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Parents 'horrified' by maternity services report

There are "significant'' concerns about the safety and quality of maternity services at an NHS trust, a report has revealed.

Issues with staffing, a "challenging'' culture and a lack of learning from previous incidents were identified at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust.

NHS England published its findings following a visit to the trust in March this year. It made 101 recommendations to improve the quality of care and ensure the "wellbeing'' of mothers and babies.

NHS England placed the trust under its national Maternity Safety Support Programme (MSSP). Its teams work to improve services where serious concerns have been identified.

Areas of concerns the MSSP report highlighted included:

  • Staff describe safety concerns being de-escalated without resolution, and learning from incidents was not robust which meant there was a continuation on previously identified themes.
  • Lack of cardiotocography (CTG) machines to enable women to be effectively and safely monitored.
  • Issues with escalation process especially out of hours with no clinical or midwifery management on call.
  • Challenge in responding to families who have experienced harm and poor outcomes.
  • Poor communication and staffing issues with maternity leadership needing improvement.

A group of Leeds bereaved families said the MSSP report, which also highlights good practices, is "truly shocking and horrifying reading".

"As bereaved and harmed families this most recent report, yet again, totally vindicates what we have been saying for years. The culture of denial, the failure to listen and the absence of real accountability are systemic and persistent," a spokesperson said.

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Source: BBC News, 29 July 2025

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GPs urged to join forces to avoid ‘imposition’ of neighbourhood providers

GPs should rapidly start “collaborative discussions” with peers about developing joint “models” to fit in with the government’s proposed development of “neighbourhood health”, the British Medical Association’s GP committee has said.

The GPC has previously issued strong criticism of the government’s 10-Year Health Plan, because it does not commit to a new core GP contract, and opens the door to trusts running more GP practices.

However, a document issued by the committee on Friday says GPs should “quickly” begin talks with other practices, federations and primary care networks, with a view to “develop[ing] collaborative models”. They should “think about how they may operate” in neighbourhood systems.

The 10YHP proposes the introduction of two new “neighbourhood” contracts from next year to coordinate and provide local services, which it says will also encourage GPs to work across larger areas.

Some believe there are few parts of the country where large-scale GP providers are mature enough to take on these roles, meaning NHS trusts and foundation trusts are likely to step in.

The BMA’s GPC England appears to be encouraging GP practices to accelerate “collaboration” – such as creating or developing larger providers and federations – with a view to taking on neighbourhood contracts. 

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Source: HSJ, 30 July 2025

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Coroners reveal concerns over trust safety investigations

Trusts are beginning to run parallel safety investigations because a compulsory new national process does not meet the demands of coroners, HSJ has learned.

One provider said it had already established a separate process for deaths likely to result in an inquest, while others confirmed they were reviewing how they carry out investigations.

National officials admitted separate investigations might be required.

It follows the rollout in recent years of NHS England’s new “patient safety incident response framework” (PSIRF) for all NHS trusts, as well as other providers on the NHS standard contract.

It is meant to be a more “proportionate” process than the previous “serious incident framework”, with a focus on learning and engaging with those affected, rather than attributing blame. One consequence is that fewer incidents – including some deaths – are likely to receive a full investigation.

HSJ has uncovered seven cases – covering nine people – where coroners have issued Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports which raised concerns that the PSIRF is producing inadequate reports or there had been no safety investigation at all.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust has reverted to using root cause analysis as a parallel process for all cases that may be subject to a coroner inquest. This was required “to ensure the coroner received the necessary information, while maintaining the integrity of the PSIRF investigation”, the trust’s board heard last month. Chief medical officer Andrew Deaner said: “Nationally coroners were finding some issues with the PSIRF process.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Under the [PSIRF], all deaths thought likely to be down to problems in care must be subject to a patient safety incident investigation.” However, they added: “It is vital that NHS trusts continue to engage with coroners and work with them to ensure that coroners get the information they need.”

NHS England has also said it is aware some coroners had raised concerns, although it consulted the chief coroners’ office in developing the PSIRF. It acknowledged the methodology may differ from a coroner’s remit, and said NHS organisations could use other methods in addition.

The judiciary office and the Coroners’ Society did not want to comment.

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Source: HSJ, 29 July 2025

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Lifestyle changes and vaccination ‘could prevent most liver cancer cases’

Three in five liver cancer cases globally could be prevented by reducing obesity and alcohol consumption and increasing uptake of the hepatitis vaccine, a study has found.

