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Content ArticleThis podcast looks at preventing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreaks within healthcare facilities and strategies to minimise transmission of RSV among healthcare workers and patients during an outbreak.
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News Article
NHS testing initiative to eliminate hepatitis C in England by 2025
Patient_Safety_Learning posted a news article in News
Thousands of people who are unknowingly living with hepatitis C in England could be identified and treated due to an expanded NHS testing initiative. The initiative includes new liver scanning and portable testing units to be rolled out in communities where people may be at a higher risk of contracting the infection. Also included in the initiative are testing events happening at GP surgeries and community outreach at drug and alcohol support services. Read full story Source: Guardian 8 April 2024 -
News Article
Millions urged to get free NHS check for ‘silent killer’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Millions of people are being urged to get checks for a condition which has been described as the “silent killer”. If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia. Up to 4.2 million people in England are thought to be living with high blood pressure without knowing it – around a third of all those with the condition. Now, a new NHS Get Your Blood Pressure Checked campaign has been launched, backed by health charities, to warn people the condition often has no symptoms. England’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, said: “High blood pressure usually has no symptoms but can lead to serious health consequences. “The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a simple, non-invasive blood pressure test. “Even if you are diagnosed, the good news is that it’s usually easily treatable. “Getting your blood pressure checked at a local pharmacy is free, quick and you don’t even need an appointment, so please go for a check today – it could save your life.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 March 2024 -
Content ArticleThis consensus statement co-ordinated by the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA) outlines the role of point of care testing in reducing the amount of antibiotics prescribed in primary care. It highlights the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and outlines evidence for the effectiveness of the rapid point-of-care C-Reactive Protein (POC CRP) test to assist clinical decision making as to whether an individual presenting with symptoms of respiratory tract infection needs an antibiotic. It makes a series of recommendations for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England around the use of POC CRP testing in primary care.
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News Article
Oesophageal cancer test ‘should be made more available in UK’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A test that can detect oesophageal cancer at an earlier stage than current methods should be made more widely available to prevent deaths, charities have said. The capsule sponge test, previously known as Cytosponge, involves a patient swallowing a dissolvable pill on a string. The pill then releases a sponge which collects cells from the oesophagus as it is retrieved. The test can detect abnormalities that form as part of a condition known as Barrett’s oesophagus, which makes a person more likely to develop oesophageal cancer. In the UK 9,300 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer a year, according to Cancer Research. The disease is difficult to detect because the symptoms for the cancer are not easily recognisable – and can be mistaken for indigestion – until a it is at an advanced stage. The capsule sponge test can detect the cancer at an earlier stage than the current methods, such as an endoscopy, used to diagnose oesophageal cancer. However, it is only currently available to higher-risk patients as an alternative to endoscopy as part of NHS pilot schemes. Cancer Research UK is working with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) on a trial that will recruit 120,000 people to see if the capsule sponge test can reduce deaths from oesophageal cancer. If successful, the test could be rolled out more widely. Mimi McCord, the founder of Heartburn Cancer UK, who lost her husband, Mike, to oesophageal cancer in 2002, said: “Cancer of the oesophagus is a killer that can hide in plain sight. People don’t always realise it, but not all heartburn is harmless. While they keep on treating the symptoms, the underlying cause might be killing them.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 February 2024 -
News Article
Blood test could revolutionise diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, experts say
