ICS engagement with the adult social care sector in decision-making: final report

ICS engagement with the adult social care sector in decision-making: final report This report (produced with Care England and the Homecare Association) explores how measurement and culture might transform engagement from integrated care systems (ICSs) with the adult social care (ASC) sector. Good Governance Institute

Global oncology trends 2022: outlook to 2026

Global oncology trends 2022: outlook to 2026 This annual report examines novel medicines and the clusters of research, which promise a continuing sequence of breakthroughs in the decade to come. The report explores the impact of Covid-19 disruptions and the longer-term trends in the use of cancer medicines as well as the drivers of spending globally, in key geographies, by tumor type, and for specific types of oncology drugs. Please note that free registration is required to access the report. IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science

Independent report: Higher-risk patients eligible for COVID-19 treatments: independent advisory group report

Independent report: Higher-risk patients eligible for COVID-19 treatments: independent advisory group report The independent advisory group identified which patient groups are at highest risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and would benefit from new COVID-19 treatments. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Independent report: The association between the discharge of patients from hospitals and COVID in care homes Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE)

Public health agencies issue monkeypox guidance to control transmission

Public health agencies issue monkeypox guidance to control transmission New guidance to support healthcare professionals to respond to the outbreak of monkeypox has been agreed by the UK’s 4 public health agencies - UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Public Health Scotland (PHS), Public Health Wales (PHW) and Public Health Agency Northern Ireland (PHA).

The guidance sets out new measures for healthcare professionals and the public for managing the disease and preventing further transmission now that community transmission is occurring here in the UK and other countries.

 

See also:

• Guidance: Principles for monkeypox control in the UK: 4 nations consensus statement UK Health Security Agency
• Guidance: De-isolation and discharge of monkeypox-infected patients: interim guidance UK Health Security Agency
• Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates UK Health Security Agency
• Research and analysis: Qualitative assessment of the risk to the UK human population of  monkeypox infection in a canine, feline, mustelid, lagomorph or rodent UK pet UK Health Security Agency
• Monkeypox cases rise as guidance advises infected to abstain from sex BBC News
• Global monkeypox threat upgraded to 'moderate' by World Health Organization The Daily Mail
• Signs and symptoms of Monkeypox: What to look for and how it spreads The Independent
• How worried should you be about monkeypox? The Independent

Nottingham maternity scandal: Probe finds ‘defensive and fractious’ culture among staff

Nottingham maternity scandal: Probe finds ‘defensive and fractious’ culture among staff A “defensive and fractious” culture among maternity staff at Nottingham hospitals has been found, as a report finds “bullying behaviour” and a “lack of respect” within the department. The Independent

See also:

• ‘I would encourage women who have concerns to speak out’, says maternity review chair Channel 4 News
• Something is ‘very, very wrong’ at Nottingham NHS Trust, inquiry head says The Independent
• Nottingham maternity scandal: Families say latest safety warnings just 'déjà vu' ITV News
• Ockenden to chair new review of ‘inadequate’ Nottingham maternity services Nursing Times

As UK Covid cases fall to lowest level for a year, what could the future look like?

As UK Covid cases fall to lowest level for a year, what could the future look like? After enduring record-breaking levels of Covid in the past six months, Britain has seen cases fall to their lowest for a year. But as the country eases back into a life more normal, will the disease remain in the background – or is another resurgence on its way? The Guardian

See also:

• Covid: Peterborough kidney patient still shielding BBC News
• Research reveals impact of Covid-19 on global cardiac services British Heart Foundation
• Covid lockdown blamed for deaths of more than 3,000 diabetics The Daily Telegraph
• As the pandemic ebbs, long-haul Covid still drains patients and confounds doctors The Guardian
• Sage: Hospital discharges not main driver of Covid care home outbreaks Local Government Chronicle

‘Exhausted’ medical students in England struggle to qualify amid financial woes

‘Exhausted’ medical students in England struggle to qualify amid financial woes Students working long hours around placements and ending up in hospital with stress – as NHS grapples with shortage of doctors. The Guardian

Drinking coffee slashes your risk of dying from all causes by up to 30% (even if you take sugar!)

Drinking coffee slashes your risk of dying from all causes by up to 30% (even if you take sugar!) Coffee drinkers are up to a third less likely to suffer an early death — even if they take sugar.

In a study of 170,000 healthy Britons in their 50s, researchers looked at people who drank unsweetened or sweetened coffee and no coffee at all over seven years.

They found that drinking between two to four cups per day was the sweet-spot, regardless of whether they used sugar or not. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Association of Sugar-Sweetened, Artificially Sweetened, and Unsweetened Coffee Consumption With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Large Prospective Cohort Study (abstract) Annals of Internal Medicine

Taking vitamin D supplements before conceiving could make pregnancies safer, study suggests

Taking vitamin D supplements before conceiving could make pregnancies safer, study suggests A deficiency in vitamin D could raise the risk of women suffering a miscarriage, a scientific review has warned.

Around three-quarters of those in the UK who are pregnant in the winter do not have high enough levels of the nutrient. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• Vitamin D and miscarriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis (open access) Fertility and Sterility

How reliant is the NHS in England on international nurse recruitment?

