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NHS cannula method rolled out after city success

An ultrasound service which means fewer patients need surgery has been rolled out to eight NHS units after its success in Bristol.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said its unit in the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre used ultrasound-guided cannulation 177 times for patients or donors in an eight-month period.

A nurse uses an ultrasound machine to find a vein which cannot normally be found, it said. The procedure is used for people with illnesses including blood cancers and sickle cell disease.

Medics added it helped avoid "multiple attempts at cannulation", the need to go into theatre for central line insertions and removals and reduced patients' time in hospital.

The NHSBT said since the training began at its Bristol Therapeutic Apheresis Services (TAS) unit two years ago, it is thought more than 200 central line procedures had been avoided.

And the method has now been rolled out to eight other TAS units in England.

"Bristol is one of our busiest units and yet had the lowest rate of central line insertions thanks to this method," said Teresa Baines, Head of TAS at NHSBT.

"A lot of our patients come to us for regular treatments and so to be able to avoid multiple attempts at cannulation or being taken to surgery for line insertion (and later removal) on every visit, makes a huge difference to the quality of their care."

The NHSBT said the procedure could save patients up to half-a-day in hospital and also saves the NHS money.

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Source: BBC News, 28 May 2025

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Streeting apologises to families for six-month delay on maternity plan

Wes Streeting has apologised to families harmed by poor maternity care for taking six months to get back to them, and claimed he is pressing NHS England for a “more comprehensive and stronger set of actions” to improve safety.

The health and social care secretary had previously met with a group of campaigners for improved standards in December. But in a letter to them this week he admitted: “It has taken far longer than anticipated to come back to you with concrete plans for the actions we will take….I also realise that the lack of any update may have inadvertently implied that it was not a priority for me. This had never been my intention.”

The letter, seen by HSJ, added: ”I was keen that they were sufficiently ambitious to reflect the scale of the challenge with maternity and neonatal care… I have asked NHS England to continue working up a more comprehensive and stronger set of actions that will deliver the change we need – and subject to your views would like to ask them to work directly with yourselves.”

The delay in contact since December has caused some disquiet among families affected by recent maternity scandals, who felt they had been promised swifter action. Some groups favour a public inquiry into maternity nationally – which Mr Streeting is thought unlikely to offer – while other families hope for a “maternity czar” to drive forward change. 

In his letter this week, the MP said “on behalf of the Department, I offer my sincere apologies” for the delay in his response and action, and asked to meet the families again to discuss his plans, which include a set of immediate actions as well as longer-term plans to tackle entrenched issues.

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Source: HSJ, 28 May 2025

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'I feel forgotten after 100 weeks on urgent surgery list'

Tracey Meechan's pain from an ovarian cyst is so severe she can't bend over - she relies on her children to help her put her shoes and socks on.

Every day the 41-year-old wakes up and wonders if any new symptoms are going to appear.

She has been on an "urgent" NHS waiting list for surgery for 100 weeks and now feels "forgotten".

As the latest NHS Scotland waiting times data is due to be published, Mrs Meechan told BBC Scotland News that the wait for treatment has affected every part of her life.

She said: "I can't live my life to the fullest. I can't do the activities I want to do with my kids. I can't do the job that I love.

"I was signed off work at the end of January as a home carer because of the pain and the physicality of my job - I can't do it.

"My mental health has declined. This has been years and the symptoms have worsened. It's impacted my life, my personal life and my family."

Before the pandemic it was rare for anybody to face a wait of a whole year to start NHS treatment, but that is not the case now.

Waiting always has consequences – more frequent visits to the GP to manage pain, struggles to work or stay healthy in other aspects of life.

The government says tackling waits is a priority and has set a target to create 150,000 additional appointments this year.

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Source: BBC News, 27 May 2025

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MS patient’s life ‘crumbling’ after being switched to cheaper drug under NHS cost-cutting drive

A woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) says she has been left with debilitating symptoms after the NHS switched her to a cheaper drug.

