£1.7m surgical robot has performed 250 operations at Northampton General Hospital

£1.7m surgical robot has performed 250 operations at Northampton General Hospital A state-of-the-art Surgical Robot has now performed 250 operations at Northampton General Hospital to help improve care for patients.

The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group – which runs Northampton and Kettering general hospitals – has invested in the £1.7m Surgical Robot as part of its clinical strategy. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

First guidance published to support NHS workers after a colleague suicide

First guidance published to support NHS workers after a colleague suicide Researchers from the universities of Surrey, Keele and Birmingham have today (Tuesday) published the first guidance to support NHS workers after a colleague dies by suicide.

The recommendations are based on a two-year study identifying the impact on NHS staff who have been in this distressing situation, and the support they may need.

The guidance has been developed specifically for the NHS and for health service staff who are affected by a colleague’s suicide, and for those who will be supporting them. UNISON

See also:

• Postvention guidance: Supporting NHS staff after the death by suicide of a colleague University of Surrey
• The Impact of Colleague Suicide and the Current State of Postvention Guidance for Affected Co-Workers: A Critical Integrative Review (open access) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Building equitable primary care: a toolkit for practitioners and decision makers

Building equitable primary care: a toolkit for practitioners and decision makers The findings of two academic projects – EQUALISE and FAIRSTEPS – have been brought together to produce a toolkit for addressing unequal access to primary care. It describes what equitable primary care looks like, and provides practical steps to help local decision makers address inequalities in health and healthcare. Queen Mary University of London

Government progress on pharmacy 'requires improvement', warns Expert Panel

Government progress on pharmacy 'requires improvement', warns Expert Panel The Health and Social Care Committee’s independent Expert Panel evaluating Government commitments on pharmacy has found that overall progress ‘requires improvement’ across a number of areas.

Evidence shows that demand for community pharmacy services has increased significantly with community pharmacies struggling to deliver services within the existing funding model, or even to remain open.

Millions of children get access to life-saving defibrillators

Millions of children get access to life-saving defibrillators The government has confirmed today (25 July 2023) that all state-funded schools in England now have a life-saving defibrillator, drastically increasing the chances of surviving cardiac arrest for all state school pupils in England.

Following the government’s £19 million rollout, over 20,000 defibrillators have successfully been delivered to almost 18,000 schools since January. Department of Health and Social Care

Acute inpatient mental health care for adults and older adults

Acute inpatient mental health care for adults and older adults Guidance to support the commissioning and delivery of timely access to high quality therapeutic inpatient care, close to home and in the least restrictive setting possible. NHS England

NHS England publishes data on first consultants strike in a decade

NHS England publishes data on first consultants strike in a decade Industrial action by consultants, over the recent 48 hours between 20 and 21 July, saw 65,557 rescheduled appointments and procedures.

The cumulative total of rescheduled appointments and procedures over eight months of industrial action across the NHS now stands at 765,000. NHS England

Police in England to attend fewer mental-health calls

Police in England to attend fewer mental-health calls Police officers in England will no longer respond to concerns about mental health if there is no risk to life or crime being committed, under new plans.

The government says the policy could save a million hours of police time every year.

Senior officers say forces have "lost their way" by dealing with less serious mental-health problems.

But mental-health charities say they are "deeply worried" at what could be a "dangerous" change. BBC News

See also:

• Right Care Right Person (RCRP) national guidance launched College of Policing
• Police to save 1M officer hours with new mental health approach National Police Chiefs' Council
• Forces adopt national scheme to reduce response to mental health incidents Police Professional
• Police will stop attending mental health calls to increase bobbies on beat The Daily Telegraph
• Ministers tell police to respond to fewer mental health-related 999 calls The Guardian
• Government backs reduction in police response to mental health incidents despite safety warnings The Independent
• Plans to cut back on police attending mental health callouts ITV News
• Police in England and Wales to drastically cut back on attending mental health callouts Sky News

Infected Blood Inquiry: Rishi Sunak to give evidence

Infected Blood Inquiry: Rishi Sunak to give evidence Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will appear in front of the Infected Blood Inquiry on Wednesday.

Bereaved families want Mr Sunak to accept compensation recommendations made three months ago by the inquiry's chairman, Sir Brian Langstaff.

It is thought that 30,000 people in the UK were given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 80s.

Some victims have received financial support but not all have been fully compensated. BBC News

See also:

• Infected blood doctors accused of ‘cover-up’ amid compensation warnings The Daily Telegraph
• Infected Blood Inquiry: Minister challenged over slow compensation for victims The Independent
• Campaigners to call on PM to pay full compensation when he gives evidence at Infected Blood Inquiry ITV News

AI: Researchers train artificial intelligence to help detect breast cancer

AI: Researchers train artificial intelligence to help detect breast cancer Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that may help doctors detect cancer.

The researchers from Cardiff University say it could help improve the accuracy of medical diagnostics and could lead to earlier breast cancer detection.

The system is aimed at supporting radiologists' decision making, Hantao Liu from Cardiff University said.

Cancer charity Tenovus said AI's potential use in diagnosing cancers early was "phenomenal". BBC News

Clinics told to stop prescribing medicines as weight loss drug hits diabetes supply

Clinics told to stop prescribing medicines as weight loss drug hits diabetes supply A government alert has been sent to private weight-loss clinics instructing them to stop prescribing slimming injections as “very limited, intermittent supplies” are putting the lives of diabetes patients in danger.

The national patient safety alert was sent to both NHS and private healthcare providers by the Department of Health and Social Care, warning of shortages to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) - including semaglutide (Ozempic), dulaglutide, liraglutide and exenatide - which are used to treat diabetes. The Independent

Two-thirds of people administering cosmetic surgery injections are not qualified medical doctors, survey finds

Two-thirds of people administering cosmetic surgery injections are not qualified medical doctors, survey finds More than two-thirds of people who are administering cosmetic surgery injections such as Botox in the UK are not qualified medical doctors, a new study suggests.

The study is the first survey of who is providing cosmetic injectable services, including botulinum toxin (Botox) and dermal fillers, in the country. The Independent

See also: 

• Profiling UK injectable aesthetic practitioners: a national cohort analysis (open access) Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery

Sciensus’s licence partly suspended after death of cancer patient

Sciensus’s licence partly suspended after death of cancer patient Britain’s health regulator has partly suspended the manufacturing licence of Sciensus, a private company paid millions by the NHS to provide vital medicines, after the death of a cancer patient who was given the wrong dose of chemotherapy.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had taken “immediate” action under regulation 28 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 law “where it appears to the MHRA that in the interests of safety the licence should be suspended”. The Guardian

'Dishonest' bodybuilder who sued NHS after 'lying' faces £100K bill

'Dishonest' bodybuilder who sued NHS after 'lying' faces £100K bill A bodybuilder accused of lying that a botched NHS surgery left him disabled was caught out by a Facebook video showing him lifting heavy weights.

Sean Murphy, 38, sued Wye Valley NHS Trust for £580,000 in compensation after claiming that an operation on his bicep left him unable to work or dress himself.

His claims started to unravel after photos and videos on social media emerged of the bodybuilder playing rugby and lifting weights, with one video showing him grunting while shifting a three-stone kettle bell. The Daily Mail