New chair will 'reset group model' across three trusts

New chair will 'reset group model' across three trusts Three Midlands hospital trusts with a combined turnover of more than £2bn are moving to share a single chair, who wants to drive further collaboration and partnership between them, HSJ can reveal.

John MacDonald, who is chair of University Hospitals of Leicester Trust, will now take on the same role for Kettering General Hospital Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital Trust. (Log in required) Health Service Journal

See also:

• New Position for John MacDonald Joined Up Care Derbyshire

MPs call for Government target to eliminate maternal health disparities

MPs call for Government target to eliminate maternal health disparities The Women and Equalities Committee has called on the Government to set a definitive target to eliminate “appalling” disparities in maternal deaths. Black women are almost four times more likely to die from childbirth than white women. Maternal death rates in deprived areas are on the rise, with women in the most deprived areas 2.5 times more likely to die than those in the least deprived areas.

In a new report, MPs conclude the current Government and NHS measures to address the disparity in maternal deaths are “necessary but insufficient”. The Committee is “concerned” that the Government and NHS leadership have “underestimated” the extent to which racism plays a role in perpetuating inequalities.

See also:

• End racial disparities in maternal deaths - MPs BBC News
• MPs condemn failure to tackle ‘glaring’ racial inequalities in UK maternal health The Guardian
• MPs condemn ‘appalling’ stats showing Black women almost four times more likely to die in childbirth The Independent

AI in health care: hope or hype?

AI in health care: hope or hype? News of artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. We seem to be on the cusp of a revolution in how the latest AI models will change our lives – and health and care could be at the centre of those changes. 

AI will transform medicine, AI will allow doctorless screening and personalised prevention, AI will boost productivity, AI will make thousands of jobs redundant – so go all the claims. 

But is this hype or real hope? How will AI transform health and care services and the experiences of staff and patients? What’s been the progress so far? And how best to move forward safely? And with growing demand, staff shortages and a public spending squeeze, could AI be a key answer to sustaining the NHS itself? (Podcast) The Health Foundation

Is it time for a different approach to thinking about the GP partnership model?

Is it time for a different approach to thinking about the GP partnership model? The debate about whether general practice should be organised through an independent contractor model (GP partnerships) or whether it should be provided by staff salaried within an NHS organisation is as old as the NHS itself. The King's Fund

GP referrals: part 1 – the referrals black hole

GP referrals: part 1 – the referrals black hole HealthWatch commissioned Panelbase to carry out an online survey covering two distinct groups who had an appointment with their GP practice in the past 12 months. Firstly, those who either expected or requested a referral for tests, diagnosis, or treatment, but didn't get one, and secondly, those who were referred for tests, diagnosis or treatment. Panelbase heard from 2,144 people overall. The figures quoted in this briefing are based on the 626 patients who fall into the first group. Fieldwork was completed October 2022. The survey was also shared via the Healthwatch network (1,825 respondents overall, of which 357 respondents were in the “not referred group”) and comments from both surveys are used to support the analysis and provide quotes for this briefing. The briefing shares people’s experiences and the impact behind these figures.

See also:

• GP referrals: part 2 – the hidden waiting list HealthWatch

How primary care physicians experience telehealth: an international comparison

How primary care physicians experience telehealth: an international comparison This report sets out the findings from the 2022 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians. It explores the uptake and impact of telehealth across ten countries (including the United Kingdom). The majority of primary care physicians in half of the surveyed countries see some patients in a typical week via telehealth, whether through video or audio. In more than half the countries most physicians believe telehealth has improved timeliness of care and enabled them to perform mental and behavioral health needs assessments. Commonwealth Fund

Hundreds of thousands set to receive spring Covid jabs this week

Hundreds of thousands set to receive spring Covid jabs this week There are more than 725,000 chances to grab a jab this week as the NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Programme opens up its spring offer to all those eligible.

More than 320,000 people have already booked an appointment and the first of these will begin receiving their vaccinations from today.

Around five million people in total are eligible in line with JCVI advice, which includes over 75s, those aged five and over with a weakened immune system, and older adult care home residents. NHS England

More people could have hidden bowel condition

More people could have hidden bowel condition Many people may be suffering from an undiagnosed and misunderstood bowel condition, according to the charity Guts UK.

Microscopic colitis is an inflammation of the large bowel and causes frequent watery diarrhoea, stomach pain, faecal incontinence, fatigue and weight loss.

