Skip to main content
search
Category

Highlights

HighlightsHighlights Archive

Media Monitoring: 22nd – 28th May

‘Life saving’ rapid test not available at most CDCs Patients are facing “unnecessary and worrying” waits because a rapid heart failure test is not available at most of the NHS’s 169 community diagnostic centres, experts have told HSJ.   First MHRA Board meeting held in Scotland The Board of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has met in…
Ben Kemp
May 28, 2025
HighlightsHighlights Archive

Emotional parliamentary debate on chronic UTIs highlights importance of rapid diagnostics

Last week, a parliamentary debate on chronic UTIs provoked strong feelings on the current state of care, diagnosis and recognition of the condition. None more so than Dr Allison Gardner MP, who tearfully explained her battle with the condition which left her considering the removal of her bladder. Dr Gardner bemoaned the use of dipstick tests, claiming their accuracy is…
Ben Kemp
May 27, 2025
HighlightsHighlights Archive

Fresh funding for Exeter research hub creating new microscopic medical sensors

Researchers at the University of Exeter will lead a cutting-edge facility, the MetaHub, dedicated to developing advanced materials engineered at the nanoscale. These metamaterials, which are designed at the molecular level to exhibit properties not found in nature, could revolutionise technologies like medical sensors and next-generation computer components. Backed by £19.6 million in combined public and private funding, announced by…
Ben Kemp
May 27, 2025
HighlightsHighlights Archive

West Nile virus detected in UK mosquitoes for first time

West Nile virus, primarily transmitted among birds but capable of infecting humans through mosquito bites, has been identified in UK mosquitoes for the first time, according to public health authorities. Although the virus can cause severe illness in some individuals, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated there is currently no indication of the virus spreading within the country, and…
Ben Kemp
May 27, 2025
HighlightsHighlights Archive

New method for diagnosing brain tumours could cut treatment wait from weeks to hours

A novel technique for diagnosing brain tumours could drastically reduce the time patients wait for treatment, potentially shrinking the gap from several weeks to just a few hours, researchers have reported. Confirming the tumour type usually requires genetic analysis, which in the UK can take up to eight weeks post-surgery — delaying the start of treatments like chemotherapy. In a…
Ben Kemp
May 27, 2025
HighlightsHighlights Archive

UK adopts historic Pandemic Agreement

Last week, the UK adopted a a new World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement alongside 124 other nations. The agreement aims to embed stronger domestic and global prevention by improving the way countries around the world work together to detect and combat pandemic threats. The new Pandemic Agreement seeks to help avoid excessive deaths and economic hardship witnessed during the COVID…
Ben Kemp
May 27, 2025
HighlightsHighlights Archive

Media Monitoring: 15 – 21 May

  Hancock ignored call to test all NHS staff, Covid inquiry hears The government ignored an early warning by two Nobel prize-winning scientists that all healthcare workers should be routinely tested for coronavirus in the pandemic, the Covid inquiry has heard. The advice came in a strongly-worded letter sent in April 2020 by the chief executive of the Francis Crick…
Ben Kemp
May 20, 2025
HighlightsHighlights Archive

DHSC Annual Report 2023/2024

The Public Accounts Committee, a cross-party group of MPs, has given their verdict on the Department of Health and Social Care's accounts and annual report for 2023/24. The committee stressed that, given the health system faces significant financial pressures on numerous fronts, strong financial management, decision–making, and efficiency improvements are essential for the NHS’s long–term sustainability. Concerns were raised that…
Ben Kemp
May 20, 2025
HighlightsHighlights Archive

MPs declare government has no clear plan for NHSE dissolution

In March, ministers revealed plans to dissolve NHS England, transferring its responsibilities to the Department of Health and Social Care. However, Parliament's cross-party Public Accounts Committee has criticised the lack of clarity and urged the Government to outline a comprehensive plan within the next three months. The Government claims that work on detailed planning is currently underway. Committee chair Sir…
Ben Kemp
May 20, 2025
Close Menu