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A blood test for detecting Alzheimer’s disease could be just as accurate as painful and invasive lumbar punctures and could revolutionise diagnosis of the condition, research suggests. Measuring levels of a protein called p-tau217 in the blood could be just as good as lumbar punctures at detecting the signs of Alzheimer’s, and better than a range of other tests under development, experts say. The protein is a marker for biological changes that happen in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Richard Oakley, an associate director of research and innovation at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This study is a hugely welcome step in the right direction as it shows that blood tests can be just as accurate as more invasive and expensive tests at predicting if someone has features of Alzheimer’s disease in their brain. “Furthermore, it suggests results from these tests could be clear enough to not require further follow-up investigations for some people living with Alzheimer’s disease, which could speed up the diagnosis pathway significantly in future. However, we still need to see more research across different communities to understand how effective these blood tests are across everyone who lives with Alzheimer’s disease.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 23 January 2024 -
News Article
Sepsis breakthrough as blood test trial for killer condition underway
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Scientists are hoping a new 45-minute blood test can quickly identify sepsis before it kills. Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection. It occurs when the body overreacts and starts attacking its own tissues and organs. The hard-to-diagnose condition kills nearly 50,000 Brits a year more than breast, prostate and bowel cancer combined - with severe cases taking just hours to prove fatal. Dr Andrew Retter, an intensive care consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, who is trialling the test told The Times: “If someone comes into A&E and they’re sick, we can spot that early and start treatment early. “For every hour antibiotics are delayed, people’s mortality goes up by about 7 or 8 per cent if they’ve got sepsis.” Melissa Mead’s one-year-old son William died after weeks of a lingering cough and concerns were dismissed by doctors and 111 operators. The campaigner told The Times: “A test like this at the point of care in A&E, for example, could remove the uncertainty about sepsis, which presents differently in different people. “This could give people a chance at life that my son never had.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 December 2023 -
News Article
HIV blood tests to be rolled out to more hospitals
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Opt-out blood tests for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C will be rolled out to a further 46 hospitals across England, the government has announced. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the new £20m programme would lead to earlier diagnoses and treatment. Under the scheme, anyone having a blood test in selected hospital A&E units has also been tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, unless they opted out. The trials have been taking place for the last 18 months in 33 hospitals in London, Greater Manchester, Sussex and Blackpool, where prevalence is classed by the NHS as "very high". Figures released by the NHS earlier show those pilots have identified more than 3,500 cases of the three bloodborne infections since April 2022, including more than 580 HIV cases. Ms Atkins said: "The more people we can diagnose, the more chance we have of ending new transmissions of the virus and the stigma wrongly attached to it." She added that rolling out the tests to more hospitals would help ensure early diagnoses so people "can be given the support and the medical treatment they need to live not just longer lives but also higher quality lives". Read full story Source: BBC News, 29 November 2023 -
Content ArticleCancer Research UK has set out how the next UK Government could dramatically improve cancer outcomes and prevent 20,000 cancer deaths a year by 2040. 'Longer better lives: A manifesto for cancer research and care' has been developed with the insights of cancer patients and experts from across health, life sciences, government and academic sectors. The charity said that huge strides have been made in beating cancer – with survival in the UK doubling over the last 50 years. But it warned that with NHS cancer services in crisis and around half a million new cancer cases each year expected by 2040 – this hard-won progress is at risk of stalling. With the UK lagging behind comparable countries when it comes to cancer survival, the charity is calling on all political parties to make cancer a top priority in their party manifestos.
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EventuntilOn the back of the National Point of Care Testing guidance issued in May by the IBMS, RCPath and ACB. This webinar will explore the use case of rapid diagnostic testing to Care, Monitor and Protect. The purpose of a POCT service is to enable the delivery of high quality, accessible diagnostics at the point of need for clinical services, improving clinical outcomes and enhancing the patients’ healthcare experience. The aim should be to ensure that POCT services nationally utilise (and inform) advances in technology to innovate the way in which patients can access diagnostics and clinical services. Technology plays an important part of the patient pathway and in 2022 The World Health Organisation (WHO) published The Target Product Profile (TPP) for