Vaccine makers preparing human bird flu shot ‘just in case’ of pandemic World-leading vaccine makers have said they could prepare a new human bird flu shot within months.
H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b – one current outbreak of bird flu or “avian flu” – has killed unprecedented numbers of wild birds and infected mammals globally.
Executives at GSK Plc, Moderna Inc and CSL Seqirus disclosed to Reuters they are already developing or are on the cusp of testing human vaccines matching this current strain as a precautionary measure. Likewise, Sanofi stands “ready” to begin production if needed. The Independent
See also:
Health care funding: Three key questions This analysis from the REAL Centre explores the latest health care funding figures, including how much funding has been committed, how it compares to historical levels and how it stacks up against what is needed to meet current pressures facing health services. The Health Foundation
Number of autistic people in mental health hospitals: latest data This is the most up-to-date record of how many autistic people and people with learning disabilities, both adults and children, are currently in inpatient units in England. It also shows how long they have been in these units for, when their care and treatment is checked and what kind of unit they are in. National Autistic Society
Plans to end free prescriptions for 60-65 year-olds ‘scrapped’ after backlash Plans to end free NHS prescriptions for 60-65 year-olds in England have reportedly been scrapped by the Government following backlash.
The plan was first proposed in 2021 by Boris Johnson’s government to lift the qualifying age for free prescriptions from 60 to 66 to bring it into line with the state pension age. The Independent
Steve Barclay accused of breaking pledge over NHS staff abuse data NHS staff have accused Steve Barclay of breaking a pledge to publish details of how many of them are abused and assaulted in the course of their work.
In 2018, when Barclay was a junior minister in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), he promised he would resume publication of those statistics in the following year.
However, five years later, Barclay has not fulfilled his pledge, despite being in his second stint as health secretary. The Guardian
Spring Budget 2023: five priorities for government investment Urgent action is needed in five priority areas to limit the already high demand on services and avoid storing up more problems for the future.
The upcoming Spring Budget, much like the last Autumn Statement, meets difficult circumstances. The cost of living remains high, with inflation topping 10 per cent. This is to the detriment of the public purse and the impacts have caused their own public health emergency. NHS Confederation
Scandal-hit children’s hospital sanctioned by watchdog after ‘systemic abuse’ revealed A scandal-hit hospital group has been sanctioned by inspectors after The Independent revealed “systemic abuse” at a string of children’s mental health units.
England’s safety watchdog issued an official warning to Ivetsey Bank Hospital in Staffordshire, run by The Huntercombe Group, after an extensive investigation by this newspaper found the private hospital had put the safety of young mental health patients at risk.
The decline of publicly funded social care for older adults How are services being provided and has access changed? The latest annual statement from QualityWatch presents a range of key statistics to show how the ability of the state to provide quality social care that older people can access is changing for the worse. Nuffield Trust
NHS leaders are concerned over lack of new funds in the Budget When Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, delivers the Budget on Wednesday (15 March), he is expected to announce policies to limit energy bills, bolster childcare support and give businesses tax breaks. Hunt is not, however, expected to announce additional funding for the NHS – despite the health service facing the biggest crisis in its history. The News Statesman
Scientific breakthrough could prevent breast cancer ‘time bomb’ Scientists have come up with a strategy that could prevent breast cancer from returning in another part of a patient’s body years or decades later.
In what experts have described as a “time bomb”, patients with the most common type of breast cancer – oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) – have a continued risk of their cancer recurring and forming incurable tumours, as secondary or metastatic breast cancer. The Independent
See also:
MPs call for ban on electroconvulsive therapy for women in mental health care MPs from across the political spectrum have called for a ban on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a treatment for mental illness in England, and want the practice to be subject to an urgent inquiry.
MPs told The Independent they have serious concerns that women are disproportionally given electroconvulsive therapy, and argued that patients are not properly notified of the treatment’s potential side effects.
Whistleblowers raise safeguarding concerns about brain injury ward at St Andrews Hospital in Northampton A recent inspection found that the services for people with acquired brain injuries at St Andrews Hospital in Northampton ‘requires improvement’ after a number of concerns were raised about patient care.
The hospital, in Billing Road, was visited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October 2022 and - in a report published this week - rated the safety and leadership of the services as ‘requires improvement.’ Northampton Chronicle and Echo
