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Insect bites and stings typically increase in the summer in England. This year, however, there's been an earlier-than-usual spike in the number of people seeking NHS advice on the condition. According to the NHS England, visits to its insect bites and stings web page have nearly tripled in the last three weeks compared to the same period last year, peaking at an average of one visit every 22 seconds in the past week. Over the span of 21 days, a total of 68,986 visited the page, marking a significant 162 per cent increase compared to the 26,368 visits recorded in the first three weeks of May 2023. Although insect bites or stings are usually not serious and people tend to get better after a few days, the health service has cautioned that they can lead to infection or severe allergic reactions. People are encouraged to refer to the NHS website for advice or visit their local pharmacy to get advice and treatment for common health conditions, including infected insect bites.

In partnership with the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT) has recently established an innovative cardiometabolic clinic. The clinic focuses on reducing cardiovascular risk in people with diabetes who have recently been discharged from LTHT following a heart attack. It is delivered jointly by the cardiology department at Leeds General Infirmary and the diabetes services at the Trust. This is a patient-centred approach to reducing that risk, with pharmacist-delivered clinics scheduled for six to eight weeks after the heart attack. Stephen Wheatcroft, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist at LTHT, said: "This is an exciting and innovative development, one of the first in the country. Previously, Type 2 diabetic patients presenting with heart issues would have been treated by two separate specialty teams. This is the first time there has been a specific clinic combining the cardiac and diabetes team working together. "We aim to reduce the risk for patients, with earlier multidisciplinary hospital care, to help discharged patients achieve better diabetes control, through improved medication support and optimisation, reducing the need for further treatment and future hospital stays. Overall, it will mean a better patient experience, with improved monitoring and information about treatment options, along with a reduction in waiting times for review in a specialist clinic."

In recent years, there has been an increased focus on the importance of health. People are looking for ways to improve their health and live a longer, more productive life. There are many different places that people can go to work on their health, but some are better than others. Here is a list of the top six places to work on your health. 1) MEDICAL SPA A medical spa is a place where people can go to improve their health. medical spas offer a variety of services, including skin care, laser hair removal, and body contouring. They also offer a variety of medical treatments, such as laser surgery and Botox injections. Medical spas offer a number of benefits to their patients. First, they offer a wide variety of services that can help people improve their health. Second, they offer a number of medical treatments that can help people address specific health concerns. Third, they offer a relaxing environment where people can come to improve their health and wellbeing. No matter if you're looking for a medical spa in Alexandria, VA, New York, or any other state, they can be a great place to work on your health. Plus, if you're looking for a place to get health insurance, they can also help you with that.

The government, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has begun the negotiations for a new voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing on Thursday (4 May). A new voluntary scheme is expected to take effect from 1 January 2024, replacing the current scheme which came into force in 2019 and ends on 31 December 2023 In their first meeting, the government, NHS England and industry - represented by the ABPI -expected to agree to a shared negotiation aim of working toward a mutually beneficial agreement that supports better patient outcomes and a healthier population, a financially sustainable NHS, and UK economic growth. Health Minister, Will Quince, said: "These negotiations will ensure a new scheme continues to deliver value for money by providing significant savings for our health services, securing access to innovative lifesaving drugs for NHS patients, and helping to reduce waiting times - one of the Prime Minister's 5 priorities. The current voluntary scheme supports investment in NHS services and saves billions of pounds for the NHS, while also promoting innovations and a successful life sciences sector.

In response to new research that revealed inequality in menopause support with 51 per cent of women from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, Holland & Barrett, the UK's leading health and wellness retailer, has decided to continue its menopause campaign work to make "every menopause matter". A quarter of women (26 per cent) from minority ethnic communities say they find it difficult to access menopause support relevant to their specific backgrounds. Alongside support from Olympian and menopause campaigner, Michelle Griffith Robinson and expert, Meera Bhogal, the retailer is launching several new initiatives to make its information and support on menopause more inclusive by offering more diverse and personalised advice and content, tailored to different needs. Almost a third (31 per cent) believe being able to speak to a female healthcare professional of the same ethnicity as them would have made a difference to their menopause experience. Fifteen per cent go as far as saying that communicating in their native language would have made a positive difference. Based on these findings, Holland and Barrett is the first retailer to launch a free, multi-language menopause online consultation service. The service will see trained H&B menopause advisors offering guidance and symptom support in multiple languages, starting with Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and Punjabi.

