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Inquiry delay ‘making CEOs look silly’

The lack of information given to trusts likely to be involved in a national maternity investigation due to complete this year is making leaders “look silly” in front of staff, a major trust chief executive has said.

Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust boss Matthew Hopkins told HSJ he wanted clarity over whether his organisation would definitely be involved, as ministers have already suggested, and what this would entail.

Health secretary Wes Streeting announced plans for a national probe into maternity and neonatal services two months ago, with around 10 trusts likely to be covered in the review.

He named MSEFT among the trusts “very likely” to be included.

But, despite plans for the review to be completed by Christmas, this has not yet been formally confirmed, and neither have the full terms of reference for what will be within the investigation’s scope.

Mr Hopkins said: “It’s quite difficult for me when I go and say to the teams, ‘we think we’re involved but we don’t know. We don’t know what the process is going to be’.”

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Source: HSJ, 27 August 2025

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Groundbreaking NHS innovation from Pontefract clinician wins global prize after slashing surgery infections

The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust’s Director of Innovation and Consultant antimicrobial pharmacist, Dr Stuart Bond, has won an internationally acclaimed award, on the back of implementing a clinician innovation project at Pinderfields and Pontefract Hospitals.
Stuart was honoured with one of the world’s most prestigious awards for his leadership in a groundbreaking NHS-first project that has slashed surgical site infections.

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Source: Wakefield Express, 25 August 2025

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Call to suspend medics under police investigation

A Sussex woman is calling for medical professionals to be suspended during police investigations to safeguard both patients and practitioners.

Charlotte Smart said her mother, Sarah Shaddock, was paralysed and had to use a wheelchair following an operation at a hospital in Brighton.

Ms Smart said there was a "troubling gap" regarding surgeons or consultants who were under active investigation by the police.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the General Medical Council (GMC) could request an interim restriction on a clinician's registration if there was thought to be "an immediate risk to patient safety".

The care Ms Smart's mother received from the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust at the Royal Sussex County hospital is being investigated by Sussex Police as part of Operation Bramber, which is looking into at least 200 cases of alleged medical negligence.

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Source: BBC, Tuesday 26 August 2025

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Ovarian cancer blood test can detect disease early, study suggests

Scientists have developed a simple blood test to spot ovarian cancer early that could “significantly improve” outcomes for women with the disease.

More than 300,000 women, mostly over the age of 50, are diagnosed worldwide each year, according to the World Cancer Research Fund. Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed late, which makes treating the condition more difficult.

The test trialled by UK and US researchers looks for two different types of blood markers in those showing symptoms of the disease, which include pelvic pain and a bloated tummy. It then uses machine learning to recognise patterns that would be difficult for humans to detect.

Currently, the disease is usually diagnosed using a mix of scans and biopsies, such as an ultrasound scan, a CT scan, a needle biopsy, a laparoscopy or surgery to remove tissue or possibly the ovaries.

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Source: Guardian, Tuesday 26 August 2025

 
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Maternity service suspended twice in two days

A major teaching trust was forced to close its maternity services to new births twice in two days, due to unsafe staffing levels, HSJ can reveal.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust temporarily closed suites at St James’s Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary sites on 16 and 17 August.

All new patients were diverted to neighbouring hospitals as a result of the closures, which ran from 4pm on Saturday to 7am on Sunday, and from 2.30pm on Sunday to 6.30am on Monday.

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Source: Health Service Journal, 22 August 2025

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The new technology for prosthetic legs that could reduce NHS waiting lists by 50%

A new technology could reduce NHS waiting lists for prosthetic legs by half, a study has found. The software personalises prosthetic leg fittings based on data from previous patients.

The data-driven fittings for below the knee prosthetics were, on average, as comfortable for patients as those created by highly skilled prosthetists, the NHS trial suggested. Technology developed by Radii Devices and the University of Southampton is hoping to halve the number of clinical visits for the fitting from an average of four to two using the software.

Nearly 100 people have now had a prosthetic leg designed this way, across multiple centres in the UK and the USA.

