Surgical robot used in 280 life-saving Northampton hospital operations

Surgical robot used in 280 life-saving Northampton hospital operations A "state-of-the-art" surgical robot has been used in more than 280 life-saving cancer operations, a hospital said.

Northampton General Hospital (NGH) invested £1.7m in the machine, which helps improve patient recovery times.

The robot operates in "hard-to-reach areas, with better outcomes for patients," NGH surgeon Mr Chandran Tanabalan said.

So far, it has been used in operations on prostate, uterine, rectal and bowel cancer and head and neck tumours. BBC Northampton

Can AI help put people firmly at the centre of their care?

Can AI help put people firmly at the centre of their care? The NHS.uk website averaged over 2,000 visitors per minute in 2022 and, while websites are hardly considered cutting edge, this technology is important to help make trusted and reliable health and care knowledge easily accessible to patients and the public. Web-based information, alongside access to medical records and personalised care initiatives, means people are potentially more informed to make decisions and be actively involved in their own care. The King's Fund

The state of integrated care systems 2022/23: riding the storm

The state of integrated care systems 2022/23: riding the storm This report aims to provide insights into the successes and challenges of integrated care systems (ICSs) one year after their formal establishment. Building on the Hewitt review and through engagement with NHS Confederation members, it identifies key recommendations that the NHS Confederation believes will give ICSs the conditions they need to deliver for the local population they serve. NHS Confederation

Overworked and undervalued: unmasking primary care physicians’ dissatisfaction in 10 high-income countries

Overworked and undervalued: unmasking primary care physicians’ dissatisfaction in 10 high-income countries This briefing explores primary care physician work satisfaction in the first year of the pandemic (2020 to 2021), drawing from the 2022 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians. 

Across ten high-income countries, including the United Kingdom, it compares primary care physicians’ time spent with patients, number of patients seen, and job satisfaction. Commonwealth Fund

Extra £30m a year to boost research careers for healthcare professioanls

Extra £30m a year to boost research careers for healthcare professionals NIHR will spend an additional £30 million per year to increase research opportunities. It will include funding for a range of new and expanding programmes of activity. This will enable more healthcare professionals (HCPs) to include research in their careers. National Institute for Health Research

Cancer waiting times review – Models of care and measurement: consultation response

Cancer waiting times review – Models of care and measurement: consultation response This report sets out the wide-ranging support received through the national consultation on the proposed new standards for cancer care, and highlights some of the key considerations raised to support their successful implementation. It also sets out the final policy recommendations, and the next steps required by both the NHS and Government to implement them. NHS England

See also: 

• Breaking down changes in NHS cancer waiting times in England Cancer Research UK
• Our response to NHS England’s reduction in the number of cancer waiting times targets Healthwatch

Young people wait four times longer for liver transplants

Young people wait four times longer for liver transplants The system for allocating most liver transplants on the NHS is causing younger patients to wait longer for surgery, figures show.

There is a shortage of liver donors, so a computer algorithm decides who to prioritise on the waiting list.

Younger people are currently waiting 156 days longer on average for a transplant than patients over 60.

But NHS Blood and Transplant (NHS BT) says difficult decisions have to be made and the system is saving lives. BBC News

Mesh bowel patients call for publication of Bristol Spire Hospital report

Mesh bowel patients call for publication of Bristol Spire Hospital report Patients whose lives were damaged by surgery for bowel problems are calling for a long-awaited report to be published.

More than 200 patients underwent mesh bowel operations in Bristol that they might not have needed.

The surgery was carried out by Tony Dixon at Southmead Hospital and the private Spire Hospital, in Redland.

Mr Dixon has previously said that he is unable to comment while proceedings are ongoing. BBC News

WHO tracking new Covid variant BA. X amid fears it could lead to new explosion of cases

WHO tracking new Covid variant BA. X amid fears it could lead to new explosion of cases The World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring a new coronavirus variant that could potentially lead to a rise in Covid-19 cases.

The BA.X strain which is also known as BA.2.86, was placed under the health body’s monitoring list on Thursday due to the “large number of mutations it carries”.

Only three cases of the new strain have been detected in Denmark and Israel and later another was found in the US. The Independent

 

See also:

• Flu and COVID-19 surveillance report published UK Health Security Agency
• Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 17 August 2023 World Health Organization
• Covid booster jabs to be approved for sale to UK public The Guardian
• New Covid wave has begun and masks should be worn again, scientists warn The Independent
• What is the 'Pi' COVID variant dubbed 'BA.6' – and should we be worried about it? Sky News

Medical neglect by London NHS trust contributed to suicide of girl, 12, rules coroner

Medical neglect by London NHS trust contributed to suicide of girl, 12, rules coroner Medical neglect and “gross failures” by a mental health trust contributed to the suicide of a 12-year-old girl in a case that has highlighted national concerns about underfunding, a coroner has ruled.

Allison Aules from Redbridge, in north-east London, died in July last year after her mood changed completely during the Covid lockdown, her family told the inquest at an east London coroner’s court. The Guardian

See also:

• Daniel Venes: Hospital care 'fell far short', coroner rules BBC News
• Schoolgirl,12, who killed herself 'as a result of neglect and NHS trust failings' The Daily Mail

Met wins battle with NHS over not attending mental health calls

Met wins battle with NHS over not attending mental health calls The Metropolitan police has won its battle to stop attending most of the mental health calls it receives after a tense behind-the-scenes row with the health service, the Guardian has learned.

From 31 October the Met will start implementing a scheme that aims to stop officers being diverted from crime fighting to do work health staff are better trained for.

All GP surgeries to be given upgraded digital phone systems as part of £240million scheme aimed at ending the 8am scramble for appointments

All GP surgeries to be given upgraded digital phone systems as part of £240million scheme aimed at ending the 8am scramble for appointments All GP surgeries will be upgraded to new digital phone systems in a bid to take the stress out of the 8am scramble for appointments.

Callers will no longer be met with frustrating engaged tones and be forced to repeatedly redial when trying to get through to the surgery.

Instead, they will be added to a queue that informs them how many people are waiting and when they can expect their call to be answered. The Daily Mail

Apple Watch and Fitbit wristbands are 'hotbeds' for harmful bacteria, study reveals

Apple Watch and Fitbit wristbands are 'hotbeds' for harmful bacteria, study reveals Your Apple Watch or Fitbit wristband is a hotspot for harmful bacteria linked to fever, diarrhea and a weakened immune system, according to a new study.

Researchers swabbed a range of wristbands, finding they are teeming with E. coli and Staphylococcus spp, which can lead to pneumonia.

The tainted bands were made from plastic, rubber, cloth, leather and metal.

Esiobu singled out active, gym-going healthcare workers as a group that might especially wish to take heed of the study's findings in an effort to avoid infecting at-risk patients. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• Prevalence and Disinfection of Bacteria Associated with Various Types of Wristbands (open access) Advances in Infectious Disease

Britain's baby bust laid bare: Births plummet to 20-YEAR low in trend partly blamed on cost-of-living crisis

Britain's baby bust laid bare: Births plummet to 20-YEAR low in trend partly blamed on cost-of-living crisis Births in England and Wales fell to their lowest level in two decades in 2022, official figures show.

Around 600,000 live births were logged between the two nations last year — 3.1 per cent fewer than 2021.

The figure has been in freefall for a decade, apart from a blip during 2021 put down to a mini baby 'bounce' by couples who put their family plans on hold at the start of the Covid pandemic. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Births in England and Wales: 2022 Office for National Statistics