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Five women sue Texas over abortion access

Five women who say they were denied abortions in Texas despite facing life-threatening health risks have sued the state over its abortion ban.

Texas bars abortions except for medical emergencies, with doctors facing punishment of up to 99 years in jail.

According to the lawsuit, doctors are refusing the procedure even in extreme cases out of fear of prosecution.

The Center for Reproductive Justice has filed the legal action on behalf of the five women and two healthcare providers that are also plaintiffs.

"It is now dangerous to be pregnant in Texas," said Nancy Northup, the centre's president.

One of the women, Amanda Zurawski, said she had become pregnant after 18 months of fertility treatments. She had just entered her second trimester when she was told she had dilated prematurely and that the loss of her foetus, whom she and her husband had named Willow, was "inevitable".

"But even though we would, with complete certainty, lose Willow, my doctor could not intervene while her heart was still beating or until I was sick enough for the ethics board at the hospital to consider my life at risk," Ms Zurawski said.

For three days, trapped in a "bizarre and avoidable hell", Ms Zurawski was forced to wait until her body entered sepsis - also known as blood poisoning - and doctors were allowed to perform an abortion, according to the lawsuit.

Ms Zurawski spent three days in intensive care, leaving the hospital after a week, the legal action says. The ordeal has made it harder for her to conceive in future, she said.

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Source: BBC News, 8 March 2023

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Five trusts ‘high outliers’ for ‘largely preventable’ infections

Five trusts with unusually high levels of surgical infections, which experts called “largely preventable” harm, have been identified by the UK’s health security agency.

The UKHSA briefing issued last month said the acute providers had rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) that fell above 95th percentile thresholds for certain orthopaedic categories in 2024-25.

The group of “statistical high outliers” were Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals trusts, identified for repair of neck and femur. North Tees and Hartlepool FT were identified for reduction of long bone fractures, and North Bristol Trust for hip replacement.

Infection Prevention Society vice president Kerry Holden toldHSJ: “Reducing surgical site infections is fundamental because they are largely preventable harms that have a significant impact on patients, including increased morbidity, prolonged recovery, and avoidable readmissions, as well as substantial cost pressures on the healthcare system.”

She added that an outlier trust would be expected to review practices such as theatre discipline, skin preparation, and treatments or action taken to prevent disease, as well as develop targeted quality improvement interventions with clear leadership oversight.

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Source: HSJ, 27 January 2026

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Five million missed out on GP appointments in one month, says Labour

Five million people were unable to book a GP appointment in October, analysis of NHS data suggests.

The Labour party, which studied figures from the GP Patient Survey, warned the struggle to see a doctor will mean many patients will not have serious medical conditions diagnosed until it is “too late”.

According to the survey, some 13.8% of patients, or around one in seven, did not get an appointment the last time they tried to book one.

With almost 32 million GP appointments reported in England in October, the party said it means that more than 5 million people could have been unable to book a GP appointment when they tried to make one that month.

October saw GP surgeries carry out the highest number of appointments since records began in 2017, despite a depleted work force.

Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told Labour List: “Patients are finding it impossible to get a GP appointment when they need one. I’m really worried that among those millions of patients unable to get an appointment, there could be serious conditions going undiagnosed until it’s too late". 

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said in a statement: “GPs and their teams are working flat out to deliver the care and services our patients need. GPs want our patients to receive timely and appropriate care, and we share their frustrations when this isn’t happening. But difficulties accessing our services isn’t the fault of GP teams, it’s a consequence of an under-resourced, underfunded, and understaffed service working under unsustainable pressures.”

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Source: The Independent, 6 December 2022

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Five million children worldwide die before fifth birthday, says UN

Five million children worldwide died before their fifth birthday in 2021, with almost half (47%) dying during their first month, according to new UN figures.

Most of the deaths could have been prevented with better healthcare, say campaigners, adding that deaths among newborn babies haven’t reduced significantly since 2017.

Children born in sub-Saharan Africa are 15 times more likely to die in childhood than children in Europe and North America.

UN figures also show that 1.9 million babies were stillborn during 2021, more than three-quarters (77%) in sub-Saharan Africa and in south Asia. The risk of a woman having a stillborn baby in sub-Saharan Africa is seven times greater than for women in Europe and North America.