The study has now moved into its final stage where the new software is developed alongside clinicians to see how it can be best incorporated into their practices.

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Source: The Independent, 22 August 2025

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Trust ‘concerned’ about rising C-sections

A trust rated “inadequate” for maternity services has reported what it describes as a “concerning” increase in caesarean sections to its board.

Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust said the proportion of births delivered in this way was “approaching 50-65 per cent”, in its August board papers.

A report from the quality committee, written by non-executive director Annette Gamell, said: “We are observing a concerning trend of increasing caesarean section rates… potentially indicating systemic challenges in our current maternity care pathways.”

BHFT – which runs maternity units in Luton and Bedford – told HSJ the most significant factor in the rise was the increasing number of complex pregnancies in its communities.

It said enhanced monitoring protocols meant more people were being screened for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and autoimmune disorders before giving birth, which could lead to greater medical involvement. 

A BHFT spokeswoman said it was “committed to understanding in more detail the multiple factors” behind its C-section rates. But she said the trust was committed to supporting informed choice. “Our priority remains ensuring the safest and best possible outcomes for the women/birthing people and babies in our care,” she added.

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Source: HSJ, 21 August 2025

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Hundreds with rare conditions to benefit from new blood matching test

A new personalised “blood matching” test has been launched for people with rare conditions who require regular blood transfusions.

The move will allow donor blood to be matched to these patients more closely, to reduce the risk of severe reactions.

It is the first time it has been used for patients with rare inherited anaemias – with around 300 people eligible for testing, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

The new test uses genetics to generate detailed blood group information.

The programme has been backed by the family of toddler Woody Mayers, aged 22 months, who has a rare inherited anaemia called congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia (CDA) type 1.

The condition causes the bone marrow to struggle to produce healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body.

It is estimated to affect between one to five out of every million babies.

Woody Mayers, aged 22 months, who has a rare inherited anaemia called congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia (CDA) type 1 (NHSBT)

Patients have low haemoglobin levels, meaning Woody relies on blood transfusions every four weeks to stay alive.

However, the donor blood must be carefully matched to reduce the risk of patient’s developing antibodies against certain blood types, which can cause severe reactions and make transfusions more difficult in the future.

The new genotyping testing programme, a partnership between NHSBT and NHS England, uses genetics to identify more of the rarer blood groups.

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Source: The Independent, 21 August 2025

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NHS productivity lags as recruitment fails to keep pace with demand

The NHS in England faces an uphill struggle to improve productivity as it confronts record waiting lists, with data suggesting that an increase in staff numbers alone will not transform its performance.

Creaking infrastructure, a sicker population and a reliance on less experienced staff are hampering the health service’s attempts to treat people in greater numbers than before the pandemic, according to health experts.

This difficult context is casting a shadow over the government’s goal that hospital waiting lists should be falling by the next election.

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Source: Financial Times, 1 June 2023

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Hundreds of federal health workers say RFK Jr has put Americans in danger

More than 750 current and former employees of the US health department have published a letter rebuking Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, saying his "dangerous and deceitful statements" contributed to recent violence at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters.

Officials say the man who fired hundreds of rounds at the CDC this month, killing a police officer, had expressed distrust in the Covid-19 vaccine.

In their letter, the staff said the attack came as "politicized rhetoric" drives mistrust in institutions.

They also said Kennedy had put Americans' health in danger and hurt the country's ability to respond to public health emergencies.

"Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is complicit in dismantling America's public health infrastructure and endangering the nation's health by repeatedly spreading inaccurate health information," they wrote in a letter addressed to both Congress and Kennedy and published on a site called Save HHS.

The signatories were affiliated with the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, and Health and Human Services.

In a statement, a spokesperson for HHS said Kennedy was "standing firmly with CDC employees" to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

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Source: BBC News, 20 August 2025

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Hunger-driven A&E admissions spiral amid cost-of-living crisis

Hungry patients are overwhelming NHS emergency departments at unprecedented levels, researchers claim.

Admissions to hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) units because of hunger have more than tripled, rising by nearly 219 per cent in five years, figures suggest.

