Friday 4 March 2022

Integrating additional roles into primary care networks

Integrating additional roles into primary care networks We found that PCNs are in their early stages of development and in many cases lack a clear, shared overall purpose and strategy or a clear, shared vision and buy-in for the ARRS roles. Many PCNs do not share a team identity, and this makes deploying network-wide staff in a supported way very complex when there are different strategies, different cultures and different identities to be managed. The King's Fund

At Your Service: A proposal to reform general practice and enable digital healthcare at scale

At Your Service: A proposal to reform general practice and enable digital healthcare at scale Policy Exchange has set out a pragmatic proposal for reform in a new report. Addressing issues around integration, workforce, digital transformation and scaled provision, we argue that a new model of general practice is required to better meet the needs of patients and the taxpayer – so it feels increasingly at their service.

Boosterism blinds us to the possible benefits of Brexit

Boosterism blinds us to the possible benefits of Brexit A recent report set out a range of benefits from Brexit across many areas of regulation, policy and spending, but on closer inspection do the sections relevant to health remind us that most of these advantages are hopes or goals rather than current reality? Nuffield Trust

Trans health matters: improving access to healthcare for trans and gender diverse Londoners

Trans health matters: improving access to healthcare for trans and gender diverse Londoners This report finds that trans and gender-diverse people can experience health inequalities and discrimination when accessing health care in the UK and that the experiences of trans and gender-diverse people when accessing general NHS services to meet their non-gender related health care needs is not as well-understood. The investigation heard examples of microaggressions, misgendering and using incorrect pronouns within the NHS and makes several recommendations for improving access to and experiences of health care. London Assembly

    Hundreds of patients to benefit from revolutionary lung cancer drug on the NHS

    Hundreds of patients to benefit from revolutionary lung cancer drug on the NHS A revolutionary targeted drug for lung cancer will be made available to anyone who is eligible, thanks to a new drug deal, the head of the NHS announced today.

    Sotorasib targets a genetic mutation, dubbed the ‘death star’, by medics and scientists, and has been proven during trials to prevent lung cancer from growing for seven months. NHS England

    Norovirus outbreaks increasing in England

    Norovirus outbreaks increasing in England The UK Health Security Agency is reminding the public of simple actions that they can take to reduce the spread of norovirus. The advice comes after routine surveillance in England shows that the number of outbreaks caused by the vomiting bug has increased in recent weeks (4-week period from end January to February), initially in educational settings and now in care home settings.

    See also:

    Official Statistics: National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports: 2021 to 2022 season

    Official Statistics: National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports: 2021 to 2022 season National influenza and COVID-19 report, monitoring COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses. UK Health Security Agency

    See also:

    Another life-saving Covid drug identified

    Another life-saving Covid drug identified UK experts say they have found another life-saving drug that can help people ill with Covid.

    The anti-inflammatory baricitinib is normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

    Trials suggest it can cut death risk by about a fifth in patients needing hospital care for severe Covid. BBC News

    See also:

    Staffing crisis deepens in NHS England with 110,000 posts unfilled

    Staffing crisis deepens in NHS England with 110,000 posts unfilled The NHS is facing a deepening staffing crisis, with the number of unfilled posts across health services in England rising to 110,192, official figures show.

    The shortages include 39,652 nurses and 8,158 doctors, according to the latest quarterly data for health service vacancies published by NHS Digital. The Guardian 

    See also:

    Javid tells NHS to stop using Gazprom-supplied energy

    Javid tells NHS to stop using Gazprom-supplied energy Sajid Javid has said the NHS in England must stop using energy supplied by the Russian-owned firm Gazprom.

    A senior government source told the PA Media news agency that the health secretary has been in talks with NHS England (NHSE) over ending the contracts, which are reported by Politico to have been worth £16m in 2021. More than a dozen NHS trusts are thought to be supplied by Gazprom, alongside several local councils. The Guardian

    NHS scraps free flu jabs for millions of people aged over 50 and secondary school children

    NHS scraps free flu jabs for millions of people aged over 50 and secondary school children The NHS has scrapped free flu jabs for millions of people aged over 50 as the organisation chose to reverse its policy to pre-pandemic conditions.

    Secondary school children aged 11 to 15 who were also eligible for the free shot won’t be offered one either. The Daily Mail

    See also: 

    How will the NHS get to 'net zero'?

    How will the NHS get to 'net zero'? Six ways the NHS is planning to reduce its carbon emissions, with analysis of draft green plans from NHS trusts. The Pharmaceutical Journal