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Source: The Guardian, 10 January 2022

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Five key areas identified ahead of restarting NHS services

A joint letter from the Health Foundation, The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust has been delivered to the Health and Social Care Select Committee identifying five key aspects which need addressed ahead of their evidence session on delivering core NHS and care services during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons on 22 April 2020 that the pandemic had reached its peak and talked of his intention to ‘gradually reopen’ the NHS as soon as it was safe to do so.

For the joint authors of the letter, before any services look to begin being restarted key areas need addressed including a reliable supply of PPE to protect staff and a clear understanding within the system of the full extent of unmet need – particularly important as at present, from a big picture view, it is not clear how many services have been suspended.

The joint letter puts five key questions to the Select Committee to address:

  1. How and when will appropriate infection prevention and control measures be available for all settings delivering care, and what impact will these have on capacity to reopen?
  2. How will the system understand the full extent of unmet need?
  3. How will the public’s fear of using NHS and social care services be reduced?
  4. What is the strategy for looking after and growing the workforce?
  5. Can the system improve as it recovers?

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Source: National Health Executive, 14 May 2020

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Five hospital wards run with one registered nurse each

Five wards at Scotland's largest hospital had to operate with one registered nurse on duty each.

Staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow experienced the shortage on Monday night.

It is an example of the severe pressure affecting health services across the country, which has intensified due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board said nurses were supported by a number of other staff.

Originally reported in the Daily Record, the shortage was described to staff in an email sent on Monday afternoon.

The email said nurse staffing levels across medicine were critical, despite attempts to seek support from bank or agency workers.

It said admin staff had been asked to stay on to offer support including answering phones and door buzzers for the rest of the week.

As well as staffing problems, the pandemic has caused more bed blocking in Scotland's hospitals and longer waits for both emergency and outpatient treatment.

Norman Provan, associate director at the Royal College of Nursing Scotland said the shortage had an impact on patient safety as well as staff wellbeing - concerns that had been raised with the health board and the Scottish government.

He added: "We're in this situation largely because of the failure of Scottish government to address the nursing workforce crisis, which has seen registered nurse vacancies reach a record high.

"Urgent action is needed to protect patient safety, address staff shortages and demonstrate that the nursing workforce is valued as a safety critical profession."

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Source: BBC News, 24 July 2022

 

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First-of-its-kind guidance aims to ensure safety and dignity of trans patients

A first-of-its-kind set of guidelines for the care of transgender people before and after general surgery has been created.

The guidelines recommend gender-inclusive language and consideration of whether a patient should be accommodated in a single room rather than on a ward.

The guidance, created independently of the NHS, is said to have been put together amid a “dearth of knowledge and confidence amongst anaesthetists when caring for transgender and gender-diverse patients”.

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Source: Independent, 24 July 2024

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First Women's Health Strategy for England to tackle gender health gap

Women and girls across England will benefit from improved healthcare following the publication of the first ever government-led Women’s Health Strategy for England today.

Following a call for evidence which generated almost 100,000 responses from individuals across England, and building on 'Our Vision for Women’s Health', the strategy sets bold ambitions to tackle deep-rooted, systemic issues within the health and care system to improve the health and wellbeing of women, and reset how the health and care system listens to women.

The strategy includes key commitments around:

  • New research and data gathering.
  • The expansion of women’s health-focused education and training for incoming doctors.
  • Improvements to fertility services.
  • Ensuring women have access to high-quality health information.
  • Updating guidance for female-specific health conditions like endometriosis to ensure the latest evidence and advice is being used in treatment.

To support progress already underway in these areas, the strategy aims to:

  • Provide a new investment of £10 million for a breast screening programme, which will provide 25 new mobile breast screening units to be targeted at areas with the greatest challenges in uptake and coverage. This will:
  • - provide extra capacity for services to recover from the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
  • - boost uptake of screening in areas where attendance is low
  • - tackle health disparities
  • - contribute towards higher early diagnosis rates in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.
  • Remove additional barriers to IVF for female same-sex couples. There will no longer be a requirement for them to pay for artificial insemination to prove their fertility status and NHS treatment for female same-sex couples will start with 6 cycles of artificial insemination, prior to accessing IVF services, if necessary.
  • Improve transparency on provision and availability of IVF so prospective parents can see how their local area performs to tackle the ‘postcode lottery’ in access to IVF treatment
  • Recognise parents who have lost a child before 24 weeks through the introduction of a pregnancy loss certificate in England.
  • Ensure specialist endometriosis services have the most up-to-date evidence and advice by updating the service specification for severe endometriosis, which defines the standards of care patients can expect. This sits alongside the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) review of its guideline on endometriosis.

