RECENT NEWS

Care leaders will be trained to use the latest cutting-edge technology to improve patient care, free up staff time and help people live independently in their own homes for longer. In a bid to shift adult social care from analogue to digital as part of the Plan for Change, the Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, has announced a new qualification that will equip care leaders with the skills to use and rapidly deploy technology across care homes and other settings.

The Prime Minister has announced action to accelerate the discovery of life-saving drugs, improve patient care and make Britain 'the best place in the world for medical research'.

​London Bridge Hospital, part of leading private healthcare provider HCA Healthcare UK, is the first provider in the UK - and among the first hospitals in Europe - to offer an advanced robotic-assisted method to thoracic patients using the da Vinci SP (Single Port) system, making complex surgery possible through a single 5cm incision.

The Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) has announced the eighth cohort of its flagship US Accelerator programme, with 21 medical device, diagnostics, and digital health companies ready to access the US healthcare market.

A major study aiming to improve outcomes for people living with inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease) has significantly improved patients’ experience of care.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has called on the UK government to set out how its health mission will tackle avoidable illness, as new data reveals widespread concern among doctors about the growing impact of health inequalities.

New analysis has highlighted a dramatic rise in the number of emergency hospital admissions for children with autism in England. The new analysis of the latest NHS figures shows that the number of autistic children needing emergency care has increased by 86% since 2019. In 2023/24 alone, 20,839 autistic children were admitted to hospital in crisis, compared to just 11,197 in 2019/20.

New research, published in The Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, shows a decrease, in the hundreds, of children needing operations to remove objects they’ve swallowed or stuck up their noses.

Scientists have discovered a simple blood test to spot skin cancer returning and a new trial is underway, led by researchers at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester.

​Lohmann & Rauscher Group (L&R) has announced that it has acquired Unisurge International Ltd, a leading manufacturer and supplier of Custom Procedure Packs (CPTs), disposable surgical products, surgical instruments, and further OR products.

The University of Exeter’s 'The Impact of Menopause' research project has appointed research fellow Dr. Fatma Sabet, to undertake a review into the effectiveness of menopause support for healthcare professionals working in the NHS.

GS1 standards are already in action - across just six NHS Trusts, digital inventory management delivered £9 million in savings, freed up 140,000 hours of clinical time and resulted in less waste and fewer delays. The benefits of the standards will be discussed at The GS1 UK Healthcare Conference, taking place at the prestigious QEII Centre in London on 29–30 April 2025.

The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed it has agreed funding with Community Pharmacy England worth an extra £617 million, over 2 years, following a 6-week consultation with the organisation. On top of this, the government is writing off £193 million of debt for community pharmacy owners to give them confidence going into the new financial year. The extra funding from the government aims to enable patients to receive more services in the community.

CMR Surgical – the global surgical robotics company – has announced the successful closing of a financing round of over $200 million through a combination of equity and debt capital to support the company’s ambitious growth plans.

Doctors and surgeons of tomorrow can now spend dedicated time entirely focussing on their skills in endoscopy, thanks to the introduction of a new training programme at Heartlands Hospital, part of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).

A new modelling study, published in 'The Lancet HIV' journal, highlights the alarming potential impact of significant reductions in international funding for HIV prevention and treatment programmes.

CHEC, a community healthcare provider delivering specialist services in partnership with the NHS, is celebrating the completion of its first cataract surgery training initiative for NHS registrars.

​The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) has announced the 'AfPP Robotics Symposium – Advancing Surgical Innovation: The Future of Robotics in Healthcare', a premier event dedicated to exploring the transformative role of robotics in modern surgery.

State-of-the-art robotic surgery to improve treatment for gynaecological conditions is helping to accelerate the vital bridging of the gender health gap, insists a formal NHS partner. InnoScot Health believes that the enhanced precision and minimally invasive approach of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) is “proving particularly effective for improving gender equity in the accessibility of surgery” with gynaecology being a much-needed beneficiary.

Patients across Kent are set to benefit from a groundbreaking digital transformation aimed at improving prehabilitation and elective recovery.