The Lancet Commission on liver cancer found that most cases were preventable if alcohol consumption, fatty liver disease and levels of viral hepatitis B and C were reduced.

The commission set out several recommendations for policymakers, which it estimated could reduce the incidence of liver cancer cases by 2% to 5% each year by 2050, preventing 9m to 17m new cases of liver cancer and saving 8 million to 15 million lives.

Prof Jian Zhou at Fudan University in China, who led the research, said: “Liver cancer is a growing health issue around the world. It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%. We risk seeing close to a doubling of cases and deaths from liver cancer over the next quarter of a century without urgent action to reverse this trend.”

The commission author Prof Hashem B El-Serag of Baylor College of Medicine in the US said: “Liver cancer was once thought to occur mainly in patients with viral hepatitis or alcohol-related liver disease. However, today, rising rates of obesity are an increasing risk factor for liver cancer, primarily due to the increase in cases of excess fat around the liver.”

The commission’s recommendations included that governments boost HBV vaccination and implement universal screening for adults; introduce minimum alcohol unit pricing and sugar taxes along with warning labels; invest in early detection of liver damage and cancer; and improve palliative care for sufferers.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 July 2025

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New study says self-test could prevent up to 1,000 cervical cancer cases a year

About a third of women are overdue for their appointment for life-saving cervical cancer screening – due to embarrassment, discomfort or simply not having enough time to attend.

But offering women an at-home self-test could prevent as many as 1,000 cases of cervical cancer every year, a study led by Queen Mary University of London with King’s College London found.

More than 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year in the UK. It has been estimated that the number would be 5,000 higher if it weren’t for cervical screening.

The number of women participating in cervical screening has been falling, and in 2024, only 66% of those eligible for screening were up to date.

In the study, published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, researchers recruited 13 GP practices in West London to find out the benefits of offering women a take-home test.

One group of GP practices made in-person kit offers to women who were at least six months overdue for their cervical screening, the other group did not. For the first group, when women attended their GP practice for any reason, their doctor or nurse was encouraged to offer them a self-sampling kit.

In the study, people who were 15 months overdue for cervical screening were randomised each month. Half received no special communication, a quarter were mailed a self-sampling kit, and a quarter were sent a letter offering a kit.

Of the 449 women opportunistically offered a kit in a GP appointment, 234 (52%) accepted and returned a sample.

However, the uptake of self-sampling after a postal offer was lower: 12% among those sent a kit, and just 5% for women sent a letter offering a kit.

Researchers estimate that if this approach were adopted across the NHS, 1,000 cases of cervical cancer could be prevented.

dings are directly relevant to current efforts to modernise cervical screening in England. Self-sampling gives women greater control over how and when they get screened.

“This study reinforces that many women welcome the option - particularly when it’s offered in person by a trusted healthcare professional. A simple change like this could have a major impact on preventing cervical cancer.”

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Source: The Guardian, 29 July 2025

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Children’s heart unit in ‘very precarious state’

A surgeon at one of England’s largest teaching trusts has had their practice restricted following the deaths of two children, amid a “worrying and significant deterioration” in mortality rates for its children’s heart service.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust commissioned a review of its paediatric congenital cardiac service after the clinical team raised concerns about the surgeon’s performance as well as overall mortality rates, waiting lists, patient flow and culture.

The review found mortality rates at LTH were around three times the national average and had shown a “worrying and significant deterioration” over the past two years.

The findings have been published in the trust’s papers for its board meeting this week. It comes as its chair and CEO are leaving, and major problems have emerged in its maternity services. 

The service review was carried out by consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Massimo Caputo and paediatric intensive care consultant James Fraser, both of whom work at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. They found that rates of significant complications, reoperation and protracted length of stay after surgery had increased since April 2023.

A separate review, by Andrew Parry, a paediatric cardiac surgeon in Bristol, looked into seven specific cases of particular concern that all involved the same surgeon – who the trust has declined to name. Two of the children died, and the remaining five continue to receive care from various specialities including congenital cardiac surgery.

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Source: HSJ, 29 July 2025

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'My dad started spying on my mum' - the drugs causing sexual urges

When "Sarah" climbed up into the attic of her father's house - she was completely unprepared for what she would find.

Her father, "James", was a modest man who worked most of his life for the same company. He retired about 20 years ago when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's.

He had managed the tremors and balance difficulties caused by the disorder by taking a prescription drug called Ropinirole.