Community pharmacists are readily accessible healthcare providers and medicine experts in the community setting and their counsel is often sought by patients and consumers on a number of subjects including the use of dietary supplements. Their role in the sale of and advice regarding natural health and drug alternatives has never been more relevant. The recent National Health Service (NHS) Interim People Plan calls for the NHS to put all staff front and centre of the way it operates and identifies pharmacists as a critical part of multidisciplinary teams, providing care across a wide range of increasingly complex patient needs. Despite existing demand to counsel patients on a vast range of medicines, more and more consumers are looking to their pharmacist to support and enhance their knowledge regarding the relevance of a growing range of supplementary nutrients now available. Nutritional supplementation is increasingly becoming the consumer's first choice for 'drug free' treatment or natural prevention that provides a true sense of taking control, which the prescription process often denies them. Historically the immense benefits provided by the NHS have instilled a general abdication of our personal health control, leaving us to rely on the health service to treat and cure as necessary. As our NHS has become visibly over-stretched we begin to realise what the rest of the world has known for centuries - good health is based primarily upon nutritional robustness. It may be stating the obvious but there is an excellent source of incremental revenue for the pharmacist who is willing to provide space to and advice for nutritional supplements.

The National Health Service England (NHSE) aims to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 by making the lifesaving Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination easily accessible to people and increasing cervical screening uptake. In addition to the campaign, the NHS is expanding the outreach of cervical screening more than ever before. Last year, the health service invited over five million people aged 25 to 64 for the screening, out of which 3.5 million were tested. Moreover, self-sampling will be trialled to see if the service can introduced as part of national screening. England is among the first countries in the world to set this elimination ambition, which could save thousands of lives every year in the country. Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of Officer of NHS England, announced the health service's new goal and how to achieve it at the NHS Providers' annual conference today (15 November).

The NHS has made major improvements across long waits, urgent and emergency services, and cancer care, latest performance figures published on Thursday (11) have shown. The number of patients waiting more than 18 months fell to 10,737 by April - down by more than 90 per cent from 124,911 in September 2021 and by more than four-fifths since the start of January when there were 54,882. Around half of NHS trusts in England have no patients on their elective care waiting lists apart from those who have chosen to wait longer. More than one in five (21%) trusts had completely eliminated 18-month waits. However, the overall waiting list has risen to over 7.3 million entries in England. "I promised I would cut NHS waiting lists and we are delivering," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. "Reducing 18-month waits by over 90 per cent is huge progress, and it is testament to the hard work of NHS staff who have achieved this despite one of the busiest winters on record. "We still have work to do, but backed by record government investment and the ongoing efforts of the NHS, I am confident we will get patients the care they need more quickly." Ambulance response rates have improved to their fastest in two years, with average category two response times now at 28.5 minutes and category one at 8 mins. The 62-day cancer backlog has fallen for the first time since before the pandemic, with those waiting two months or more down from 21,823 at the end of the last financial year (March 2022) to 19,248 at the end of this March (2023). This is down almost 15,000 from a peak of 34,000 in July 2022.

Drug addiction poses a serious challenge since it impacts one's physical and mental health. However, the good news is that individuals who complete a drug rehabilitation program can overcome this problem. If you are interested in providing rehab services, there are a couple of things you should know. Read on to learn how to operate a rehabilitation clinic flawlessly. KNOW THE NEEDS OF YOUR CLIENTS The main purpose of drug rehab is to help different people overcome addictions. It is designed to heal the body and mind from the negative effects of addiction. It also teaches the affected individuals to learn to live without using substances. Therefore, your first step is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of each client to formulate a personalized treatment plan. Everyone has unique needs in their recovery journey. Your rehab program can start with detox which is designed to rid the body of substances, although it does not treat addiction. The person affected undergoes different therapies during treatment. Therapy helps them deal with the issues that cause substance abuse and teach them healthier ways of life. Various therapies will be applied throughout the entire treatment process. Therefore, you must choose a suitable therapy for each individual. For instance, motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy are the most common.

