The government has allocated an additional 350 medical school places in England, making a significant step in delivering the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
Supported by more than £2.4 billion in government funding, the plan outlines the strategy for recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over the
next 15 years to deliver the future workforce the NHS requires.
One of the key commitments of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 by 2031.
As part of the ongoing efforts to fulfill this pledge, the Office for Students (OfS) has designated 350 places for medical schools nationwide for the academic year
2025 to 2026, targeting under-doctored areas.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and The Pirbright Institute have launched a new collaboration to develop vaccines against henipavirus, a genus of
viruses that includes Nipah virus.
Funded by the Medical Research Council, this research aims to develop a vaccine that provides cross protection against the whole genus, addressing the threat of
outbreaks from new or emerging henipaviruses and strengthening epidemic preparedness.
Scientists at UKHSA will evaluate the protective efficacy of vaccines developed by The Pirbright Institute by using use a model of Nipah virus disease, which
mimics the infection in humans.
Professor Isabel Oliver, chief scientific officer at UKHSA, stated that the study would improve understanding of henipaviruses and enhance efforts to protect
health from this "current and future global health threat."
"The work will also make a vital contribution to the 100 Days Mission - an important initiative to make sure the world is better prepared for the next pandemic
by accelerating the development of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines," he added.
Challenges in accessing the NHS waiting list are pushing more and more people toward private-funded alternatives for access, diagnosis and treatment,
thereby increasing the demand for private health cover.
According to a report published by health data provider LaingBuisson, the demand for private health cover, including medical and dental insurance and cash plans,
has surged to its highest levels since 2008.
The UK's overall health cover market reached £6.7 billion in 2022, an increase of £385 million from the previous year.
During the period from 2020 to 2022, the market experienced annual growth rate of 6.1 per cent, a significant increase compared to the average annual growth rate
of 1.7 per cent observed between 2008 and 2019, the research found.
A total of 4.2 million people were subscribed to medical cover schemes in 2022. When dependents covered by these policies were included, the number reached
7.3 million - the highest count since 2008.
LaingBuisson's analysis showed that medical cover volumes were steady through most of the 2010s, but began to increase alongside rises in the NHS waiting list
from 2018.
"Anything is possible with focused strength, resilience and determination" said Bhavin Shah, Financial Director at Sigma Pharmaceuticals plc, after
completing the annual London Marathon.
Shah donned his running gear and completed the 26.2 mile route in a commendable time of 5 hours and 33 minutes, all in support of 'Team George', a cause
initiated by his close friend, Jonathan Bracey, who is the EVP of corporate development at Tanner Pharma Group.
Bracey started the crowdfunding initiative last year after his 2-year-old son George was diagnosed with a rare cancer (rhabdomyosarcoma) on his liver/bile duct.
Sigma Pharmaceuticals directors and staff have played a vital part in helping raise over £52,000 over the last 6 months for 'Team George', which included the
London Marathon Charity run on Sunday 21 April 2024. The funds will be donated to four charities that have been instrumental in George's path to overcoming
cancer - Rays of Sunshine ward at Kings College Hospital Charity, St Mary's Hospital, Alice's Arc and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
For over three months, Shah had been training himself physically and mentally for the marathon run to support his friend's initiative. He joined Bracey in the
marathon, along with more than 50,000 other competitors.
What initially began as two close friends taking a leisurely walk to escape their everyday routine has evolved into a meaningful endeavour to support the
fight against cancer.
Jamie Sparrow, Senior Vice President - Commercial, EMENA at Accord Healthcare, and Jamie Durbidge, Owner & Managing Director of Perennial Pharma, will be
undertaking a 5-day walking challenge to support The Luke Hart Foundation in raising funds for Cancer Research UK.
The two Jamies have been friends for more than 15 years and worked together at Mylan, now Viatris, where Jamie S served as Managing Director, while Jamie D held
the position of Sales Director for some years.
During the COVID pandemic when everybody was stuck at home, the two friends, both early risers, used to spend hours in the mornings walking and talking over the
phone, about anything and everything - work, life, family, the Pharmaceutical Industry, politics, sport, and about challenges that people were having during the
lockdown.
After continuing this routine for several months, they eventually planned to transform their daily ritual into a "walking and talking" trip to reconnect, catch
up on things, and enjoy some time together and with friends who wanted to join them.
Poverty not only takes a significant toll on people's health but also leads to additional costs for the National Health Service (NHS). Rise in deep poverty,
cost-of-living crisis, and high pressure on NHS services have worsened the situation, according to a study published by The King's Fund this week.