How reliant is the NHS in England on international nurse recruitment? Registered nurses are the biggest area of workforce shortages in the NHS in England. Compared with many other OECD countries, the NHS relies heavily on international recruitment as a route to increasing nurse numbers. The Health Foundation

Valuing lived experience - learning report: are you ready to commit to the work of co-production?

Valuing lived experience - learning report: are you ready to commit to the work of co-production? Voices for Improvement is a National Voices project which seeks to strengthen collaboration between those with lived experience and decision-makers, in the service of improving health and social care. The project supports those with lived experience to provide coaching and mentoring to those in senior positions in health and care. The coaching allows clients to gain deeper understanding of lived experience perspectives and promotes the confidence to try new approaches to co-production in their own work. This report  summarises two years of work of the project.

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected 16 additional cases of monkeypox in England.

The latest cases, as of 26 May, bring the total number confirmed in England since 7 May to 101.

See also:

• Multi-country monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries World Health Organization
• Monkeypox wasn’t created in a lab - and other claims debunked BBC News
• Monkeypox and gay men: Separating stigma from health advice BBC News
• Got a new rash? Monkeypox or something else? BBC News
• Monkeypox patients should avoid pet contact BBC News
• NHS 111 ‘overloaded’ with callers asking if rash is monkeypox The Independent
• Close contacts of monkeypox cases ‘left in the dark’ as experts call for greater support The Independent
• Monkeypox outbreak could be just ‘the peak of the iceberg’, WHO warns The Guardian
• Monkeypox presents moderate risk to public health, WHO says Reuters

New clinical trials deal struck to better protect world from future pandemics

New clinical trials deal struck to better protect world from future pandemics Millions of people across the world will be better protected from future pandemics thanks to a landmark resolution brought by the UK and Argentina at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva on Friday 27 May.

By encouraging more specific funding, the resolution will help developing countries increase their capacity to run their own clinical trials – helping them to test new drugs, vaccines and other health interventions which will benefit their populations – while working across countries to respond to future pandemics more rapidly. Department of Health and Social Care

New calls for buffer zones around UK abortion clinics

New calls for buffer zones around UK abortion clinics Medical leaders in the UK have launched a fresh call for buffer zones to be set up around abortion clinics to prevent activists targeting patients and staff.

The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) wants a nationwide network of legally-protected spaces to be set up to shield patients from harassment and intimidation. BBC News

Unexplained child hepatitis cases rise again in UK

Unexplained child hepatitis cases rise again in UK Another 25 children have been diagnosed with unexplained hepatitis in the UK, bringing the total number affected to 222, health officials say.

Of those cases, 158 live in England, 31 in Scotland, 17 in Wales and 16 in Northern Ireland.

Most are under five years old and had diarrhoea and nausea followed by jaundice - yellowing of the skin or eyes.

A surge in cases has also been detected in countries around the world. BBC News

See also:

• Increase in hepatitis (liver inflammation) cases in children under investigation UK Health Security Agency
• Acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children - Multi-country World Health Organization
• Hepatitis: Mum's fear for girl, 4, in mystery virus outbreak BBC News
• Another 36 cases of mysterious hepatitis have been recorded, but no new deaths The Daily Mail
• Hepatitis cases now being investigated in children over 10 The Daily Telegraph
• Mystery continues over liver failure in children across the world Metro
• WHO says 650 probable cases of acute child hepatitis reported so far Reuters

Australia faces worst flu season in years as scientists ready for UK winter

Australia faces worst flu season in years as scientists ready for UK winter The worsening flu season in Australia has provoked fears among UK scientists that the country will follow suit this winter, leading to mass infections and hospitalisations among all age groups.

Australia is bracing for its worst flu seasons in five years, after Covid restrictions suppressed the circulation of the influenza virus in 2020 and 2021. The Independent

Medical research stalled as NHS focuses on small number of trials, experts say

Medical research stalled as NHS focuses on small number of trials, experts say Government efforts to focus NHS resources on a smaller number of well-designed clinical trials could inadvertently be contributing to a backlog of stalled medical research, and result in some important trials being scrapped, researchers say. The Guardian

UK patients affected by infected blood scandal to receive payouts

UK patients affected by infected blood scandal to receive payouts A compensation scheme for thousands of people affected by the infected blood scandal, described as the biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, will reportedly be announced within weeks.

Ministers will set up an arm’s-length body to administer the funds, which could run into hundreds of millions of pounds, and recognise culpability for the scandal for the first time, according to the Sunday Times. The Guardian

NHS watchdog rejects use of snortable antidepressant that contains ketamine-like drug

NHS watchdog rejects use of snortable antidepressant that contains ketamine-like drug A nasal spray treatment for depression derived from the illegal party drug ketamine has been rejected for use on the NHS.

Esketamine is said to work by changing brain chemicals responsible for mood, combatting feelings of depression in a matter of hours. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• Esketamine for treatment-resistant depression (guideline in development) NICE

No cases of monkeypox in Northamptonshire', says public health boss

No cases of monkeypox in Northamptonshire', says public health boss Public Health Northamptonshire is taking steps to re-assure and advise Northamptonshire residents about monkeypox as well as provide guidance as to what to do if they believe they may be infected. Northamptonshire Telegraph