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NHS Wales: App helping keep heart patients out of hospital

Mobile apps to track patients' health are keeping them out of hospital and could cut waiting times, experts have said.

It follows a trial of a new app which heart patients are using through their mobile phones. The trial allows clinicians to change treatments quickly and uses video consultations, avoiding unnecessary hospital visits.

Rhodri Griffiths is the innovation adoption director at Life Sciences Hub Wales, and is looking for more ways to introduce similar technology. He believes the pandemic accelerated the use and acceptance of digital solutions in healthcare, by patients and clinicians.

"We really are looking at a big digital revolution within healthcare and there are an amazing myriad of things coming through," he said.

He explained data collected by smartphones and watches can help predict who is likely to have a heart attack.

"We can avoid that happening. So prevention is key but it's also looking at how some of this can impact on waiting lists," he said.

"So, looking at how theatres are used, which patients can be prioritised?

"In social care it's looking at how pain is managed by face recognition."

Mr Griffiths said he believed the data collected could also identify wider problems: "It's combining these digital solutions with our genetic information - bringing big data together on a population level we can start spotting trends".

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Source: BBC News, 4 August 2022

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Record number of midwives have quit due to stress of the job amid fears for safety of pregnant women

Midwife numbers are reaching a dangerous level which could put lives at risk, as records show more staff leaving than joining the profession for the first time in a decade.

As a record number suffer burnout and leave, the figures from NHS Digital for 2021/22 show almost 300 more staff abandoned midwifery than joined the service, with 3,440 leaving and only 3,144 coming in.

Analysis of the data showed a record 551 resigned in 2021 because of a lack of work-life balance.

Midwives working in NHS trust maternity units typically work 12-hour shifts, but many work longer for no additional pay to cover staff shortages and to keep services running.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) says members are "at the end of their tether' and 'physically and emotionally burnt out"

Joeli Brearley, chief executive of campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, said: "We don't have enough midwives, and those we do have are underpaid, undervalued and overworked."

"This is a problem that has been communicated to the Government repeatedly for years. It is putting the lives of women and their babies in danger and causing untold damage to their mental and physical health. The Government needs to get a grip of the situation urgently before there are more tragedies."

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Source: Daily Mail, 1 August 2022

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Restraint and sexual safety among transport service failings

Private and NHS ambulance services are reviewing safety procedures after the Care Quality Commission identified a series of risks to mental health patients being transported by non-emergency providers.

The care watchdog wrote to all providers of non-emergency patient transport earlier in the summer, warning of concerns identified at recent inspections about use of restraints, sexual safety, physical health needs, vehicle and equipment safety standards, and unsafe recruitment practices.

The letter, seen by HSJ, stated: “We know there are many independent ambulance providers providing a good standard of care. Unfortunately, our recent inspections suggest that this is not always the case."

“We expect providers to deliver on their commitment to provide safe, high-quality care and we will do everything within our powers to ensure this happens.”

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Source: HSJ, 4 August 2022

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Trust chief calls for six-hour A&E target

The chief executive of a trust trialling the new emergency care standards being considered by the government has called for a new six-hour target to either move patients out of accident and emergency, or for them to receive treatment.

North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust chief executive Julie Gillon told HSJ  a new target should be set as a “body of evidence” indicates patients are at risk of deterioration following A&E waits of six hours or more.

The proposal is likely to be broadly welcomed by many clinicians, but could prove controversial in some quarters. NHS England did not include a six-hour target in the bundle of new A&E metrics being piloted, and the proposal could be interpreted by some as a watered-down version of the existing four-hour standard.

However, Ms Gillon cited analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine last year which revealed thousands of excess deaths resulting from overcrowding and long stays in A&Es.

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Source: HSJ, 4 August 2022

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NHS to roll out life-changing glucose monitors to all Type 1 diabetes patients

NHS England patients with Type 1 diabetes will now be eligible for life-changing continuous glucose monitors after the health service secured a new cut-price deal.

The wearable arm gadget sends information to a mobile app and allows diabetes patients to keep track of their glucose levels at all times without having to scan or take a finger prick test.

Traditionally, continuous glucose monitors are more expensive than their flash monitor counterparts – which record glucose levels by scanning a sensor – but thanks to the NHS agreeing on a new cost-effective deal with manufacturers DEXCOM, they will now be available for NHS patients on prescription at a similar price.

