- The Health and Social Care Committee have released their ten workstreams which they will examine as part of their inquiry into prevention in healthcare.
- Last month, BIVDA submitted our evidence demonstrating how IVDs can be a key driver in preventing ill health.
- We hope that the identified work streams ‘cancer prevention’, ‘sexual health’ and ‘prevention of other major conditions’ feed into our submission.
More people could have hidden bowel condition
- According to charity Guts UK, many people may be suffering with microscopic colitis without realising or be misdiagnosed.
- Around 17,000 people across the UK are diagnosed with the condition – which can cause diarrhoea, stomach pain and weight loss – each year, however, experts say the figure is most probably much higher.
- Many standard tests miss microscopic colitis, with biopsies needed to make a definitive diagnosis.
Cancer survival rates improve by almost 10%
- Three in every four people survive their cancer the first year after being diagnosed, with rates of survival for some cancers even higher, according to latest figures.
- NHS England has published a one-year cancer survival index which looks at survival rates in 2020 compared to 2005. The index also breaks down the figures by types of cancer and where patients live.
- The index shows the overall first-year survival rate has risen 9% to 74.6%. The one-year breast cancer survival index is now about 97% and for bowel cancer the survival rate is now above 80%.
NHS Scotland calls 13,000 women for smear tests after error
- Thousands of women are now being summoned for smear tests after problems were identified with Scotland’s cervical screening programme.
- A review has estimated that 13,000 women who have undergone a hysterectomy will now require additional tests, which will occur over the next 12 months.
- This follows on from the admission in June 2021 that many women had died after wrongly being excluded from Scotland’s cervical cancer screening programme.
The rise and decline of the NHS in England 2000-20
- The King’s Fund have produced a report which claims a political failure has caused a crisis in the NHS and social care.
Challenges and opportunities for cervical screening and HPV vaccine uptake
- In this article, UK Cervical Cancer trustee, Jenny Greenfield, discusses many barriers to cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccine uptake