Julie Cowdrill is among scores of MS patients who say they have suffered a regression in their condition after being switched from a drug called Tysabri to one called Tyruko, with complaints that a “cost-cutting exercise” is coming at the expense of their health.

NHS England is hoping to save £1bn over the next five years by switching to biosimilar drugs – medicines that have been shown not to be clinically different from the original drug, but are made far more cheaply.

However, in Ms Cowdrill’s case, she has been left suffering from headaches and extreme fatigue, and has experienced worsenening mobility since she started taking the drug in December 2024.

“Myself and many others have said that it feels like we’ve regressed 10 or 15 years after all the work we’ve done to get better. It’s like the rug has been pulled from under you – it’s dreadful,” she told The Independent.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it is “aware” that some patients have experienced side effects, but that a rigorous assessment has “demonstrated no clinically meaningful differences” between the drugs.

A spokesperson for the MS Trust said it had been contacted by patients who have noticed “significant symptom changes” after switching from Tysabri to Tyruko (both of which are natalizumab products).

“It is vital that we fully understand the experiences of people with MS when switching from one natalizumab product to another. We are talking to all stakeholders, including people with MS, to ensure that this data is collected and shared transparently with the MS community and the healthcare teams responsible for prescribing them,” the spokesperson said.

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Source: The Independent, 26 May 2025

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Progress on patient safety across health systems around the world

Member States recognised the significant progress that has been made in implementing the resolution WHA72.6 on global action on patient safety and the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030 during a progress report session at WHA 78 on 23 May 2025.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted improvements made in 108 countries listed in the Global Patient Safety Report 2024, in advancing targeted policies, improving patient safety processes, strengthening incident reporting and learning systems, engaging patients, and building health workforce competencies to reduce avoidable harm in health care. To support countries, WHO has provided technical support and capacity building to Member States, continues to develop essential technical resources, and has actively engaged in establishing and leading strategic partnerships and global alliances. 

Despite improvements, important gaps remain. Only one-third of countries have specific national programmes or action plans in place, prompting WHO to initiate dialogue with 59 countries to address these issues. Progress has also been slow, with only 25% of countries fostering a safety culture and 23% adopting a human factors approach. WHO is developing guidance to address these challenges. 

WHO continues to support the Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, with 74% of countries implementing the Challenge. Efforts to integrate patient safety into healthcare professional education and training remain limited, with only 20% of countries incorporating it into curricula. WHO is developing the WHO Academy Patient Safety Essentials course and updating the Patient Safety Curriculum Guide. 

Progress on patient and family engagement has been varied, with 80% of countries ensuring access to medical records but only 13% appointing patient representatives to hospital boards. WHO also supports the Global Patient Safety Network and the Global Patient Safety Collaborative to advance the patient safety agenda. 

To support World Patient Safety Day, observed annually on 17 September, WHO collaborates with Member States and stakeholders to develop global campaigns, technical resources, and flagship events. This year’s campaign theme is: Safe care for every newborn and every child.

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Source: WHO, 23 May 2025  

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Mental health A&E centres to open across England

Specialist mental health crisis centres will be opened across England over the next decade in an attempt to reduce crowding in accident and emergency (A&E) departments, the NHS has confirmed.

Ten hospital trusts have been piloting new assessment centres to deal with people experiencing a mental health crisis.

The aim is to get these patients into appropriate care in a calm environment, avoiding long waits in A&E.

NHS England said the new units would reduce overcrowding in hospitals and relieve pressure on emergency services, including the police.

But Andy Bell, the CEO of the Centre for Mental Health, an independent charity, said any new provision needed to be properly funded.

The scheme is expected to be expanded nationally to "dozens of locations", the government said, as part of its 10-year NHS plan.

These clinics will be open to walk-in patients as well as those referred by GPs and police, with specialist staff present to treat people in acute mental distress.

Speaking to the Times newspaper, NHS England chief Sir Jim Mackey hailed the "pioneering new model of care", external, where people can "get the right support in the right setting".

"As well as relieving pressure on our busy A&Es, mental health crisis assessment centres can speed up access to appropriate care, offering people the help they need much sooner so they can stay out of hospital."

