RECENT NEWS

The UK’s sole trade union for surgeons has joined calls from surgical training associations to scrap virtual interviews, over fears that trainees are using AI to skew outcomes and get jobs in positions they are not suitable for.

Over one million people are estimated to currently have glaucoma in the UK, a figure projected to reach more than 1.6 million by 2060, according to a study led by Moorfields and UCL researchers.

The world’s leading cardiovascular societies, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation (WHF) have issued the first ever joint statement calling for urgent action to address environmental stressors as major, yet preventable, causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Jess’s Rule asks GPs to take a ‘fresh eyes’ approach and think again if, after 3 appointments, they have been unable to offer a patient a substantiated diagnosis or their symptoms have escalated.

Starting in January 2026, and funded by the European Union Innovative Health Initiative, the Cities@Heart consortium will design, pilot and evaluate a series of city-level strategies to improve cardiovascular health for all. This ambitious project aims to help reduce the burden that cardiovascular disease places on urban environments, as well as reducing the health inequality gap.

A new technique which slashes the time taken to diagnose microbial infections from days to minutes could help save lives and open up a new front in the battle against antibiotic resistance, researchers say.

Aston University has published a paper setting out best practice on enhanced therapeutic observations for healthcare professionals. It has been published as a continuing professional development (CPD) article by the Royal College of Nursing and is designed to support nurses, nursing associates and healthcare support workers.

London Ambulance Service reached sick patients faster in December than in any Christmas period since 2020. Response times for people with a life-threatening condition, such as those who had stopped breathing, were 45 seconds faster on average, while those with serious medical emergencies like heart attacks or strokes were reached by ambulance crews more than 17 minutes faster, according to the latest figures.

The Functional Gut Clinic (FGC), a provider of specialist gastrointestinal (GI) diagnostics, has announced the launch of its dedicated GI Clinical Trials establishing the organisation as the country’s first boutique, end‑to‑end clinical research provider focused exclusively on digestive health.

Deep-rooted inequalities in medicine continue to impact careers and opportunities for ethnic minority and non-UK qualified doctors working in the NHS, General Medical Council (GMC) Chief Executive Charlie Massey cautions in a new report.

A new technology has been developed that enables cuffless non-invasive blood pressure monitoring by using ultrasonic to track real-time changes in vascular diameter — without the need for a traditional cuff. The technology is expected to serve as a core component in future wearable healthcare devices and smart medical monitoring platforms.

Patients with chronic illnesses face a significantly higher risk of complications from cosmetic botulinum toxin injections, commonly known as Botox, according to a major UK study.

Sinai Health researchers have shown that a blood test can predict Crohn’s disease years before symptoms appear, opening the doors to early diagnosis and potentially prevention. The test measures a person’s immune response to flagellin, a protein found on gut bacteria.

A public health policy in Wales may have produced the strongest evidence yet that a vaccine can reduce the risk of dementia. Researchers analysing the health records of Welsh older adults discovered that those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who did not receive the vaccine.

The ease in pressure on Emergency Departments (EDs) over the festive period must be replicated throughout the year in order to get the hospital system back on track, says the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).

Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is rooted in concerns that can be addressed and effectively reduced over time, according to a new study following more than 1.1 million people in England between January 2021 and March 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, led by researchers from Imperial College London, found that of the participants initially hesitant about getting a COVID-19 vaccine, 65% went on to get vaccinated at least once.

Christmas and New Year gatherings may have caused a bounce back in winter viruses, as the health service also grapples with a challenging cold snap. Figures show that the number of patients in hospital beds with flu has risen by 9% on the previous week (2,924), following two weeks where that number had fallen. The average number of patients in hospital with Norovirus and Covid per day was also up on the previous week, and overall bed occupancy was up 5% on the previous week at just under 92%.

New preclinical research suggests that bowel preparation procedures for colonoscopies may temporarily alter gut balance, culminating in unappreciated effects in patients with compromised gastrointestinal health.

The Health and Social Care Committee has warned that the Government’s 10 Year Workforce Plan for the NHS – shifting services from hospitals to neighbourhoods – won’t succeed without improving the working conditions of district nurses and other professionals working in the community.

A medical student studying at King's College London, hailing from Southwark, has won a national competition hosted by the General Medical Council (GMC) and Medical Schools Council (MSC).