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The National Health Service (NHS) has said that the roll-out of blood-thinning drugs has helped save thousands of lives. In January 2022, the NHS launched a drive to rapidly expand the use of life-saving direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in people who are at increased risk of strokes. Since then, more than 24 million prescriptions have been given to such patients and around 460,000 more people have started taking the drugs. This prevented an estimated 17,000 strokes and 4,000 deaths in the last 18 months, as revealed by the new NHS data. Amanda Pritchard, the NHS chief executive, hailed the "lifesaving NHS rollout" at the King's Fund annual conference. It is part of a major NHS drive on "prevention" - to catch more killer conditions earlier and save more lives.

Modulator therapies, manufactured by Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX.O), may no longer be available for new cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in the UK. A draft guidance recently published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) stated that it would not recommend the use of Kaftrio, Symkevi and Orkambi on new CF patients. Kaftrio and Symkevi are currently recommended for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients aged 6 years and older, while Orkambi is used for patients aged 1 and older. The NICE draft guidance highlighted medicine costs and the strain on resources and finances faced by the National Health Service (NHS) as reasons for removing these drugs.

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.

Winter pressures are already mounting on NHS staff ahead of December, with high levels of demand in hospitals due to a significant increase in cases of norovirus infection. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus which spreads through contaminated food, water or surfaces and causes vomiting and diarrhea. New NHS figures revealed that an average of 351 people were hospitalised with diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms every day last week in England, almost triple the number during the same period last winter, which was 126. The number of children in hospital with the virus was also higher last week (13) compared the same week last year (an average of just three), according to the weekly winter update published by the health service on 30 November.

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has partnered with P-Wave, a urinal products brand, to put cancer warnings for men on urinal mats in public places across England, as part of its new earlier diagnosis drive. Urinal mats in pubs, restaurants, shops, hotels and sports stadiums will begin to carry the message "Blood in your pee? Contact your GP practice", and men's toilets in workplaces will also be targeted, the NHS said. Health chiefs believe that this unique initiative will help men to spot the signs of cancer such as blood in pee, and catch the disease early. "Having blood in your pee - even just once - shouldn't be ignored because it can be a sign of cancer, so it needs to be checked out by your GP team," said Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer.

Long waiting times for National Health Service (NHS) care are leaving people too sick to work in the UK, which is affecting the country's economy. One in three people missed work in 2022 due to delays in accessing NHS care, revealed a new survey by Pollsters Savanta. The market research consultancy surveyed 2,235 people in the UK this month on behalf of the Liberal Democrats. According to the survey results, 19 per cent of the participants could not go to work as they were waiting for a GP appointment. While 15 per cent of the respondents had to take a long period off work while they waited for treatment or surgery, 12 per cent missed work as they waited for emergency dental treatments. Overall, 36 per cent of those surveyed had missed at least some work because of difficulty getting NHS care.

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is probing major concerns arising from Boots' communications to pharmacists regarding the company's recently announced pension arrangements. In November, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the parent company of Boots, transferred the Boots employees' pension scheme to the financial service provider Legal and General (L&G) in a £4.8 billion deal. Boots notified staff that terms allowing an unreduced pension from age 60 have ceased immediately, following its agreement with L&G. The PDA highlighted member concerns regarding Boots management's announcement that an unreduced pension from the age of 60 is a discretionary benefit and not guaranteed under the Boots Pension Scheme (BPS), contrary to some members' assumptions.

Healthcare staff across England are facing increasing winter pressures amid junior doctor's strikes, as thousands of hospital beds are being occupied by patients with flu, norovirus and Covid-19. The number of flu patients in hospital has increased by almost two thirds in a week, according to the latest weekly update from the National health Service (NHS). New NHS figures published on Thursday showed an average of 648 patients were hospitalised with flu per day this week before the industrial action, up from 402 last week. This lasts number is four times the figure reported at the end of last month (160 per in the week ending 26 November).

NHS England has expanded its national bowel screening programme to people aged 54 so that cancers can be detected at an earlier stage when they are easier to treat. As part of the expansion, the health service would be sending a home-testing kit for bowel cancer, known as the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), to thousands more people in the North West. Those who are eligible (aged 54 and over) will now automatically receive the kit every two years by post, enabling them to self-check for blood in stool samples, which can be a sign of bowel cancer. With the expansion of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to people aged 54 years, an additional 830,000 people in England will now be eligible for the screening test.

In a recent announcement the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) unveiled its strategic approach to artificial intelligence (AI), as it sets out to embrace the transformative potential of AI in healthcare regulation. Building upon the Government's white paper 'A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation', released in 2023, the MHRA outlined five key strategic principles guiding its adoption of AI. These principles encompass safety, security, and robustness; appropriate transparency and explainability; fairness, accountability, and governance; and contestability and redress. A science-led organization, the MHRA was tasked with providing an independent view of its approach to AI in medicine and science, aligning with a government white paper. Recognising its role in UK's goal to be a science and tech leader by 2030, MHRA is tasked to evaluate AI's opportunities and risks across regulatory, public service, and evidence-based decision-making area.

