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Highlights

Media Monitoring: 28th August – 3rd September HighlightsHighlights Archive

Media Monitoring: 28th August – 3rd September

Busiest July on record for general practice teams General practice teams have delivered a record 33.6 million appointments in July 2025, up 4.3% on the year before and up nearly a quarter on the same period pre-pandemic (24.3% increase since 2019).  The statistics show the NHS is on-track for its busiest summer ever in general practice, with record appointments also delivered in…
Ben Kemp
September 2, 2025
Study discovers cheek swab test provides early diagnosis of serious heart condition in children HighlightsHighlights Archive

Study discovers cheek swab test provides early diagnosis of serious heart condition in children

A new, simple cheek-swab test, funded by the British Heart Foundation and unveiled at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid on 1 September 2025, may detect arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) years before symptoms appear. ACM is a genetic disorder responsible for over 10 percent of sudden cardiac deaths in children, caused by abnormalities in the proteins connecting heart cells…
Ben Kemp
September 2, 2025
UKHSA wastewater monitoring programme launched to catch pandemic threats HighlightsHighlights Archive

UKHSA wastewater monitoring programme launched to catch pandemic threats

A programme has been expanded to evaluate how wastewater monitoring could be used to detect a wider range of dangerous pathogens has been launched by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Over the coming months, UKHSA laboratories, using £1.3 million of investment from the UK Integrated Security Fund (ISF), will assess the use of cutting-edge technologies to improve the UK’s…
Ben Kemp
September 2, 2025
Government launches new Genomic Population Health Service HighlightsHighlights Archive

Government launches new Genomic Population Health Service

The Government has announced a new genomics population health service, with NHS staff being trained to identify patients eligible for genomic testing. At the heart of this initiative, nurses will lead the way as local genomics champions — helping patients access faster, more accurate diagnoses closer to home, alongside vital support and counselling where needed. The new service will build…
Ben Kemp
September 1, 2025
Media Monitoring: 21st – 27th August HighlightsHighlights Archive

Media Monitoring: 21st – 27th August

MedTech Europe sounds alarm over impact of US-EU tariffs on patients MedTech Europe has warned tariffs on transatlantic trade risk disrupting critical supply chains, affecting patient care and healthcare resilience. The trade group made the warning in response to the publication of a joint statement on trade and tariffs by the U.S. and European Union. MedTech Europe said the statement lacks tariff relief…
Ben Kemp
August 27, 2025
BIVDA member PocDoc’s groundbreaking smartphone diabetes test set for NHS roll-out HighlightsHighlights Archive

BIVDA member PocDoc’s groundbreaking smartphone diabetes test set for NHS roll-out

BIVDA member PocDoc have launched a world-first health check for type 2 diabetes that combines the gold-standard finger prick test with patients' smartphones. The test, which cuts diagnosis time from months to minutes, will be piloted by NHS trusts in Cumbria and the North East of England through the Diabetes Health Check app. Patients begin the test by applying a…
Ben Kemp
August 26, 2025
WHO releases new Target Product Profiles for tuberculosis screening tests HighlightsHighlights Archive

WHO releases new Target Product Profiles for tuberculosis screening tests

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published updated Target product profiles (TPPs) for tuberculosis (TB) screening tests. This follows the recent publication of a TPP for serious bacterial infection among young infants, including neonatal sepsis, covered in last week's newsletter. These TPPs define the most important characteristics and requirements to be considered in the development of new tests for systematic…
Ben Kemp
August 26, 2025
Media Monitoring: 14th – 20th August HighlightsHighlights Archive

Media Monitoring: 14th – 20th August

Researchers restore antibiotic effect in the event of resistance Bacterial resistance negates the effect of antibiotics in the treatment of infection. Using mouse models, researchers now show that if antibiotics are administered with an enzyme called endolysin, the combined effect protects against infection by resistant bacteria in all bodily organs – including the brain, which antibiotics alone have difficulty reaching.…
Ben Kemp
August 20, 2025
Lord O’Neill: Fleming Fund axe shows UK no longer reliable partner on AMR HighlightsHighlights Archive

Lord O’Neill: Fleming Fund axe shows UK no longer reliable partner on AMR

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the author of the seminal 2016 AMR review, Lord O'Neill, expressed his dismay at the Government's decision to axe the Fleming Fund. The peer stated that it would mean that the UK will no longer be viewed internationally as a reliable partner when tackling major global health challenges. The Fleming Fund was a…
Ben Kemp
August 20, 2025
WHO Collaborating Centre for Genomic Surveillance of AMR launches in London HighlightsHighlights Archive

WHO Collaborating Centre for Genomic Surveillance of AMR launches in London

The WHO Collaborating Centre for Genomic Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has been launched at the Royal Institution in London. Hosted by the Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance at Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, the Centre will help expand and standardise global genomic monitoring of AMR. Designated by WHO, it will develop laboratory protocols, bioinformatics tools and technical guidance, supporting the…
Ben Kemp
August 18, 2025