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Source: BBC News, 24 May 2025

 
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Warning over unlicensed weight-loss jabs after woman left in intensive care

A woman was left fighting for her life after using a so-called “weight loss jab” sourced from a salon with police making three arrests.

The woman suffered internal injuries earlier after using an injection earlier this month. She has since been discharged. Two other people also become unwell.

North Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation into the supply of the injections as they arrested three women from the Selby area.

Medical professionals in North Yorkshire and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a warning against using weight loss medicines bought from private clinics or online.

They warned that buying products from unregulated suppliers “significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not licensed for use in the UK and can pose a direct danger to health”.

NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) Chief Pharmacy Officer, Laura Angus, said: “There has been a lot of attention in the media and on social media about these so-called ‘skinny jabs’, but as with any medicines bought outside of legitimate supply chains, the contents may not match the ingredients on the label.

“If you use such products you could be putting your health at serious risk.

“If you are thinking of buying a weight-loss medicine, please talk to a healthcare professional first. The only way to guarantee you receive a genuine weight-loss medicine is to obtain it from a legitimate pharmacy – including those trading online – using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.”

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Source: The Independent, 25 May 2025

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Northern Ireland: New ED consultants will strengthen under pressure workforce, says minister

The health minister has said the recruitment of up to 26 emergency medicine consultants will help stabilise and strengthen the healthcare workforce in Northern Ireland.

The Department of Health said some of the consultants are already in post, with the others set to begin in their roles across all five health trusts by the end of the year.

It said funding for the new posts comes from reducing spending on locum doctors in emergency departments and that it comes as part of work to find roles for newly-qualified consultants in the health system.

Mike Nesbitt said everyone was "acutely aware of the very significant pressures" on emergency departments.

"Both staff and patients want us to do all we can to alleviate those pressures and that's been a central focus for my department and trusts in recent months."

Prof Lourda Geoghegan, deputy chief medical officer, said she was "very encouraged" by early reports on the impact of the new consultants, who had not only helped reduce locum spending but also increased the "presence of senior decision-making in emergency departments".

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Source: BBC News, 27 May 2025

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Plans for NHS staff to restrain those in mental health crisis ‘dangerous’, medics say

Plans for NHS staff to restrain and detain people experiencing a mental health crisis, instead of the police doing so, are “dangerous”, doctors, nurses and psychiatrists have warned.

The former prime minister Theresa May has proposed legislation in England and Wales that would change the long-established practice for dealing with people who may pose a risk to themselves or others because their mental health has deteriorated sharply.

But a coalition of eight medical groups, ambulance bosses and social work leaders said the switch would put mental health staff at risk and damage their relationship with vulnerable patients.

The row has echoes of the controversy stirred by the Metropolitan police’s decision in 2023 to stop responding to 999 calls involving mental ill health unless they involved a threat to life. The force said the change meant officers were attending crimes such as robberies faster, but mental health groups said they feared it could result in deaths.

May and two ex-health ministers, Syed Kamall and Frederick Curzon, have tabled amendments to the mental health bill going through parliament which, if passed, would lead to mental health nurses, psychiatrists or other doctors being called out to restrain and detain someone under the Mental Health Act. Those professionals would each become an “authorised person” who is allowed to detain someone under the act.

But in a joint statement on Monday the eight groups said the risks posed by someone in a mental health crisis meant police officers must continue to always attend. The groups include the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of Nursing and the British Medical Association.

The groups said: “Removing police involvement entirely has hugely dangerous implications, as entering someone’s home without permission is fraught with huge risks and is only currently done with the assistance of police intelligence. Without this, professionals may be entering homes without police help and therefore lacking crucial intelligence that could ensure their safety.”

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Source: The Guardian, 26 May 2025

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Almost a quarter of elective operations in England cancelled at last minute took longer than 28 days to rearrange

Almost a quarter of elective operations in NHS hospitals in England that were cancelled at the last minute took longer than the required 28 days to rearrange, figures show.

