NHS fails to hit key backlog target: Ministers admit two-year waits WEREN'T scrapped by July

NHS fails to hit key backlog target: Ministers admit two-year waits WEREN'T scrapped by July The NHS hasn't completely eliminated its waiting list of patients who have been stuck in the system for over two years, despite the Government's bold promise.

Under the Covid recovery plan, ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid stated 'no-one' in England would be waiting more than 24 months for treatment such as hip and knee ops by July.

But Health Minister Maria Caulfield has since admitted that 'a small number of patients' were still waiting beyond two years by the end of last month. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Update imminent on NHS commitment to tackle waiting lists NHS Confederation
• 'Stalinist' targets are stifling the NHS, warns Jeremy Hunt The Daily Telegraph
• Ministers admit they will break NHS pledge on hospital waiting times The Guardian

Giving HPV jab to women with pre-cancerous cells on their cervix may ward off cancer, study suggests

Giving HPV jab to women with pre-cancerous cells on their cervix may ward off cancer, study suggests Giving women with pre-cancerous cells on their cervix the HPV vaccine could cut their risk of developing cervical cancer, scientists say.

Imperial College London experts reviewed studies involving thousands of women vaccinated against HPV who had to have pre-cancerous cells removed. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Role of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on HPV infection and recurrence of HPV related disease after local surgical treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis (open access) The BMJ
• HPV jab ‘may ward off cervical cancer in women with pre-cancerous cells’ The Independent

Study: Therapy sessions may be key to drug-free treatment for chronic back pain

Study: Therapy sessions may be key to drug-free treatment for chronic back pain A new drug-free treatment that 'retrains' the brain can offer better long-term relief from back pain than opioids, a study has suggested.

Patients saw significant improvements after the 12-week course, which consisted of one hour with a physiotherapist each week.

Dr Neil O’Connell, who worked on the trial at Brunel University, London, said: 'These results show real promise.' The Daily Mail

See also:

• Effect of Graded Sensorimotor Retraining on Pain Intensity in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial (abstract) Journal of the American Medical Association

A guide to the Health and Care Act 2022

A guide to the Health and Care Act 2022 This briefing sets out an overview of proposals and a summary of the key parts of the Bill. It picks out the main provisions relevant to providers and systems and looks at the secondary legislation that will flow from the Act. NHS Providers

NHS To roll out life-changing glucose monitors to all Type 1 diabetes patients

NHS To roll out life-changing glucose monitors to all Type 1 diabetes patients NHS England patients with Type 1 diabetes will now be eligible for life-changing continuous glucose monitors after the health service secured a new cut-price deal.

The wearable arm gadget sends information to a mobile app and allows diabetes patients to keep track of their glucose levels at all times without having to scan or take a finger prick test.

Research: Monkeypox outbreak: epidemiological overview

Research: Monkeypox outbreak: epidemiological overview Overview of the current monkeypox outbreak in the UK. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates UK Health Security Agency

Monkeypox symptoms 'different from past outbreaks'

Monkeypox symptoms 'different from past outbreaks' Pustules have been recognised as the main symptom of monkeypox cases in the past, but in the current outbreak 'rarer and more notable pseudo-pustules' are the main symptom, according to Spanish research.

The pseudo-pustules - which can lead to ulcers - are very rarely seen in other conditions and could help identify monkeypox cases more rapidly. GPonline

See also:

• Monkeypox outbreak in Spain: clinical and epidemiological findings in a prospective cross-sectional study of 185 cases (open access) British Journal of Dermatology
• Over 100,000 monkeypox vaccines procured, government says BBC News
• Monkeypox could signal dawn of a new STI in men as ‘uncontrolled’ global spread continues The Daily Telegraph
• Monkeypox: are we reacting fast enough to the crisis? (podcast) The Guardian

Three types of long COVID identified with different symptoms

Three types of long COVID identified with different symptoms There appear to be three different types of long COVID, each with their own symptoms, researchers have discovered.