The monitor, called Dexcom ONE Real Time-Continuous Glucose Monitoring, uses a sensor no bigger than a bottle cap that attaches to the arm for up to 10 days and measures glucose levels from just under the skin.

Patients will receive their starter pack – which will include information on the product and usage, a sensor and transmitter – from the hospital or GP surgery once prescribed, after which they can go to the pharmacy for their repeat prescription.

Dr Partha Kar, national speciality advisor for diabetes and obesity said: “This is a huge step forward for Type 1 diabetes care and these monitors will be life-changing for anyone with the illness – giving them more choice to manage their condition in the most convenient way possible – as well as the best chance at living healthier lives, reducing their risk of hospitalisation and illnesses associated with diabetes, which in turn reduces pressure on wider NHS services.

“The new deal also delivers on our commitment to get patients the latest cutting-edge medical technology at the best value for taxpayer money – saving the NHS millions over the coming years”.

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Source: NHS England, 2 August 2022

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Fresh allegations of whistleblower mismanagement at ‘witch hunt’ trust

Fresh concerns have been raised about the treatment of whistleblowers by managers at a trust recently embroiled in a high-profile bullying scandal, the hospital’s workforce director has disclosed.

A series of further accusations have been made against managers at West Suffolk Foundation Trust, where executives were recently judged to have led an “intimidating, flawed” hunt for a whistleblower, prompting a series of high-profile departures.

The trust’s executive director for workforce detailed in a paper for the hospital’s July board meeting how managers had been hunting to identify staff who had raised concerns through supposedly confidential channels.

The report, by executive director of workforce and communications, Jeremy Over, said: “Feedback has been given indicating that some people have had a poor experience when speaking up.

“In two separate cases, where people spoke up in confidence, it was reported that the managers were then asking and wishing to find out who had spoken up making the individuals very uncomfortable.

“Another case reported that the individual was ‘told off’ by their manager for ‘going about their heads’ [sic] and another where staff felt discouraged from raising any points or suggestions as these were taken [as] a personal offence [by] the senior staff. In a further case, the person speaking up was criticised [for] doing so.”

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Source: HSJ, 3 August 2022

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Over 100,000 monkeypox vaccines procured, government says

More than 100,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine have been acquired in order to combat the spread of the virus, the government has said.

Last month the NHS stepped up its monkeypox vaccination programme in England as infections rose.

Vaccines minister Maggie Throup said the majority of vaccines were being made available in London, with about 75% of confirmed cases in the capital.

But she urged people to wait to be invited to receive their jabs.

While anyone can get monkeypox, the majority of those with the virus are gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

The latest figures show that nationally there have been 2,436 confirmed cases, with 1,778 of those in London.

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Source: BBC News, 3 August 2022

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Ministers admit they will break NHS pledge on hospital waiting times

Ministers have admitted a key NHS pledge to ensure that everyone who has been waiting at least two years for hospital care would be treated by last month has not been met.

The then health secretary Sajid Javid made the promise in February when launching the NHS’s “elective recovery plan”. It was intended to tackle what is now a record 6.6 million-patient backlog in England for those awaiting a procedure such as a joint replacement or cataract removal and included a series of treatment milestones the health service had to hit.

“No one will wait longer than two years by July,” Javid said. However, the Department of Health and Social Care has now admitted that it will miss that target and that “a small number of patients” will have remained untreated by that deadline.

The health minister Maria Caulfield told Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, in a written parliamentary answer on 18 July that while “no formal estimate has been made … engagement with the National Health Service suggests a small number of patients with complex cases will have waited longer than two years for NHS treatment by the end of July 2022”.

Streeting said the admission was a further example of the government not backing up rhetoric on the NHS with concrete action. “It is unacceptable for anyone to be left waiting more than one year for healthcare, let alone two,” he said. “Once again the Conservatives have overpromised, [and] undelivered, and patients are paying the price.”

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Source: The Guardian, 3 August 2022

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After Roe v Wade: US doctors are harassed, confused, and fearful, and maternal morbidity is increasing

On 24 June the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the 1973 decision that legalised abortion and left the regulation of abortion to the states.4 At present, about half of the 50 states ban or severely limit abortions, but the picture is changing daily as century old bans go into place in some states, bans are challenged in courts, and state legislatures debate changes to their laws.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said, “Each piece of legislation is different, using different language and rationales. State legislators are taking it upon themselves to define complex medical concepts without reference to medical evidence. Some of the penalties for violating these vague, unscientific laws include criminal sentences.”

