The chronic brain disease that causes seizures currently affects around 600,000 people living in the UK The NHS has announced that it will be rolling out a new laser beam therapy this June to help prevent seizures in patients living with epilepsy. The new fibre optic laser therapy called laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) works to target the part of the brain that causes seizures without the need for invasive surgery. Affecting around 600,000 people in the UK, epilepsy is a chronic brain disease that causes seizures, which lead to involuntary movement. Around one in three people living with the condition are unable to control their seizures using anti-seizure drugs and may need invasive neurosurgery to remove the epilepsy-causing part of the brain. Being offered at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Walton Centre in Liverpool, the treatment involves drilling a small hole to allow a 1.5mm-wide probe ...
Every year, missed hospital appointments are estimated to cost the NHS £1.2bn The NHS has announced that it’s set to roll out artificial intelligence (AI) to help improve waiting times for elective care and reduce the number of missed appointments. New data has shown that 6.4% of over 125 million outpatient appointments across the NHS in England last year were not attended by the patient, specifically for physiotherapy, cardiology, ophthalmology, trauma and orthopaedics. Additionally, missed appointments are predicted to cost the NHS a total of £1.2bn, annually. Created by Deep Medical, the AI software uses algorithms and anonymised data to predict missed appointments and uses a range of external insights as to why, such as the weather, traffic, jobs and back-up bookings. Piloted for the last six months at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, the software will expand to ten more NHS trusts following the success of the ...
The NHS has announced it is targeting young adults to catch up on their missed measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines as part of the NHS catch-up campaign. In England, more than 900,000 adults aged 19 to 25 years will be invited to book an appointment for their missed vaccine. Following on from the national health service’s recent reminder for 200,000 16- to 19-year-olds to receive the MMR vaccine, the NHS campaign will target young adults in areas more at risk: the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and London. MMR are highly infectious illnesses that can lead to blindness, deafness and swelling of the brain. Currently one of the most infectious diseases globally, with no medical treatment available, one adult or child infected with measles can pass the disease on to around 15 other unvaccinated individuals. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), between October 2023 and March 2024, approximately ...
Secondary breast cancer is an important risk factor after receiving radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma NHS England has responded to the recent ministerial statement by newly establishing the Very High Risk (VHR) Pathway through the NHS Breast Screening Programme that invites eligible women for annual testing. The NHS is contacting 1,487 women who are at increased risk of breast cancer due to having radiotherapy involving their chest for Hodgkin lymphoma. Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system. An important risk factor after radiotherapy can include the development of secondary breast cancer, the most common cancer in the UK. Recently, the minister of state for health and secondary care, Andrew Stephenson, said in his statement that NHS England contacted a group of women who were at “very high risk of breast cancer who have been eligible for annual MRI checks, but who may not have been routinely ...
Eight out of ten patients who took the test were discharged without needing further testing The NHS has announced that a simple sponge-on-a-string test developed by researchers from the early cancer institute at the University of Cambridge will replace the need for endoscopy to prevent oesophageal cancer. The NHS trialled the test to help diagnose Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition that affects the food pipe and can lead to oesophageal cancer. Responsible for around 9,200 new cases every year in the UK, oesophageal cancer occurs in the long, hollow tube that runs from the throat to the stomach, known as the oesophagus. During the pandemic, the NHS began piloting the test at 30 hospitals across 17 areas in England, including Manchester, Plymouth, London, Kent and Cumbria. The test requires the patient to swallow a small capsule-shaped device containing a small sponge that collects cell samples for analysis before being extracted via ...
BHF data reveals early heart disease deaths rise to highest level In 2022, over 39,000 people in England died prematurely of cardiovascular conditions The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has revealed new data showing that early heart disease deaths in England have risen to the highest level seen since 2008. New figures show that over 39,000 people in England died prematurely of cardiovascular conditions, including heart attacks, coronary heart disease and stroke, in 2022. Cardiovascular disease is a general term for conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels in the body. In the UK, there are currently around 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases. Before 2012, the number and rate of deaths from these types of conditions among people under the age of 75 were falling. However, recent statistics have shown that the rate of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease has increased in England for three years. ...
Prescriptions ordered via the app are expected to save around 1.85 million hours in 2024 NHS England has announced that its new digital prescription service has been added to the NHS App. The launch of the service follows a successful trial last year that involved over a million users. In alignment with the NHS campaign to encourage more people to use the app, the digital prescription service will allow millions of patients to see when their prescriptions have been issued and will allow them to view their prescribed medication. Patients who are waiting for an elective hospital treatment will also be able to see the average waiting time for their procedure at their local trust. Users without a nominated pharmacy will be given a barcode via the app to collect their prescription from any pharmacy, as opposed to using a paper version. Anyone with a nominated pharmacy will continue to ...
Individuals with Jewish ancestry are six times more likely to carry a genetic fault The NHS has announced the launch of a new BRCA gene testing programme to identify cancer risk early in individuals with Jewish ancestry. People with Jewish ancestry are about six times more likely to carry a genetic fault, which can increase the risk of developing some cancers, than the general population. Across the next two years, the national NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme plans to identify thousands more people carrying faults in the BRCA genes so they can seek early access to surveillance and prevention services. In alignment with the health services drive to catch tumours earlier, when they are easier to treat, anyone over the age of 18 years with Jewish ancestry will be eligible to receive a simple genetic saliva test to look for the presence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 faults. BRCA1 and BRCA2 ...
Over 10,000 pharmacies in England will be offering the new advanced service The NHS has announced the launch of Pharmacy First, which allows patients in England to receive treatment for seven common conditions without needing to see a GP. Approximately 10,265 community pharmacies in England will be offering the new advanced service. From today, patients in England will be able to receive treatment for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women under the age of 65 without needing a GP appointment or prescription. Community pharmacies play a vital role in keeping local communities in England healthy. The NHS has said that the new service will free up to ten million GP appointments by this winter. “This is all part of [a] major transformation in the way the NHS delivers care, [which will give] people more choice in how they can access ...
Individuals with Jewish ancestry are six times more likely to carry a genetic fault.The NHS has announced the launch of a new BRCA gene testing programme to identify cancer risk early in individuals with Jewish ancestry. People with Jewish ancestry are about six times more likely to carry a genetic fault, which can increase the risk of developing some cancers, than the general population. Across the next two years, the national NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme plans to identify thousands more people carrying faults in the BRCA genes so they can seek early access to surveillance and prevention services. In alignment with the health services drive to catch tumours earlier, when they are easier to treat, anyone over the age of 18 years with Jewish ancestry will be eligible to receive a simple genetic saliva test to look for the presence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 faults. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are ...
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