RECENT NEWS

The Government has announced plans to enable patients to be able to contact their general practice more easily and quickly, and find out exactly how their request will be handled on the day they call. The announcement is part of a major multi-million pound 'overhaul of primary care'.

For the first time, researchers performed a successful in-utero surgery to repair a potentially deadly developmental condition by treating an aggressive vascular malformation, called vein of Galen malformation, in a fetus’ brain before birth, according to new research published in 'Stroke', the journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

Data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows there has been a rise in measles cases. Between 1 January and 20 April this year, there have been 49 cases of measles compared to 54 cases in the whole of 2022. Most of the cases have been in London, although there have been cases picked up across the country and some are linked to travel abroad.

Researchers at the University of South Wales (USW) are working to develop an app that could help streamline the diagnosis of skin cancer.

Hundreds of people with aggressive forms of blood cancer are set to benefit after two personalised immunotherapy (CAR-T) treatments have been recommended by NICE for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).

Speaking at the recent Infection Prevention & Control conference, held in Birmingham, at The National Conference Centre, Professor Mark Wilcox warned of the potential risks of contamination from hand dryers.

At the recent Infection Prevention & Control conference, held in Birmingham's National Conference Centre, Primel presented the results of a controlled evaluation held in a care home in Manchester. The purpose was to compare the efficacy of Primel Skin Protection powered by TridAnt against a well-known regularly used hand sanitiser on the hands of 35 healthcare workers over a ten-day period.

The use of VR technology could prove invaluable in empowering healthcare professionals to improve their hand hygiene practice.

Each year, on 5 May, WHO celebrates the World Hand Hygiene Day, in the context of the WHO “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands” campaign. The aim of this global campaign is to bring people together in support of hand hygiene in health care improvement and thus, impact positively on the quality of care and patient safety across all levels of the health system.

Europe’s Largest Infection Prevention and Control two-Day Conference took place this week in Birmingham, at the National Conference Centre. The conference and exhibition proved to be particularly well attended this year, as infection prevention and control professionals were eager to focus once again on core IP&C issues and gain an insight into the latest research and expert guidance on a wide range of infection challenges.

Written communications about radiology appointments are routinely sent in English only from NHS Trusts, not accounting for the needs of the patient’s first language, warns a new report from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB).

Members of the RCM in England have voted to accept the latest NHS pay offer, following a consultation. In a turnout of 48% of eligible RCM midwife and maternity support worker (MSW) members working in the NHS in England, 57% voted to accept the deal, with 43% rejecting.

Big data and analytics, digital apps, and remote monitoring rank among the most important areas for future healthcare innovation, say NHS Scotland staff in newly published survey results.

Medical Protection Society (MPS) has called for radical reform to how the General Medical Council (GMC) investigates doctors, as new research reveals significant numbers are experiencing suicidal thoughts or quitting medicine as a result of their investigation.

The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IDGD) estimates that 5-10% of the world’s population has IBS. According to the Foundation, women have the condition more often than men; most patients are under the age of 50; and many are diagnosed only years after their symptoms begin.

Nuffield Health’s teams across the UK are helping to fight climate change by switching to lower carbon alternatives. Desflurane is one of the most common anaesthetic gases used, in NHS and independent sector hospitals. However, it is also one of the most environmentally-harmful.

Just 4% of patients with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery developed obesity-associated cancer in a 10-year follow up, compared to 8.9% among those who did not have a weight-loss procedure, according to a study to be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2023.

People in deprived areas are now more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer at an earlier stage, thanks to the success of NHS lung trucks.

Hospitals are being asked to work towards a 10-day turnaround when delivering diagnostic test results to patients who have received an urgent referral for suspected cancer, as part of new plans to see and treat people for cancer as early as possible.

The NHS will save £7 billion by the end of 2023 thanks to a five-year agreement with the pharmaceutical industry, which ensures the NHS can continue to be one of the fastest health systems in the world to roll out innovative medicines.