Addiction is a complex disease that can be difficult to overcome. Many people don't realize how serious addiction is and often don't seek treatment until it's too late. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, it's important to learn as much as you can about the treatment process. This blog post will discuss six vital things that you should know about addiction treatment. RESEARCH THE VARIOUS TYPES OF TREATMENTS AVAILABLE One of the first things you should do when considering addiction treatment is to research the different types of treatments available. There are many different approaches to treating addiction, and it's important to find one that will work best for you or your loved one. Some common types of addiction treatments include 12-step programs, cognitive-behavioral therapy, detoxification, and medication-assisted treatment. The addiction treatment service providers behind Safe Harbor Treatment Center suggest that you should also consider the length of treatment, as some programs are more intensive than others. It's important to remember that no two people are the same, so what works for one person may not work for another. It's important to find a treatment that will address the underlying causes of addiction and help the individual to develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Proprietary Association of Great Britain, PAGB - which represents manufacturers of branded over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, self-care medical devices and food supplements - on Tuesday (12 December) celebrated 40 years of reclassification of medicines. Expanding self-care for common ailments and minor injuries will not only help ease pressure on primary care services, but also provides significant potential savings for the NHS, the consumer healthcare association highlighted during the event. Nurofen (ibuprofen) and Imodium (loperamide) were the first medicines to go through Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)'s switch process in 1983 to make them available over the counter - OTC. Other reclassified medicines which were once available on prescription only include Voltarol (diclofenac dimethylammonium), Canesten (clotrimazole), Nexium (esomeprazole), Nicorette, Nicotinell and Niquitin (nicotine replacement therapies), Regaine (minoxidil), Viagra Connect (sildenafil), Cialis Together (tadalafil) for erectile dysfunction and Gina (estradiol hemihydrate) for the treatment of postmenopausal symptoms such as vaginal dryness.

Community pharmacists are readily accessible healthcare providers and medicine experts in the community setting and their counsel is often sought by patients and consumers on a number of subjects including the use of dietary supplements. Their role in the sale of and advice regarding natural health and drug alternatives has never been more relevant. The recent National Health Service (NHS) Interim People Plan calls for the NHS to put all staff front and centre of the way it operates and identifies pharmacists as a critical part of multidisciplinary teams, providing care across a wide range of increasingly complex patient needs. Despite existing demand to counsel patients on a vast range of medicines, more and more consumers are looking to their pharmacist to support and enhance their knowledge regarding the relevance of a growing range of supplementary nutrients now available. Nutritional supplementation is increasingly becoming the consumer's first choice for 'drug free' treatment or natural prevention that provides a true sense of taking control, which the prescription process often denies them. The vast and growing depository of information on the internet is certainly fuelling this, but as much of this is brand derived content, information, it can often be generic with a 'one size fits all' marketing message.

It isn't the hardest thing to find the right physiotherapist to treat you, but like many other professions, especially in health, physiotherapy has a number of different areas of expertise that are governed by strict and high standards of service. Physiotherapists have to be well educated and officially registered in order to practice. Identifying which therapist is able to provide the treatment for your specific needs and requires more than just picking up a phone book, or selecting the first site that pops up on google. Here's a list of what to look for when selecting a therapist as well as when to look for one. What to Look for Check their qualifications As is the case with any healthcare practitioner, it is important that your physiotherapist is fully qualified and accredited. It is required by law that they complete a degree at an approved educational institution, and are registered with the Physiotherapy Board. The board is responsible for keeping professional standards up to where they need to be, and for making sure that the Code of Practice is upheld.

A total of 37 more cases of monkeypox have been detected in England and Scotland, public health officials said on Monday, taking the total to 57. Thirty-six confirmed cases were found in England, and one north of the border, the UK Health Security Agency and Public Health Scotland said. The UKHSA said it was now advising high-risk contact cases of confirmed cases who have not tested positive or developed symptoms to isolate for up to 21 days. It has also bought supplies of smallpox vaccine, which is being offered to close contacts to reduce the risk of symptomatic infection and severe illness. Chief medical adviser Susan Hopkins said contact tracing was helping to limit the close-contact spread of the virus, which causes a chickenpox-like rash. "Because the virus spreads through close contact, we are urging everyone to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service if they have any symptoms," she added in a statement.

