RECENT NEWS

On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2023, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe are issuing a sobering warning that, despite having the tools to end TB, the European Region remains a long way from meeting its 'End TB Strategy' targets of reducing TB incidence by 80% and TB deaths by 90% before 2030.

The Government has published a new cyber security strategy aimed at protecting the NHS from attacks to vital infrastructure and systems.

Anaesthetic gases globally are responsible for an estimated 3.1M tonnes of CO2e emissions every year. However, the results of a study by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust shows that polluting anaesthetic gases can be captured efficiently.

UK GPs experience the highest stress and lowest job satisfaction compared to GPs in 9 other high-income countries, according to new analysis of Commonwealth Fund data from the Health Foundation. Just a decade earlier UK GPs were among the most satisfied of any country.

Health Education England has published a new strategy to ensure that the NHS has a sustainable supply of educators to support the development of the healthcare workforce.

CMR Surgical (CMR) – the global surgical robotics company – announces that Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, one of the world’s leading cardiothoracic hospitals and the UK’s main heart and lung transplant centre, has introduced the Versius Surgical Robotic System, and is set to become the first hospital in the UK to use Versius for thoracic procedures.

A new analysis of global rankings of life expectancy over seven decades shows the UK has done worse than all G7 countries except the US. Researchers writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine say that while UK life expectancy has increased in absolute terms over recent decades, other, similar countries are experiencing larger increases.

Dr. Nicole Robb, Assistant Professor at Warwick University, Oxford University lecturer, and co-founder of healthtech company Pictura Bio, has warned that the UK’s diagnostic testing capabilities are not advanced enough to deal with an influenza spill-over event from birds to humans quickly and efficiently. Dr Robb believes that new diagnostic technologies are needed as a priority.

The West Midlands Trust has rapidly deployed Altera Digital Health’s Sunrise EPR solution across its three hospital sites; Worcestershire Royal, Kidderminster Hospital and Alexandra Hospital. This has enabled the Trust to quickly embark upon its digital transformation journey, improving patient safety and streamlining clinical workflows.

​British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the Intensive Care Society (ICS) have collaborated to produce a Model of Care for Specialised Weaning Units (SWU). This Model of Care document provides guidance on the standards of care, resourcing, and infrastructure for this enhanced care area.

The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Syndicate in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has announced a £3 million Collaborative Discovery Programme for drug discovery innovators to accelerate the development of new treatments for people with CF.

Sleeping less than five hours a night is associated with a 74% raised likelihood of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared with seven to eight hours.

A clinically-led programme to reduce the impact of hospital theatres on the environment has resulted in a volatile anaesthetic gas being removed from the NHS Scotland supply chain. Used for anaesthesia during surgery, desflurane has a 14-year atmospheric ‘lifetime’ and a global warming potential 2,500 times greater than carbon dioxide.

The James Paget University Hospital in Norfolk is piloting a state-of-the-art prehabilitation programme that helps newly diagnosed cancer patients prepare for their treatment. Initially the service will be offered to people in the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area diagnosed with colorectal cancer with plans to extend this to other cancer patients as the pilot evolves.

Eight elective surgical hubs have been awarded accreditation as part of a pilot scheme to ensure the highest standards in clinical and operational practice.

A new initiative to check for liver cancer in high-risk communities has been rolled out as part of a major NHS drive to catch more cancers earlier and save lives.

More than 100,000 patients have been treated in NHS virtual wards in the last year, with 16,000 patients treated in January alone. Virtual wards allow patients to get hospital-level care at home safely and in familiar surroundings, helping speed up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for patients that need them most.

Tens of thousands of patients across the country could benefit from quicker, earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments for a range of conditions, as the Government invests nearly £16 million into pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) research.

The ABHI UK Pavilion at Arab Health 2023 saw its most vibrant and successful year to date, with organisers confirming record attendance.

Microorganisms live in or on almost every part of the human body and play an important role in the regulation of normal human processes. As a result, changes in the number or type of microorganisms, also known as the microbiome, can contribute to disease and altered responses to therapy, including cancer treatment.