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Blood test firm blamed for 'catalogue of disasters'

An NHS provider that won a £2bn contract to deliver blood-testing services for hospitals and GPs is failing to deliver reliable results, according to medical professionals.

Synnovis, a public-private partnership between the medical company Synlab and Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College hospital foundation trusts, secured the contract in 2021 to deliver pathology services for just under 200 GP surgeries across south-east London.

The BBC has spoken to GPs who say incorrect and delayed blood results are a "regular concern" and that the firm's performance is causing great distress to patients.

The company, which fell victim to a ransomware cyberattack in June 2024 that caused more than 1,000 NHS operations to be postponed, said the attack had "significantly reduced our capacity to process samples". Synnovis, which serves six hospitals in London, added that it had "dedicated every available resource to delivering clinically safe and largely manual interim solutions".

According to more than a dozen GPs we heard from, across all of south-east London's boroughs, the severity of challenges they face under Synnovis is causing anxiety for both patients and doctors.

The GPs told the BBC that the blood-test issues were leading to unnecessary hospital referrals and wasted patient appointments. In one case the BBC was told about, an elderly man who was caring for his wife with dementia needlessly spent hours in accident and emergency (A&E) due to problems with his test.

One GP, who spoke to the BBC anonymously, said: "It would [previously] never cross our minds that a blood test might not be reliable. This is now an everyday concern.

"The current problems with Synnovis is nothing short of a national scandal," they added.

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Source: BBC News, 15 April 2025

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ASA bans Brazilian liquid butt lift ads from six UK cosmetic treatment providers

The Advertising Standards Authority has reprimanded six cosmetic treatment providers for pressuring customers, exploiting women’s insecurities or trivialising medical risks after an investigation into adverts for liquid Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs).

The cosmetic procedure, which involves injecting fillers into the buttocks to enhance their shape and size, is unregulated in the UK and can carry significant health risks, not least from potentially life-threatening infections.

Hundreds of women have contracted infections after paying for liquid BBLs in the UK, with many requiring hospital treatment for sepsis or corrective surgery to repair tissue damage.

The ASA took action against the UK companies after its artificial intelligence-driven monitoring system flagged numerous Facebook and Instagram adverts for liquid BBLs and similar procedures.

Adverts from Beautyjenics, Bomb Doll Aesthetics, CCSkinLondonDubai, EME Aesthetics & Beauty Academy, Rejuvenate Academy, trading as Rejuvenate Clinics, and NKD Medical, trading as Dr Ducu, were found to have breached the code and the companies were told the ads must not appear again.

“Choosing to undergo a cosmetic procedure is a serious decision, so ads that trivialise this, exploit insecurities, or pressure consumers can cause real harm. We’re particularly concerned about these types of ads for liquid BBLs, given the procedure is currently unregulated and is known to be high risk,” an ASA spokesperson said.

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Source: The Guardian, 16 April 2025

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British hospitals introduce treatment for heart failure that cuts deaths by 62%

People in Britain with heart failure are being given larger doses of drugs at the start of their treatment after a global study found that this led to a huge fall in deaths.

Experts say the new approach could mean those with the potentially fatal condition start receiving their ideal amount of medication within two weeks of diagnosis rather than after many months.

Evidence from other countries that have already used the treatment found it cut deaths from heart failure by 62% and lowered their risk of ending up back in hospital by 30%. 

St George’s hospital in London and Morriston hospital in Swansea have begun treating patients with the innovative method, which those involved say “is a total gamechanger” for the condition.

Clinical staff likened the approach – known as “rapid titration” – to how cancer patients are given a full dose of chemotherapy medication from the start of their treatment to improve their chances of recovery.

“Heart failure is a silent killer, so this new way of treating patients is a total gamechanger that I never thought I’d see in my lifetime. It will save many lives and bring hope to so many families,” said Matthew Sunter, the lead heart failure nurse at St George’s.

“In days gone by, we would start patients on a very low dose and increase it by very small doses. It could take nine to 12 months to reach the optimal dose.

“Strong-HF has allowed us to think completely differently. For the first time ever, we offer patients a review one week after discharge and we can catch them before they get sick enough to need to come back into hospital.

“And we can get them on to the recommended therapy for their heart failure within two to three weeks instead of nine to 12 months.”

