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Major health, care and research bodies, including the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for National Statistics, should establish a national health data service in England to improve patient care and research - an NHS-commissioned review has recommended. Professor Cathie Sudlow's independent review of the UK health data landscape concluded that "complex and inefficient" data systems prevent and delay crucial analysis of health conditions affecting millions of people across the UK. The review - 'Uniting the UK's health data: a huge opportunity for society', published on 8 November 2024 - stressed the need for coordinated action across multiple organisations and stakeholders to ensure the greatest benefits for patients and the public from health-relevant data. They identified several barriers to using health data for public benefit and set our five recommendations for overcoming these barriers and transforming the national health data ecosystem. These include the establishment of a national health data service for England, embedded within existing organisational structures but with accountable senior leadership and a ring-fenced budget. Professor Sudlow said: "We are simply not maximising the benefits to society from the rich abundance of health data in the UK.

The Company Chemists' Association (CCA) has voiced strong support for a recent report from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), which advocates for the establishment of a 'Digital Health Record' (DHR) for every individual in the UK. The CCA, which was interviewed as part of the report's development, believes that the creation of a DHR could significantly enhance the NHS's efficiency, improve preventative healthcare, and help the health service harness the full potential of artificial intelligence (AI). The TBI report highlights that the current health and care system suffers from fragmented data, with individual records scattered across various providers, including community pharmacies. This siloed approach often hampers the delivery of seamless and effective care. A unified DHR, the report argues, would consolidate all relevant health data into a single, accessible record, ensuring that patients receive timely and appropriate care across the entire healthcare system.

As the countdown to the next UK election begins, the King's Fund has identified three priorities to improve public health. The national action would be taken by the future government to fix the "NHS and social care" in the country. The health policy think tank said it would prioritise "improving access to out-of-hospital care", making "careers in health and social care" more attractive and tackling the biggest risk factors affecting people's health. It highlighted that workforce crisis is one of the biggest challenges faced by the National Health Service (NHS) and social care services in England while citing "years of poor planning and fragmented responsibilities" as the reason for widespread staff shortages. As per the King's Fund's data, there were more than 125,000 vacancies across the NHS workforce in England in October 2023, not including primary care vacancies such as GPs, and 152,000 vacant posts in the adult social care workforce.

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.

Pharmacy professionals to be included as key stakeholders in the implementation, delivery and evaluation of a wide range of genomic services, said the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). RPS's statement has been developed in collaboration with pharmacy organisations who have co-badged the report, such as the British Oncology Pharmacy Association, the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association, Association of Pharmacy Technicians and the College of Mental Health Pharmacy. It looks at current and future roles for pharmacy professionals in genomic medicine across many aspects of practice such as person-centred care and collaboration, professional practice, education, leadership, management and research. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the UK have already established roles in the application of genomic medicine in some areas of practice, such as antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases, and the management of certain genetic conditions, such as cystic fibrosis. The society believes, the current role of pharmacy professionals in genomics can be expanded upon in the future to both lead and support many relevant aspects of genomic implementation. These are described across all healthcare sectors, within the Genome UK strategy produced by the UK Government, and within the implementation plans published in England, Scotland and Wales. Lead for Pharmacogenomics at RPS Sophie Harding said: "Pharmacy professionals are the gatekeepers of medication safety and efficacy across all areas of healthcare. They are skilled at interpreting complex scientific data and use evidence-based medicine to maximise the benefits of treatments for patients, whilst supporting shared decision-making with patients and the multidisciplinary team.

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is less likely to cause long Covid than previous variants, according to the first peer-reviewed study of its kind from the UK. Researchers at King's College London, using data from nearly 100,000 people who logged their Covid symptoms via an app, found the odds of developing long Covid after infection were 20 per cent to 50 per cent lower during the Omicron wave in the UK compared to Delta. The figure varied depending on the patient's age and the timing of their last vaccination. Long Covid, which includes prolonged symptoms ranging from fatigue to 'brain fog', can be debilitating and continue for weeks or months. It is increasingly being recognised as a public health problem, and researchers have been racing to find out if Omicron presents as big a risk of long Covid as previously dominant variants. The study from King's is believed to be the first academic research to show Omicron does not present as great a risk of long Covid, but that does not mean long Covid patient numbers are dropping, the team said. While the risk of long Covid was lower during Omicron, more people were infected, so the absolute number now suffering is higher. "It's good news, but please don't decommission any of your long Covid services," lead researcher Dr Claire Steves said, appealing to health-service providers.

