NHS at 75: What next?

NHS at 75: What next? As the NHS turns 75 this week, politicians will use the moment to underline their loyalty to the service and how they would improve it – before their attention moves onto their manifestos ahead of the general election. Rishi Sunak has already set out the five ‘people’s priorities’ for voters to judge his premiership, including cutting the NHS waiting list. Keir Starmer recently launched Labour’s NHS ’mission’ to tackle the biggest killers and improve healthy life expectancy. But are these what the NHS actually needs? The Health Foundation

See also:

• The NHS was never meant to go it alone The Health Foundation
• The NHS at 75: How do we meet the needs of future generations? NHS Confederation
• NHS at 75: Still caring from cradle to grave BBC News
• NHS 75th anniversary: What state is the health service in? Channel 4 News
• The NHS is 'collapsing' – leading medic warns Evening Standard
• NHS at 75 - NHS Confederation CEO warns reform is needed to save lives ITV News

First major survey of doctors with Long Covid reveals debilitating impact on health, life and work

First major survey of doctors with Long Covid reveals debilitating impact on health, life and work Lost jobs, lost income, debilitating symptoms that render even the most mundane tasks near-impossible, and huge barriers to accessing treatment: these are the repeated stories of UK doctors living with Long Covid, in response to a major survey from the BMA.

Carried out in partnership with the support group Long Covid Doctors for Action, it is the first comprehensive survey of doctors with post-acute Covid health complications (often referred to as ‘Long Covid’). More than 600 doctors suffering the continuing effects of Covid-19 were asked about the impact the condition is having on their health, daily lives, employment and finances.

Digital transformation in the NHS

Digital transformation in the NHS Successive Governments have recognised the importance of moving the NHS onto a digital footing. “Digital transformation” encompasses “digitising” services and processes that have traditionally been delivered physically, and greater use of innovative approaches to care that are enabled by advances in technology. 

Digital transformation is vital for the long-term sustainability of the health service: the Department of Health and Social Care (the Department) and NHS England believe that a shift to digital channels (such as the NHS App) is necessary to delivering priorities such as reducing care backlogs and improving access to primary care. Digital can also deliver improvements in care to patients, ranging from increased convenience to access to cutting-edge treatments and diagnostics. House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee

Portrait of nurse of 47 years among winners of NHS staff and volunteers photography competition

Portrait of nurse of 47 years among winners of NHS staff and volunteers photography competition Five winners of a photography competition for NHS staff and volunteers to mark 75 years of the health service have been unveiled today at the FUJIFILM House of Photography, with images including long-serving nurse, ‘Mother Obe’, the NHS COVID-19 vaccination effort and an ambulance battling the Beast from the East among the winning images. NHS England

Smartwatches may provide early Parkinson's diagnosis

Smartwatches may provide early Parkinson's diagnosis Smartwatches might help diagnose Parkinson's disease up to seven years ahead of symptoms, a study suggests.

The UK Dementia Research Institute team at Cardiff University used artificial intelligence to analyse data from 103,712 smartwatch wearers.

And by tracking their speed of movement over a single week, between 2013 and 2016, they were able to predict which would go on to develop Parkinson's.

It is hoped this could ultimately be used as a screening tool. BBC News

See also:

• Wearable movement-tracking data identify Parkinson’s disease years before clinical diagnosis (abstract) Nature Medicine
• Smart watches could spot Parkinson's seven years before key symptoms appear, study suggests The Daily Mail
• Smart watches could detect Parkinson’s seven years before symptoms The Independent
• Smartwatches could help identify symptoms of Parkinson's disease Sky News

PTSD affects 300,000 young people in England and Wales, Channel 4 finds

PTSD affects 300,000 young people in England and Wales, Channel 4 finds Thousands of young people are living with post-traumatic stress disorder, with most cases going untreated, a Channel 4 documentary has revealed.

About 311,000 16- to 24-year-olds in England and Wales have PTSD, with most cases linked to personal assault and violence, according to figures estimated for the show.

Low awareness of the symptoms and the difficulty of diagnosing PTSD means that 70% of cases go untreated. If the NHS offered more early intervention therapy, it could save £2.4bn in taxpayer money, according to Channel 4’s analysis of research by King’s College London and Office for National Statistics data. The Guardian

See also:

• Untold Stories: Trapped in trauma (documentary) Channel 4

Revealed: Thousands dying in hospitals because patients cannot be discharged

Revealed: Thousands dying in hospitals because patients cannot be discharged None of us like to think of our own death, but when we do, most of us hope we will be in our homes, peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.