Doctors report being confused and fearful about how they can continue to practise in states where abortion laws are changing day by day and sometimes hour by hour.

Katie McHugh, an obstetrician and gynaecologist in Indianapolis, where abortion until 20 weeks is legal for the moment, told The BMJ about a patient who arrived from another state (around 200 miles away) with a miscarriage.

“A fetal heartbeat could still be detected. The local hospital sent her home and told her to come back if she became very sick.” Instead she travelled two and a half hours by car to McHugh.

“I don’t blame the physicians in [the other state]. I don’t know if abortion is legal now a trigger law is in effect. They could face lawsuits. As a physician, it’s unacceptable to have to watch the news to know what’s legal and how to practise,” said McHugh.

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Source: BMJ, 1 August 2022

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‘Apocalyptic’ A&E waits that could be driving 1,000 patient deaths a month

A&E waits are now “apocalyptic” and “worse than ever imagined” leaked NHS data shows, and could be driving 1,000 patient deaths a month, The Independent can reveal.

Almost 700,000 people have waited more than 12 hours in A&E in the first seven months of 2022, according to leaked NHS data.

The “hidden” monthly trolley waits, not published in national data, have more than doubled this year in comparison to 2019.

Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, warned data shows trolley waits are “worse than ever imagined” and said it is “scandalous” the real figures are not published despite promises.

Dr Henderson warned the deterioration in A&E waiting times is the result of “decades of underfunding” and “unheeded warnings” over staffing and social care.

In one message to staff in Nottinghamshire, seen by The Independent, hospital leaders said last week patients were waiting more than 40 hours for beds in A&E, while some areas of the hospital were running on a 1:14 staffing ratios and patients were waiting at home with no care.

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Source: The Independent, 1 August 2022

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NHS must learn to love smart IV pumps to avoid drug errors

Hospitals must start using “smart” intravenous (IV) infusion technology to its full potential if they are to prevent dangerous drug errors, University of Manchester researchers have found.

‘Smart pumps’-  which automatically calculate the dose and rate of different drugs before they are pumped into a vein  - prevent potentially fatal errors by stopping the administration of the wrong rate.

But according to the study published in BMJ Open Quality, though the technology probably saved the lives of 110 people in two Trusts over a year, it has largely failed to be adopted by hospitals.

Though many IV pumps used in hospitals have a smart capability, most trusts do not utilise the functionality because they are difficult to configure and maintain.

Smart pumps are usually configured by a pharmacist and checked by a consultant or senior nurse. Conventional pumps, however, are set by ward staff who calculate and input infusion rates themselves - increasing the risk of drug errors.

The risks are illustrated by previous work from the Manchester team, who demonstrated that 1 in 10 IV drug administrations are associated with an error, and up to 1 in 10 of those were associated with harm.

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Source: University of Manchester, 1 August 2022

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Cancer patient's 31-hour 'cattle market' A&E wait

A cancer sufferer who says she faced a wait of 31 hours in A&E has compared the emergency department to "a cattle market".

Tracy Summerson, who had nausea and a fever, was eventually admitted to Lincoln County Hospital last week. Ms Summerson said there were more than 30 other patients who waited a similar amount of time.

The hospital said despite long waits, those who needed immediate care were "able to be seen and looked after".

Ms Summerson, from Scopwick near Metheringham, described the scene as "just crammed, you were like cattle in a market".

Ms Summerson, who has stage four malignant melanoma, said: "There was people coming with sick bowls being sick next to you.

"When you are immune-suppressed you're supposed to go in a side room out of germs way, but they needed all the rooms for consultations."

The family of an 83-year-old woman also contacted the BBC to say she waited more than 40 hours in a wheelchair in her nightdress after being taken to the hospital with a suspected brain bleed.

The trust added: "We continue to see an increasing demand on our urgent and emergency care services coupled with patients staying much longer in our hospitals than previously experienced."

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Source: BBC News, 1 August 2022

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Staff falsified records night man died, inquest hears

Staff at a mental health trust, run by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, falsified records that they had checked on a vulnerable patient the night he died, an inquest has heard.

Eliot Harris was found dead in his room at Northgate Hospital in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, in April 2020. A police witness statement detailed how CCTV footage contradicted 19 log entries.