Britons paying privately for obesity drugs are increasingly choosing Eli Lilly's Mounjaro over Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, online pharmacies say, in a sign the US drugmaker is gaining ground on its European rival. Mounjaro is appealing to people because of its greater efficacy, six online pharmacies and two patients told Reuters, showing Novo's first-mover advantage is being challenged in the UK even though some pharmacies sell starter doses for the weekly injection for up to 40 per cent more than Wegovy. "Mounjaro is now vastly outstripping Wegovy," said Chemist4U CEO James O'Loan, who said for the past three to four months, Mounjaro has won about 70 per cent of its sales. Chemist4U and another online seller, Simple Online Pharmacy, estimate that as many as 500,000 people in the UK currently take either Mounjaro or Wegovy via prescriptions from private online pharmacies. Mounjaro, unlike Wegovy, is not available through the National Health Service (NHS) though it likely will be next year. Wegovy is only available through the NHS at specialist obesity clinics and in limited circumstances. There is no public data on prescription numbers but the government said last year it had capacity to treat about 35,000 patients.

Community pharmacies in Cornwall have delivered more than 8000 face-to-face consultations over last 12 months. Walk In Consultation Service (WICS) began 12 months ago when pharmacies in Cornwall started offering face-to-face consultations for a wide range of minor ailments, and NHS treatment as required - the first service of its kind in England. Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Scilly Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) Chief Officer Nick Kaye joined Operations Manager Drew Creek in Parliament recently by invite of Steve Double MP, St Austell and Newquay to meet with Minister for Health Neil O'Brien MP to present the service to them and Senior Civil Servants from DHSC and NHSE with a view to rolling this service out nationally. The data from these consultations show that over 6000 GP appointments were averted as a result of the service being available. After each consultation a record was sent to the patient's GP for information.

The National Health Service(NHS) has reported a record number of attendances at Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments and emergency admissions for any June, reflecting significant pressure on healthcare services amidst hot weather and recent strikes by junior doctors. Last month, hospitals across the UK handled over 2.29 million A&E attendances and more than 536,884 emergency admissions, marking increases of 3.1 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively compared to the previous year. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, acknowledged the strain on frontline teams: "Frontline teams are continuing to work exceptionally hard under significant pressure to provide the best care they can for patients."

Nine in ten people surveyed by Ipsos on behalf on NHS positively rated the advice they received from their local pharmacies. The results from Ipsos found that the vast majority of patients (91%) who had used a community pharmacy in the previous year for advice about medicines, a health problem or injury, or what health service they should use said they received good advice. The research comes as more than 11,000 pharmacies in England can now access training to spot signs of cancer as part of a new drive to catch tumours earlier when they are easier to treat. Thorrun Govind, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society English Pharmacy Board, said: "Community pharmacists are working exceptionally hard to make sure that the public gets the right advice at the right time. This new data shows the public appreciate both the accessibility and quality of advice they receive from community pharmacists. "I am delighted that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society is working with the NHS to deliver professional development for community pharmacists to further enhance their clinical consultation skills.

In response to concerns raised by Community Pharmacy England (CPE), ministers have decided to lower the October threshold for the Pharmacy First service to 20. This decision addresses a major worry for pharmacy owners who have struggled to meet the required number of clinical pathways for monthly Pharmacy First payments, especially as the October increase to 30 pathways approached. CPE has been actively engaged in discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England over the past few weeks to address this issue. Commenting on the decision, Janet Morrison, CEO of Community Pharmacy England, said: "It is great that ministers have responded to our concerns about another increase to the Pharmacy First payment threshold: this decision will save many community pharmacies from missing out on a vital payment this month." Morrison added that CPE will continue to monitor service data and, if needed, make further representations to ministers about future months. She also emphasised the need to find a long-term solution, which involves "NHS England marketing Pharmacy First effectively and ensuring that GPs are actively referring people to the service."