For thousands of people every year that doesn’t happen.

Instead they die in hospital, not for any good reason, but because the hospital cannot discharge them – because there is no support in the community.

The problems in social care block up hospitals in England denying many the hospital treatment they deserve and others the deaths they might hope for. Channel 4 News

Sight-saving drug to be offered to premature babies, announces NHS

Sight-saving drug to be offered to premature babies, announces NHS Premature babies across England will be offered a sight-saving drug, the NHS has announced.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an eye disease that can occur among babies who are born early or those born with a low birth weight.

Now the NHS is offering new “life-changing” drug ranibizumab to babies with ROP across England who are unable to receive traditional treatment. The Independent

See also:

• NHS to offer sight-saving drug to premature babies BBC News

‘You reach a point where you can’t live your life’: what is behind extreme hoarding?

‘You reach a point where you can’t live your life’: what is behind extreme hoarding? Hoarding can be distressing and dangerous. But it’s not just a matter of ‘too much stuff’ – it’s a complex condition that requires careful, targeted help. The Guardian

Fewer teens now VIEW themselves as overweight even though record number are MEDICALLY obese

Fewer teens now VIEW themselves as overweight even though record number are MEDICALLY obese The vast majority of teens now underestimate their body weight at the expense of their health, a new global study suggests.

Nearly 14 percent of adolescents aged believed themselves to be lighter than they actually were while over a quarter overestimated their weight 

That is despite ballooning obesity rates nationwide, with 43 percent of adults and 25 percent of youth qualifying as medically too fat or having a body mass index of over 30.  The Daily Mail

See also:

• Cross-national time trends in adolescent body weight perception and the explanatory role of overweight/obesity prevalence (open access) Child and Adolescent Obesity

How the public views the NHS at 75

How the public views the NHS at 75 As the NHS marks its 75th anniversary, the founding principles of the health service – that care would be free at point of delivery, available to all and funded from tax – are largely the same. But how care is delivered and how the system is organised have changed significantly since 1948.

This anniversary presents a moment to reflect on how far the NHS has come and to look to the future. Recent years have seen the NHS face unparalleled challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic followed a decade of austerity, driving waiting lists to new heights and exacerbating longstanding workforce shortages. Amid record low public satisfaction and unprecedented industrial action, the health service is in crisis. So what does the public think about the NHS now and the challenges that lie ahead? The Health Foundation

See also:

• NHS remains our biggest source of national pride, but public are worried about its future The Health Foundation
• Laura Kuenssberg: Love it or hate it, the NHS is here to stay BBC News
• Choirs singing for NHS's 75th birthday but may need a funeral cortege The Daily Mail
• The NHS's 75th birthday is cause for despair – not for celebration The Daily Telegraph
• ‘Locked in a death spiral’: the state of the NHS at 75 The Guardian
• ‘A future worth fighting for’: five health experts on the state of the NHS at 75 The Guardian
• Seven in 10 people believe charges for NHS care are on the way The Guardian

Noise pollution: mapping the health impacts of transportation noise in England

Noise pollution: mapping the health impacts of transportation noise in England Noise can have a significant impact on our health, beyond just being annoying or disturbing sleep. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has conducted a new study to better understand how noise can affect health and wellbeing. The research builds on long established evidence that living in an area with higher noise levels from traffic can lead to stress and sleep disturbance, and more recent research shows that this can lead to an increase in an individuals’ risk of developing more serious health problems such as heart disease or diabetes.

See also:

• Spatial assessment of the attributable burden of disease due to transportation noise in England (open access) Environment International
• Noise pollution from cars, trains and planes can takes years off your life, study warns The Daily Mail
• UKHSA noise pollution study mapped by local authority, and how it can take years off your life iNews

NHS doubles gambling clinics as referrals soar

NHS doubles gambling clinics as referrals soar Seven new gambling addiction clinics will open this summer as NHS services face record demand, chief executive Amanda Pritchard announced today.

Ahead of its 75th birthday on Wednesday 5 July, the NHS said it was “adapting to new healthcare needs” and rapidly expanding the support services for thousands of people experiencing gambling-related harms.

New figures, published today, reveal that around 1,400 patients were referred for help last year, an increase of more than a third on the previous 12 months and up by almost four fifths compared to two years ago.