readers of rapid diagnostic tests detailing the preferred product characteristics and target regimen profiles. The webinar will provide a guide for commissioners, NHS settings and community pharmacies delivering NHS services. The NHS Long Term Plan highlights the importance of patients receiving care closer to home, shifting from a traditional model of hospital-based services towards a more adaptive community-based approach. Learn about Previous case studies of how Testing to Care, Monitor and Protect has been robustly rolled out across the NHS. Issues faced and how they were overcome. Impact of digital readers when combined with high-quality lateral flow tests in a clinical setting How The Target Product Profile (TPP) for readers of rapid diagnostic tests was developed according to a process based on the WHO Target Product Profiles, Preferred Product Characteristics, and Target Regimen Profiles. Speakers Dr George Newham PhD, Research and Development Manager, SureScreen Diagnostics Dr Rahul Batra, Clinical Innovations and Disruptive Technologies Lead in the Centre for Clinical Infection and Diagnostics Research at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Julie Hart, NHS Pathway Transformation and Market Access Expert: Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence Dr Andrew Botham, Chief Scientific Officer - TestCard Register for the webinar
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News ArticleOver the counter genetic tests in the UK that assess the risk of cancer or heart problems fail to identify 89% of those in danger of getting killer diseases, a new study has found. Polygenic risk scores are so unreliable that they also wrongly tell one in 20 people who receive them they will develop a major illness, even though they do not go on to do so. That is the conclusion of an in-depth review of the performance of polygenic risk scores, which underpin tests on which consumers spend hundreds of pounds. The findings come amid a boom in the number of companies offering polygenic risk score tests which purport to tell customers how likely they are to get a particular disease. Academics at University College London (UCL) who undertook the research are warning that such tests are so flawed they should be regulated “to protect the public from unrealistic expectations” that they will correctly identify their risk of a particular disease. The authors concluded: “Polygenic risk scores performed poorly in population screening, individual risk prediction and population risk stratification. “Strong claims about the effect of polygenic risk scores on healthcare seem to be disproportionate to their performance.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 October 2023
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News ArticleThe Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is reviving a programme to mail free rapid coronavirus tests to Americans. Starting 25 September, people can request four free tests per household through covidtests.gov. Officials say the tests are able to detect the latest variants and are intended to be used through the end of the year. The return of the free testing program comes after Americans navigated the latest uptick in covid cases with free testing no longer widely available. The largest insurance companies stopped reimbursing the costs of retail at-home testing once the requirement to do so ended with the public health emergency in May. The Biden administration stopped mailing free tests in June. The Department of Health and Human Services also announced Wednesday that it was awarding $600 million to a dozen coronavirus test manufacturers. Agency officials said the funding would improve domestic manufacturing capacity and provide the federal government with 200 million over-the-counter tests to use in the future. “These critical investments will strengthen our nation’s production levels of domestic at-home COVID-19 rapid tests and help mitigate the spread of the virus,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. Experts say free coronavirus testing proved to be an effective public health tool, allowing people to check their status before attending large gatherings or spending time with older or medically vulnerable people at risk of severe disease even after being vaccinated. It also enables people to start antiviral treatments in the early days of infection to prevent severe disease. Read full story (paywalled) Source: Washington Post, 20 September 2023
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Content ArticleWhen it comes to your health, it's easy to fall into the mindset that unless you are having signs or symptoms of an illness, you can put off going to see your doctor and skip yearly exams or tests. But preventative care—such as blood tests, cancer screening, mental health check-ins, vaccinations and tests for genetic conditions—can help keep you from developing a serious illness or having to receive care at the hospital. Speak Up™ To Prevent Serious Illness is a patient safety campaign from The Joint Commission designed to educate patients on how to find preventative care services, get past barriers and try to avoid reaching a crisis point with their health. The Joint Commission has produced a video, infographic and distribution guide as part of the campaign.