The government on Wednesday (March 2) announced an investment of £260 million to support research, development and manufacturing of new drugs, devices and diagnostics. Of the total funding, up to £200m has been allocated for research to better access NHS data through Trusted Research Environments and digital clinical trial services, enabling availability of crucial data with the highest levels of privacy. This will allow the NHS to deliver new life-saving treatments to patients, tackle health inequalities and improve patient care, a government release stated. The remaining £60m will support commercial-scale manufacturing investments by companies at the leading-edge of innovation, from cell and gene therapies and earlier and better diagnostic technologies, to medical devices. The funding for manufacturing investments will be distributed through the new Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), following the success of the earlier Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund.

In a significant move aimed at improving patient care and alleviating hospital pressures, the National Health Services (NHS) has expanded its same day emergency care services across the UK. This has resulted in thousands more individuals receiving rapid tests and treatment, effectively avoiding overnight hospital stays. Recent data paints a promising picture, revealing an 11 per cent increase in the number of patients discharged on the same day they were admitted as emergencies. This advancement translates to several patients receiving urgent care within hours, subsequently freeing up beds for others in need. Over the past year alone, an impressive 206,446 more patients have been discharged on the same day, amounting to 2,024,129 individuals in the year leading up to January 2024, compared to 1,817,683 in the preceding year. The successful rollout of same day emergency care to every hospital in England has played a pivotal role in easing bed congestion and reducing hospital admissions by up to 30 per cent in certain NHS Trusts.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has promoted Louise Edwards to the position of Chief Strategy Officer and Deputy Registrar. Louise is currently the Director of Regulation and Digital Transformation at the Electoral Commission, responsible for the organisation's regulatory work and digital, data, technology and facilities infrastructure. This includes funding and spending at elections and referendums, registering political parties, enforcement work, and data and information management. Louise will take over Mark Voce, the GPhC's current Chief Strategy Officer and Deputy Registrar, who is retiring early in July 2024. Louise said: "Pharmacy services are at the heart of health care for many people. Having effective regulation and standards in place can transform and give confidence in the quality of care that people receive.

Men can now have their blood pressure checked while visiting a barbershop. The NHS is extending its blood pressure screening services to different local venues, including barbershops, mosques, and pharmacies. This initiative aims to address the increasing risk of strokes and heart attacks among men. NHS staff's life-saving actions coincide with recent data indicating that high street pharmacies administered 149,865 blood pressure checks to individuals over 40 in May 2023. This marked a notable increase from the previous year's count of 58,345 in May 2022, the NHS said. "More than 1,300 heart attacks and strokes could be prevented this year thanks to the high street checks." "The total number of blood pressure checks delivered by pharmacy teams in the year to March was more than 1 million (1,053,278)," the NHS added. Furthermore, the government has committed £645 million for a range of added pharmaceutical services. This includes a target of conducting 2.5 million extra blood pressure checks annually at community pharmacies. This effort is estimated to avert over 1,350 cardiovascular events per year - equivalent to averting 113 heart attacks and strokes each month.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called for immediate intervention by Health Secretary Neil Gray to compensate pharmacies left in financial chaos due to flaws in Scotland's new pharmacy payment system. Introduced last year, the system was designed to streamline payments to pharmacies, dispensing doctors, and medical appliance suppliers. However, the NPA, which represents independent pharmacies across the UK, reported that many pharmacies were facing repeated shortfalls in expected funding under the system. Some pharmacies have encountered discrepancies of tens of thousands pounds due to errors in the Data Capture Validation & Pricing process introduced by NHS National Services Scotland. In other cases, NHS Boards have clawed back money from pharmacies at short notice, following processing errors that had initially resulted in an overpayment.