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Source: The Guardian, 16 April 2025

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US exceeds 700 measles cases as officials struggle to contain outbreaks

The US reached a grim milestone Friday surpassing 700 confirmed measles cases in 2025, according to figures posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thirty-two percent of cases occurred in patients under 5 while 38% were reported in those between 5 and 19, according to the agency.

As of Friday, the CDC reported 79 hospitalisations, including 45 patients who were under 5.  Most measles cases, 97%, occurred in unvaccinated patients or whose vaccination status is unknown.

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Source: USA Today News, 14 April 2025

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Mental health A&E programme ‘not far away’

A wave of “mental health A&Es” could be built alongside or close to existing emergency departments, HSJ has learnt.

The aim would be to free up pressure on acute emergency departments, as well as providing a better experience for patients with mental health needs, who often wait for appropriate care for many hours.

Some similar facilities are already operating, such as Essex Partnership Trust’s mental health urgent care department and Central and North West London Foundation Trust’s crisis assessment service.

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Source: Health Service Journal (Paywalled), 15 April 2025

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FDA warns about fake Ozempic in US supply chain

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has urged patients and doctors to check that their Ozempic prescriptions are legitimate after the agency seized several hundred units of fake versions of the diabetes drug in the US.

Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and the weight loss drug Wegovy, told the FDA on April 3 that counterfeit 1-milligram injections were being distributed outside its authorised supply chain in the US, the agency said in a news release. That means it likely entered the market through unofficial means, like unauthorised distributors or resellers.

The agency said it’s aware of six adverse event reports linked to the lot — however, none of them appear to be associated with the counterfeit product. The agency and Novo Nordisk are testing the fake products to identify whether they’re safe. Genuine Ozempic can come with side effects, including stomach problems, so it's not clear whether the adverse events were caused by typical use.

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Source: NBC News, 14 April 2025

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Crucial emergency care system to be scrapped by NHS England within months

An IT system that prevents 999 call-handling services from being overwhelmed is set to be withdrawn by NHS England in an effort to save money.

NHS England has confirmed it will not renew the contract for the Intelligent Routing Platform (IRP), and that the service will cease to be available within three months.

NHS England now proposes that individual ambulance trusts will be responsible for tackling delays in answering calls, as was the case before the pandemic. HSJ understands that ambulance leaders are very concerned by the decision and the speed with which it is to be implemented. 

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Source: Health Service Journal (Paywalled), 14 April 2025

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Cancer care in the UK ‘at breaking point’, experts warn

Cancer care in the UK is at a “critical breaking point,” several experts have warned, calling for radical action to tackle deepening financial pressures.

The group says that a National Cancer Director with a dedicated office should be introduced to take a data-driven approach to improving cancer care systems in the UK. Writing for The Lancet Oncology, the group of authors criticises the previous Conservative government for “14 years of gross mismanagement.” Responding, Labour says it is determined to drive down waiting times for cancer patients, pointing to its upcoming National Cancer Plan to improve the current care system.

The comment article highlights several policy recommendations which the authors state will improve survival and quality of life for people with cancer. The authors warn that the “greatest risk lies in reactive, short-term, ill-informed decision-making” by the Government, which they state could further reduce UK cancer survival rates, deepen health inequalities and escalate inefficiencies.

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Source: The Independent, 15 April 2025

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Dr Camilla Kingdon to chair review of children's hearing services

The Secretary of State, Wes Streeting, has commissioned an independent review of children’s hearing services and has appointed Dr Camilla Kingdon as its independent chair.

The review will consider:

  • the NHS England response to the service failures in paediatric audiology
  • how the relevant governance arrangements between NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) could be improved and identify lessons learned
  • how NHS England’s handling of any future service failures in similar services could be improved and identify lessons learned.

In December 2021, a report was published into service issues in paediatric audiology in NHS Lothian, which focused on whether children’s hearing tests were being conducted properly and effectively followed up.

Further issues with the diagnosis of hearing issues in newborns and children were identified in other Scottish NHS trusts in 2023. Subsequent assessment of NHS audiology services in paediatric departments across England in 2023 and 2024 identified similar problems. NHS England established the Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme in 2023 to address the issues and oversee remedial action.

Dr Kingdon brings extensive expertise to the review. She has been a consultant neonatologist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital for over 20 years and until March last year she was President of RCPCH. She has an MA in Medical Careers Management and was Head of the London School of Paediatrics and Child Health for 5 years from 2014.

