How reliant is the NHS in England on international nurse recruitment?

How reliant is the NHS in England on international nurse recruitment? Registered nurses are the biggest area of workforce shortages in the NHS in England. Compared with many other OECD countries, the NHS relies heavily on international recruitment as a route to increasing nurse numbers. The Health Foundation

Valuing lived experience - learning report: are you ready to commit to the work of co-production?

Valuing lived experience - learning report: are you ready to commit to the work of co-production? Voices for Improvement is a National Voices project which seeks to strengthen collaboration between those with lived experience and decision-makers, in the service of improving health and social care. The project supports those with lived experience to provide coaching and mentoring to those in senior positions in health and care. The coaching allows clients to gain deeper understanding of lived experience perspectives and promotes the confidence to try new approaches to co-production in their own work. This report  summarises two years of work of the project.

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected 16 additional cases of monkeypox in England.

The latest cases, as of 26 May, bring the total number confirmed in England since 7 May to 101.

See also:

• Multi-country monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries World Health Organization
• Monkeypox wasn’t created in a lab - and other claims debunked BBC News
• Monkeypox and gay men: Separating stigma from health advice BBC News
• Got a new rash? Monkeypox or something else? BBC News
• Monkeypox patients should avoid pet contact BBC News
• NHS 111 ‘overloaded’ with callers asking if rash is monkeypox The Independent
• Close contacts of monkeypox cases ‘left in the dark’ as experts call for greater support The Independent
• Monkeypox outbreak could be just ‘the peak of the iceberg’, WHO warns The Guardian
• Monkeypox presents moderate risk to public health, WHO says Reuters

New clinical trials deal struck to better protect world from future pandemics

New clinical trials deal struck to better protect world from future pandemics Millions of people across the world will be better protected from future pandemics thanks to a landmark resolution brought by the UK and Argentina at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva on Friday 27 May.

By encouraging more specific funding, the resolution will help developing countries increase their capacity to run their own clinical trials – helping them to test new drugs, vaccines and other health interventions which will benefit their populations – while working across countries to respond to future pandemics more rapidly. Department of Health and Social Care

New calls for buffer zones around UK abortion clinics

New calls for buffer zones around UK abortion clinics Medical leaders in the UK have launched a fresh call for buffer zones to be set up around abortion clinics to prevent activists targeting patients and staff.

The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) wants a nationwide network of legally-protected spaces to be set up to shield patients from harassment and intimidation. BBC News

Unexplained child hepatitis cases rise again in UK

Unexplained child hepatitis cases rise again in UK Another 25 children have been diagnosed with unexplained hepatitis in the UK, bringing the total number affected to 222, health officials say.

Of those cases, 158 live in England, 31 in Scotland, 17 in Wales and 16 in Northern Ireland.

Most are under five years old and had diarrhoea and nausea followed by jaundice - yellowing of the skin or eyes.

A surge in cases has also been detected in countries around the world. BBC News

See also:

• Increase in hepatitis (liver inflammation) cases in children under investigation UK Health Security Agency
• Acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children - Multi-country World Health Organization
• Hepatitis: Mum's fear for girl, 4, in mystery virus outbreak BBC News
• Another 36 cases of mysterious hepatitis have been recorded, but no new deaths The Daily Mail
• Hepatitis cases now being investigated in children over 10 The Daily Telegraph
• Mystery continues over liver failure in children across the world Metro
• WHO says 650 probable cases of acute child hepatitis reported so far Reuters

Australia faces worst flu season in years as scientists ready for UK winter

Australia faces worst flu season in years as scientists ready for UK winter The worsening flu season in Australia has provoked fears among UK scientists that the country will follow suit this winter, leading to mass infections and hospitalisations among all age groups.

Australia is bracing for its worst flu seasons in five years, after Covid restrictions suppressed the circulation of the influenza virus in 2020 and 2021. The Independent

Medical research stalled as NHS focuses on small number of trials, experts say

Medical research stalled as NHS focuses on small number of trials, experts say Government efforts to focus NHS resources on a smaller number of well-designed clinical trials could inadvertently be contributing to a backlog of stalled medical research, and result in some important trials being scrapped, researchers say. The Guardian

UK patients affected by infected blood scandal to receive payouts

UK patients affected by infected blood scandal to receive payouts A compensation scheme for thousands of people affected by the infected blood scandal, described as the biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, will reportedly be announced within weeks.

Ministers will set up an arm’s-length body to administer the funds, which could run into hundreds of millions of pounds, and recognise culpability for the scandal for the first time, according to the Sunday Times. The Guardian

NHS watchdog rejects use of snortable antidepressant that contains ketamine-like drug

NHS watchdog rejects use of snortable antidepressant that contains ketamine-like drug A nasal spray treatment for depression derived from the illegal party drug ketamine has been rejected for use on the NHS.

Esketamine is said to work by changing brain chemicals responsible for mood, combatting feelings of depression in a matter of hours. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• Esketamine for treatment-resistant depression (guideline in development) NICE