But during the Covid-19 pandemic, Sarah had grown increasingly alarmed about her father's secrecy and wanted to see what he had been spending his time doing.

In the loft, she discovered reams of handwritten notes and a dozen recording devices he had been using to bug his own home.

In writing and on tape he had documented innocent sounds his wife had made as she moved around the house, and while she slept, to try to prove she was having an affair. He had also catalogued details of numerous chat lines and porn websites he had been obsessively using.

It was only when Sarah took him to see his specialist nurse five years ago that she learned the medication her father was on could have such extreme side effects.

James lives in a specialist care home and Sarah says she has been told that he has sexually assaulted staff there.

"This medication has torn my family apart," says Sarah - whose name we have changed along with her father's.

James's case is one of 50 the BBC has now been contacted about, the majority concerning men being treated for movement disorders whose behaviour changed dramatically after being prescribed medication from a specific family of drugs.

The risk of impulsive behaviour side effects of dopamine agonist medication have long been known - but the BBC has discovered that doctors are still not warning all patients who have been prescribed the drugs for a variety of conditions.

In March we revealed how British drug company GSK had found a link between Ropinirole and what it called "deviant" sexual behaviour - including paedophilia - in 2003.

GSK told the BBC it had shared these findings with health authorities, included this safety advice in medication leaflets, and conducted extensive trials for the drug which has been prescribed for 17 million treatments.

But warnings about such behaviour were not included in leaflets until 2007 - and, even now, only specify "altered" sexual interest and "excessive" or "increased" libido as risks.

Safety advice about the medication's "toxic" side-effects needs to be strengthened immediately because their impact can be "devastating", according to the acting chair of the Health Select Committee, Labour MP Paulette Hamilton.

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Source: BBC News, 26 July 2025

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Demand for weight loss drugs is becoming unsustainable, say pharmacists

Demand for weight loss drugs is becoming so “unsustainable” that demand may soon outstrip supply, pharmacists have warned.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said supply problems could encourage people to turn to unregulated online sources, despite the risks involved.

The number of people in the UK using drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro has soared to well above a million, with most patients paying to get them privately.

During April, 1.6m packs of Mounjaro and Wegovy were bought in Britain, with the number thought to correlate closely with the number of people using them.

“Spiralling demand for weight loss medication risks going far beyond what is clinically deliverable”, the NPA said.

“Weight loss jabs are one of the biggest drug innovations this century but growing demand for weight loss treatment highlights the need to make sure this is appropriate for those who want it,” said Olivier Picard, the NPA’s chair.

“It’s clear from this polling that more people are interested in getting weight loss jabs than can benefit from weight loss medication.”

Supply of the medicines has been hit by shortages in some parts of the UK, including for higher doses of Mounjaro, the NPA said. Supply has been restricted to some pharmacies, which has stopped some new patients from going on to the drugs.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the UK’s drugs watchdog, has warned patients to obtain the drugs only with a doctor’s prescription, and not from beauty parlours or websites.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 July 2025

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Staff left “vulnerable” after concerns “ignored” by trust leadership

A culture in which staff felt “done to” and not able to raise concerns safely to a disconnected leadership have all contributed to “a longstanding sense of dissatisfaction” and “continuing” fears over care quality at one of the NHS’s largest teaching trusts, an NHS England review has discovered.

The review was undertaken by NHSE’s Maternity Safety Support Programme into care delivered by Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. Its publication comes a month after the Care Quality Commission downgraded maternity services at Leeds General Infirmary and St James University Hospital from “good” to “inadequate”.

The publication of the NHSE review in the trust’s board papers led to the trust chief executive Phil Wood to write to the organisation’s 20,000 staff, warning them that it and another investigation into the organisation’s paediatric congenital cardiac service would prove “challenging”.

The report describes the culture at LTH as “challenging” and exhibiting “a degree of negativity”. It was not viewed as “supportive”, and a “lack of communication” was a common theme. Many staff felt “they were ‘being done to’”.

The combination of these factors “led to escalation fatigue from the staff as they did not feel that their safety concerns were responded to in a productive and supportive way”.

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Source: HSJ, 28 July 2025

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Trusts blaming cyber-attack risk for failing to share information

Four trusts have been warned by the UK’s information regulator over their failure to respond to freedom of information requests.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said it carried out an assessment across the NHS provider sector after receiving regular complaints over delays and backlogs. The review focused on compliance with the FOI Act, which grants the right to access information held by public authorities. 