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EventuntilPublic Policy Projects is holding a roundtable "Improving access to genomic testing and medicine for better outcomes and reduced inequalities" on the 20th September from 10:30am to 12pm on Zoom. This session will be chaired by Parker Moss, Chief Commercial & Partnerships Officer at Genomics England, and will seek to explore how genomic technologies can be better utilised, and how services can be appropriately coordinated, to ensure that emerging technology can be used as a tool for reducing inequalities and bettering the overall standard of care for cancer patients in the NHS. The hosts are looking for individuals from Cancer Alliances, ICB, Genomic Laboratory Hubs, Cell Pathology Centres, and Clinical Diagnostic Centres to attend and share their experiences and views at this session. Find out more and register to attend
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News ArticleGPs should offer all patients presenting with signs of colorectal cancer a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) to reduce the waiting times for a colonoscopy, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended in draft guidance. The current NICE recommendation is to offer FIT to people presenting to primary care with low risk symptoms suggestive of colorectal cancer, while people with high risk symptoms should be immediately referred to the suspected cancer pathway. However, patients often have lengthy waiting times for colonoscopy because of limited capacity. NICE estimates that the recommendation should lead to 50% fewer referrals for urgent colonoscopies being made by GPs each year. Read full story (paywalled) Source: BMJ, 5 July 2023
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News Article
Digital NHS health check to be launched across England in spring
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A digital NHS Health Check is to be rolled out across England from next spring, the government has announced, in an attempt to alleviate the pressure on GP surgeries. The initiative will deliver 1m checks in the first four years, according to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). Tens of thousands of cases of hypertension are expected to be identified and hundreds of strokes and heart attacks prevented. Patients will be able to access the check via a mobile phone, tablet or computer, the DHSC said. Participants will complete an online questionnaire, enter height, weight, and the results of a cholesterol test which they can carry out at home. They will also be asked to have their blood pressure checked at a pharmacy. The results, which will be available online, will direct people to personalised advice. Referrals to GPs will only be made if further tests and treatment are needed. Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This initiative will help to reach more people and encourage them to get their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked so that, where necessary, healthcare professionals can work with them to manage their condition. “This could play an important role in helping people live healthier for longer and saving lives in the coming years, while reducing pressure on the NHS.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 28 June 2023 -
News ArticleAt least 100,000 people across the UK have had their lives put at risk over the last decade because of delays to them getting tested or treated for cancer, a new report claims. In some cases, patients’ treatment options narrowed or their cancer spread or became incurable as a direct result of their long waits for NHS care, according to Macmillan Cancer Support. The “inhumane” impact of delays on patients is “shameful”, it said, blaming ministers across the four home nations for underfunding and not tackling staff shortages in cancer services. “I’ve had patients arrive for their radical chemotherapy appointment, who wait three hours only to be told that because of staff shortages we can’t deliver their treatment today. It’s inhumane”, said Naman Julka-Anderson, an advanced practice therapeutic radiographer who is also an allied health professional clinical adviser for Macmillan. Many waited longer than 62 days to start treatment – surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy – after a GP referred them as an urgent case, the charity’s analysis of official NHS data found. At least 100,000 of those 180,000 people have seen their symptoms worsen, or their cancer progress or their chances reduce of successfully being treated because they have had to wait. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 20 June 2023
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News ArticleGrail, a company that developed blood tests to detect cancer, mistakenly sent approximately 400 customers letters saying they might be positive for the disease, The New York Times has reported. Grail's Galleri test uses blood to detect cancer signals shared by 50 types of cancers and is available only by prescription, according to the report. Grail said in a statement that one of its vendors sent hundreds of letters with incorrect test results due to a "software configuration issue." "No patient health information has been disclosed or breached due to this issue, and no patient harm or adverse events have been reported," Grail's statement said. The issue was not caused by incorrect test results, according to the company. More than half of people who received the erroneous letter had not yet had their blood drawn for the test. PWNHealth said in a statement that the system it uses to send template messages to people had a "misconfiguration." Read full story Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 4 June 2023
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News ArticleA blood test for more than 50 types of cancer has shown real promise in a major NHS trial, researchers say. The test correctly revealed two out of every three cancers among 5,000 people who had visited their GP with suspected symptoms, in England or Wales. In 85% of those positive cases, it also pinpointed the original site of cancer. The Galleri test looks for distinct changes in bits of genetic code that leak from different cancers. Spotting treatable cancer early can save lives. The test remains very much a "work in progress", the researchers, from Oxford University, say, but could increase the number of cancers identified. Read full story Source: BBS News, 2 June 2023
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Content Article
Medical device safety: effective testing is key
NicholasTHFarr posted an article in Medical devices (new)
In this blog, University of Sheffield based researcher Dr Nicholas Farr explains why investing in the development of testing methods is key to ensuring medical devices are safe to use. His current work focuses on how the materials used in medical devices react within the body. Most recently, he has looked at mesh implants and how they degrade and change over time. Nicholas and colleagues at the University of Sheffield have developed innovative testing methods that mimic key features of the human body within the lab. He believes this will improve our understanding of the materials being used in the development of medical devices at an early stage in the process – saving time and money, and reducing the risk of patient harm. -
News Article
Quick blood tests to spot cancer: will they help or harm patients?