Mr Harris, 48, was admitted to hospital after the care home where he was a resident requested an urgent mental health assessment, an inquest into his death at Norfolk Coroner's Court heard.

He had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, had a history of epileptic seizures and had not been taking his medication.

Mr Harris was deemed to be high risk and was supposed to be on regular checks four times an hour.

In a witness statement read out in court, Det Sgt Nick Appleton described how police had cross referenced logs of his observations with CCTV recordings.

Det Sgt Appleton listed 19 instances in which the observation record was signed by a staff member that night, indicating Mr Harris had been checked, but was not backed up by the CCTV record.

He identified a number of "points of concern" in his evidence in which falsifying logs was "normal" and "standard practice" on wards.

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Source: BBC News, 1 August 2022

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Trusts reveal thousands of new 12-hour waits

Several trusts have now started reporting thousands of 12-hour waits in their emergency departments, representing a huge difference to the numbers published nationally under a slightly different measure.

This year, trusts have started submitting data to NHS England on the number of patients waiting over 12 hours from time of arrival in ED, until discharge, admission or transfer. Many trusts are now reporting these statistics in their public board reports.

This is a slightly different measure to the publicly reported “trolley wait” figures, which count waits of over 12 hours from decision to admit until admission.

Experts have long argued the trolley wait measure does not capture the true problem of ED overcrowding and delayed care. The new data captures a far higher number of patients and has not been published nationally by NHSE.

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Source: HSJ, 2 August 2022

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Doctors are concerned about the risk of hospital-acquired Covid-19

People who go to hospital for non-covid treatment are at higher risk of the virus compared with the general public, which is why high levels of hospital-acquired Covid-19 in England are worrying some doctors.

They fear that the coronavirus is becoming a potential hazard of a hospital stay for older or vulnerable people, in a similar way to “superbugs” such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

People who go to hospital for non-covid-19 treatment are at higher risk from the virus compared with the general public, says Tom Lawton, an intensive care doctor in Bradford, UK.

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Source: The New Scientist, 21 July 2022

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Trust begins ‘most ambitious’ outpatients project in NHS

A large acute trust is carrying out a major expansion of patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) appointments, which is said to be “the most ambitious” project of its kind in the NHS.

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust has categorised around half of its outpatient follow-up list as “possible or probable opportunities” for patient-initiated pathways.

NNUH wants to make PIFU the “default model” for patients who are not on active pathways, and where it is safe to do this.

Its project is being closely watched by national leaders and has already drawn praise from NHS England’s director of elective recovery, Rob Stones, during a webinar last month. It is understood to be more ambitious than NHSE’s official PIFU pilot projects.

NHSE’s elective chief, Sir Jim Mackey, has said he wants to expand PIFU pathways on an “industrial” scale.

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Source: HSJ, 29 July 2022

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NHSE leak reveals 1m patients on hidden waiting list

More than a million people – including hundreds of thousands of children – are on an unpublished national waiting list for community health services, according to NHS England documents leaked to HSJ.

They reveal that just over 75,000 children are waiting to access community paediatric services, including children needing help with developmental delay, long-term health conditions and additional needs; and there is a backlog of more than 74,300 young people for speech and language therapy.

More than 321,000 adults are on the list waiting for musculoskeletal services, mostly physiotherapy such as for back and joint pain; while 120,000 are waiting for podiatry.

HSJ understands the lack of national support for long waits for most community and mental health care – in contrast to billions of government funding and a major recovery programme for elective consultant-led treatment – has been raised at a senior level in NHS E in recent weeks. One senior leader told HSJ the discrepancy was “immoral”. 

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Source: HSJ, 1 August 2022

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NHS to use AI to identify people at higher risk of hepatitis C

The NHS is to use artificial intelligence to detect, screen and treat people at risk of hepatitis C under plans to eradicate the disease by 2030.

Hepatitis C often does not have any noticeable symptoms until the liver has been severely damaged, which means thousands of people are living with the infection – known as the silent killer – without realising it.

Left untreated, it can cause life-threatening damage to the liver over years. But with modern treatments now available, it is possible to cure the infection.

Now health chiefs are launching a hi-tech screening programme in England in a fresh drive to identify thousands of people unaware they have the virus.

The scheme, due to begin in the next few weeks, aims to help people living with hepatitis C get a life-saving diagnosis and access to treatment before it is too late.

The NHS will identify people who may have the virus by using AI to scan health records for a number of key risk factors, such as historical blood transfusions or an HIV diagnosis.

