RECENT NEWS

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), responsible for Government policy on health and overseeing the NHS, has almost doubled its IT staff headcount since the start of the pandemic, according to official figures.

Patients waiting for organs will benefit from changes to organ transplant services designed to better match donated organs with recipients, increase the number of transplants and improve the patient experience.

A practical, operational checklist supporting NHS service managers to reduce long waits for outpatient appointments is now available from the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and Outpatient Recovery and Transformation Programme (OPRT) teams.

Over-the-counter heartburn drugs could shorten the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) and reduce the chances of the bacteria that causes TB becoming drug resistant.

Researchers have successfully used a bespoke software and 3D printing to create a chest wall prosthesis for cancer patients.

National surveillance data shows laboratory reports of the virus are 66% higher than the average at this time of year. The biggest increase in laboratory confirmed norovirus has been seen in the group of those aged 65 years and over.

New analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has examined progress against the elective recovery plan to date and has set out new scenarios for what might happen to waiting lists in England in the months and years to come.

Health professionals should diagnose women under 65 with a urinary tract infection (UTI) if they have two or more key urinary symptoms according to a new quality standard published by NICE.

The Royal College of Surgeons has appointed Tim Mitchell as its next president. Tim will take office in July 2023, while the College’s current president, Professor Neil Mortensen, will step down in July following a successful three-year term.

A 19-month-old baby girl called Teddi has become the first child in the UK to receive a life-saving gene therapy treatment for the fatal disorder, metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD).

Tens of thousands of patients across the country will benefit from quicker access to tests, with 19 new community diagnostic centres (which will perform 1.1 million tests, checks and scans every year) set to open later this year.

New NHS figures show 21,273 operations were cancelled at the last minute in the three months to the end of December 2022, with hospitals feeling ‘winter pressures’ well before the winter had officially started. The data also shows 4,593 patients were not treated within 28 days of their cancellation, in a breach of the standard.

A single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin can help protect mothers from dangerous sepsis infections and death during vaginal childbirth, a new international study has found.

South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard has announced the final £6m funding for the new National Centre for Child Health Technology (NCCHT) at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, a global first centre which will develop the world’s most advanced and integrated healthcare system for children and young people.

The first phase of a new elective surgical hub built by MTX using fast-track modern Methods of Construction (MMC) has opened at the Clatterbridge Hospital on the Wirral.

Cardiff-based Eakin Healthcare Surgical division (part of the Eakin Healthcare Group) are returning to BACO International 2023 to showcase their range of specialist surgical solutions for ENT procedures.

A free CPD-accredited webinar for IPC professionals, Facilities and Estates will be hosted by PDI International to highlight why effective air decontamination is crucial to protect the health of both healthcare workers and patients in hospitals and support staff in implementing best practices.

Nicolas Shiaelis and Dr Nicole Robb, Oxford University scientists and co-founders of health tech company Pictura Bio, have developed a world-first diagnostic, test powered by artificial intelligence, that can identify known respiratory viruses such as influenza and COVID-19 within five minutes from just one nasal or throat swab.

The first round of judging in the 2023 Medilink NOE Healthcare Business Awards has been completed and the Medtech companies that submitted entries have now learned if they have made the shortlist for their category.

Hundreds of thousands more patients will benefit from NHS treatment by next year thanks to dozens of new surgical spaces, the Government has announced.