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Investors are pouring billions into companies claiming they can analyse DNA to find the disease early. But some scientists question if they really work. A pioneering group of people in the US and UK who have elected to take part in a new form of cancer screening known as multi-cancer early detection tests (MCED). The tests use gene sequencing or other novel technologies to detect fragments of DNA expelled by cancerous cells which circulate in people’s blood, allowing the identification of multiple types of cancer from a single blood draw. They have been hailed as “revolutionary” and “cutting edge” by British and US health chiefs. Health bodies in both nations have set up MCED clinical trials in the hope that the tests can be rolled out to the population at large. The UK’s NHS is participating in a clinical trial of the Galleri test involving 140,000 patients. But not everyone is convinced the tests live up to the hype. Several health experts and scientists told the Financial Times that the tests could harm rather than help some patients due to risks associated with misdiagnosis, over-diagnosis and over-treatment. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Financial Times, 17 May 2023 -
EventuntilIn the context of the complex challenges across the health and care landscape, including significant workforce shortages and limited clinical capacity, this free online event will consider the role of diagnostics in supporting those working in the system and keeping people out of hospital. The King's Fund event will explore: the potential that increased access to diagnostic testing, and in particular in vitro diagnostic testing, in primary care, the community and in community diagnostic hubs offers to diagnosing people earlier and avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions what innovations in patient pathways mean for those working across the system and how they are being supported to make changes, in the context of the significant challenges they are facing the role integrated care systems can play in developing diagnostic services that encourage innovation and are designed with people and communities at their heart. Register
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News Article
Rare encephalitis tick disease found in England
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
A virus carried by ticks, which is common in many parts of the world, is now present in the UK and health officials are reminding the public how to avoid bites from the tiny bugs. They say the risk of tick-borne encephalitis is very low—only one person is confirmed to have been infected in England so far, last year. But the tick species which carries the virus is widespread in the UK. Most people do not develop symptoms but swelling to the brain is possible. The UK Health Security Agency has recommended changes to testing in hospital so that any new cases can be picked up quickly. Health officials say anyone who becomes unwell after a tick bite should see a GP. More serious symptoms to look out for include severe headache, stiff neck, unexplained seizure, sudden confusion and weakness in arms and legs. Read full story Source: BBC News, 5 April 2023 -
News Article
Covid testing scaled back further in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Covid testing is being scaled back even further in England from April. It is part of the "living with Covid" approach that relies on vaccines to keep people safe. Most staff and patients in hospitals and care homes will no longer be given swab tests, even if they have symptoms. Some will though, such as staff working with severely immunocompromised patients or if there is an outbreak on a ward or in a hospice or prison, for example. The long-running Office for National Statistics Covid infection survey that estimated how many people in the community had the virus each week - based on nose and throat swabs from volunteers - has already come to an end. The final one suggested 1.7 million people - about one out of every 35 (2.7%) - had Covid in the week ending 13 March, a14% rise on the previous week. But the UK Health Security Agency says thanks to the continuing success of the vaccination programme, testing in England can now become more like the approach used for other common respiratory infections such as flu. Read full story Source: BBC News, 30 March 2023 -
News Article
Lateral flow tests being prepared for UK outbreaks of avian flu
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
British health officials are preparing plans to deploy lateral flow tests if signs emerge that avian flu has begun to spread from one person to another. The programme would provide rapid information about the dangers posed by the disease. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is also working on blood tests to detect antibodies against the virus and officials will analyse the disease’s genetic mutations to reveal data about the increased risk to human health from avian flu. The moves follow last week’s news that an 11-year-old girl in Cambodia has died from H5N1, the flu strain that is being spread around the globe by migrating birds and is infecting poultry farms. At present, evidence suggests the H5N1 virus does not pass easily to people although scientists have urged care and caution. “The risk to humans is still very low, but it’s important that we continue to monitor circulation of flu in both bird and mammal populations", said Prof Jonathan Ball, of Nottingham University. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 February 2023