The review has resulted in Nottingham University Hospitals Trust being served an enforcement notice over a “significantly low compliance rate” and a backlog of nearly 200 requests that were over a year old. The formal order is issued when an authority is considered as failing to comply with obligations.

The ICO said NUH had answered only 17% of requests within the statutory deadline compared to an average of 82%. 

ICO director of FOI Warren Seddon said most trusts were treating the laws with the “seriousness that is required”. But he added: “A small number still show significant room for improvement and that’s where we step in.”

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Source: HSJ, 28 July 2025

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Mum who blames mesh implant for crippling pain blasts Government for continued use

A mum who blames a controversial plastic implant for her crippling pain has blasted the Scottish Government for continuing to use the products.

Roseanna Clarkin is one of a number of women who blame mesh products for life-changing complications.

In her case, it was used to treat an umbilical hernia in 2015.

Three years later, while the Scottish Government banned the use of trans vaginal mesh products, surgical mesh is still used for other procedures.

Studies suggest 5 to 20% of hernia operations result in mesh failure. A study in the British Medical Journal, said the rate could be 12 to 30%.

Campaigners have been calling for an independent review and patients including Roseanna want a ban on all surgical mesh and fixation devices.

Roseanna, 41, of Clydebank, said: “Vaginal mesh is banned but mesh is still used for other procedures. Ultimately, it’s the same mesh that can cause the same problems.”

In 2023, then First Minister Humza Yousaf said to suspend the use of hernia mesh would leave some people with limited or no treatment options.

Last year, Roseanna was diagnosed with a rectocele – a prolapse of the wall between the rectum and vagina – but was shocked doctors wanted to use mesh.

She said: “I was outraged. Mesh has caused ­devastating effects to my life and body. There was no way I was having any more.” 

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Source: The Sun, 23 July 2025

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Top medical body concerned over RFK Jr’s reported plans to cut preventive health panel

A top US medical body has expressed “deep concern” to Robert F Kennedy Jr over news reports that the health secretary plans to overhaul a panel that determines which preventive health measures including cancer screenings should be covered by insurance companies.

The letter from the the American Medical Association comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kennedy plans to overhaul the 40-year old US Preventive Services Task Force because he regards them as too “woke”, according to sources familiar with the matter.

During his second term, Donald Trump has frequently raged against organisations and government departments that he considers too liberal – often without any evidence. The US president, and his cabinet members such as Kennedy, have also overseen huge cuts and job losses across the US government.

The taskforce is made up of a 16-member panel appointed by health and human services secretaries to serve four-year terms. In addition to cancer screenings, the taskforce issues recommendations for a variety of other screenings including osteoporosis, intimate partner violence, HIV prevention, as well as depression in children.

Writing in its letter to Kennedy on Sunday, the AMA defended the panel, saying: “As you know, USPSTF plays a critical, non-partisan role in guiding physicians’ efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services.”

“As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the long-standing process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can be continued without disruption,” it added.

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Source: The Guardian, 27 July 2025

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Impact of long NHS waits on patients revealed, plus who waits longest

People who wait longer for NHS treatment are significantly more likely to seek emergency care in the months after eventually receiving it, compared with those who are seen quickly.

People treated within 18 weeks of being on the waiting list made 18% fewer A&E visits per week in the three months following their treatment, compared to how often they visited A&E while waiting for treatment.

In contrast, people who waited over a year ended up making 31% more A&E visits in the three months following their care.

The Health Foundation, which carried out the research and shared the findings with the Sky News Data and Forensics Unit, say that the fact people need more emergency care after long waits for treatment "may indicate additional aftercare needs or decreased effectiveness of treatment following a longer wait".

They analysed detailed patient-level data that had previously not been available for research use.

It complements new NHS data published last week which revealed the make-up of the waiting list for the first time, in terms of the gender, age, ethnicity and deprivation status of the patients on it.

The Health Foundation explained that, as well as patients having to live with the "consequences of debilitating conditions for longer", long waits can also lead to "more complex, difficult and expensive treatment" being required.

They also "significantly increase consumption of pain relief medication". In some cases, while waiting, conditions for the patient become permanent and untreatable.

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Source: Sky News, 25 July 2025

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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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Millions will die from infections as aid budget is cut

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the gravest public health threats confronting the world, one projected to cause 39 million deaths by 2050 and a direct threat to the UK that demands urgent action, not shortsighted funding cuts.