They also reveal that the number of cancellations breaching the 28-day standard for a new date has more than doubled within a decade, from 9,000 in 2015-16 to 19,400 in 2024-25.

The figures obtained by the House of Commons library on behalf of the Liberal Democrats show that a decade ago only 7% of cancelled elective operations were not rearranged within 28 days. Last year’s total of 19,400 cancellations not rearranged in time represents 23% of the 85,400 operations due to take place.

This figure was also up by 1,500 from the previous year – an increase of 8%.

Helen Morgan, the Lib Dem health and social care spokesperson, said the figures showed patients were being abandoned.

She said: “Patients are being left in the lurch, forced to wait in pain and distress for potentially life-altering operations. Each of these delays represents an extra month that someone’s misery is prolonged.”

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Source: The Guardian, 26 March 2025

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Ten-year plan will ‘end one size fits all primary care’

“One size fits all” primary care is outdated and will be replaced with services targeted at the needs of different patient groups, rather than “what is convenient to organisations or individual sectors”, the national GP director has said.

Speaking about emerging proposals in the Ten-Year Health Plan and neighbourhood health, Claire Fuller said: “What we’re doing is putting patients’ needs back at the heart of the NHS, trying to make sure care is centred around patients’ needs rather than what is convenient to organisations or individual sectors.

“There is a starting principle that basically says, at different times in peoples’ lives, they have different needs… [If] you think about your children’s needs and how they’d want to access care, [that] would be very different to our parents’ needs. And as professionals we will feel much safer dealing with some people remotely or asynchronously via an email exchange than other people.

“We’ve moved away from the 1948 [model] and have realised now that not one size fits all… The good news is that at the heart of that is a universal primary care offer [and] an increased primary care offer.”

It comes amid rumours the government’s reform plan will propose greater segmentation of primary care, including general practice. This could include creating variable service offers, access and pathways for different groups.

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Source: HSJ, 23 May 2025

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Medical errors are still harming patients. AI could help change that

Despite ongoing efforts to improve patient safety, it’s estimated that at least 1 in 20 patients still experience medical mistakes in the health care system. One of the most common categories of mistakes is medication errors, where for one reason or another, a patient is given either the wrong dose of a drug or the wrong drug altogether. In the US, these errors injure approximately 1.3 million people a year and result in one death each day, according to the World Health Organization.

In response, many hospitals have introduced guardrails, ranging from colour coding schemes that make it easier to differentiate between similarly named drugs, to barcode scanners that verify that the correct medicine has been given to the correct patient.

Despite these attempts, medication mistakes still occur with alarming regularity.

Dr Kelly Michaelsen, an assistant professor of anaesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington wondered whether emerging technologies could help.

As both a medical professional and a trained engineer, it struck her that spotting an error about to be made, and alerting the anaesthesiologists in real time, should be within the capabilities of AI. “I was like, ‘This seems like something that shouldn’t be too hard for AI to do,’” she said. “Ninety-nine percent of the medications we use are these same 10-20 drugs, and so my idea was that we could train an AI to recognize them and act as a second set of eyes.”

Michaelsen focused on vial swap errors, which account for around 20% of all medication mistakes.

All injectable drugs come in labelled vials, which are then transferred to a labelled syringe on a medication cart in the operating room. But in some cases, someone selects the wrong vial, or the syringe is labelled incorrectly, and the patient is injected with the wrong drug.

Michaelsen thought such tragedies could be prevented through “smart eyewear” — adding an AI-powered wearable camera to the protective eyeglasses worn by all staff during operations. Working with her colleagues in the University of Washington computer science department, she designed a system that can scan the immediate environment for syringe and vial labels, read them and detect whether they match up.

In a study published late last year, Michaelsen reported that the device detected vial swap errors with 99.6% accuracy. All that’s left is to decide the best way for warning messages to be relayed and it could be ready for real-world use, pending Food and Drug Administration clearance. 