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Source: Gov.UK, 20 July 2022

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First trusts picked to ‘host’ neighbourhood health

An integrated care board has become the first to select “integrators” to coordinate neighbourhood teams in four of its boroughs, each of which will be “hosted” by a trust.

South East London ICB said the arrangements – all of which are an alliance between several organisations – would not replace its “place-based care partnerships” in the boroughs. The integrators will “provide the core infrastructure to support effective integrated neighbourhood team working as it develops”.

London’s other four ICBs are still in the process of selecting organisations or partnership for each of their council areas, as agreed in a neighbourhood health operating model for the city published in May. 

The “host” for each integrator is likely to employ any dedicated staff and hold its funding, particularly if it takes on delegated commissioning budgets. The London model says integrator hosts must be of a ”scale sufficient to manage related budgets and provide required infrastructure, including around data sharing, workforce, estates and digital”.

As well as developing and coordinating community-based services, the integrators will help any GP practices which are “at risk of failure”, the plan said.

However, the concept of an integrator was not included in the 10-Year Health Plan, and it is unclear how it will fit with the government’s proposed neighbourhood provider contracts.

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Source: HSJ, 25 July 2025

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First repeat prescribing guidance in 20 years urges GPs to review processes

GPs have been urged to review their repeat prescribing processes in the first guidance to be published in 20 years.

The RCGP and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) have together produced a new ‘practical toolkit’ for repeat prescribing systems in practices in England.

Published today, the NHS England-commissioned guidance aims to efficiency for GP practices but also patient safety, for example by identifying oversupply of high-risk medication.

With over one billion prescriptions dispensed annually, 77% of which are repeat prescriptions, the need for efficiency and safety ‘is paramount’, the organisations stressed.

Repeat prescriptions also account for nearly 80% of NHS medicine costs for primary care, and the ‘significant’ workload for GP practices related to this ‘necessitates streamlining and improvement’, they added.

The toolkit, which was commissioned by NHS England, takes the form of a ‘self-assessment process’, to help practices and PCNs to assess their local arrangements.

The guidance recommends practices undertake a full ‘process-mapping exercise’ of their repeat prescribing system, with input from the local patient participation group and community pharmacies.

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Source: Pulse, 8 October 2024

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First pill to treat Covid gets approval in UK

The first pill designed to treat symptomatic Covid has been approved by the UK medicines regulator.

The tablet - molnupiravir - will be given twice a day to vulnerable patients recently diagnosed with the disease.

In clinical trials the pill, originally developed to treat flu, cut the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the treatment was a "gamechanger" for the most frail and immunosuppressed.

In a statement he said: "Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for Covid."

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Source: BBC News, 4 November 2021

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First patient in UK fitted with sensor to give early heart failure alert

A heart failure patient has become the first in the UK to be fitted with an early warning sensor the size of a pen lid which gives off an alert if their condition deteriorates.

Consultant cardiologists Dr Andrew Flett and Dr Peter Cowburn have pioneered the procedure to fit the FIRE1 System during trials at University Hospital Southampton (UHS), Hampshire.

Dr Flett said: “This innovative new device has the potential to improve patient safety and outcomes in the management of patients with chronic heart failure and we are delighted to be the first site in the UK to implant as part of this ground-breaking study".

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Source: The Independent, 12 February 2023

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First over-the-counter birth control pill in US to go on sale later this month

Opill, the first birth control pill approved for over-the-counter distribution, is now being shipped to retailers and pharmacies, the company behind the pill, Perrigo, announced on Monday. It will be available in stores and online later this month.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Opill last year, paving the way for the United States to join the dozens of countries that have already made over-the-counter birth control pills available. Opill, which works by using the hormone progestin to prevent pregnancy, is meant to be taken every day around the same time and, when used as directed, is 98% effective.

The pill’s arrival on shelves comes at a deeply fraught time for US reproductive rights: not only has the US supreme court demolished the national right to abortion, but the nation’s highest court is set to hear arguments over two abortion-related cases over the next few months.

