Health and care sector latest developments

New data laws aim to ‘improve public services and boost economy by £10 billion’

The Press Association newswire has issued a story on proposed new data laws by the government which would free up police and NHS staff time, boost the economy and make it easier to register births and deaths or start a new job.

If made law, the data use and access bill could help grow the economy by £10 billion by helping to cut costs, save time and drive more data-sharing to help both businesses and consumers.

The legislation will also ensure that healthcare information – such as details on patient appointments, tests and pre-existing conditions – can be accessed in real time across the NHS, GP surgeries and ambulance services, no matter the IT system they are using. This could save 140,000 hours in NHS time each year and potentially save lives by allowing staff to provide care more quickly.

Safety watchdog urges Streeting to expand her role

The Health Service Journal has reported that Henrietta Hughes, the patient safety commissioner, is urging the health and social care secretary to remove ‘constraints’ limiting her role amid a government review of national watchdogs.

She was named the country’s first patient safety commissioner in 2022 by the Department of Health and Social Care, which restricted her role to ‘championing patients’ and improving the safety of medical devices and medicines.

Two years on, her office still only has five staff, which the former NHS England regional medical director says is not enough to do ‘this enormous task’. She wants her remit to be expanded to cover ‘everything to do with keeping patients safe… and listening to patients’ voices’.

Disposable vapes to be banned from June

The Financial Times covered a story on how disposable vapes will be banned in England and Wales from next summer as part of a drive to protect children’s health and curb a ‘throwaway culture.’

Today, the UK government introduced legislation to parliament setting out the ban and giving businesses until June 1 2025 to sell any remaining stock.

Mary Creagh, circular economy minister, said disposable e-cigarettes were ‘extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities’. ‘That is why we are banning single-use vapes as we end this nation’s throwaway culture,’ she added.

Ambulance trusts suffer as calls jump 13 per cent in London

Ambulance trusts are battling an extremely tough October with calls in London up by 13 per cent year-on-year and others like South Central Ambulance Service Foundation and South Western Ambulance Service FT struggling with hospital handovers. East and West Midlands and East of England areas are also under pressure.

The Health Service Journal reported that pressure on ambulance services does normally increase as winter approaches but Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of London Ambulance Service, said demand has been growing at much higher levels than the trust had anticipated.

“We have seen significant increases in calls related to people with difficulty in breathing and respiratory illnesses, as well as additional calls for people with mental health conditions. We are already 13 per cent busier so far this October than we were in October last year,” he said.

“We are working closely with hospitals – who are also facing increased pressure – to continue to reduce handover times.”

UK regulator tells doctors to watch out for obesity injection misuse

BBC News Online has reported that the UK's drug safety regulator, The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is asking doctors to be alert for patients who may be misusing obesity injections, such as Wegovy.

It follows reports of some people who are not obese becoming sick, after using the jabs for weight loss. The MHRA stresses that the drugs are only meant for treating obesity and diabetes.

Health secretary Wes Streeting has backed the call, saying the drugs are ‘serious medicines’ and not ‘for people to get a body beautiful picture for Instagram’.

This comes as a House of Lords report calls for a ban on junk food ads to combat obesity crisis.

The House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee has published a report calling for a complete ban on advertising high-calorie or unhealthy foods to tackle the UK's obesity crisis, deeming it a ‘public health emergency.’

The report argues that instead of relying on weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, the government should reform the ‘broken food system’ through measures such as taxing junk foods and imposing stricter advertising regulations. It criticises previous governments for avoiding action due to fears of ‘nanny state’ accusations.

Welsh Assembly rejects assisted dying motion

The Welsh Assembly voted against supporting assisted dying in a motion yesterday, with a majority of 26 to 19 and nine abstentions.
 
The vote saw cross-party opposition from Labour, Conservatives, and Plaid Cymru. Concerns were raised about potential risks, such as coercion and legal precedents.
 
It comes after health secretary Wes Streeting withdrew support for the policy earlier that day, citing inadequate end-of-life care within the NHS. The debate on assisted dying continues in Westminster ahead of a key vote on Friday 29 November.

Disability rights campaigners urge parliamentarians to back assisted dying bill 

A group of disability rights campaigners and academics have urged MPs and peers to back the legalisation of assisted dying. 

The group, led by author and disability research professor Tom Shakespeare, stated that they stood ‘in solidarity with terminally ill people who want to have the option of an assisted death.’

Opponents of the change have cited concerns about the value society places on the lives of disabled people. 

An Opinium poll, however, found that almost four-in-five disabled people supported the legalisation of assisted dying.

New £20 million dementia trials initiative launched to fast-track search for cure

Tens of thousands of dementia patients will be enrolled in clinical trials through the new £20m Dementia Trials Accelerator, aiming to fast-track the search for a cure. This comes amid growing concern over dementia’s impact on healthcare, as only 61 UK patients participated in trials in 2021-22.
 
The initiative, led by the UK Dementia Research Institute, seeks to attract pharmaceutical investment and increase trial participation.
 
The launch follows the NHS rejecting a second Alzheimer’s drug, donanemab, for being too costly with limited benefits. Despite frustrations, experts believe this marks a pivotal moment in advancing dementia treatments.

Blood thinner can cut risk of second stroke for irregular heartbeat patients 

People with irregular heartbeats who have a stroke are 35 per cent less likely to have a second stroke if they are given blood-thinning drugs earlier than currently recommended, research has found.

The news will be welcomed by patients with atrial fibrillation patients who are five times more likely to have a stroke than those without the condition.