Analysis of NHS data shows a lack of food was the fastest growing cause of A&E admissions in England between 2018-19 and 2023-24, as food prices and poverty spiralled.

As the cost-of-living crisis gripped the UK, experts repeatedly warned that households were being plunged into poverty, with food bank use soaring and charities finding parents going hungry so their children could eat.

Health experts warned in 2022 that millions of people were facing a “significant humanitarian crisis”, exacerbated by rocketing fuel bills.

Paula Lingard, of the ID Band Company, which analysed the NHS data, said: “The significant rise in admissions related to lack of food is particularly concerning and may reflect growing food insecurity in England, highlighting the importance of addressing basic needs as part of our approach to public health.”

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Source: The Independent, 20 August 2025

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Treatment that can double bladder cancer survival rates available to 1,000 patients in England

More than 1,000 patients living with bladder cancer in England will be eligible for a treatment which can double survival rates from the disease.

In England, 18,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year, and only about 10% of people with stage 4 bladder cancer will survive five years or more after they are diagnosed.

The treatment, enfortumab vedotin with pembrolizumab, has been approved for use on the NHS from Thursday. About 1,250 patients across the country to be offered the therapy, which has been described by NHS bosses as one of the “most hopeful advances in decades”.

Clinical trials of the drug have shown that people with bladder cancer that has spread (metastasised) live up to twice as long when given the combination antibody treatment when compared with those given normal chemotherapy.

Prof Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, said that the treatment is “one of the most hopeful advances in decades for people with bladder cancer”.

He added: “Bladder cancer is often difficult to treat once it has spread, but this new therapy is the first one in years to really help stop the disease in its tracks, and our rollout to NHS patients will make a huge difference to the lives of those affected and their families.”

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Source: The Guardian, 21 August 2025

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Hospital pays out after bacteria-linked deaths

A hospital trust has paid a "six-figure settlement package" in the case of nine patients following an outbreak of a bacterial infection linked to its water supply.

Three patients died and two of these cases were as a result of complications connected to the outbreak at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, according to lawyers.

Lung transplant patients Karen Starling, 54, of Ipswich, died in February 2020, and Anne Martinez, of Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, died in December 2020.

Eilish Midlane, the hospital's chief executive, said: "Lessons have been learnt [and] regulations revised to seek to avoid a similar occurrence in the UK."

The trust denied liability but resolved each of the claims in out-of-court settlements, which were secured following a civil claim pursued as a group action.

Six further patients suffered serious complications that continue to affect them following the outbreak of Mycobacterium abscessus (M.abscessus), according to legal firm Irwin Mitchell.

Lawyers said the "six-figure settlement package" was agreed in connection with the nine cases.

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Source: BBC News, 20 August 2025

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‘Integration is not enough’, NHSE demands ‘credible, affordable’ local plans

New five-year plans to be drawn up by all NHS organisations this autumn must be “credible, deliverable and affordable”, and boards must actively challenge them rather than them “simply endorsing the final version”, NHS England has said.

Draft guidance sent to local leaders in recent days kicks off work on the next wave of service development and finance plans, which NHSE says must be submitted later this year. Initially they will cover 2026-27 to 2030-31, and then be refreshed annually.

The document, seen by HSJ, seeks to set out the more robust approach to local planning that NHSE’s chair and CEO, Penny Dash and Sir Jim Mackey, want to introduce.

It states: “The boards of individual ICBs and providers are ultimately accountable for the development and delivery of their plans.”

These plans must be “evidence-based and realistic in scope”, states NHSE: “Having an aligned, integrated plan is not enough – the plan must also be credible, deliverable and affordable [and able to be] realistically executed with the available resources and operating environment”.

The NHSE guidance adds: “Boards are expected to play an active role in setting direction, reviewing drafts, and constructively challenging assumptions – rather than simply endorsing the final version of the plan.”

Meanwhile, the framework says the Department of Health and Social Care and NHSE are currently working to “translate the 10-Year Health Plan and spending review outcome into specific multi-year priorities and allocations”.