“Week after week, we hear stories of people being denied the reproductive health care they so desperately need because of politicians and judges overstepping into the lives of patients and providers. Today, we get to celebrate different news,” Dr Tracey Wilkinson, a pediatrician in Indiana and a board member with Physicians for Reproductive Health, said in a statement.

“As Opill makes its way to pharmacies across the country, I am relieved to know that birth control access will become less challenging for so many people, but especially young people.”

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Source: The Guardian, 4 March 2024

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First NHS physiotherapy clinic run by AI to start this year

The first NHS AI-run physiotherapy clinic is to be rolled out this year in an effort to cut waiting times amid growing demand and staff shortages.

The new platform will provide same-day automated video appointments with a digital physiotherapist via an app that responds to information provided by a patient in real time.

It is the first platform of its kind to be approved by the health regulator, the Care Quality Commission, as a registered healthcare provider.

Patients seeking physiotherapy for issues such as back pain can be referred to the platform Flok Health through a community or primary care healthcare setting, such as their GP. They can also self-refer directly into the service.

The service aims to provide faster care and reduce waiting times and pressure on clinicians, those behind it say.

However, some in the industry say that AI cannot yet replicate the skill of a fully trained physiotherapist, and that treatment needs to be nuanced due to the complexity of cases.

CSP health informatics lead, Euan McComiskie, said of the AI clinic: “There is no doubt that more needs to be done to tackle huge NHS waiting lists, particularly for musculoskeletal services and AI has huge potential to be an adjunct to the work of physiotherapists. However, AI cannot yet replicate the clinical judgment and skills of a physiotherapist, who is required to be registered with a statutory regulator, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).”

McComiskie added that physiotherapists manage “increasing complexity in patient presentation and their treatment needs to be individually tailored”. He said: “It is early days to know how much AI can eventually provide clinical decision making and more research is needed … but not at the cost of patient access, safety, experience nor trust.”

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Source: The Guardian, 9 June 2024

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First NHS cyber attack death confirmed

A cyber attack caused a long wait for a blood test result which contributed to the death of a patient, HSJ can reveal.

The ransomware attack on the Synnovis pathology system last June saw more than a thousand operations cancelled as the laboratories used by two major hospital trusts were unable to report.

Since then, a harm review process has been taking place across: Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College and Lewisham and Greenwich hospitals; primary care across six boroughs; and two mental health trusts.

This morning, a spokesperson for King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust told HSJ: “Sadly, one patient sadly died unexpectedly during the cyber-attack. As is standard practice when this happens, we undertook a detailed review of their care.

“The patient safety incident investigation identified a number of contributing factors that led to the patient’s death. This included a long wait for a blood test result as a result of the cyber-attack impacting pathology services at the time. We have met with the patient’s family, and shared the findings of the safety investigation with them.”

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Source: HSJ, 25 June 2025

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First NHS AI-run physio clinic in England halves back-pain waiting list

The first NHS AI-run physiotherapy clinic has halved the waiting list for back pain and musculoskeletal services, according to the NHS trust where the pilot has taken place.

More than 2,500 patients living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were able to access Flok Health, a physiotherapy platform run by AI, over a 12-week period starting in February.

The platform, which was created using video footage of a human physiotherapist, provides same-day automated video appointments with a digital physiotherapist via an app that responds to information given by a patient in real time.

When the clinic was first launched in Cambridgeshire, waiting times for elective community musculoskeletal (MSK) services in the region were about 18 weeks.

The waiting times for all MSK conditions decreased by 44% over the course of the 12-week period due to the use of Flok combined with other initiatives such as community assessment days, according to Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS trust (CCS), which deployed the services in those areas of England.

Anna-Marie Cooper, from Cambridge, had a positive experience using Flok despite being initially sceptical when she was referred to the AI physio for her back pain.

“I have used private physiotherapy services in the past, but I found my experience with the AI physio as good as, if not better than any care I’ve received before,” she said. “Flok’s service was so intuitive, and having the flexibility to schedule and rearrange appointments whenever I wanted really suited me.”

But the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said that although AI holds great potential for the future of healthcare treatments, it was concerned about widening health inequalities for other patients who couldn’t or didn’t want to access physiotherapy care via an app.