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Source: Gov UK, 14 April 2025

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ICBs to impose ‘minimum waiting times’ for services

NHS England has proposed introducing “minimum waiting times” for certain elective specialties as system leaders grapple with how to balance clinical needs and a real terms funding cut for local services.

The proposal was revealed in changes to the NHS Standard Contract for 2025-26, published by NHSE on Thursday, following the decision to ditch plans for a fixed cap on providers’ elective activity earnings.  This was how government and NHSE had planned to control costs in 2025-26, but it was branded “unworkable” by providers.

However, the Nuffield Trust warned the new proposals – out for consultation with a 28 April deadline – gave “no clear process to rationally decide which forms of activity it is least harmful to hold down and which, if necessary, should be permitted to exceed plans”.

The new contracting plan is based on the principle of commissioners agreeing “robust indicative activity plans” with providers under arrangements NHSE said required “material changes [to the] contract activity management provisions”.

The document also confirms that NHSE is proposing the introduction of minimum waiting times where local commissioners view this as appropriate. It is due to concern some providers carry out a large volume of certain procedures with short turnarounds – for example a few days – while commissioners may be unable to afford to address much longer waits for other services.

The plan says commissioners could set “activity planning assumptions” about “how the particular provider will manage activity once a referral has been accepted”.

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Source: HSJ, 11 April 2025

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Melanoma patients in England get fast-track access to cancer vaccine

Patients with an advanced type of skin melanoma in England will be given fast-track access to a “revolutionary” new cancer vaccine as part of an NHS trial.

The vaccine, known as iSCIB1+ (ImmunoBody), helps the immune system recognise cancer cells and therefore better respond to immunotherapy treatment.

The trial is part of the expansion of NHS England’s Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP), a programme to fast-track eligible patients to studies developing vaccines at their nearest participating hospital.

The CVLP has already helped thousands of NHS patients access trials of a personalised vaccine against bowel cancer, with more than 350 people fast-tracked for consideration, and has now expanded to include a trial for melanoma. It aims to provide 10,000 patients in England with personalised cancer treatments in the UK by 2030.

Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS national cancer director, said: “Skin cancer can have a devastating impact and we know that cancer vaccines have the potential to revolutionise cancer care for patients in this country and across the world – and to save more lives.

“It’s incredibly exciting that the NHS is expanding its world-leading programme so more patients with different types of cancer could benefit from the development of new vaccines that could stop their cancer coming back.

“We want to ensure as many eligible NHS patients as possible have access to these vital trials, which is why we are working with a range of industry partners as more studies get up and running to ensure patients are fast-tracked to a vaccine that could transform lives.”

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Source: The Guardian, 14 April 2025

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Millions in the U.S. take this drug. Tariffs might complicate their care

Thousands of miles from a manufacturing plant in China, where the key active ingredient in heparin is sourced, Wanda Crowell receives a daily infusion of the drug in her bed at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Doctors give Crowell the inexpensive, essential anticoagulant every day, to prevent life-threatening blood clots from forming in her central line, a plastic tube inserted in her chest that delivers the nutrients she needs to live. A two-time cancer survivor, the 66-year-old has not been able to eat solid food since 2021. She also needs heparin to treat a history of blood clots.

For Crowell, there is no suitable alternative. While other patients may have options, she cannot take oral medications.

“If Wanda’s line is clotted off and we can’t get another line in, she would not get her nutrition,” said Peggy Kraus, a pharmacist on Crowell’s care team. “The drug is essential for her survival.”

The main focus of President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff campaign has been high-profile industries such as steel, automobiles and consumer electronics. But on Tuesday, Trump warned that another target will soon be the wide variety of medications whose active pharmaceutical ingredients are largely made in China and India.

No one knows how big a tariff is coming or what its effect on generic drugs like heparin may be. But along the supply chain that ends at Crowell’s bedside, many are worried.

Health experts warn that the impact could be felt quickly. Tariffs could disrupt pharmaceutical supply chains, drive up costs for generic drugs and place additional strain on an already burdened healthcare system.

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Source: Washington Post, 13 April 2025

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AI health warning as researchers say algorithms could discriminate against patients

Artificial intelligence in healthcare has left experts urging caution that a focus on predictive accuracy over treatment efficacy could lead to patient harm.