About 17,000 people are diagnosed each year in the UK, but experts say the real number is likely to be higher.

Some standard tests for inflammatory bowel conditions do not spot it.

But despite misdiagnoses, cases have risen in the UK in recent years. BBC News

See also:

• Microscopic colitis: Thousands could be suffering from little-known condition mistaken for IBS The Independent

How artificial intelligence is matching drugs to patients

How artificial intelligence is matching drugs to patients Dr Talia Cohen Solal sits down at a microscope to look closely at human brain cells grown in a petri dish.

"The brain is very subtle, complex and beautiful," she says.

A neuroscientist, Dr Cohen Solal is the co-founder and chief executive of Israeli health-tech firm Genetika+.

Established in 2018, the company says its technology can best match antidepressants to patients, to avoid unwanted side effects, and make sure that the prescribed drug works as well as possible. BBC News

The primary cause of Britain’s childhood obesity emergency is clear: poverty

The primary cause of Britain’s childhood obesity emergency is clear: poverty | Camilla Kingdon No wonder type 2 diabetes is surging among young people – chicken nuggets and chips are cheaper than vegetables

Historically, seeing a child with type 2 diabetes would have been almost unheard of for a paediatrician like me. Data now shows that is no longer the case, with the number of children being treated at paediatric diabetes units in England and Wales jumping by more than 50% in the last five years. The Guardian

Nurses in England are on weaker ground with new strikes – and ministers know it

Nurses in England are on weaker ground with new strikes – and ministers know it Steve Barclay and Rishi Sunak are gambling that nurses’ appetite for a fight is waning – and ballot results back them up

Everyone loves nurses, don’t they? They are near the top of the list of the nation’s most admired and trusted workers. They inspired a TV drama called Angels. And when they were striking in December, January and February, they were the NHS staff group that the health secretary, Steve Barclay, most wanted to make peace with.

But since the Royal College of Nursing decided to launch a new series of strikes in England after its members rejected a pay deal their leadership had recommended, the government is playing hardball with the union. The Guardian

See also:

• Rishi Sunak says he WON'T offer NHS workers a better pay deal after nurses' union rejects offer The Daily Mail
• 'Minority' of nurses who voted to strike will put patients at risk, Rishi Sunak says The Daily Telegraph
• NHS strikes make waiting list promise ‘more challenging’ – Sunak Evening Standard
• No Improved Pay Offer For Nurses, Says No.10 Huffington Post
• Nurses strikes: Union splits over NHS pay offer won’t stop us striking, say RCN sources iNews
• RCN won't coordinate strikes with junior doctors' walkouts - but warns of more action ahead ITV News

200,000 operations and appointments were postponed because of 4-day junior doctors' walk-out

200,000 operations and appointments were postponed because of 4-day junior doctors' walk-out More than 200,000 NHS procedures and appointments were postponed because of the devastating four-day junior doctors' strike. 

It means the historic walk-out — organised to coincide with fragile hospital staffing rotas around the Easter holidays — caused more carnage than any other during the ongoing pay dispute.

Tens of thousands of junior doctors took to picket lines in pursuit of a whopping 35 per cent pay rise between April 11-15. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Long-term impact of strikes as 531,000 appointments hit NHS Providers
• Junior doctor strike led to 195,000 cancellations BBC News
• Junior doctors’ April strike led to 195,000 NHS hospital cancellations The Guardian

Who is being hit hardest by the NHS' waiting list of SEVEN MILLION people

Who is being hit hardest by the NHS' waiting list of SEVEN MILLION people Seven million people in England are currently waiting for treatment on the NHS.

That's more than the entire populations of some countries, including Denmark and New Zealand.

For many, the delays will be adding to their existing anxieties over having a serious — even life-threatening — illness. The Daily Mail

Moderna's cancer vaccine may be a 'major breakthrough', scientists say

Moderna's cancer vaccine may be a 'major breakthrough', scientists say An experimental vaccine nearly halves the risk of skin cancer returning in high-risk patients, final study results show.

A phase two clinical trial found the shot — developed by Moderna — combined with an immunotherapy drug made by Merck slashed the risk of melanoma coming back by 44 percent compared to those receiving the drug alone. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Adding a Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine to Immunotherapy May Prolong Recurrence-free Survival in Patients With High-risk Melanoma American Association for Cancer Research