A new report by the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK) argues that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could plunge medical practice back into the dark ages and negate longevity improvements made over the past 50 years.
The report, ‘When the drugs won’t work: Antimicrobial resistance and the future of medicine’, produced with funding from Pfizer, also outlines what Governments, medical professionals and individuals can do to prevent the rise of antimicrobial resistance.
Individuals... Readmore
A BBC investigation found that Kettering General Hospital has been guilty of removing patients from a waiting list in an attempt to ‘fiddle’ the healthcare system.
The allegations have yet to be satisfactorily confirmed, but BBC journalists discovered that many patients have waited over 12 months for operations.
And David Phelan, a hospital trust governor, claimed that patients were removed from lists because national targets were being missed.
In response to the allegations, Kettering... Readmore
Health leaders have warned that the total number of GPs working within the NHS system has yet to return to 2015 levels.
This is based on official headcount and full-time equivalent data over the final quarter of the 2016/17 financial year.
The figures would seem to indicate that the NHS is far from being on track to meet the Conservative party’s pledge of training and retaining an additional 5,000 GPs by the end of the decade.
This policy appeared in the recent Conservative election manifesto.
NHS... Readmore
NHS chief Simon Stevens has indicated that the Five Year Forward View delivery plan will remain central to the future of the healthcare system regardless of the outcome of the forthcoming general election.
Stevens indeed stated that there is no “version of reality” in which this document will not be prioritised.
The Chief Executive was speaking at a conference held by the King’s Fund think tank.
And Stevens predicted a great deal of change throughout the NHS system across the entirety... Readmore
GP leaders convening at the LMC conference will discuss a raft of issues, including whether industrial action should be considered in the existing healthcare climate.
The general view of the LMC is that underfunding in the system has been chronic, and that this is causing untold difficulties for healthcare professionals.
Edinburgh will host the LMC conference on 18th and 19th May, and one debate on the future of Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt promises to be particularly controversial.
Healthcare... Readmore
An influential group of MPs has suggested that the NHS and social care system in England would collapse without 150,000 workers from the European Union.
The Commons Health Select Committee called on the NHS to end the uncertainty over Brexit, indicating that the authorities should guarantee the NHS working conditions of those who hail from the EU.
Uncertainty is contributing to an unenviable atmosphere within the NHS according to the select committee, with many European Union workers unsure... Readmore
City Hospitals Sunderland
2014/15 - £4,999,118
2015/16 - £9,551,056
County Durham & Darlington
2014/15 - £5,641,747
2015/16 - £15,080,417
Gateshead
2014/15 - £2,497,625
2015/16 - £4,546,957
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals
2014/15 - £12,063,576
2015/16 - £10,714,215
North East Ambulance Service
2014/15 - £79,127
2015/16 - £112,729
Northumbria Healthcare
2014/15 - £4,739,303
2015/16 - £7,323,200
Northumberland, Tyne and Wear
2014/15... Readmore
The World Health Organisation states that depression is now the leading cause of ill health and disability globally.
There has been a massive increase in the number of people who report symptoms of depression, leading the World Health Organisation to draw this conclusion.
Previously, respiratory disease was considered to be the largest world health difficulty.
But the latest figures suggest that over 300 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with depression.
This represents an increase... Readmore
A major London trust has been forced to cross-check two million patient records following concerns over the inadvertent termination of care pathways.
An investigation is underway at St George’s University Hospitals Foundation Trust in south west London following what has been reported as a widespread data entry failure on the electrical medical record system at the trust.
Following the widespread review, the trust has identified nearly 130,000 high risk patients who are currently being prioritised... Readmore
The NHS will require a bailout in the region of £1 billion in order to meet the growing liabilities of the health service related to higher personal injury compensation payments.
This large figure will be necessitated due to changes in medical negligence legislation.
Downing Street confirmed the figure in a statement.
The requirement is considered particularly onerous in the existing financial climate for the health service.
For example, £1 billion would pay for the 7,000 podiatrists... Readmore
A new NHS project suggests that Muslims with mental health issues could be treated via a differing framework.
Leeds University researchers found that Muslim patients re-embracing their beliefs and religious teachings had a positive impact on mental health outcomes.
Although therapists have traditionally refused to embrace religion as part of treatment, it is suggested that this approach may be misguided.
The project conducted in Leeds is "showing some individual signs of success", researchers... Readmore