Researchers in the Netherlands warn that while AI-driven outcome prediction models (OPMs) are promising, they risk creating “self-fulfilling prophecies” due to biases in historical data.

OPMs utilise patient-specific information, including health history and lifestyle factors, to assist doctors in evaluating treatment options. AI’s ability to process this data in real time offers significant advantages for clinical decision making.

However, the researchers’ mathematical models demonstrate a potential downside, namely, if trained on data reflecting historical disparities in treatment or demographics, AI could perpetuate these inequalities, leading to suboptimal patient outcomes.

The study highlights the crucial role of human oversight in AI-driven healthcare. Researchers emphasise the “inherent importance” of applying “human reasoning” to AI’s decisions, ensuring that algorithmic predictions are critically evaluated and do not inadvertently reinforce existing biases.

The team then created mathematical scenarios to test how AI may harm patient health and suggest that these models “can lead to harm”.

“Many expect that by predicting patient-specific outcomes, these models have the potential to inform treatment decisions and they are frequently lauded as instruments for personalised, data-driven healthcare,” researchers said.

“We show, however, that using prediction models for decision making can lead to harm, even when the predictions exhibit good discrimination after deployment.

“These models are harmful self-fulfilling prophecies: their deployment harms a group of patients, but the worse outcome of these patients does not diminish the discrimination of the model.”

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Source: The Independent, 12 April 2025

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Ambulance services hit key recovery target

Ambulance services hit a crucial “interim” target for responding to the bulk of emergency calls last month, and showed marked improvements for the most serious category of incidents.

Offering a glimmer of hope after another winter of long ambulance waits, average category 2 performance in March was 28:34 (minutes, seconds) – more than five minutes better than March last year. It is only the third time it has dipped below 30 minutes, which has been set by government as an “interim” recovery target, since December 2022. 

Waits have soared since the covid-19 pandemic, fuelled by long hospital handover delays, and a string of inquests have highlighted the calamitous impact on patients.

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Source: HSJ, 13 April 2025

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Fake weight loss injections with dirty needles being sent to NI

Illegal weight loss injections with dirty needles are being sold over social media and sent to people in Northern Ireland, a BBC investigation has found.

BBC News NI made test purchases of syringes which claimed to contain semaglutide, a prescription-only drug, via Facebook from sellers based in England.

When tested, the liquid was not semaglutide but did contain carnitine – a supplement that can be bought on the high street.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was working at an international level to root out criminal gangs selling illicit jabs manufactured in unhygienic labs.

So-called skinny jabs are prescribed weight loss injections that work by making you feel fuller and less hungry.

In Great Britain, semaglutide is available on the NHS as part of a weight management programme.

However, in Northern Ireland it is not as there is no specialist weight management service, but it is available on private prescription.

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland said people were putting themselves at serious risk buying from sellers on social media sites.

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Source: BBC News, 14 April 2025

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Three million child deaths linked to drug resistance, study shows

More than three million children around the world are thought to have died in 2022 as a result of infections that are resistant to antibiotics, according to a study by two leading experts in child health.

Children in Africa and South East Asia were found to be most at risk.

Antimicrobial resistance - known as AMR - develops when the microbes that cause infections evolve in such a way that antibiotic drugs no longer work.

It has been identified as one of the biggest public health threats facing the world's population.

A new study now reveals the toll that AMR is taking on children.

Using data from multiple sources, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, the report's authors have calculated there were more than three million child deaths in 2022 linked to drug-resistant infections.

Experts say this new study highlights a more than tenfold increase in AMR-related infections in children in just three years.

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Source: BBC News, 13 April 2025

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‘National scandal’ declared after 2,800 children sent to A&E over severe tooth decay last year

Almost three thousand children had tooth decay so severe they attended A&E last year, new data reveals.

MPs have called for an end to the “national scandal” facing NHS dental care, as new figures reveal that in some areas of the country, A&E attendances for tooth decay have risen 40-fold since 2019.

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrat Party under the Freedom of Information Act reveal 2,800 children attended A&E due to tooth decay issues last year – up by a fifth since 2019 but slightly down on 2023.

Overall, there were 16,100 A&E attendances over tooth decay in 2024, with areas such as Northwest Anglia NHS Trust seeing cases increase from just 6 in 2019 to 238. 