Anyone identified through the new screening process will be invited for a review by their GP and, if appropriate, further screening for hepatitis C. Those who test positive for the virus will be offered treatment available after NHS England struck a deal with three major pharmaceutical companies.

Prof Graham Foster, national clinical chair for NHS England’s hepatitis C elimination programmes, said the scheme “marks a significant step forward” in the fight to eliminate the virus before 2030. It will “use new software to identify and test patients most at risk from the virus – potentially saving thousands of lives”, he added.

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Source: The Guardian, 31 July 2022

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Fears for patients as '111' calls abandoned - Government called to 'get a grip' on issue

A call to NHS 111 was abandoned every 10 seconds between 2020 and 2021, figures show. Millions of callers to the helpline hung up at a time when demand for the NHS was at its highest.

In 2020, 2,490,663 calls were abandoned, while in 2021 this figure increased to 3,531,186. And 1,174,159 gave up on the line from January to May this year. Callers in Devon take an average of 11 minutes to get through to the NHS 111 service, according to Liberal Democrat research.

Daisy Cooper, Lib Dem spokeswoman for health and social care, said: "Ambulance services are being stretched to breaking point, hospitals are reaching full capacity and now people cannot get through to NHS 111. We have called on this government time and time again to get a grip on this issue by recruiting more NHS 111 call handlers now."

"The longer they delay, the longer they are leaving people in pain and distress."

Helen Hughes, of the Patient Safety Learning charity, said: "These figures represent a serious safety concern. Each call is a potential missed opportunity for patients to receive timely medical advice that may prevent future harm."

"With the ongoing severe pressures faced by ambulance services and hospitals this summer, patients are increasingly being signposted to NHS 111 for advice on non-life threatening conditions."

"However, it can only relieve the pressure on other areas of the health service if NHS 111 has the capacity and resources to meet rising demand. The NHS leadership needs to urgently assess the reasons for this high number of abandoned calls."

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Source: Express, 31 July 2022

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Ex-health secretaries call for urgent blood scandal pay-outs

Three former health secretaries have called on the government to urgently pay compensation to victims of the contaminated blood scandal.

The chairman of the public inquiry into the scandal, Sir Brian Langstaff, has recommended that each victim should receive a provisional sum of £100,000.

One woman who developed hepatitis C from infected blood told the BBC the news was "incredibly significant".

The government has said it will urgently consider any recommendations.

Former health secretaries Andy Burnham, Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock told the BBC it was important to act quickly because the life expectancy of many victims had been shortened by infections they had contracted.

A lawyer representing about 15,000 claimants also argued that victims should receive compensation "immediately". Des Collins said payment must be made within "days or weeks", and he would step up pressure from Monday.

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Source: BBC News, 31 August 2022

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Over 47,000 stroke patients to ‘miss out on a miracle treatment’

A new report by the Stroke Association released today warns that, if the thrombectomy rate stays at 2020/21 levels, 47,112 stroke patients in England would miss out on the game changing acute stroke treatment, mechanical thrombectomy, over the length of the newly revised NHS Long Term Plan. This year, NHS England missed its original target to make mechanical thrombectomy available to all patients for whom it would benefit – only delivering to 28% of all suitable patients by December 20212.

The Stroke Association’s ‘Saving Brains’ report calls for a 24/7 thrombectomy service, which could cost up to £400 million. But treating all suitable strokes with thrombectomy would save the NHS £73 million per year. Stroke professionals quoted in the report cite insufficient bi-plane suites, containing radiology equipment, as a barrier to a 24/7 service.

The Stroke Association is calling for:

  • The Treasury to provide urgent funding for thrombectomy in the Autumn Budget 2022, for infrastructure, equipment, workforce training and support, targeting both thrombectomy centres and referring stroke units.
  • Department of Health and Social Care to develop a sustainable workforce plan to fill the gaps in qualified staff.
  • NHS England to address challenges in transfer to and between hospitals in its upcoming Urgent & Emergency Care Plan.
  • Putting innovation - such as artificial intelligence (AI) imaging software and video triage in ambulances - into practice.

Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association said: “Thrombectomy is a miracle treatment that pulls patients back from near-death and alleviates the worst effects of stroke. It’s shocking that so many patients are missing out and being saddled with unnecessary disability. Plus, the lack of understanding from government, the NHS and local health leaders about the brain saving potential thrombectomy is putting lives at risk. There are hard-working clinicians across the stroke pathway facing an uphill struggle to provide this treatment and it’s time they got the support they need to make this happen. It really is simple. Thrombectomy saves brains, saves money and changes lives; now is the time for real action, so that nobody has to live with avoidable disability ever again."