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Source: HSJ, 21 August 2025

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Patient safety goals at 8 US News Honor Roll hospitals

The top hospitals in the US are focused on utilising technology to identify safety risks early and fostering a culture where patient safety is a shared responsibility. 

Among more than 4,000 US hospitals evaluated on patient safety and outcomes measures, US News & World Report named 20 hospitals on its Honor Roll. Measures include risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and level of nursing care. 

Quality and safety leaders at eight of US News & World Report’s 2025-26 Best Hospitals said their priorities for the rest of the year include expanding the use of predictive analytics, AI-powered monitoring and digital engagement tools to prevent harm, while strengthening team communication and psychological safety. 

Paul Casey, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Rush University System for Health (Chicago), said "We remain dedicated to reducing any potential of adverse events for our patients throughout the health system. We believe this is best accomplished by keeping patients engaged in their care throughout their care journey. So in addition to our regular team-based rounding, we are focused on digital engagement with our patients throughout their care journey. This includes a newly developed myRush app and broader Rush Connect digital experience. We also see AI as a key tool to surface insights for our teams to ensure we continue to provide the highest quality care for Rush patients."

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Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 11 August 2025

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American Medical Association (AMA) releases AI governance toolkit for health systems

The American Medical Association (AMA) has released new guidance for health systems looking to develop and implement artificial intelligence within their organisation.

The new Governance for Augmented Intelligence toolkit, built in collaboration with Manatt Health, is an eight-step module. It guides health systems from the initial steps of establishing executive accountability and governance structure through policy development, vendor evaluation, oversight and organisational readiness for the launch of new AI tools.

The toolkit also includes worksheets, sample forms, example AI policy documents and other resources for organisations to reference and can be completed by physicians for Continuing Medical Education credit.

“There is excitement about the transformative potential of AI to enhance diagnostic accuracy, personalize treatments, reduce administrative and documentation burden, and speed up advances in biomedical science,” the toolkit reads. “At the same time, there is concern about AI's potential to worsen bias, increase privacy risks, introduce new liability issues and offer seemingly convincing yet ultimately incorrect conclusions or recommendations that could affect patient care.

“Establishing AI governance is important to ensure AI technologies are implemented into care settings in a safe, ethical and responsible manner.”

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Source: Fierce Healthcare, 18 August 2025

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US paediatric organisation diverges from CDC in Covid-19 vaccine advisory for children

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is urging that children as young as six months and up to 23 months receive the Covid-19 vaccine – a position that diverges from the current federal guidance given by the Trump administration’s health agencies.

The AAP released its updated childhood immunization schedule, which outlines recommendations for vaccines against Covid-19, influenza and RSV for individuals under 18.

“It differs from recent recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices of the CDC, which was overhauled this year and replaced with individuals who have a history of spreading vaccine misinformation,” the organisation said in a statement.

The announcement follows a decision from the health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, in late May to halt CDC recommendations for healthy children to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Previously, the CDC advised vaccination for everyone six months and older with the latest available dose.

The CDC currently advises that Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six months through 17 years should be determined through “shared clinical decision-making”.

The AAP recommends vaccination for anyone under 18 who is at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, resides in a long-term care or congregate living facility, has not previously been vaccinated or shares a household with someone at elevated risk.

“The academy has been making pediatric immunization recommendations since the 1930s. That has not changed,” Dr Susan Kressly, president of the AAP, told ABC News.

“But what has changed is that this year, we’re doing it in the environment of misinformation, which makes it more important than ever that we provide clear and confident guidance, because the majority of American families really depend on us for this guidance.”

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Source: The Guardian, 19 August 2025

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The 17 trusts missing NHSE’s new A&E handover target

More than a dozen trusts have not been meeting a new “maximum” NHS England standard through the spring and summer, HSJ can reveal.

Analysis of NHS England data reveals that 50 of 117 acute trusts (42%) had worse average ambulance handover times in the first four months of 2025-26, compared with the previous year.

At 17 trusts, average handover times so far this year have been above 45 minutes – which NHSE has declared should be the definitive “maximum” time.