The seven new clinics are in Milton Keynes, Thurrock, Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, Blackpool, and Sheffield. NHS England

NHS whistleblowers need more protection, expert warns

NHS whistleblowers need more protection, expert warns Protections for NHS staff to speak out about wrongdoing may be insufficient to prevent another big scandal like that at the Mid Staffordshire hospital trust, an expert has told BBC News.

Sir Robert Francis led the inquiry into hundreds of patient deaths at Stafford Hospital more than a decade ago.

He says despite subsequent attempts to encourage whistleblowing, some still pay a heavy price for speaking up.

And this victimisation discourages others from coming forward.

See also:

• NHS whistleblowers need to be better protected by the law, says BMA The Guardian

NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard says strike disruption will get worse

NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard says strike disruption will get worse The head of NHS England has warned that July's planned strikes in the health service could be the worst yet for patients.

Amanda Pritchard said industrial action across the NHS had already caused "significant" disruption - and that patients were paying the price.

This month's consultant strike will bring a "different level of challenge" than previous strikes, she said.

Junior doctors and consultants will strike for a combined seven days. BBC News

See also:

• Radiographers in England to strike over pay BBC News
• Now radiographers are striking! Catalogue of NHS summer walk-outs grows The Daily Mail
• The BMA could run this country into the ground The Daily Telegraph
• Strikes cannot become 'business as usual', says NHS England chief Evening Standard
• Strikes cause 650,000 NHS cancellations as Steve Barclay says ‘movement on both sides’ is needed Evening Standard
• Steve Barclay says he is willing to offer bigger pay rise to doctors in England The Guardian
• NHS radiographers in England vote to strike for first time The Guardian
• Majority back NHS strikes despite disruption, polls show The Guardian
• Radiographer strike action would have a 'major impact' on the NHS The Independent
• Doctors accuse government of acting 'in bad faith' over NHS pay talks The Independent
• op medic describes ‘loss of trust’ between Government and doctors The Independent
• Health Secretary: Junior doctors 'suddenly' walked away from pay talks ITV News
• Health Secretary Steve Barclay criticises junior doctors for 'walking away' from talks ahead of strike Sky News

Covid pandemic linked to surge in child and teen diabetes

Covid pandemic linked to surge in child and teen diabetes There has been an unusual rise in the number of children and teenagers around the world diagnosed with type 1 diabetes since Covid, say researchers.

A new study in JAMA Network Open journal has collated available data from different countries, including the UK, on more than 38,000 young people diagnosed during the pandemic.

The authors describe the increase in cases of diabetes as "substantial". BBC News

NHS health chiefs demand an ‘urgent’ plan to tackle the social care crisis

NHS health chiefs demand an ‘urgent’ plan to tackle the social care crisis Healthcare leaders have called for an urgent plan to tackle the social care crisis, warning Rishi Sunak there is “clear concern” over an ongoing failure to tackle staff shortages.

The warning from Matthew Taylor, chief executive of NHS Confederation which represents hospitals and community services, comes after the publication of the long-awaited £2.4bn NHS workforce plan, which committed to 300,000 extra nurses and doctors in the coming years. The Independent

Concern as a third of NHS mental health treatments shift online

Concern as a third of NHS mental health treatments shift online Twice as many people with mental health conditions are being given virtual therapy on the NHS compared with before the pandemic began.

An Observer analysis of data from private providers, cross-checked against NHS figures, reveals around one in three mental health treatments in England are delivered online, up from one in five in 2019, and one in 10 in 2017. Patients with mild to moderate depression or anxiety can be referred to app- or web-based, self-guided cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) courses, instead of traditional face-to-face talking therapies.

Revealed: record 170,000 staff leave NHS in England as stress and workload take toll

Revealed: record 170,000 staff leave NHS in England as stress and workload take toll Nearly 170,000 workers left their jobs in the NHS in England last year, in a record exodus of staff struggling to cope with some of the worst pressures ever seen in the country’s health system, the Observer can reveal.

More than 41,000 nurses were among those who left their jobs in NHS hospitals and community health services, with the highest leaving rate for at least a decade. The number of staff leaving overall rose by more than a quarter in 2022, compared to 2019.

Snap of dedicated nurse amongst winners of NHS photography competition

Snap of dedicated nurse amongst winners of NHS photography competition An image of a nurse with nearly 50 years of experience has been announced as one of the winners of a national photography competition for NHS staff and volunteers.

The best photographs have been chosen from five categories in the contest held to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS. Evening Standard