The Fleming Fund has an effective surveillance tool to track resistant infections, supporting experts working in hundreds of laboratories in countries in Africa and Asia at the greatest danger from AMR. It is the perfect example of the UK aid budget being used to protect us all from health crises that respect no borders, which makes the government’s sudden decision to scrap it a shocking act of vandalism.

It is five months since the government announced its £5 billion cut to the UK’s overseas development budget, a 40% reduction taking spending to its lowest level this century, but only now are the grim consequences becoming clear. Projects to combat AMR are particularly vulnerable because they are funded by the Department of Health and Social Care which must slash almost two thirds from its share of the aid budget over the next two years, from £331 million to just £123 million. 

AMR evolves constantly across borders. When we abandon surveillance programmes we create blind spots that allow drug-resistant infections to spread unchecked. 

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Source: The Times, 21 July 2025

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Surgeon named ‘Bravest in Britain’ who told insurers he had his legs amputated due to sepsis charged with fraud

A “brave” vascular surgeon who told insurers he had his legs amputated due to sepsis has been charged with fraud.

Neil Hopper, 49, who carried out hundreds of amputations before having his own legs removed below the knees, is accused of telling insurers that the leg injuries were the “result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted”, intending to make a gain.

He has also been charged with encouraging someone else to remove the body parts of others.

Mr Hopper, of Truro in Cornwall, appeared before Cornwall Magistrates’ Court in Bodmin on Wednesday, charged with two counts of fraud by false representation, and a charge of encouraging or assisting in the commission of grievous bodily harm.

It is alleged that between 3 June and 26 June 2019, Mr Hopper dishonestly made a false representation to insurers.

It is also alleged that between 21 August 2018 and 4 December 2020, Hopper bought videos from The EunuchMaker website showing the removal of limbs, which “encouraged [website ringleader] Marius Gustavson to remove body parts of third parties”.

He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance at Truro Crown Court on 26 August.

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Source: The Independent, 23 July 2025

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21 US States sue CMS over new ACA restrictions

A coalition of 21 Democratic-led states are suing the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) over new Affordable Care Act (ACA) rules they allege would impose significant barriers to receiving health coverage.

The lawsuit, filed 17 July in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenges a final rule that CMS introduced earlier this year to amend ACA marketplace regulations, which the plaintiffs argue will lead to millions of people losing access to health insurance, raise costs for states, and reduce the availability of essential health benefits.

The final rule is set to go into effect on 25 August and is projected by CMS to cause up to 1.8 million people to lose coverage. It aims to implement stricter verification requirements for eligibility, shorten open enrolment periods, and eliminate coverage for gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit. In the complaint, the 21 states argue that the changes violate the law and would harm consumers by increasing premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and by imposing burdensome new paperwork requirements that could deter people from enrolling.

The coalition argues that the rule is “arbitrary and capricious” and would place undue financial strain on state health programs, including Medicaid programs. The states also claim that the rule would increase costs by forcing them to provide more healthcare services to newly uninsured individuals, adding to Medicaid spending and costs for emergency care. The coalition, which includes California, Illinois and New York, is seeking preliminary relief to prevent the rule from taking effect as planned.

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Source: Becker's 18 July 2025

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Urgent care clinics are pushing pain pills that do little to treat conditions, new study finds

Urgent care clinics are reportedly pushing pills that do little to treat patients’ medical conditions.

Researchers said that a substantial number of antibiotic, glucocorticoid, and opioid prescriptions were filled despite being deemed inappropriate given the patients' diagnoses — potentially resulting in harm.

Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections, glucocorticoids are steroids that can treat arthritis and asthma, and opioids are prescribed to treat pain. America’s opioid epidemic, which has led to thousands of deaths, has been tied to an increase in painkiller prescriptions.

"Previous studies had shown that patients continue to receive antibiotics for diagnoses where they may not be indicated, such as for a viral respiratory infection, especially in urgent care settings,” Dr. Shirley Cohen-Mekelburg, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a statement. “Our findings reveal that this trend of inappropriate prescribing includes other classes of drugs — including glucocorticoids — and a variety of conditions.”

The reason for these findings, they suggest, is tied to the knowledge of clinic doctors, demand from patients, and a lack of an information system to support the clinicians’ decisions.