The report underscored that poverty and deprivation contribute to a greater prevalence of diseases, difficulties in accessing health care, late or delayed
treatment, and worse health outcomes. These challenges could be seen across various NHS services, spanning from emergency care to dental services
Additionally, it revealed that 30 per cent of people living in the most deprived areas have turned to 999, 111, A&E or a walk-in centre because they could not
access a GP appointment.
In 2016, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) estimated the cost of poverty on health care at £29 billion (£34 billion in current prices). As the proportion of
people living in deep poverty has risen, the situation has worsened. In 2021/22, six million people were living in very deep poverty, up from 4.5 million two
decades ago. Currently, more than one in five people in the UK are estimated to be living in poverty, the report noted.
Deprivation is linked to a range of diet-related health problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as mental illness. According to the
report, the depression rate is two times higher among people living in the most deprived areas, compared to the least deprived areas.
A new Attention-Deficit-Hyperactive disorder (ADHD) taskforce has been launched by National Health Services England (NHSE) to counter the challenges faced
by many suffering from the neurodevelopmental condition.
The ADHD taskforce aligns with the NHS Long Term Plan's vision to revolutionise mental health services, with a specific emphasis on bolstering community-based
care and reducing reliance on inpatient services.
The NHS has partnered with the government to tackle the escalating demands including increasing funding, improving system efficiency, altering the service
provision model, and clinical prioritisation by bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education and justice,
to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.
Over the past two decades, there has been a significant expansion in the acknowledgement and successful medical interventions for ADHD, leading to a steady
rise in clinical requests throughout the UK.
Bristol-based Invatech Health has announced that it is fully funding the development of a new medical centre for families displaced by war and disaster in
Northern Syria.
The company has donated £54,000 to Action for Humanity for the medical centre, which would be part of a new village being constructed by the NGO, which provides
clean water food, shelter, healthcare and education for millions of Syrians.
According to the technology company, their donation is one of the charity's largest ever single donor contributions.
The new village is set to accommodate 750 families, offering newly constructed homes, each featuring two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
NHS England has confirmed the initial sites that will test and implement Martha's Rule in the first phase of the programme.
This follows the announcement in February regarding NHSE funding for the major patient safety initiative for this financial year.
The scheme is named after Martha Mills, who died from sepsis at the age of 13 in 2021. She had been treated at King's College Hospital, London, where a failure
to escalate her to intensive care and a lack of response to her family's concerns about her deteriorating condition contributed to her death.
Martha's Rule aims to provide a consistent and understandable way for patients and families to seek an urgent review if their or their loved one's condition
deteriorates and they are concerned this is not being responded to.
NHS England on Monday (27 May) announced that the scheme will be implemented at 143 hospital sites across the country by March 2025.
A new study has revealed that UK adolescents get around two-thirds of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which have been linked to the
rising levels of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
The research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)'s School for Public Health Research, was published in the European Journal of
Nutrition.
Ultra-processed foods are often characterized by poor dietary quality due to their high content of added sugars, saturated fats, and salt, along with lower
levels of fibre, protein, and micronutrients.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol, analysed data from four-day food diaries of almost 3,000 adolescents, sourced
from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
After examining trends in the UK between 2008/9 and 2018/19, the researchers found that UPFs accounted for 66 per cent of adolescents' energy intake on average
during this period.
The UK government's proposal to introduce a tobacco and vapes bill received support from the public to create the first 'smokefree generation'.
The historic law to ban the sale of tobacco products to children aged 14 and younger from legally being sold cigarettes in England.
King Charles delivered his first speech as monarch at the state opening of Parliament on Tuesday, 7 November.
The monarch announced the introduction of the "tobacco and vapes bill" in his speech, and it read: "My Government will introduce legislation to create a
smoke-free generation by restricting the sale of tobacco so that children currently aged 14 or younger can never be sold cigarettes, and restricting the
sale and marketing of e-cigarettes to children."
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has created a new NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) to support the successful delivery of health and
social care research in England.
The network, which will start operating from next year, will play a critical and active role in implementing government policies.
It will support in implementing the Life Sciences Vision, the Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery vision, and policy for life sciences research and development.
The new network would be mainly working on growing the amount of commercial clinical research as its key strategic ambition.
Also, NIHR RDN will be responding to the findings of the Lord O'Shaughnessy review, which set out a clear blueprint for how the UK can return to its global
leadership role.
