Student finance is ‘broken’ and in urgent need of reform, says BMA, as six out of 10 medical students say they are forced to cut spending on

Student finance is ‘broken’ and in urgent need of reform, says BMA, as six out of 10 medical students say they are forced to cut spending on 60 per cent of UK medical students report being forced to cut spending on essentials such as food, clothing and heating, according to a BMA survey of UK medical students published today.

Despite the detrimental impact on their studies and wellbeing, over half of UK medical students (53.6%) say they have to work during term time to pay their bills, feed themselves and keep themselves warm. An overwhelming majority of those who are forced to work (73.1%) say this adversely affects their studying. British Medical Association

See also:

• Most UK medical students struggle to afford essentials, survey finds The Guardian
• Medical students cutting spending on food and heating, says BMA The Independent

Monkeypox vaccine rationed by giving mini doses

Monkeypox vaccine rationed by giving mini doses Three NHS sites are set to begin a pilot offering eligible patients smaller doses of monkeypox vaccine, amid global shortages of the jab.

Experts say the reduced shots are just as effective and will mean more people are protected.

The fractional dosing approach has been authorised in the US and the EU, as well as the UK. BBC News

See also:

• Monkeypox vaccines to be piloted in smaller but equally effective doses UK Health Security Agency
• Guidance: Monkeypox vaccination recommendations UK Health Security Agency
• Update on vaccination to protect against monkeypox in England UK Health Security Agency

Tony Nicklinson: Decade since death of right-to-die campaigner

Tony Nicklinson: Decade since death of right-to-die campaigner Right-to-die campaigner Tony Nicklinson would be "angry" there has not been more progress on the issue a decade after his death, his daughter has said.

Mr Nicklinson had locked-in syndrome and fought for the right to legally end his life.

He was paralysed from the neck down after suffering a stroke in 2005. He died on 22 August 2012. BBC News

Brain stimulation boosts memory for a month

Brain stimulation boosts memory for a month Scientists have discovered they can boost people's memory for a least a month by harmlessly stimulating parts of the brain with electricity.

Volunteers performed better at word memorisation games, which tested both their immediate "working" memory and their long-term memory, experts found.

Exactly what the results mean for day-to-day life is still unclear. BBC News

See also:

• Long-lasting, dissociable improvements in working memory and long-term memory in older adults with repetitive neuromodulation (open access) Nature Neuroscience

New research offers hope for diabetes patients with sight loss

New research offers hope for diabetes patients with sight loss A new laser treatment for patients with sight loss as a result of diabetes has been shown to be cost-effective and non-invasive, according to research following a clinical trial.

There are currently several treatment options offered to people with Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO), including two types of laser treatment and eye injections. The Independent

See also:

• DIAbetic Macular Oedema aNd Diode Subthreshold micropulse laser (DIAMONDS): A randomized double-masked non-inferiority clinical trial (abstract, but article available with a Trust OpenAthens account) Ophthalmology

NHS 111 delays ‘leave patients waiting 20 times longer than target’

NHS 111 delays ‘leave patients waiting 20 times longer than target’ Patients calling NHS 111 are being left waiting for operators to answer 20 times longer than the expected time, according to new figures.

The service aims for calls to be answered in less than 20 seconds on average but the latest provisional data shows the average answer time in July was 395 seconds, or six and a half minutes. The Independent

GPs to prescribe walking and cycling in bid to ease burden on NHS

GPs to prescribe walking and cycling in bid to ease burden on NHS GPs around England are to prescribe patients activities such as walking or cycling in a bid to ease the burden on the NHS by improving mental and physical health.

The £12.7m trial, which was announced by the Department for Transport and will begin this year, is part of a wider movement of “social prescribing”, an approach already used in the NHS, in which patients are referred for non-medical activities. The Guardian

See also:

• Walking, wheeling and cycling to be offered on prescription in nationwide trial Department of Health and Social Care

Covid: Two-and-a-half hours of moderate exercise a week lowers risk of catching virus, study finds

Covid: Two-and-a-half hours of moderate exercise a week lowers risk of catching virus, study finds Regular exercise may lower the risk of catching Covid, a major review suggests.

Physical activity has long been known to reduce the chance of severe illness by strengthening the immune system.

But researchers now believe keeping fit can help ward off the infection altogether after analysing more than a dozen international studies. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Physical activity and risk of infection, severity and mortality of COVID-19: a systematic review and non-linear dose–response meta-analysis of data from 1 853 610 adults (open access) British Journal of Sports Medicine
• The NHS isn’t buying a Covid wonder drug – and its excuse makes no sense The Daily Telegraph
• GPs with long COVID let down by lack of support, warns BMA GPonline
• Regular physical activity may lessen Covid risks, study finds The Guardian
• UK Covid inquiry bill already at £85m as government hires top law firms The Guardian

'Holy grail' trialled by NHS could save thousands of lives by detecting cancer before symptoms show

'Holy grail' trialled by NHS could save thousands of lives by detecting cancer before symptoms show A blood test for the over-50s being trialled by the NHS could prevent as many as one in ten cancer deaths in the UK.

The Health Service is conducting a world-first trial of the test, which aims to detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms show.

Although there are no results yet, researchers are optimistic that it has 'enormous' potential. The Daily Mail

See also:

• New NHS blood test trial could stop one in ten UK cancer deaths, say researchers Evening Standard