One group experiences neurological symptoms including fatigue, brain fog and headache, which most often affect those who contracted the virus when the Alpha and Delta variants were most prevalent, according to experts at King's College London. Sky News

See also:

• Profiling post-COVID syndrome across different variants of SARS-CoV-2 (open access) medRxiv
• Three types of long-COVID for people experiencing symptoms for 12 weeks or more King's College London
• Covid-19 deaths rise for fifth week in a row but levels remain low The Independent
• New top Covid symptom in patients revealed by latest data as infections surge across UK The Independent
• Long Covid: Three types of virus revealed but what are the symptoms? ITV News
• Memory problems after covid-19 more common in people with smell loss New Scientist

Cases like Archie Battersbee’s rely on complex ethical decisions. This is how they’re made | Mehrunisha Suleman

Cases like Archie Battersbee’s rely on complex ethical decisions. This is how they’re made | Mehrunisha Suleman UK courts have once again had to rule on an incredibly fraught case about the withdrawal of life support from a child: 12-year-old Archie Battersbee was found in an unconscious state by his mother on 7 April this year and never regained consciousness. The clinical team at Barts Health NHS trust viewed that it would not be in Archie’s best interests for him to continue to receive medical intervention. Archie’s parents disagreed, and sought the court’s support to have medical intervention continued. The court of appeal has ruled that it is legal for the medical team to withdraw his life support, and the supreme court has dismissed the family’s final appeal. The Guardian

See also:

• Archie Battersbee: Who decides when life support ends? BBC News
• Archie Battersbee: Family loses appeal to Supreme Court BBC News
• Archie Battersbee: Parents to take case to European Court of Human Rights BBC News
• Archie Battersbee: how third parties can further complicate tragic life support cases The Guardian
• Archie Battersbee’s life support ‘ending at 11am’ after Supreme Court appeal fails The Independent
• Archie Battersbee's family want to take Southend youngster to hospice for 'last couple of days' ITV News
• Archie Battersbee's family in fresh bid to delay withdrawal of life support Sky News

Junk food advertising restrictions prevent almost 100000 obesity cases and is expected to save the NHS £200m

Junk food advertising restrictions prevent almost 100000 obesity cases and is expected to save the NHS £200m A restriction on junk food advertising across the Transport for London (TfL) network in 2019, has resulted in 94,867 fewer cases of obesity, 2,857 cases of diabetes prevented or delayed, and 1,915 fewer cases of cardiovascular disease. University of Sheffield

See also:

• The health, cost and equity impacts of restrictions on the advertisement of high fat, salt and sugar products across the transport for London network: a health economic modelling study (open access) International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

How do we turn the bold ambition of a net-zero NHS into reality?

How do we turn the bold ambition of a net-zero NHS into reality? Cameron Hawkins, Head of Energy and Environment at NHS Property Services (NHSPS), provides an update on a net-zero NHS and explores how we turn this bold ambition into reality. Open Access Government

See also: 

• England's deputy CNO sets out ambitions for the green agenda Nursing Times

Regulation, reform and services under pressure

Regulation, reform and services under pressure This report outlines key findings from a survey of trust leaders on their experiences on regulation in the last twelve months. It finds that trusts expressed strong support for the policy direction being taken by regulators. An overwhelming majority supported the Care Quality Commission’s planned shift towards a more risk-based approach, data monitoring, and its intention to update ratings more frequently. Also, a majority of trusts were supportive of the collaboration and system focus seen in NHS England and NHS Improvement’s new system oversight framework and its oversight metrics. However, trusts did not report experiencing the benefits of this shift in strategic direction in practice. Trust leaders reported an increase in the regulatory burden and the number of ad-hoc requests from regulators over the past year. NHS Providers