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Source: The Independent, 23 July 2025

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UK-first scheme aims to cut cardiac arrest deaths

People calling 999 in the East of England to report a cardiac arrest will be the first in the UK to be offered live video support from advanced paramedics.

During the call, staff in the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) control room will coach them on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) via a video streaming platform.

It follows a successful trial in Denmark , externalthat improved the bystanders' hand position and the speed and depth of compressions.

Resuscitation Council UK, external said when resuscitation was attempted following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, fewer than one in 10 people survived to hospital discharge and EEAST hopes the pilot will improve survival rates.

Liam Sagi, an advanced paramedic, said survival had not "really changed in 40 years".

Starting resuscitation immediately could quadruple the chances of survival, external, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Mr Sagi said the public needed to know what to do.

"We know that less than half of the public have learnt CPR and for every minute that goes by without getting CPR, your chances of survival drop by 10%," he said.

Bystanders do not need to download an app. During the 999 calls, paramedics send a text message to them via the GoodSAM video platform.

The caller clicks on a link within that message to initiate the video while they are still on the phone. The caller and paramedic can see each other in the two-way video call.

EEAST said this allowed the paramedic to assess the situation visually and provide guidance on CPR technique until the ambulance service arrived.

The video stream will also be used to coach bystanders on how to use defibrillators correctly.

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Source: BBC News, 23 July 2025

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Many DIY health tests could give false results, studies find

Many DIY health tests available on the high street are unfit for purpose and need better regulation, according to two new studies.

Self-tests for high cholesterol, vitamin deficiency, fertility and prostate problems are widely available in supermarkets and pharmacies, with the industry predicted to be worth £655m by 2030.

But researchers at the University of Birmingham have found that many tests could give users false results and were not always appropriate or safe.

The scientists reviewed 30 DIY health tests costing £1.89-£39.99, covering 19 different health conditions. These included vitamin D deficiency, blood sugar levels, thyroid function, prostate health, HIV, menopause and bowel cancer.

The two linked studies, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), rated 60% of the tests as “high risk” over concerns about the testing equipment, sampling process, or instructions and interpretation of the results. Only eight stated who the tests were suitable for, while fewer than half provided any information about accuracy. And of these, much of the evidence to back these claims was not publicly available or was of low quality.

Dr Clare Davenport, an associate clinical professor at the University of Birmingham and co-lead author of the studies said: “The wide range of off-the-shelf tests now available to the public are not endorsed by the NHS and evidence for their benefit is lacking.

"This is in contrast to well-established self-tests, such as pregnancy tests.

“We are worried that consumers concerned about their health and tempted by the convenience of buying a test over the counter may be harmed if they use these tests in the wrong way.”

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Source: The Guardian, 23 July 2025

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Government accused of 'sitting on' delayed report into learning disabled deaths

The Health Secretary is under mounting pressure to release a long-delayed report into the deaths of learning disabled and autistic people in England.

The Department of Health and Social Care is being accused of “dragging their feet” and “sitting on” the findings by Parliamentarians and disability campaigners, who describe the delay as “appalling”.

The Learning from Lives and Deaths report, known as LeDeR, is an annual investigation into the deaths of every adult with a learning disability and autism with the aim of preventing future deaths.

The unpublished report relates to deaths in 2023 and was due to be released last year.

ITV News has learnt the report was submitted by King's College and handed to NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care last December.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Scriven, who has spoken to ITV News about the death of his nephew, who was learning disabled and autistic, has submitted two urgent questions to the government seeking an explanation for the delay.

He is yet to receive a response.

“The LeDeR report has experienced an unacceptable delay in its release,” he told ITV News.

“The extended wait for the LeDeR report's publication raises important questions. It suggests either that the report contains findings which are challenging for the Government and healthcare system or that the preventable deaths of people with learning disabilities are not being given the priority they deserve by those at the top of Government.

“Like many, I am keen to see this report made public. I am calling for the immediate publication of the LeDeR report and would welcome an explanation from Wes Streeting regarding the ongoing delays.“

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Source: ITV News, 16 July 2025

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New AI tool could speed up skin cancer diagnoses in remote parts of world

A researcher at a Scottish university has developed AI tools that could give people in remote areas of the world access to fast and potentially life-saving skin cancer diagnoses.

Tess Watt , the PhD student at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh who led the project to develop the technology, said it is intended to enable early detection of skin conditions anywhere in the world, and without the need for direct access to dermatologists.

The technology also works without internet access.