John Cowman, the chief executive of the CSP, said: “When tackling the problem of waiting times, it is important to address the root causes, one of which is the recruitment freezes currently stopping graduate physiotherapists from finding work in the NHS. We have a workforce ready to provide proven, safe care which will help cut waiting times and ensure people get the appointments they need.

“AI will certainly play an increasing role in healthcare in the coming years as a tool to support services, but should be run in conjunction with increasing the physiotherapy workforce.”

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Source: The Guardian, 31 July 2025

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First new treatment for sickle cell in 20 years

The first new sickle-cell treatment in 20 years will help keep thousands of people out of hospital over the next three years, NHS England has said.

Sickle-cell disease is incurable and affects 15,000 people in the UK.

And the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said the hope of reducing health inequalities for black people, who are predominantly affected and often have poorer health to start with, made the drug worth recommending.

It called it "an innovative treatment".

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Source: BBC News, 5 October 2021

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First meeting of new CDC vaccine panel reveals policy chaos sown by RFK Jr

The first meeting of a critical federal vaccine panel was a high-profile display of how the US health secretary and vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr has injected chaos into vaccine policy infrastructure.

Wednesday’s meeting was held amid controversy, not only regarding the new members unilaterally appointed by Kennedy, but also the questions they would consider, their conflicts of interest and views on vaccines, and the scheduled speakers.

The panel, the advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), develops recommendations for how to administer vaccines to the American public.

The ACIP meeting is high-stakes and will be widely watched within the scientific community, as former members argue that the nation’s vaccine approval, research and distribution systems are being dismantled.

The panel’s decisions are highly influential in deciding which vaccines the CDC ultimately recommends for children and adults. In turn, those recommendations form the basis of how health insurers decide which vaccines to cover, and thus have a direct impact on the price and availability of vaccines to the American public.

Experts consider the current situation so dire that outside groups are attempting to develop a system to provide vaccines to Americans in spite of Kennedy’s attempts to disrupt the system.

“What we’re seeing today, and if this were to continue, the medical public health professionals and the entire country are no longer going to trust ACIP,” said Dr Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health. “That’s very clear.”

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Source: The Guardian, 25 June 2025

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First ever Patient Safety Commissioner appointed

The Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has today appointed Dr Henrietta Hughes OBE as the first ever Patient Safety Commissioner for England.

Adding to and enhancing existing work to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices, the appointment of a Commissioner is in response to the recommendations from Baroness Cumberlege’s review into patient safety, published in 2020.

Dr Hughes will be an independent point of contact for patients, giving a voice to their concerns to make sure they are heard. She will help the NHS and government better understand what they can do to put patients first, promote the safety of patients, and the importance of the views of patients and other members of the public.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

"It is essential that we put patient safety first and continue to listen to and champion patients’ voices.

Dr Henrietta Hughes brings a wealth of experience with her as the first ever Patient Safety Commissioner to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices and her work will help support NHS staff as we work hard to beat the Covid backlogs."

Patient Safety Commissioner Henrietta Hughes said:

"I am humbled and honoured to be appointed as the first Patient Safety Commissioner. This vital role, recommended in First Do No Harm, will make a difference to the safety of patients in relation to medicines and medical devices.

Patients’ voices need to be at the heart of the design and delivery of healthcare. I would like to pay tribute to the incredible courage, persistence and compassion of all those who gave evidence to the report, their families and everyone who continues to campaign tirelessly for safer treatments.

I will work collaboratively with patients, the healthcare system and others so that all patients receive the information they need, all patients’ voices are heard and the system responds quickly to keep people safe."

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Source: Gov.UK, 12 July 2022

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First Covid inquiry report to show UK plan failures

The failures and weaknesses in the UK's pandemic preparations are expected to be laid out in the first report published by the Covid inquiry.

Baroness Hallett, who is chairing the public inquiry, will set out her findings at lunchtime.

Her report will cover the state of the healthcare system, stockpiles of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the planning that was in place.

It is the first of at least nine reports covering everything from political decision-making to vaccines and the impact on children.

Trained army medic Dr Saleyha Ahsan, who worked in hospitals during the first two waves of Covid and is now part of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group, after losing her father to the virus, said it felt like there had been “zero planning”, with doctors often struggling to get hold of the right PPE

“The rules were changing on a daily basis in the first few weeks - it was ridiculous,” she said.

“We were in the flimsiest of PPE, just a little surgical mask with a white apron.