Nationally, average handover times have slightly improved from this year to last (27 mins vs 30 mins). See the table below for the full data.

NHSE has signalled it will get a stronger grip on handover delays – which are a key factor behind longer ambulance response times and have been linked to patient harm and deaths.

This year’s planning guidance said trusts should “[work] towards delivering hospital handovers within 15 minutes [and] ensure that no handover takes longer than 45 minutes”. National urgent and emergency care director Sarah-Jane Marsh has said “we need the average to be much, much better than 45 minutes”.

Royal College of Emergency Medicine president Adrian Boyle said: “No one working in emergency care wants to see ambulances stuck outside emergency departments, but fixing this requires system wide co-ordination and flow.

“We do not support single service initiatives such as [45 minutes ‘maximum’ handover time] without a hospital wide commitment to improve flow.”

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Source: HSJ, 19 August 2025

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At-home hepatitis C test identifies hundreds with silent but deadly virus

The NHS has identified 225 people with a silent but deadly virus as part of a national drive to stamp out the disease and uncover more victims of the infected blood scandal.

The significant discovery was made after more than 100,000 at-home hepatitis C tests were requested since the service's launch in May 2023, including 15,463 in the week after the Infected Blood Inquiry published its final report in May 2024.

Health officials said that 105,998 people have ordered an at-home NHS hepatitis C test online since the service was launched in 2023.

Among those diagnosed under the NHS scheme so far, NHS England said that seven in 10 are from deprived communities.

The most common risk factors reported by positive cases include injecting drug use, sharing needles and other drug paraphernalia and a history of prison.

It is understood that only a very small number identified after ordering a test online had a positive result after receiving contaminated blood.

In May this year, NHS England also launched a system which means that people of a certain age who newly register with GP practices in England will be asked if they had a blood transfusion prior to 1996 in a bid to find more victims of the infected blood scandal.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, said “We want to make it easier for people to access care before hidden viruses like hepatitis C cause people serious harm.

“The home testing service is available to everyone, and through targeted outreach to people at higher risk we are helping thousands avoid serious illness and reducing health inequalities in the process.

“If you or someone you know might be at risk, order a free and confidential test today via the NHS hepatitis C testing website – it could save your life.”

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Source: The Independent, 20 August 2025

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More weight-loss drugs could be offered as part of new diabetes care

Treatment for millions of people with type 2 diabetes should be more personalised, with greater access to newer medicines, including weight-loss drugs, the healthcare assessment body for England, Wales and Northern Ireland has recommended.

It calls the move "the biggest shake-up" in type 2 diabetes care in a decade.

Offering more people the new drugs will prevent complications such as heart disease, strokes and kidney damage, reduce costs to the NHS and potentially save lives, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says.

Around 4.6 million people in the UK are diagnosed with diabetes - of these 90% have type 2, with another 1.3 million likely to be undiagnosed.

NICE, which produces guidance for the NHS on how to give patients the best care, recommends a move away from a "one size fits all" approach and towards more personalised treatment.

It is calling for newer diabetes medicines called SGLT-2 inhibitors, which protect the heart and kidneys as well as lowering blood sugar levels, to become the first-choice treatment for all diabetes patients. Around 2.3 million people will be eligible for these drugs.

Some 22,000 lives could be saved if 90% of all diabetes patients were prescribed them, NICE says, but access is not equal across the UK. There is evidence that women, older people and black people are less likely to be prescribed them.

"There is some urgency to find ways to increase the uptake of SGLT-2 inhibitors because if we were to achieve perfect uptake, the nation would be significantly healthier," said Dr Waqaar Shah, chair of the guideline committee.

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Source: BBC News, 20 August 2025

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Heart patients could now do their rehab remotely as ‘transformative’ plans get NHS green light

People with heart problems will be able to complete rehabilitation online in their homes rather than waiting for face-to-face appointments.

Experts said the programmes “offer real potential to transform” how this type of care is delivered to individual patients.