Good news for patients whose epilepsy cannot be controlled by standard anti-seizure drugs! Next month, NHS England will introduce a cutting-edge laser beam therapy that can prevent seizures in these individuals. Known as Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT), the advanced treatment targets the part of the brain causing seizures without the need for invasive surgery, the health service said. The new fibre optic laser therapy is being offered at King's College Hospital in London and The Walton Centre in Liverpool. Starting from June, it will be gradually extended to eligible patients across England. Each year, it is expected to benefit up to 50 epilepsy patients in England who are resistant to standard anti-seizure medications. "This groundbreaking new treatment will change the lives of those with severe epilepsy improving quality of life and providing much-needed assurance," said Andrew Stephenson, Minister of State for Health.

Extending its support for the Prescription Charges Coalition (PCC), the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is asking pharmacists in England to share their experiences of patients denying prescriptions due to financial issues. PDA members who have practiced in the country within the last 12 months are asked to complete the Prescription Charges Coalition survey by Sunday 28 January. The PCC is an alliance of more than 50 organisations campaigning to abolish unfair prescription charges for people with long-term conditions in England. All members of the coalition, including PDA and Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), understand that if patients do not receive their prescribed medicines due to the cost, their health may deteriorate, and this can increase costs for the National Health Service (NHS).

NHS England has launched a cloud-based platform that links recently-retired consultants, who still hold a licence to practice, with secondary care providers who need additional help with their waiting lists. It has been developed to make it easier and more flexible for retired doctors to return to the health service as part of the Long Term Workforce Plan. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard in June 2023 announced the NHS Emeritus pilot scheme, which is expected to help reduce long waits for elective care. Initially, the scheme will run for a year across England, and if successful, it may be expanded to cover other work areas. Health Minister Andrew Stephenson commented: "Returning consultants will bring invaluable experience and knowledge, and the new digital platform will match highly-skilled consultants with the NHS trusts that require their expertise, providing high quality care and alleviating pressures on high demand areas.

In a significant move to enhance the working conditions of over 50,000 postgraduate doctors in the National Health Service, NHS England has unveiled a series of measures aimed at providing greater choice and opportunities to the new entrants in the medical profession. With flexible rotas, reducing payroll errors, and easing the financial burden of course fees, the NHS has taken steps to address the issues faced by junior doctors in order to support their well-being. In recent announcement, 83 per cent of senior doctors and dentists accepted the government's pay offer. Alongside the junior doctors who still fighting for fair pay and recognition, the senior medical professionals demanded that the authorities help them tackle issues pertaining underfunding and overworking in the NHS. Junior doctors in training also often face challenges with frequent moves between trusts, leading to short notice changes in work schedules and duplicated inductions when transitioning to new hospitals. As a measure taken by the health serivces, the committee aims to review the minimum legal requirements for statutory and mandatory training, potentially halving the time burden for such training and allowing doctors to spend more time caring for patients as part of the long-term workforce plan.

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.

Within 24 hours of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton's, cancer diagnosis, National Health Service (NHS) England saw a 373% spike in visits to its cancer page, highlighting the growing focus on cancer awareness. Similarly, charities like Macmillan Cancer Support charity experienced increased traffic, with nearly 100,000 visits to their support pages since the announcement. Traffic to the NHS website's cancer symptoms page surged significantly, recording a remarkable 4,172 visits within three hours of the release of the Princess's video message. This sudden increase translated to an average of one visit every three seconds, a substantial rise from the 1,922 visits recorded during the same timeframe a week earlier. Notably, visits to the symptoms page peaked immediately after the announcement, with 1,678 visits recorded between 6 pm and 7 pm on the day of the announcement.

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.

Online vape store GoSmokeFree analysed data from NHS Stop Smoking Service in England from April to September 2023 to determine the number of individuals in each of the nine UK regions who reported successfully quitting smoking after setting a quit date. The findings showed that the South East has the highest number of successful quitters, with 1,226 smokers per 100,000 reporting to have given it up. The Isle of Wight is the most successful area to quit smoking in the South East with 3,124 people quitting per 100,000 smokers. Of the 4,294 individuals who set a quit date in this region, 803 admitted to not being able to achieve their target. A spokesperson from the online retailer noted that overcoming nicotine withdrawals and mental challenges can be exceptionally difficult when attempting to quit smoking.

General practitioners (GPs) across England have made a resolute stand against proposed alterations in the 2024/25 national GP General Medical Services (GMS) contract put forth by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England. This firm opposition coincides with the declaration of an extended six-month strike by 33,869 junior doctors within the NHS, advocating for full pay reinstatement and reforms in the pay recommendation process. The latest survey conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA) has revealed that an overwhelming 99.2% of GPs in England are against any changes to the existing contract. The proposed amendments, slated for implementation from April 1st, 2024, encompass a meagre national practice contract baseline funding uplift of just 1.9%, notably falling short of recent inflation rates. This corroborates with GP Online poll that recently unveiled widespread GP dissatisfaction with proposed changes to the national GMS contract. 83% of GPs in favour of strikes cite pay and funding concerns, while burnout, high workloads, and patient safety also fuel discontent.

Seven NHS trusts in England are set to begin trials of new wireless technologies to help improve patient care and strengthen connectivity in A&Es and ambulance bays. They have been awarded around £1 million as part of NHS England's Wireless Trials programme, which aims to leverage advanced wireless technologies to enhance patient care and experiences while freeing up more staff time. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust will introduce an innovative approach of combining satellite and cloud-based wireless solutions to enhance connectivity across its 10 hospital sites and wider community services. At Mid Cheshire and Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS trusts, wireless trackers will be installed on medical equipment and hospital beds. This will allow real-time monitoring and location tracking, enabling easy accessibility for staff to locate necessary items promptly.