RECENT NEWS

Babies born to black mothers in richer countries are more likely to be stillborn or die in the first four weeks of life than those born to white women, NIHR-funded research finds.

BMA council chair, Professor Philip Banfield, has criticised the Government’s plans to “unlock capacity in the independent health sector” to tackle the COVID backlog. He claims that placing further reliance on the private sector is “an admission by this Government that the NHS is not adequately funded or resourced”.

NHS England has reported that NHS staff continue to make progress on ambitious catch-up plans, with elective waiting lists for 18 weeks and 18 months reducing in October. Tens of thousands more people received the diagnostic tests and checks they needed in October, with over 63,000 more compared to the previous month (2,055,449 in October – up from 1,992,370 in September.)

The Government says it will cut red tape in order to speed up research into motor neurone disease (MND) across the UK, with immediate investment, so NHS patients can benefit from cutting-edge treatment and medicines.

The latest data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) that new HIV diagnoses in England fell by nearly a third between 2019 and 2021 (from 2,986 to 2,023).

New UCAS figures show a 10% fall in the number of students accepted onto UK nursing courses. The RCN claims people are being put off nursing by ‘the poor and unfair treatment the profession gets, often at the hands of politicians.’

Pregnant women and pregnant people could suffer a potentially fatal blood vessel blockage if their risk is not properly assessed during pregnancy and the first six weeks after birth, says HSIB’s latest report.

Point of care diagnostics must not be overlooked if the NHS is to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s first net zero health service. The majority of the workforce (83%) is already persuaded of the climate benefits of adopting the new technology, according to a survey of 200 GPs in the UK.

The Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, claims that patients will have quicker access to treatment and lifesaving diagnostic tests, close to home, through the launch of a new Elective Recovery Taskforce and approval of 19 one-stop-shops for tests, checks and scans.

The Government has launched a consultation on changes to the NHS Pension Scheme, to retain experienced NHS clinicians and remove the barriers to staff returning from retirement.

BPR Medical’s work to trial the nitrous oxide conversion unit with Newcastle Hospitals and Medclair has been recognised in two awards.

Researchers have published findings which suggest that the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants can reduce the risk of developing dementia by slowing down cognitive decline, such as memory loss.

The number of beds taken up by patients fit to be discharged is more than a quarter higher than the start of December last year, new figures show.

The NHS is on track to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2025 thanks to a pioneering drug deal that is helping dramatically cut deaths – five years ahead of global targets.

Cutting-edge obesity treatments and technologies which can help people shed 20% of their weight could soon be offered to NHS patients thanks to a £20 million research boost, the Government has announced.

NHS patients are set to benefit from cutting-edge new treatments and technologies as the Government introduces a Vaccine Taskforce style approach to tackling some of the biggest public health challenges facing the UK.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has converted to using the Mistral-Air Forced Air Warming systems and blankets from Central Medical Supplies (CMS), for use across hospitals in the Trust.

A new national trial is aiming to use pandemic lessons to help quickly find effective treatments for people hospitalised with severe flu.

One year on since publication of the ground-breaking 'No One’s Listening Report' on sickle cell care in the UK, full results from the Sickle Cell Health Awareness, Perspectives and Experiences (SHAPE) survey reveal that significant healthcare inequalities for people in the UK living with sickle cell disease (SCD) persist.

Digital technologies will play a vital role in ensuring the NHS workforce can cope with future demands on the system, according to a new report by Health Education England.