Six online platforms have been conditionally recommended to the NHS to support adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in new draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

They are Activate Your Heart, D REACH-HF, Digital Heart Manual, Gro Health HeartBuddy, KiActiv and myHeart.

Uptake for cardiac rehabilitation programmes, which can reduce the risk of further heart problems and hospital admissions, is low, according to NICE.

Each platform is designed to offer cardiac rehabilitation online, including exercise programmes, advice on diet, medication management and psychological support.

Some of the platforms also include wearable devices to monitor activity levels.

Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at NICE, said: “These digital platforms offer real potential to transform how cardiac rehabilitation is offered to people to meet their individual circumstances.

“We know that traditional programmes aren’t reaching everyone who could benefit – particularly women, younger patients and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.”

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Source: The Independent, 19 August 2025

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AI assesses Dutch mammograms better than radiologists

AI is detecting tumours more often and earlier in the Dutch breast cancer screening program. Those tumours can then be treated at an earlier stage. This has been demonstrated by researchers led by Radboud university medical centre in a study published in The Lancet Digital Health. The use of AI could reduce workload and save millions of euros annually.

Previous research in Sweden had already shown that AI detects breast cancer on mammograms more frequently than radiologists. Moreover, AI can reduce the workload for radiologists. Now, it appears that AI can also replace the second radiologist in the Dutch breast cancer screening programme. This even leads to the detection of more tumours - and at an earlier stage - which later turn out to be clinically significant.

Researchers, led by breast radiologist Ritse Mann of Radboudumc, analyzed 42,000 breast scans. These mammograms were taken as part of the Dutch screening program in the Utrecht region. Traditionally, two radiologists review these scans, as is standard practice in breast cancer screening. In this study, the researchers also evaluated the scans using AI developed by ScreenPoint Medical. Additionally, they followed the women whose scans were analysed for nearly four and a half years, with multiple scans available for many of them.

The study showed that one radiologist working with AI detects more tumours than two radiologists alone. Tumours are also identified earlier when AI is involved. "Sometimes the AI detects a tumour that the radiologists don’t yet recognize as such. We call this a false positive. But often that tumour appears in a later scan after all. Therefore the AI was right earlier," PhD candidate Suzanne van Winkel explains. "By the time the radiologist raises the alarm, it often concerns larger invasive tumours, which definitely need treatment, as early as possible."

In Sweden, AI is already being used to analyse screening mammograms. "They replace the second radiologist with AI. Only if the AI is uncertain does a second radiologist step in," Mann explains. "We see that radiologists work well with AI, which leads to more tumors being detected without a significant increase in unnecessary follow-up checks for women."

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Source: Digital Health News, 15 August 2025

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Why GPs are using fewer physician associates

GPs are cutting back on the use of physician associates (PAs), polling suggests.

A new survey, conducted by the GP magazine Pulse, found that 21% of 425 GP networks in England said they had reduced PA numbers in the last year.

It comes after the Government-ordered Leng Review found PAs have been used as substitutes for doctors, despite having significantly less training.

One of the 18 recommendations in the review was that PAs be banned from seeing patients whom a medic has not reviewed to prevent the risk of “catastrophic” misdiagnoses.

Pulse said that the main reasons GPs gave for cutting back on PAs included: guidance from professional bodies; supervision demands; patient safety concerns and rising complaints.

One GP told Pulse: “We had a PA but now don’t use them because of the change in guidance.

“We can’t afford to pay someone with such limited scope.”

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Source: The Independent, 19 August 2025

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Children’s supplement recalled over fears it contains prescription-only sleep drug

A health alert has been issued to parents over a brand of children’s magnesium gummies after batches were found to contain a prescription-only drug used to aid sleep.

Melatonin, which may cause drowsiness, headaches, dizziness and nausea, was detected in Kids Magnesium Glycinate Gummies made by Nutrition Ignition.

The synthetic hormone is not listed on the packaging of the raspberry-flavoured gummies.

Health chiefs have ordered the gummies to be removed from sale, working with online retailers to withdraw all listings.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned parents to stop giving them to children and to safely dispose of any left.

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Source: The Independent, 19 August 2025

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