Digital health care across the UK: where are we now?

Digital health care across the UK: where are we now? Achieving digital transformation in health and social care in England has long been a goal, but progress on it over the past decade has not been straightforward. But what is happening elsewhere in the UK? With Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England all embarking on ambitious digital health programmes, Rachel Hutchings and Jessica Morris take a closer look at the various approaches being taken. Nuffield Trust

NHS leaders make ‘unprecedented move’ urging government to act now on rising energy costs or risk public health emergency

NHS leaders make ‘unprecedented move’ urging government to act now on rising energy costs or risk public health emergency NHS leaders across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are warning of rising numbers of people falling sick and worsening health outcomes across the country unless the government takes urgent action to limit further energy price increases.  

They fear a widening of health inequalities and worsening health outcomes for people living in communities with the highest levels of deprivation if individuals and families are driven further into poverty because of excessive energy costs. A decision on the energy price cap is expected on 26 August, with the latest estimates suggesting that the cap could go as high as £4,200 by January. NHS Confederation

See also:

• People's health at risk unless action taken on energy costs - NHS leaders BBC News
• NHS chiefs claim soaring energy bills will trigger 'humanitarian crisis' this winter The Daily Telegraph
• NHS leaders warn of ‘humanitarian crisis’ if government doesn’t act on energy costs The Guardian
• NHS boss warns of ‘unprecedented’ risk of death from cold homes unless ministers intervene on bills The Independent
• Cost of living: UK facing 'public health emergency' if action not taken on energy bills, NHS chiefs warn Sky News

Developing aspiring ethnic minority nursing and midwifery leaders

Developing aspiring ethnic minority nursing and midwifery leaders The Midlands Developing Aspirant Ethnic Minority Nursing and Midwifery Leaders Programme is a new, innovative regional pilot scheme designed by ethnic minority nurses and midwives for ethnic minority nurses and midwives. Miriam Coffie and Tom Warner explain how the programme works and its contribution to reducing healthcare inequalities. NHS England

NHS to roll out variant busting booster jab from September ahead of winter

NHS to roll out variant busting booster jab from September ahead of winter The NHS will become the first healthcare system in the world to use the next generation, bivalent COVID vaccine when it kickstarts the autumn booster rollout in early September.

Following the updated advice from the JCVI on Monday, the NHS has now set out plans for the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccination programme – the largest and fastest vaccine drive in health service history.

Set to start during the week of 5 September, NHS staff will begin vaccinating care home residents and people who are housebound. NHS England

See also:

• National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published UK Health Security Agency
• Good practice statement on the use of second booster doses for COVID-19 vaccines World Health Organization
• Covid booster rollout to start in early September in England BBC News
• Covid pass app working again, says NHS Digital, after disruption BBC News
• COVID-19 booster campaign to start on 5 September, NHS England says GPonline
• NHS England to use dual-variant Covid vaccine in autumn booster programme The Guardian
• British travellers left struggling to board flights after NHS Covid pass down The Guardian
• NHS Covid Pass fixed after glitch leaves travellers without vaccination records The Independent
• Bring back Covid face masks on public transport or face winter wave, Tony Blair Institute warns The Independent
• Most people with Omicron didn't even realise they had COVID-19, study finds Sky News

Ambulance pressures: Thousands of taxis sent following 999 calls

Ambulance pressures: Thousands of taxis sent following 999 calls Ambulance services are using taxis to take thousands of patients to hospital following calls initially categorised as urgent.

Freedom of Information Act figures indicate the practice is increasing as trusts struggle with pressures.

Patients ranged from a three-day-old baby in Yorkshire to a 103-year-old in Wales. BBC News

Government defends medical student number cap

Government defends medical student number cap Questions are being asked why the government is sticking to its cap on medical and dentistry places.

A shortage of doctors and other medical staff has been described as the biggest challenge facing the NHS.

But the number of places at UK medical schools are capped - in England this year there are 7,500 places. BBC News

'Thousands' of foreign workers to be hired to fill health and social care staffing shortages

'Thousands' of foreign workers to be hired to fill health and social care staffing shortages The government is working on plans to recruit thousands of foreign workers from countries such as India and the Phillippines to plug staffing gaps in the health and social care sector, according to reports.

Overseas recruits are expected to be brought in on a “mass scale” as the health service struggles to fill vacancies. The Independent

See also:

• Slump in nursing course acceptances will worsen staffing crisis – union boss The Independent

UK dentists should give antibiotics to patients at risk of heart infection – study

UK dentists should give antibiotics to patients at risk of heart infection – study Dentists in the UK should be encouraged to give antibiotics to patients at high risk of life-threatening heart infection before invasive procedures, a study has found.

Research suggests bacteria from the mouth entering the bloodstream during dental treatment could explain 30% to 40% of infective endocarditis cases. The rare but life-threatening condition occurs when the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves become infected. The Guardian

See also:

• Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis Before Invasive Dental Procedures (abstract) Journal of the American College of Cardiology
• Dentists should give antibiotics to high-risk patients to help prevent life-threatening heart infection University of Sheffield
• Infective endocarditis following invasive dental procedures: IDEA case-crossover study NIHR

Liz Truss called for patients to be charged for GP visits, 2009 paper reveals

Liz Truss called for patients to be charged for GP visits, 2009 paper reveals Liz Truss called for patients to be charged to see their GP and for doctors’ pay to be slashed by 10% in a pamphlet she co-authored in 2009, the unearthed document has revealed.

The Tory leadership frontrunner also wanted to see the universal child benefit abolished in the report, which she co-wrote with six other people when she was deputy director of the Reform thinktank. The Guardian

Nine in ten GPs fear their practice will struggle to cope this winter

Nine in ten GPs fear their practice will struggle to cope this winter Nearly nine in ten GPs fear that their practice will struggle to cope this winter, with workload pressures and staff shortages chief among their concerns, a GPonline poll has found.