The figures come after a report this month from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the national dental plan set out by the former government had “comprehensively failed”.

The PAC’s report said the current national contract for dentists “remains unfit for purpose”, with current arrangements only sufficient for about half of England’s population to see an NHS dentist over two years.

The Liberal Democrats’ health and social care spokesperson Helen Morgan said: "It is a national scandal that children are ending up in A&E in agony because they can’t get a dentist appointment.

“Parents are being forced to watch their little ones cry through the night, all because the NHS dental system has been left to rot. We’re now seeing vast swathes of the country being turned into dental deserts, with no sign of things getting better.

“This almost medieval situation of people pulling their own teeth out with pliers as they can’t get an appointment must end. That must start with a complete overhaul of the dental contract to boost the numbers of dentists and appointments and finally rid this country of dental deserts.”

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Source: The Independent, 14 April 2025

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‘NHS mental health services failed my inspiring daughter – I don’t want other patients to suffer the same fate’

A mother whose daughter was found to have been neglected by a hospital before taking her own life has blamed the “failures of the system” for her daughter’s death and has demanded improved care for future patients.

Court documents show Iona Imogen Lee’s suicide is one of at least five deaths that failures at Derbyshire’s mental health units caused or contributed to in the past decade. The health and social care regulator is currently reviewing information over three deaths at the units.

Morag Lee opened up about her “inspiring, friendly, loved” daughter Iona’s heartbreaking final hours on the Hartington Unit at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital in Chesterfield, before the 24-year-old was transferred to the ICU where she died on 18 September 2023.

The 57-year-old mother, from Derby, spoke to The Independent after a coroner ruled in January that her child had died by “suicide contributed to by neglect” on the ward where she had been detained under the Mental Health Act on 15 September 2023.

It was found at the inquest into Iona’s death in January that “there were a series of errors in the planning, management and implementation of Iona's observations after admission” and that “instruction, information and supervision were all inadequate, as was the primary induction”.

The jury concluded that Iona’s observation level should have been raised to being kept within staff’s eyesight, but due to staff shortages on the ward, she was only being checked intermittently. Even then, this should have been at least every 15 minutes, but the 24-year-old was not found until 43 minutes after she was last seen.

MS Lee raised “serious concerns” about the management of the Hartington Unit and believes blame also lies with this and previous governments in their role overseeing a crippled NHS.

Inquests over the last 10 years identified failures by the Hartington and Radbourne Units that caused or contributed to at least five deaths, including over incorrect decisions around patients being granted leave or discharged from the wards, wrongful prescription of medications, and inadequate risk assessment. In a report, coroner issued a warning to the Trust asking for policy change for fear of risking future deaths.

Calling for change for future patients, Ms Lee said: “In the past year, the hospital have changed their policies, but guidance was in place two years ago that wasn’t followed and led to my daughter’s death – so how do we know that what’s in place now will continue being implemented? What reassurances does the public have?”

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Source: The Independent, 13 April 2025

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Hospitals in England offered unlimited bonuses for taking patients off waiting lists

Hospitals in England are being offered unlimited bonus payments to remove people they decide do not need treatment from their waiting lists amid warnings that thousands of patients most in need are still facing unacceptable delays.

The waiting list for hospital treatment fell for the sixth month in a row in February, according to data published on Thursday.

In an attempt to cut waiting lists and free up consultants to see those most in need, NHS trusts have this week been ordered to “validate” their entire waiting list. This will involve reviewing every patient and removing anyone who could be treated elsewhere or does not need an appointment with a specialist. Those whose symptoms have eased or who have already used private healthcare to undergo surgery, for example, will also be removed.

Hospitals will receive an “incentive payment” for each patient they remove, and a payment cap of 5% of a trust’s waiting list is being scrapped, according to documents seen by the Guardian. It means there is no limit to the payments NHS trusts could receive for taking patients off their lists.

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Source: The Guardian, 10 April 2025

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One in four women in England have serious reproductive health issue, survey finds

More than a quarter of women in England are living with a serious reproductive health issue, according to the largest survey of its kind, and experts say “systemic, operational, structural and cultural issues” prevent women from accessing care.

The survey of 60,000 women across England in 2023, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and analysed by academics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, found that 28% of respondents were living with a reproductive morbidity, such as pelvic organ prolapse, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, or cervical, uterine, ovarian or breast cancer.

