Media Monitoring: 4 – 10 November

Funded by government and industry, Our Future Health analyses people’s genes and lifestyle to prevent disease.
Most adults in the UK should be receiving treatment for high cholesterol but are not, while a quarter have untreated high blood pressure, the country’s biggest medical-research project suggests.
One of the project’s leaders said he was “shocked” by the findings so far.

NHS England to announce £800m in emergency funds, with none of the money coming from the Treasury or Department of Health.
This will help trusts pay bills incurred by industrial action and prepare for the winter ahead.
The government’s decision to rebuff demands for extra funding will come as a major disappointment to NHS chiefs.

The eighth annual #MedSafetyWeek campaign has been launched by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Part of a global campaign involving 88 countries, the initiative runs from 6-12 November and aims to improve patient safety by encouraging reporting of any suspected side effects from medicines and adverse incidents associated with medical devices.
With this year’s theme being ‘Who can report?’, the campaign focuses on the key role that every patient, carer and healthcare professional has in reporting suspected side effects and adverse incidents with medical devices, and the positive impact this can have on patient safety.

Council leader John Alexander joined Scotland’s First Minister on a visit to a multi-million pound centre that will build on Dundee’s standing as a world leader in health and life sciences research.
The tour was at the site of the University of Dundee’s Life Sciences Innovation Hub, a brand new £40 million facility that will anchor a new generation of high-growth companies and high-value jobs in the city.
The Hub, scheduled to open in 2024, will support high-growth health and life sciences companies, including spinouts from the University, in translating scientific innovation into new therapies, technologies, and treatments for public benefit.

An independent NICE committee has recommended people whose diabetes is not controlled with their current device despite best possible management with an insulin pump, or real-time or intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring, are offered a hybrid closed loop system.
People can use these systems to continue normal activities without the need for regular finger prick testing or injecting themselves with insulin to control their blood sugar levels.
Clinical trial and real-world evidence show that hybrid closed loop systems are more effective than standard care at maintaining blood glucose levels within a healthy range.

Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston co-hosts 26th annual trade talks with Taiwan in London.
UK and Taiwan formalise Enhanced Trade Partnership, announced in July, to boost economic links.
Talks focused on collaboration in critical sectors such as renewable energy and semiconductors, as well as removing barriers to trade to unlock more opportunities for UK firms to export to and invest in Taiwan.

The Monthly Diagnostics data for September 2023 can be found here.

The total number of patients waiting six weeks or more from referral for one of the 15 key diagnostic tests at the end of September 2023 was 415,600. This was 26.3% of the total number of patients waiting at the end of the month.
Nationally, the operational standard of less than 1% of patients waiting six weeks or more was not met this month.
Compared with September 2022 the total number of patients waiting six weeks or more decreased by 52,100 while the proportion of patients waiting six weeks or more decreased by 3.6 percentage points.
In the last 12 months, the proportion of patients waiting six weeks or more at the end of a month has varied between 25.0% (March 2023) and 31.3% (December 2022).
The estimated average time that a patient had been waiting for a diagnostic test was 2.9 weeks at the end of September 2023.
There were 1,582,700 patients waiting for a key diagnostic test at the end of September 2023. This is an increase of 14,500 from September 2022.
A total of 2,198,000 diagnostic tests were undertaken in September 2023. This is an increase of 175,000 from September 2022.