not mourn the loss of their loved ones properly because of the unanswered questions they had about the care provided during the births of their children.
Continue reading the main story
It is important that mistakes like this don't happen again "
End QuoteGill HarrisNursing Director
"The fact that these questions were not addressed appropriately through the processes that are in place is a theme across each of the cases, as is the failure to learn from poor midwifery care, which could have resulted in future service users being put at unnecessary risk."
The report recommended that the NHS make improvements which would involve separate midwifery supervision and regulation.
One of cases to prompt the investigation was that of Mrs Hendrickson who died in labour giving birth to her son in July 2008.
He died the next day after being deprived of oxygen during birth.
'Deepest apologies'
The investigation found that Mrs Hendrickson, who had diabetes, was not cared for properly and that her child's heartbeat was not monitored properly.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Health Service Ombudsman Dame Julie Mellor: ''What we are proposing is that this outdated legislation is changed''
The second case in the same year was the death of Alex Davey-Brady who was stillborn after his mother Liza was induced in September.
The investigation concluded he too was deprived of oxygen and the two midwives who supervised the birth were insufficiently trained.
The ombudsman also found failings in the death of Joshua Titcombe, who was just nine days old when he died of pneumococcal septicaemia in October of the same year.
It found that chances to save him were missed and that his death was not investigated quickly enough.
Nursing Director for the North, Gill Harris, said: "It is important that mistakes like this don't happen again.
"We would like to express our deepest apologies for the distress caused to the families affected - many of the improvements recommended have already been implemented."
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Desember 2013 | 21.24
9 December 2013Last updated at 20:21 ETBy James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News
A fifth of patients on an intravenous drip develop complications because they are given the wrong levels of fluid, according to a review of guidance in England and Wales.
Too much fluid can cause heart failure and too little leads to kidney problems.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said doctors and nurses needed better drip training.
Patients' groups said the scale of the problem was "staggering".
Thousands of people each year need a drip in hospital. But NICE warns that staff are putting lives in danger due to a lack of education in managing intravenous drips.
It has developed new guidelines for the NHS in England and Wales.
Dr Mike Stroud, a gastroenterology consultant at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, who developed the guidelines, said: "Doctors and other health professionals are not well educated in terms of what a patient needs and that is astonishing really.
"This needs to change."
Drip chief
Hospitals will also be expected to appoint an "intravenous fluid champion" and patients' drips will need to be managed and monitored more closely.
Katie Scales, a consultant nurse at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "The majority of patients who receive intravenous fluids do so without complications but this is not the case for every patient.
"This NICE guideline is an important lever for improvement and may ultimately help to save lives."
Katherine Murphy, the chief executive of the Patients' Association, said the guidelines were "very welcome" due to the "staggering" figure of one in five patients developing complications.
"It's essential that all staff receive support and training in the administration of IV fluids and hospitals should ensure time is dedicated to this," she added.
Dr Mike Durkin, director of patient safety at NHS England, said: "I welcome this new guidance.
"Hospitals across the country need to ensure that the recommendations are implemented as routine practice so that the clinical effectiveness of infusion fluids are maximised and any risks are minimised."