Almost a fifth (19%) of women reported experiencing severe period pain in the last year, and 40% of respondents reported heavy menstrual bleeding. More than 30% of participants aged 16-24 reported severe period pain.

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Source: The Guardian, 10 April 2025

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Target date for NHSE abolition revealed

National leaders are targeting October 2026 for the abolition of NHS England and consolidation of its functions into the Department of Health and Social Care, according to Health Service Journal.

The timeframe is not yet confirmed, and will depend on ministers securing space in the King’s Speech and parliamentary time to progress a health bill. There is also an acceptance that completing the process in 18 months will be challenging.

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Source: Health Service Journal, 11 April 2025

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New pill can slow progression of incurable breast cancer

A new type of drug for one of the most common kinds of advanced breast cancer is now available on the NHS in England.

Some 3,000 women a year could benefit from capivasertib after a clinical trial showed it can slow progression of the disease, and shrink tumours in a quarter of people. In trials, in 708 women, when combined with hormone therapy, the drug doubled the time the cancer took to grow, from 3.6 months to 7.3 months. It also shrank tumours in 23% of patients.

The drug has been given the green light for NHS funding by England's drug assessment body. It's one of a range of treatment options available to people whose cancer has spread and is no longer curable.

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Source: BBC News, 11 April 2025

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Endometrosis: Hundreds of patients share their heartbreaking stories - and why the NHS is failing them

People from across the UK have shared their heartbreaking experiences of living with endometriosis - as they say the NHS is “failing” them.

Living with the inflammatory condition is an uphill battle, from getting a diagnosis to navigating daily life and even accessing healthcare. For Endometriosis Awareness Month, National World launched the campaign Endo the Battle to amplify the voices of those living with endometriosis across the UK and highlight the challenges patients face.

This campaign surveyed members of the public to share their stories with endometriosis. They received almost 400 responses, highlighting delays in getting a diagnosis, the crippling costs of paying for private care and knowledge gaps within the healthcare sector.

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Source: The Scotsman, 11 April 2025

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Experts fear rise in diseases as layoffs halt health research: ‘Incredibly bizarre gaslighting’

Mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) portend a future with more infectious disease outbreaks, chronic conditions, and a widening gulf in health between the most affluent and vulnerable, experts told the Guardian.

Further, they said, the Trump administration’s multipronged attacks on American science represent a generation-defining experience, a new chapter in the “boom and bust” cycle of health funding, and a masterclass in branding, as Donald Trump and the secretary of health and human services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, dismantle institutions in the name of improving them.

“I fear for the country,” said Dr Steven Woolf, a population health researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University and a family physician. “Many people not too fond of bureaucracy may feel this big shakeup in Washington DC is well overdue. But I don’t know that people appreciate what’s coming their way – much like a far-off tsunami warning.”

Experts said they see the chaos, confusion and upheaval – from the ideological purge of basic research grants early in Trump’s tenure to more expected layoffs at the National Institutes of Health – as leading to shorter, sicker American lives.

“These are cuts that are not driven by a rational strategy to improve population health,” said Woolf. “This is all being done in the name of ‘making America healthy again’ – that’s the incredibly bizarre gaslighting that’s going on.”

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Source: The Guardian, 9 April 2025

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151 dead as Nigeria struggles with rapidly spreading outbreak

Health authorities in Nigeria are struggling to contain a rapidly spreading meningitis outbreak that has so far killed 151 people - with children affected the most.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported this week that cases, initially identified in October, have now spread to 23 of the country's 36 states. Nearly half of the fatalities (74) have occurred this year alone.

Local partners described the recent rise in fatalities as "alarming". The NCDC has highlighted a critical factor contributing to the high death toll, namely delayed access to healthcare. NCDC spokesperson Sani Datti explained that many infected individuals either do not seek medical attention or arrive at health facilities too late, already suffering from severe complications.

This issue has plagued previous outbreaks in Nigeria. The outbreak comes at a particularly challenging time for Nigeria's healthcare system, which is grappling with the impact of US aid cuts implemented earlier this year.

Nigeria relied heavily on such aid over the years to help fight similar outbreaks and support its underfunded healthcare systems.

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Source: The Independent, 9 April 2025

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