The impact of body image on mental and physical health

The impact of body image on mental and physical health The Government must speed up the introduction of a promised licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures to prevent vulnerable people being exploited says a new report. The Impact of body image on mental and physical health report identifies a rise in body image dissatisfaction as the driver behind a new market that to date has remained largely unregulated. The dangers posed by non-surgical cosmetic procedures in vulnerable groups were evident throughout the inquiry, say MPs. Health and Social Care Select Committee 

See also:

• Make body-image warnings on retouched photos the law, MPs say BBC News

NHS launches awareness campaign for England’s most deadly cancer

NHS launches awareness campaign for England’s most deadly cancer The NHS is encouraging people with symptoms such as a long-standing persistent cough, to visit their GP for potentially lifesaving checks in its latest campaign to catch lung cancer earlier when it is easier to treat.

The launch of the latest Help Us Help You campaign, on World Lung Cancer Day, comes after figures suggest that people at risk of lung cancer may not be coming forward for care despite lung cancer being the biggest cause of cancer deaths in England. NHS England

NHS boosts children’s mental health workforce by 40%

NHS boosts children’s mental health workforce by 40% Thousands more NHS staff are now working in children’s mental health services, as demand for support continues to rise.

Around 4,500 more people have joined the NHS children’s mental health services in England – 40% more than before the pandemic. NHS England

Archie Battersbee: Judges reject allowing more time for UN to consider case

Archie Battersbee: Judges reject allowing more time for UN to consider case A last-minute Court of Appeal hearing has ruled the withdrawal of life support for Archie Battersbee should not be postponed beyond Tuesday.

The government asked judges to urgently consider a request from a UN committee to keep treating the 12-year-old.

The Court of Appeal refused to postpone the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment beyond 12:00 on Tuesday. BBC News

Conjoined twins separated with the help of virtual reality

Conjoined twins separated with the help of virtual reality Brazilian twins who were joined at the head have been successfully separated with the help of virtual reality.

Three-year-olds Bernardo and Arthur Lima underwent surgeries in Rio de Janeiro, with direction from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

The teams spent months trialling techniques using virtual reality projections of the twins, based on CT and MRI scans. BBC News

More than 1m people in England waiting for non-hospital care, leak reveals

More than 1m people in England waiting for non-hospital care, leak reveals Some of those waiting for community health services are facing delays as long as 120 weeks

More than 1 million people are waiting months, and sometimes years, for out-of-hospital care for back pain, foot problems and hearing loss, a leaked NHS England document reveals.

While most of those waiting are adults, almost 300,0000 of them are children and young people who are seeking help with problems such as delayed development and long-term conditions. The Guardian

See also:

• NHSE leak reveals 1m patients on hidden waiting list (log in required) Health Service Journal
• NHS urged to routinely publish non-hospital waiting lists The Independent

How 12-hour A&E waits may be up to SIX TIMES more common than NHS makes out

How 12-hour A&E waits may be up to SIX TIMES more common than NHS makes out The number of patients waiting at least 12 hours in A&E units is six times than official statistics show, it emerged today.

Currently, health bosses only divulge data on 'trolley waits' — the time between medics deciding a patient needs to be admitted and when they actually are given a bed.

This drastically underplays the scale of the NHS casualty crisis, given that patients may have arrived hours before their condition was deemed serious enough for further treatment. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Trusts reveal thousands of new 12-hour waits (log in required) Health Service Journal
• Revealed: ‘Apocalyptic’ A&E waits that could be driving 1,000 patient deaths a month The Independent

RCM union ballots maternity nurses over potential walkout after 'insulting' £1,400 pay rise

RCM union ballots maternity nurses over potential walkout after 'insulting' £1,400 pay rise The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is consulting its members in England and Wales over possible strike action after reacting angrily to a proposed £1,400 pay rise.

The College says it wants to know whether its members are prepared to vote for industrial action if balloted.

The RCM's member consultation opens as new NHS Digital workforce statistics show midwife numbers are down by over 600 in the year to April 2022. The Daily Mail

See also:

• RCM launches consultation with members to gauge appetite for industrial action over pay Royal College of Midwives