Health and care sector latest developments
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New NHS England board members announced
The government has announced an overhaul of NHS England's board.
As reported by HSJ, David Bennett, Sir Sam Everington, Paul Corrigan, Ravi Gurumurthy and Louise Ansari have all been appointed as non-executive directors (NEDs).
Meanwhile, Mike Coupe, Jane Ellison, Sir Mark Walport, Baroness Mary Watkins and Sir Simon Wessely will all be leaving their NED roles.
Sir Andrew Morris, Mark Bailie, Sir Robert Lechler and Jeremy Townsend will remain in post.
ICB cluster chairs revealed
All ‘clustered’ integrated care boards (ICBs) have appointed a chair, HSJ can reveal.
The number of ICBs is set to shrink from 42 to 26. Of these, 15 are new clustered entities, which are expected to formally merge during 2026/27.
Leadership appointments for the new ICBs are largely being managed by NHS England’s seven regional offices, but chair appointments must be approved by health secretary Wes Streeting. HSJ revealed the preferred candidates for the chief executive positions last month. The confirmation of their appointments is likely to follow swiftly now the chairs have been named.
You can read the full list here.
AI scanning tool helps stroke patients recover faster
The NHS has rolled out an AI software to all 107 stroke centres in England, helping doctors identify the best treatment approach.
According to The Guardian, this technology has cut treatment delays from 140 to 79 minutes and tripled recovery rates from 16 per cent to 48 per cent of patients achieving functional independence.
The system quickly determines whether patients need emergency surgery or medication, potentially transforming care for stroke victims.
Three-minute brain test could detect early Alzheimer’s signs
University of Bath researchers developed a three-minute EEG test that monitors brain responses to rapid image sequences, potentially detecting Alzheimer's-related memory decline ten-20 years before current diagnostic methods.
As The Telegraphreports, the study found that patients with memory-focused cognitive impairment showed significantly reduced brain responses compared to healthy adults.
While promising for early detection, experts note that the test requires longer studies with larger groups to confirm its predictive ability.