The system involves a patient taking a photograph of their skin complaint using a small camera attached to a Raspberry Pi device - a cheap, energy-efficient handheld computer that is capable of storing vast amounts of information.

The photograph is analysed in real-time using the latest state-of-the-art image classification, comparing it to an enormous dataset of thousands of images stored on the device to reach a diagnosis.

The findings are then shared with a local GP service to begin a suitable treatment plan.

The project is understood to be the first of its kind to combine AI medical diagnosis with the aim of serving remote communities.

Ms Watt explained: "Healthcare from home is a really important topic at the moment, especially as GP wait times continue to grow.

"If we can empower people to monitor skin conditions from their own homes using AI, we can dramatically reduce delays in diagnosis."

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Source: The Scotsman, 21 July 2025

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RFK Jr orders changes for organ donation network as report finds dozens were not dead when harvested

Amid reports that organ donors may be at risk for having their body parts harvested while still alive and kicking, the Trump administration has launched a sweeping reformation of the U.S. organ transplant system.

The move, announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., comes on the heels of an investigation by the department’s Health Resources and Services Administration that revealed “disturbing” practices by a major organ procurement organization.

“Our findings show that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs of life, and this is horrifying,” Kennedy said in a statement.

“The organ procurement organizations that coordinate access to transplants will be held accountable. The entire system must be fixed to ensure that every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.”

The administration directed the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network – which links organ donation and transplantation professionals throughout the country – to reopen a case involving potentially preventable harm to a neurologically injured patient by the federally funded organ procurement organization serving Kentucky, southwest Ohio and part of West Virginia. The department did not name the organization.

The New York Times recently reported that the federal inquiry had begun last fall after 36-year-old Kentuckian Anthony Thomas Hoover II’s organs were pursued even as he shook his head and drew up his knees to his chest. Hoover’s sister, Donna Rohrer, had previously told NPR that she felt “betrayed by the fact that the people that were telling us he was brain dead and then he wakes up.”

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Source: The Independent, 21 July 2025

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1,000+ additional deaths, 100K hospitalised annually due to Medicaid cuts in the US

Recent Medicaid policy changes will result in 1,484 additional deaths and nearly 100,000 preventable hospitalizations per year, according to a study published 16 July JAMA Health Forum. 

Two weeks before President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, another study projected 16,642 premature deaths annually among adults, based on the House of Representatives’ version of the bill. 

The Congressional Budget Office projects the sweeping policy bill will reduce Medicaid spending by around $900 billion, decrease enrollment by 10.3 million and result in 7.6 million uninsured individuals by 2034. Using the CBO’s projection and a higher-effect scenario, researchers from University of California San Francisco and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill quantified estimates on health outcomes and health system viability. 

By 2034, the study predicts: 

  • Approximately 1,484 excess deaths, 94,802 preventable hospitalizations, 1.6 million people delaying care due to cost and 1.9 million cases of medication nonadherence.
  • One hundred and one rural hospitals will be at high risk of closure. Federally qualified health centers could lose 5 million Medicaid patients and gain 1.9 million uninsured patients annually, creating an 18.7% reduction in revenue reduction ($3.3 billion). 
  • In the higher-coverage loss scenario, 14.4 million people losing Medicaid coverage would annually result in 2,284 excess deaths, 145,946 preventable hospitalizations, 2.5 million people delaying care and 2.9 million cases of medication nonadherence. 

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Source: Becker's Clinical Leadership, 17 July 2025

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Mental health care ‘being rationed’ over failure to cut spiralling waiting list, top doctor warns

Mental health care is being rationed because the government is failing to tackle the spiralling waiting list, the UK’s top psychiatrist has warned, with 48,000 people facing delays of more than two years for treatment to start.

Nearly 1.7 million people were waiting for community care, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist appointment, for treatments including everything from severe depression to serious personality disorders at the end of December 2024.

That is up from 1.3 million in March 2024 and is in addition to the 7.4 million people on the countrywide NHS waiting list, which only counts patients with physical health problems.

Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the figures proved that mental health care was being downgraded in favour of other services.

She said: “It’s very clear that there has been a prioritisation of services; mental health care is not one of those services. As far as I’m concerned, it’s been rationed for years. It’s not been prioritised, full stop. I say that because we’ve got 1.7 million people who were waiting for mental health services.

“They are not being prioritised and so there is rationing of mental health care, full stop.”

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Source: The Independent, 23 July 2025

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