Health leaders have said that delivering faster and more productive patient care would be difficult unless NHS capital budgets are nearly doubled to
at least £14.1 billion from the current spending of £7.7 billion.
The NHS Confederation has highlighted the impact that low levels of capital investment have had over the last decade in its report published today (29 November).
The report, 'Investing to save: The capital requirement for a more sustainable NHS in England', revealed that the UK has lagged behind other comparable countries
in terms of health capital investment for more than five decades, resulting in less productivity.
It revealed that the NHS now has the sixth lowest number of CT and MRI scanners per million people of the OECD countries.
A new bill was introduced to Parliament on Wednesday (20 March) to prohibit the sale of tobacco to children under the age of 15, delivering on the
Prime Minister's commitment to create a smokefree generation.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to protect future generations from the harmful impacts of smoking, thereby saving thousands of lives and billions of pounds
for the NHS.
The bill will also introduce new powers to restrict vape flavours and packaging deliberately targeted towards children, as well as allow the government to
change how they are displayed in shops, moving them out of sight of children and away from products that appeal to them, like sweets.
Additionally, enforcement officers' powers will be strengthened with 'on the spot fines' of £100 to ensure compliance with the new laws. This complements
the existing maximum fine of £2,500 that local authorities can already impose. It will also become illegal to provide free samples of vapes to children under
the age of 18.
A groundbreaking research project has revealed that the public is urging the government to prioritise primary and community care over hospitals.
The study also found a strong public willingness to pay higher taxes to enhance NHS services.
The Health Foundation and Ipsos UK conducted the research, combining nationwide polling with in-depth public deliberative workshops.
These workshops, held in King's Lynn, Leeds, and London, constitute one of the most comprehensive public consultations about the future of the NHS in England.
The study published on 16 May underscores the public's desire for a redistribution of NHS resources. If the NHS budget remains unchanged, 60 per cent of those
polled believe the government should focus on improving access to community-based services like general practice and dentistry.
The University of Oxford's Centre for Research Equity (CfRE) has entered into a historic partnership with the Health and Social Care Research and
Development (HSC R&D) Division in Northern Ireland to advance health equity across the region and ensure everyone benefits from healthcare advancements.
Unveiled during an event at Parliament Buildings in Stormont Estate on Wednesday, this groundbreaking partnership makes Northern Ireland the first UK region
to partner with CfRE.
Supported by the Department of Health Northern Ireland and key health and social care agencies, the partnership aims to improve health outcomes and reduce
disparities through collaborative research.
Northern Ireland's Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, highlighted that this new partnership represents "a significant step forward in efforts to address health
inequalities" in the region.
"By bringing together leading experts and resources from across sectors, we can work towards conducting research that truly benefits all of our communities," he
said.
In his first speech as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP acknowledged that the NHS is in crisis while outlining his mission to
save the health service.
Streeting described the current state of the NHS as "broken," noting its failure to meet the needs of both patients and dedicated healthcare professionals.
"When we said during the election campaign, that the NHS was going through the biggest crisis in its history, we meant it.
"When we said that patients are being failed on a daily basis, it wasn't political rhetoric, but the daily reality faced by millions," he said on Friday (5 July).
The new health secretary remarked that previous governments had been unwilling to admit these simple facts.
The Green Party has previewed its upcoming manifesto with a bold proposal for the National Health Service (NHS) and social care system, promising an
unprecedented level of investment to restore and enhance these critical services.
By 2030, the Greens aim to inject over £50 billion annually into health and social care, accompanied by an additional £20 billion capital investment to modernise
healthcare infrastructure.
Green Party Co-Leader Adrian Ramsay emphasised the urgency of these reforms, stating, "Our NHS is at breaking point following 14 years of underfunding."
"Patients are stuck in hospital corridors, people can't see their GP or NHS dentist when they need to, and staff are severely overstretched."
The manifesto highlights a comprehensive approach to revitalising the NHS, including:
A total of 7,599 whooping cough cases have been recorded in England from January to May 2024, according to new data released by the UK Health Security Agency
(UKHSA).
In January 2024, there were 555 cases, followed by 920 in February, 1,427 in March, 2,106 in April, and 2,591 in May.
While the majority of cases (over 53 per cent) occurred in individuals aged 15 years or older, who typically experience milder symptoms, a significant number (262)
were reported in babies under 3 months old, who are at the highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough.
Since the outbreak began in November last year, there have been nine infant deaths (one in December 2023 and eight between January and May 2024).
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection affecting the lungs. This cyclical disease peaks every 3 to 5 years, with the last increase seen in 2016.
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