Corby Urgent Care Centre to launch new wellness hub

Corby Urgent Care Centre to launch new wellness hub A new hub providing lifestyle support will open at Corby's Urgent Care Centre on Wednesday (September 25).

The health complex, run by OnePrimaryCare, has invited the public to visit between 10am and 3pm to learn more about the available services at the launch of its 'wellness hub'. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Contained or contagious? The future of infectious disease in ageing societies

Contained or contagious? The future of infectious disease in ageing societies This report urges policymakers across the world to do more to adequately prepare for the growing risk of future pandemics. A number of global developments are currently increasing the likelihood of future outbreaks, including complacency around vaccination uptake, lack of awareness of the risks of infectious disease, anti-microbial resistance, climate change and global population migration. Moreover, in an ageing society, more of us are likely to be susceptible to infectious disease and experience complications resulting from disease. International Longevity Centre UK

Penalty charge notices in healthcare

Penalty charge notices in healthcare Penalty charge notices (PCNs) are supposed to discourage people from claiming free prescriptions or dental treatment when they are not entitled to do so. This report finds that the current PCN process penalises those who fail to navigate the complex exemption criteria and neglects clear evidence of abuse by repeat offenders. It concludes that the system requires a fundamental overhaul is not fit for purpose. House of Commons Public Accounts Committee

'Half as many Britons' vape as smoke

'Half as many Britons' vape as smoke The number of people vaping in the UK has reached 3.6 million - about half the number of smokers - figures from Action on Smoking and Health suggest.

The data indicates most vapers are former smokers, with the main reason for using e-cigarettes being to give up tobacco.

The findings come as the US continues to investigate a spate of serious lung injuries linked to vaping. BBC News

'Revolutionary' new class of cancer drugs approved

'Revolutionary' new class of cancer drugs approved A "revolutionary" new class of cancer drug that can treat a wide range of tumours has been approved for use in Europe for the first time.

Tumour-agnostic drugs do not care where the cancer is growing in the body as long as it has a specific genetic abnormality inside.

UK doctors testing the drugs said they were "a really exciting thing". BBC News

‘They looked at my face and put me on a male ward’: LGBT+ women tell of NHS discrimination

‘They looked at my face and put me on a male ward’: LGBT+ women tell of NHS discrimination Gay, bisexual, transgender and other LGBT+ women living in Britain are subjected to discrimination and prejudice when accessing healthcare services, a new study has found.

The report, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found LGBT+ women face obstacles when discussing issues or logging complaints. The Independent

See also:

• A Systematic Review of Sexual Minority Women’s Experiences of Health Care in the UK (open access) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

GP surgeries deny care to vulnerable people without ID documents

GP surgeries deny care to vulnerable people without ID documents Many practices are refusing to take new patients without checks that breach NHS rules

GPs are wrongly denying care to homeless people, travellers and recent arrivals into the UK by telling them to produce photographic identification or proof of address before they can register or get urgent treatment.

Sex workers and drug users are also being prevented from accessing GP surgeries for the same reason, according to findings published in the British Journal of General Practice. The Guardian#

See also:

• Provision and accessibility of primary healthcare services for people who are homeless: a qualitative study of patient perspectives in the UK (abstract) British Journal of General Practice

Cannabis-based drug for childhood epilepsy approved for use in UK

Cannabis-based drug for childhood epilepsy approved for use in UK Plant-derived Epidyolex is first medicine of its kind to be given green light by regulators

The first cannabis-based medicine for childhood epilepsy is expected to be available soon in the UK and the rest of Europe after its UK manufacturer, GW Pharmaceuticals, received the green light from European authorities.

Cambridge-based GW said the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European commission had approved Epidyolex for seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome for patients aged two years and older. The Guardian

Trial opens in France over weight loss drug that 'killed hundreds'

Trial opens in France over weight loss drug that 'killed hundreds' A major trial into a weight loss drug linked to the deaths of hundreds has opened in France in a case exposing the allegedly unhealthy ties between members of the country’s medicines watchdog and the pharmaceutical industry.

Servier, the drugs company, stands accused of aggravated deception, fraud and illegal taking of interest for failing to act to shelve Mediator, a diabetes pill for weight loss, despite persistent safety concerns. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Mediator: French weight-loss drug trial over ‘up to 2,000’ deaths begins BBC News

Waiting list for heart transplants has more than DOUBLED in a decade

Waiting list for heart transplants has more than DOUBLED in a decade The waiting list for heart transplants has more than doubled in a decade, official figures have revealed.

NHS Blood and Transplant today said 313 are waiting for an organ to become free – a 130 per cent jump from a decade ago, thought to have been caused by an ageing population. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Heart transplant waiting lists reach record high, with doubling in number waiting The Daily Telegraph