“It felt like we were making do and the people who were being pushed to the front were healthcare workers."

“It's so, so important for those of us who worked through it, who lost through it, or who have suffered ill health because of it, to really appreciate where things went wrong and who was responsible.”

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Source: BBC News, 18 July 2024

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First case of new potentially deadly mpox strain Clade 1b detected in UK

The first UK case of a potentially deadly strain of the mpox virus has been detected in London.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the risk to the UK population from the clade 1b mpox strain “remains low”.

The person involved had been on holiday in Africa and travelled back to the UK on an overnight flight on 21 October.

They developed flu-like symptoms more than 24 hours later and, on 24 October, started to develop a rash which worsened in the following days.

The person attended an emergency department in London on 27 October, where they were swabbed, tested and sent home to isolate while waiting for the results.

Fewer than 10 people who are thought to have come into contact with the patient are initially being traced, the UKHSA said. These are household contacts, although the UKHSA is “still working” on the number of people it may have to contact trace.

Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSA, said: “It is thanks to our surveillance that we have been able to detect this virus. This is the first time we have detected this clade of mpox in the UK, though other cases have been confirmed abroad.

“The risk to the UK population remains low, and we are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread. In accordance with established protocols, investigations are underway to learn how the individual acquired the infection and to assess whether there are any further associated cases.”

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Source: The Independent, 31 October 2024

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First breakthrough in treating asthma attacks in 50 years hailed as a ‘game-changer’

A new way of treating serious asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attacks could be a “game-changer” and is the first leap in treatment for 50 years, researchers say.

Offering patients an injection is more effective than the current care of steroid tablets and cuts the need for further treatment by 30%, according to a study.

Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets specific white blood cells, called eosinophils, to reduce lung inflammation.

It is currently used as a repeat treatment for severe asthma at a low dose, but a new clinical trial has found that a higher single dose can be very effective if injected at the time of a flare-up.

Scientists at King’s said steroids can have severe side-effects such as increasing the risk of diabetes and osteoporosis, meaning switching to benralizumab could provide huge benefits.

Lead investigator Professor Mona Bafadhel, from King’s, said: “This could be a game-changer for people with asthma and COPD.

“Treatment for asthma and COPD exacerbations have not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8 million deaths worldwide a year combined.

“Benralizumab is a safe and effective drug already used to manage severe asthma.

“We’ve used the drug in a different way – at the point of an exacerbation – to show that it’s more effective than steroid tablets, which is the only treatment currently available.”

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Source: The Guardian, 28 November 2024

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First anti-malaria drug for newborns approved

Switzerland's medical products authority has granted the first approval for a malaria medicine designed for small infants, touted as an advance against a disease that takes hundreds of thousands of lives — nearly all in Africa — each year.

Swissmedic gave a green light Tuesday for the medicine from Basel-based pharmaceutical company Novartis for the treatment of babies with body weights between 2 and 5kg, which could pave the way for hard-hit African nations to follow suit in the coming months.

The agency said that the decision is significant in part because it's only the third time it has approved a treatment under a fast-track authorisation process, in coordination with the World Health Organization, to help developing countries access needed treatment.

The newly approved medication is a lower-dose version of a tablet previously approved for other age groups, including older children.

Dr. Quique Bassat, a malaria expert not affiliated with the Swiss review, said the burden of malaria in very young children is “relatively low” compared to older kids.

But access to such medicines is important to all, he said.

“There is no doubt that any child of whichever age — and particularly very, very young ones or very light-weighted ones — require a treatment,” said Bassat, the director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, known as ISGlobal.

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Source: The Independent, 8 July 2025

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First ‘digital’ baby born at West Cumberland Hospital

The first baby born using entirely digital maternity notes in north Cumbria has been born at West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven. The new digital system replaces the traditional paper-based system with notes being held digitally for staff and linking to a phone app so women no longer need to carry their notes to appointments.

The app which expectant and new mothers can use is called ‘Maternity Notes’. It helps women track their pregnancy journey and contains lots of information about the baby’s development as they move through their pregnancy, and up to six weeks post-birth. The new system is safer too, with women no longer needing to carry paper maternity notes.

Since going live on 1 April, 100% of women registering a new pregnancy have signed up to the app.

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of only 14 Trusts across the country to implement electronic maternity notes.

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Source: Health Tech Digital, 2 September 2019

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