In a bid to address the ongoing deficit in staff in the UK's healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS) has entered into a new workforce agreement with India. According to media reports, the healthcare service plans to hire 2,000 doctors from India on a fast-track basis to alleviate this pressing issue. It is learned that the NHS has set up training centres across many Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Delhi, Gurugram, Indore, Mysore, Chennai, and Calicut to provide postgraduate training for the first batch of doctors. Post their training period (which ranges from six to 12 months), these doctors will be deployed at hospitals across Britain. They will also be exempted from the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) examination that is otherwise mandatory for practising in the country.

Thousands of cancer patients in England are set to gain fast-tracked access to personalised cancer vaccine trials through a new National Health Service(NHS) initiative, the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. This groundbreaking service aims to find new life-saving treatments by matching eligible patients with clinical trials across the country. The first patient to receive a personalised vaccine for bowel cancer is Elliot Phebve, a 55-year-old lecturer, treated at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. Phebve, diagnosed through a routine health check, underwent surgery and chemotherapy before joining the trial. Sponsored by German biotech company BioNTech SE, the colorectal cancer vaccine trial is one of several taking place across NHS trusts.

NHS England delivered 358 million general practice (GP) appointments, including Covid-19 vaccinations, in the 12 months to October 2023, an increase of 50.9 million compared to October 2019. This equals to 44 more appointments per practice per working day, with over 70 per cent of these taking place within two weeks of booking, data published by NHSE on Thursday (30 November) showed. Health Minister, Andrea Leadsom, thanked GPs and primary care teams across the country for making it possible to deliver around 32,500 more appointments every day, which clearly demonstrate that "more people are getting the care they need, when they need it." "While this is positive news, we know that there is more to do to make it easier and quicker for patients to contact their general practice and continue to focus on delivering the Primary Care Recovery Plan," she added. The Primary Care Recovery Plan published earlier this year is focused on improving access to primary care. It provided GPs in England with £240 million to support them to embrace the latest technology to tackle the 8am rush, and handle more appointments. As of August 2023, more than 1,000 general practices had signed up to digital upgrades to make booking GP appointments easier.

After receiving approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the NHS is preparing to roll out a new combination treatment for brain tumours in children and young people in England. Dabrafenib with trametinib would be the first ever targeted treatment for children (aged 1-17) with gliomas that have a specific genetic mutation, the health service said. The treatment, which can be taken at home, has been found to slow the progression of the disease by over threefold compared to standard chemotherapy in children with low-grade gliomas that have a BRAF V600E mutation. Clinical trials have shown that it causes fewer side-effects than chemotherapy. NICE approved the combination treatment on Wednesday 24 April. It will be available on the NHS in the coming months.

The National Health Services England (NHSE) is poised to revolutionise diabetes management with the introduction of the 'artificial pancreas', also known as the Hybrid Closed Loop system, to treat type 1 diabetes. This pioneering initiative, endorsed by the National Institute of Health Care and Excellence (NICE), represents a global first in healthcare innovation. With 269,095 individuals grappling with type 1 diabetes in England, the Hybrid Closed Loop system is set to cater to tens of thousands of children and adults across the nation. This cutting-edge device operates by seamlessly monitoring blood glucose levels and autonomously adjusting insulin dosage through a pump, by eliminating the need for regular insulin injections. Furthermore, it holds the promise of averting life-threatening hypoglycaemic and hyperglycaemia episodes, mitigating significant risks associated with the condition. To facilitate the identification of beneficiaries, NHSE has allocated a substantial sum of £2.5 million, ensuring that those who could benefit from this innovative solution receive the necessary support.

NHS England is rolling out a range of tech and data solutions, including an artificial intelligence (AI) system, across the health service to tackle winter pressures. The AI system will be used to identify patients at risk of hospital admission so community NHS teams can get to them first and reduce pressures on A&E departments. On a trial basis, four GP practices in Somerset have started using the innovative technology which can highlight registered patients with complex health needs. Health coaches, nurses, or GPs will then reach out to the people most at risk, and provide them with a range of preventive care such as monitoring, food parcels, cleaning, shopping, as well as escalating care to specialist doctors.