The Human Imprint

UK economy stationery

The Guardian reports that the British economy has failed to grow in the second quarter of the year with a balance of payments deficit of nearly £11bn. The article states that "Most economists, though, think the economy has contracted in the current three months and will do so again in the final quarter of the year, meeting the technical definition of a recession" and concludes that GDP is expected to contract by 0.2% in 2009, after growing by just 1.1% in 2008.

According to the Guardian the UK Manufacturing sector has shrunk in output at the fastest rate for 17 years when records began.

ISO 9001 to be revised

ISO 9001:2000 is due to be updated later this year. The British Standards Institute (BSI) suggests that there will probably be little impact. Organisations that are certified to ISO 9001:2000 will be given twelve months to make any changes.

However the BSI reports that ISO 9004 may undergo a number of changes. The provisional title is "Managing for sustainable success – a quality management approach." They state that:

Due to the significant changes this standard will no longer be updated at the same time as ISO 9001 and its planned publication is the end of 2009. In the meantime, until the publication of this version, the current ISO 9004:2000 will remain alongside ISO 9001:2000 and the subsequent ISO 9001:2008 version until the 2009 version is published, when the 2000 version will be withdrawn.

Source: British Standards Institute

Clostridium Difficile deaths up by 28%

The Guardian has reported that The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published data which state that 8,324 death certificates   reference Clostridium difficile or C. diff in 2007, compared with 6,480 in 2006. The number of reported deaths has more than doubled   in two years because in 2005 it was identified on 3,757 death certificates.

The World's 100 Most Powerful Women

Following yesterdays post Forbes.com has just published its 2008 list of the worlds 100 most powerful women. The list has been compiled based on a combination of public profile and financial power. The economic element of the ranking considers the level of attainment as the current job title, past career accomplishments, as well as the amount of money the woman controls. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany is top of the list as she has been for the last three years and Condoleezza Rice still remains in the top 10 at No 7. Follow the link for the full list which includes politicians, and women working in business, media and humanitarian areas.

Pest infestations in NHS hospitals

Pest control is a key aspect of hygiene standards so it is with some concern that I read a report on pest control issues in hospitals and the instances of pest infestations. The Telegraph reports that there have been ongoing issues with pest infestations in a number of hospitals.  Such infestations can contribute to the spread of harmful organisms and disease. However the report does not state whether the visits were part of a routine surveillance programme or were call-outs due to the sighting of pests or pest activity. It is important to distinguish between the two as the former is preventive whilst the latter is reactive. For more imformation on pest control protocols follow the link.

Superbug hospital trust not to be prosecuted

The Telegraph reports that the hospital trust which had the worst UK Clostridium difficile or C. diff outbreak will not have formal action taken against it.  The outbreak led to the death of 331 patients over thirty months at three Kent hospitals. The Healthcare Commission produced a critical report last October, but Kent Police and the Health and Safety  Executive said there would be no charges over the deaths at hospitals run by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Hospital Trust. Follow the link for more details

Super-strain of c. diff in Europe

The Telegraph reports that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has warned about a new strain of Clostridium difficile or C. diff known as type 027. It is extremely infectious and has been found in 16 countries causing serious outbreaks in nine countries including the UK. The strain kills around 6,500 people a year. In England,  the report states 110 out of 145 hospitals (76%) investigated between April 2007 and February 2008 showed the presence of C. diff type 027 and in Wales 10 out of 16 investigated hospitals showed the presence of C. diff type 027. Follow the link for the full article. 

10 Shakespeare quotes

It is amazing for me how often life parallels art. Political or business life can so often seem as if it is a reenactment of a Shakespeare play - Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Hamlet and in presentations and management training I like to use the following quotes:

If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow, and which will not, speak. Macbeth

Those he commands move only in command, nothing in love: now does he feel his title hang loose about him, like a giant's robe upon a dwarfish thief. Macbeth

Have more than thou showest, Speak less than thou knowest, Lend less than thou owest, Ride more than thou goest, Learn more than thou trowest. King Lear

That sir which serves and seeks for gain, and follows but for form, will pack when it begins to rain, and leave thee in the storm. King Lear

Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind .Hamlet

When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions. Hamlet

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. Twelfth Night

O, it is excellent to have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant. Measure for Measure

Our doubts are traitors and makes us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. Measure for Measure

Truth is truth to the end of reckoning. Measure for Measure

Failing hygiene standards in the NHS

I wrote on June 13th about the fact that Clostridium difficile or C. diff for short was in the news again. Two days later BBC News published an article on hygiene in NHS hospitals. The article highlights that the Healthcare Commission has reported that 103, a quarter, of NHS trusts in England are failing to meet at least one of the government's standards on hygiene.  Follow the link to find out more.

Florence Nightingale, the person who brought attention to the poor conditions in hospitals in the Crimean War, is reputed to have said in 1859 that "It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm." This fundamental principle which is  very nearly two hundred years old should be the mantra of the NHS. Who is going to pioneer this cause either at policy or management level?  Who is going to enable those in a position to practically improve hygiene standards to have the resources required to address this issue?

Florence Nightingale is also attributed with the following quote "Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better."

Thought provoking.

Clostridium difficile is in the news again

In April and May this year I wrote about the concern over superbugs including Clostridium difficile or C. diff. The Telegraph has reported this week that eight people have died over a six month period at one hospital from C. diff. An investigation into cases at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Alexandria, Scotland found that:

• 8 of the 54 patients who contracted C. diff. had died as a direct result;
• C. diff. was a contributory factor in a further 8 deaths; and
• another 6 patients subsequently died although the   infection was not responsible;

13 patients had C. diff. when they arrived at the hospital. The hospital is undertaking a review   of their procedures.