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Source: NBC News, 25 May 2025

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USA: MAHA report blames 'overmedicalisation,' pharma's influence for children's poor health

The White House has released its long-awaited 'MAHA Report' outlining the government’s target areas for addressing childhood chronic disease: diet, environmental chemical exposure, physical activity/stress and “overmedicalization.”

The 68-page report, prepared by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission—which is chaired by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—was ordered by President Donald Trump in February.

It serves as an initial assessment for the commission, which now has 82 days to develop a strategy document for realigning federal practices to address the four highlighted factors.

“After a century of costly and ineffective approaches, the federal government will lead a coordinated transformation of our food, health and scientific systems,” the commission wrote of its work in the report. “This strategic realignment will ensure that all Americans—today and in the future—live longer, healthier lives, supported by systems that prioritize prevention, wellbeing and resilience.”

The report’s takeaways largely align with RFK Jr.’s advocacy priorities prior to entering the administration, some of which he and other government heads have already instructed their departments to act on.

In a White House event held hours after the report's release, Trump described the findings around increased incidence of health conditions like obesity (affecting more than one child in five who is over 6 years of age) and autism spectrum disorder (1 in 31 children by age 😎 as "alarming."

"Unlike other administrations, we will not be silenced or intimidated by the corporate lobbyists or special interests," Trump said of the findings and recommendations. "I want this group to do what they have to do. ... In some cases it won't be nice, it won't be pretty, but we have to do it." 

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Source: Fierce Healthcare, 22 May 2025

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Coroner warns of 'cover-up culture' at care home where neglect contributed to 12-year-old's death

A coroner has warned of a "culture of cover-up" at a care home where neglect contributed to the death of a disabled 12-year-old girl.

Raihana Awolaja, who required 24-hour one-to-one care, died of cardiac arrest in 2023 after her breathing tube became clogged while she was left alone at Tadworth Court in Surrey, a residential care facility operated by The Children’s Trust. 

Now a senior coroner looking into her death, Professor Fiona Wilcox, has written to the Trust's chief executive, warning there could be further deaths at the home if improvements aren't made.

Prof Wilcox raised several serious concerns about the home, including that severely disabled children may not be receiving the level of care needed to keep them safe and more staff training was required.

She also warned there "may be culture of cover up at Tadworth Children’s Trust".

She added: "They carried out a flawed investigation after this incident, pushing blame onto an innocent individual and thereby avoiding highlighting systemic failures and learning and thus risking lessons that should be learned are lost that could prevent future deaths."

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Source: ITV News, 21 May 2025

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USA: House passes Trump’s agenda bill

The House of Representatives passed the President Donald Trump-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill” in a 215-214 vote on 22 May after debating for hours overnight on the controversial legislation that includes significant cuts to Medicaid.

Healthcare revisions to the multitrillion-dollar legislation include a two-year acceleration of Medicaid work requirements for able-bodied people ages 18-64 no later than 31 December 2026. The work requirements were originally set for 2029, but have been accelerated to generate faster savings. 

Gender transition procedures will no longer be covered by ACA plans beginning 1 January 2027.

The bill, which President Trump and GOP leaders argue is aimed at tackling “waste, fraud and abuse,” now heads to the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. However, it is not clear when the vote will be held. 

The bill’s revisions have also resulted in backlash from several healthcare advocacy groups. 

America’s Essential Hospitals President and CEO Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, said that their organisation “strongly opposed” the “deep Medicaid cuts” in the bill, highlighting that the cuts would “threaten the health and well-being of millions of Americans.” 

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Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 22 May 2025

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USA: Boston Scientific loses federal case over vaginal mesh product

Boston Scientific Corp. will have to pay a total of $26.7 million in damages to four women in a court ruling related to its vaginal mesh product.

Following a federal court trial in Miami,  jurors found that the company’s Pinnacle pelvic floor replacement kit had a faulty design and the company failed to effectively warn patients and doctors about the possible risks associated with the device. Pelvic organ implants are used to treat female patients experiencing major discomfort due to pelvic organ prolapse.

This was the first federal trial related to Pinnacle. Others lawsuits are pending.

Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when a pelvic organ—such as the bladder—drops (prolapses) from its normal place and pushes against the walls of the vagina. This can happen when the muscles that hold pelvic organs in place are weakened or stretched from childbirth or surgery. Many women will have some kind of pelvic organ prolapse. It can be uncomfortable or painful, but isn’t usually a big health problem. It doesn’t always get worse. And in some women, it can get better with time.

Boston Scientific officials told Reuters that they disagree with the verdict and have a strong case for post-trial motions and appeal.

Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific is one of seven companies, including Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon division and C.R. Bard, faced with lawsuits over similar mesh products. Officials with Endo International plc said in September it the company has set aside $1.6 billion to settle “substantially all” the cases against it and its American Medical Systems unit.

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Source: Medical Product Outsourcing

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Labour say there's been a 'massive increase' in NHS appointments - this begs to differ

Keir Starmer made slashing NHS waiting times one of his priorities, and his Labour government has already claimed it as one of its biggest achievements so far. But new data tells a different story - and the public aren't noticing an improvement.

"The target was never particularly ambitious," says the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) about Labour's plan to add two million extra NHS appointments during their first year in power.

In February, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced they had achieved the feat early. He recently described the now 3.6m additional appointments achieved in their first eight months as a "massive increase".

But new data, obtained by independent fact checking charity Full Fact and shared exclusively with Sky News, reveals this figure actually signalled a slowing down in new NHS activity.

The data also reveals how unambitious the target was in the first place.

We now know two million extra appointments over the course of a year represents a rise of less than 3% of the almost 70 million carried out in the year to June 2024.

Responding to the findings, Sarah Scobie, deputy director of independent health and social care think tank the Nuffield Trust, told Sky News the two million target was "very modest".

She said delivering that number of appointments "won't come close to bringing the treatment waiting list back to pre-pandemic levels, or to meeting longer-term NHS targets".

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Source: Sky News, 23 May 2025

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Patients from Nottingham killer's NHS trust carried out stabbings weeks before attack

Two men with paranoid schizophrenia stabbed members of the public in separate attacks weeks before Valdo Calocane's killings in Nottingham – and all were under the care of the same NHS trust, the BBC has found.

Josef Easom-Cooper and Junior Dietlin injured six men in the stabbings in Nottinghamshire in 2023.

Within weeks, Calocane - who also has paranoid schizophrenia - stabbed to death Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates on 13 June 2023.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has been criticised over its care of Calocane, and in response to the BBC's findings, apologised to those "affected for any aspects of our care that were not of the high standard our patients deserve".

On 9 April 2023, Easom-Cooper stabbed a worshipper who was leaving an Easter Sunday service at St Stephen's Church in Sneinton.

Easom-Cooper's mother, Shelly Easom, said that as a teenager, her son was under the care of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in Nottingham.

She said the stabbing could have been prevented if her son's paranoid schizophrenia had been taken more seriously.

"It's disgusting that it takes someone to either lose their life or be stabbed before somebody thinks 'oh, hang on a minute, maybe we need to do something here'.

"The mental health services in Nottingham have routinely and systematically let him down and also the victim," she added.

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Source: BBC News, 23 May 2025

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NHS rolls out ‘Amazon-style’ app for prescriptions to free up pharmacies

Millions in England can now track NHS prescriptions via the health service’s dedicated app, receiving "Amazon-style" updates on their medication status.

This new feature aims to reduce the administrative burden on pharmacies by minimising unnecessary calls and visits, freeing up staff to focus on patient care.

NHS England estimates that approximately 45% of calls to community pharmacies are from individuals checking on their prescriptions. The app now allows patients to track their prescriptions, showing whether they are ready for collection or have been shipped for delivery.

Nearly 1,500 high street pharmacies, including Boots, have already adopted the technology. The service is expected to expand to almost 5,000 pharmacies within the next year.

Dr Vin Diwakar, clinical transformation director at NHS England, said: “We know that people want more control over how they manage their healthcare and the new prescription tracking feature in the NHS app offers exactly that.