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Source: The Stroke Association, 28 July 2022

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Grim figures reveal the scale of healthcare decline worldwide

Startling numbers from around the world give grim statistical support for the argument that healthcare quality has not only stalled, but is in worrying retreat. 

Nearly 15 million deaths have been attributed to Covid-19 worldwide. All countries have seen waiting times increase and deaths from cardiac conditions and cancer rise. Mental health problems have been exacerbated, while the frailty of some elderly care services has left families unsupported. The global workforce crisis has been exposed, health inequalities amplified, and life expectancy arrested. Government debt has soared, and livelihoods have been lost. 

In a new report, health systems leaders from across the world – including the UK, Australia, India, Singapore, Canada, the USA and Europe – raise the alarm.

There has been a decline in the focus on quality by the leadership of health systems all over the world with an opportunity cost in terms of patient outcomes, safety issues and people’s experience of healthcare.

How do we shift from firefighting to a focus on quality of care?

Dr Mark Britnell, chair of the Beamtree Global Impact Committee report, makes a simple argument: the only way to reverse the retreat from quality is to march steadfastly towards it. 

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Source: The Telegraph, 26 July 2022

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What the Fuller Stocktake report means for primary care and digital technology

The recent publication of the Fuller Stocktake report sets out a new vision for the role of primary care in integrated care systems. With primary care the bedrock of the NHS and at “the heart of communities”, the paper’s recommendation to similarly establish it at the centre of new ICS systems and foster greater collaboration is a welcome one that has been greeted positively in many quarters.

However, a key priority underpinning many of the recommendations made is the need to create sustainable primary care for the future. Within this, there is a challenge to tackle “inadequate access to urgent care” which the report argues is having a direct impact on general practice’s ability to provide continuity of care to patients who need it most as well as overall primary care capacity. Referred to as being two sides of the same coin, this stark recognition of current workload and workforce challenges in general practice alongside their wider contributing factors is both timely and welcome.

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Source: HSJ, 27 July 2022

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Stick-on ultrasound patch hailed as revolution in medical imaging

A stick-on patch that can take an ultrasound scan of a person’s insides as they go about their daily life has been hailed as a revolution in medical imaging.

The wearable patch, which is the size of a postage stamp, can image blood vessels, the digestive system and internal organs for up to 48 hours, giving doctors a more detailed picture of a patient’s health than the snapshots provided by routine scans.

In laboratory tests, researchers used the patches to watch people’s hearts change shape during exercise, their stomachs expand and shrink as they drank and passed drinks, and their muscles pick up microdamage when weightlifting.

Prof Xuanhe Zhao at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who led the research team, said the patches could “revolutionise” medical imaging because existing scans are very brief, sometimes lasting only seconds, and usually have to be performed in hospitals.

Ultrasound scans are extremely common, with NHS England performing more than 8m last year. But the technique has major limitations, requiring highly trained sonographers to place and orient the probes on patients’ bodies to get high-quality images. For this reason, most ultrasound scans are brief and performed on patients who are required to keep still while the images are taken.

Wireless patches could sidestep some of these problems, as they can be fixed in position and left to take images for hours, and even days, at a time, the researchers say. Beyond scanning organs for early signs of disease, the “set and forget” patches could monitor bladder function, tumours, and the development of foetuses in the womb.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 July 2022

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Mesh surgeon fails in bid to stop legal action against trust being made public

A leading colorectal surgeon whose former employer, North Bristol NHS Trust, faces negligence claims from dozens of his ex-patients has failed in his bid to keep legal action he is taking against the trust a secret.

A review by the trust found that 203 women on whom the surgeon Tony Dixon performed pelvic mesh procedures between 2007 and 2017 came to harm. The trust faces legal claims from many of them.

Trust board members were told in May that the trust had notified the 203 women that “although their laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy operation was carried out satisfactorily, they should have been offered alternative treatments before proceeding to surgery,” and that those patients were defined as suffering “harm.”

Dixon sued the trust in the High Court to try to stop it releasing two documents to solicitors acting for ex-patients, as part of the disclosure process in litigation. 

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Source: BMJ, 27 July 2022

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