“You will now get a near real-time update in the app that lets you know when your medicine is ready so you can avoid unnecessary trips or leaving it until the last minute to collect.

“The new Amazon-style feature will also help to tackle the administrative burden on pharmacists, so that they can spend more of their time providing health services and advice to patients rather than updates on the status of their prescriptions.”

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Source: The Independent, 23 May 2025

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‘No staffing growth’ policy implicated in patient’s death

Repeated refusals by NHS England to fund extra staff was a key factor in a patient’s death, a coroner has said.

The coroner warned that year-long delays to follow-up appointments at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation Trust were a factor in the death of Peter Anzani, a spinal injury patient who died from a blood clot in November last year.

NHS England turned down two requests to fund extra staff at the trust due to national policy and “a funding shortage”, a recent prevention of future deaths report has said.

That’s despite RJAH struggling with patient demand and staffing shortages, leading to longer waits for reviews and treatments, according to the report.

Adam Hodson, the coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, said in the report sent to NHSE and the hospital: “It is obvious that where patients are waiting for longer than is reasonable or necessary for  treatment or reviews, there is a real risk of deaths occurring. No patient should be waiting longer than absolutely necessary for treatment.”

He added: “It is concerning to hear that the trust do not appear to be being adequately supported financially by NHS England, and do not currently appear to be able to address their workplace staffing issues without additional financial support (which does not appear to be forthcoming).”

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Source: HSJ, 22 May 2025

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USA: Lawsuits are piling up as weight-loss drug users report losing their sight: ‘I definitely wouldn’t have taken it’

More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed on behalf of weight-loss drug users who claim that popular weight-loss medications such as Ozempic have caused a loss of vision.

Patients from New York and New Jersey have claimed that they suffered non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after taking drugs containing semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus. The condition is rare and includes a loss of blood flow to the optic nerve that causes sudden vision loss in one eye.

"People are just waking up and developing this [vision] condition,” Jason Goldstein, the lawyer representing the patients, told Newsday. “They wake and they totally can't see. A lot of them lose their peripheral vision. They could lose total vision. I have one client who lost it in both eyes."

One of the patients, 57-year-old Edward Fanelli, told the newspaper, "If it was on the label, I definitely wouldn't have taken it,” referring to a warning of potential vision loss.

Fanelli, a New Jersey resident, started taking Ozempic to treat his Type 2 diabetes in October 2022 and was diagnosed with the condition about eight months later. He could no longer do his job as a general contractor because of his vision loss.

Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, has defended its popular medications. Lauren Browdy Weiner, a spokesperson for the drug maker, said the condition is not considered a possible adverse reaction for drugs.

"Novo Nordisk is of the opinion that the benefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains unchanged,” she told Newsday.

She continued: “Patient safety is a top priority for Novo Nordisk, and we take all reports about adverse events from use of our medicines very seriously.

“This also relates to eye conditions, which are well-known comorbidities for people living with diabetes."

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Source: The Independent, 20 May 2025

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Trump’s cuts to international aid are stifling Africa’s HIV research (20 May 2025)

Cuts to international aid ordered by Donald Trump have caused many African HIV researchers to fear for the future of long-term research programmes.

In January, as one of his first acts after taking office, the US president froze all foreign aid and announced a 90-day review. That move and the firing of all but 15 employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) mean the agency has, in effect, been closed down.

Also under threat are US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants that support HIV research in Africa: cuts have affected funding for HIV-related research in specific populations, and a mechanism that awards grants to international collaborators has been suspended. US dollars have been key in mitigating the scourge of the virus, both through research and by providing lifesaving antiretroviral drugs.

Salim Abdool Karim is co-founder and director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. He says three USAID-funded collaborative grants for HIV research and one NIH grant related to tuberculosis have been terminated, totalling US$1.4 million.

The public-health physician, who founded CAPRISA with his wife Quarraisha Abdool Karim, an infectious-disease epidemiologist, says that these funding cancellations will stymie the centre’s research, which prioritises slowing the number of new HIV infections in young women and reducing deaths from HIV–tuberculosis coinfections in Africa.

“All our HIV-vaccine trials, and most of our HIV-treatment trials, will be stopped as these are funded by the NIH,” he says. Although he does not expect the suspended work to result in increased deaths, “it will, however, slow scientific progress on HIV vaccines and treatment”, he adds. He doesn’t think that USAID funding will be restored. “Although it has many great scientists, the United States government is now an unreliable funding partner. We have to mobilize our own resources.”

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Source: Nature, 20 May 2025

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NHSE tells ICBs to slow elective referrals

NHS England has told integrated care boards they need to slow down elective referrals dramatically – nearly eliminating year-on-year growth – with high-profile waiting list targets under threat.

Glen Burley, the NHS transformation executive team’s financial reset and accountability director, said the year-on-year increase in demand in 2025-26 needed to be just 0.2%, compared to a forecasted 1.8%. 

His letter to Integrated Care Board (ICB) chief executives, sent on Friday and seen by HSJ, set out “expectations” for ICBs on elective care demand management. It came as new data revealed the waiting list had grown for the first time in seven months.

Mr Burley said: “The elective care referral to treatment and cancer expectations for 2025-2026 require a significant step up in performance from the last few years, and, given the financial constraints in the system this year, the improvement can’t simply be delivered through additional capacity.”

The message reminds leaders that the single elective care target for ICBs proposed under the new national performance and assessment framework is the annual change in waiting list size. 

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Source: HSJ, 22 May 2025

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Staff locked in hospital during ‘unprecedented’ power cut

Staff were effectively “locked in” a hospital at night during a power cut that led to a major incident being declared last year, HSJ can reveal.

Details have emerged about the power failure and “unprecedented” disruption at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth following a Freedom of Information request made by HSJ.

The loss of power, which occurred between midnight and 2am, resulted in a failure of secure door access systems with some reported incidents “where staff were potentially locked in”.

Staff interviewed as part of a debrief after the major incident in August said this was a “serious risk” and raised concerns about why the doors defaulted to locked during the power cut.

The trust claims there were manual overrides in place but staff did not know about them.

A spokesperson for Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust said a “series of recommendations for improvement” made after the incident have since “been completed or have full plans in place for delivery”.

They said: “To ensure patient and staff safety, we have security measures in place on some of our doors to reduce the risk of unauthorised access to clinical and secure areas. These doors have manual overrides in place which are checked by our estates team working with our contractors on an ongoing basis.

“During this incident, general awareness of the manual override systems on our doors was raised, so we continue working with teams to ensure all staff are familiar with our plans and how to access areas during an incident.”

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Source: HSJ, 21 May 2025

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WHO members adopt a 'pandemic agreement' born out of the disjointed global COVID response

The World Health Organization's member countries on Tuesday approved an agreement to better prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics in the wake of the devastation wrought by the coronavirus.

Sustained applause echoed in a Geneva hall hosting the WHO’s annual assembly as the measure — debated and devised over three years — passed without opposition.

The treaty guarantees that countries which share virus samples will receive tests, medicines and vaccines. Up to 20% of such products would be given to the WHO to ensure poorer countries have some access to them when the next pandemic hits.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has touted the agreement as “historic” and a sign of multilateralism at a time when many countries are putting national interests ahead of shared values and cooperation.

Dr. Esperance Luvindao, Namibia’s health minister and the chair of a committee that paved the way for Tuesday’s adoption, said that the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted huge costs “on lives, livelihoods and economies.”

"We — as sovereign states — have resolved to join hands, as one world together, so we can protect our children, elders, frontline health workers and all others from the next pandemic," Luvindao added. "It is our duty and responsibility to humanity.”

The treaty’s effectiveness will face doubts because the United States — which poured billions into speedy work by pharmaceutical companies to develop Covid-19 vaccines — is sitting out, and because countries face no penalties if they ignore it, a common issue in international law.

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Source: The Independent, 20 May 2025

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