RECENT NEWS

Fifteen NHS Trusts across the West Midlands are a significant step closer to leveraging diagnostic expertise on a scale never seen before in the health service, after the largest digital health initiative of its kind in Europe commenced a procurement process.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced a new liaison programme, marking a significant step forward in strengthening the regulatory partnership between the UK and the US.

Health Tech Enterprise (HTE) has launched a new Clinical Expert Community aimed at tackling one of the biggest challenges facing medical technology innovators, gaining meaningful clinical insight during product development.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has written to medical schools across the UK, stressing that students should feel able to report concerns without fear of consequences, after reports that medical students are experiencing sexual misconduct and harassment.

Health service leaders have warned that the NHS workforce is facing a crisis of morale as staff experience escalating levels of abuse, discrimination, racism and pressure linked to the wider political and economic climate. Sir Ciarán Devane, the new chief executive of The NHS Alliance, has warned that staff from diverse backgrounds feel particularly under threat at present.

Thousands of young people across England will get protection against meningococcal B (MenB) disease through a one-off vaccination programme launching ahead of the 2026 academic year.

Lymphoedema is a chronic condition where patients experience potentially lifelong swelling of arms or legs. In the UK, most patients develop it after lymph node removal for cancer surgery, such as in breast cancer, although other patients can be born with it. However, a UK medical first is set to reduce breast cancer related lymphoedema by 4% to 8% worldwide with preventative treatment.

The rollout of value-based procurement (VBP) across the NHS in England has been welcomed as a significant step towards ensuring healthcare purchasing decisions are driven by patient outcomes rather than price alone.

The first clinical trial of a ‘universal’ Sarbeco coronavirus vaccine at two National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) facilities has shown that the vaccine is safe and has no significant side effects.

Researchers at UCL and the Francis Crick Institute have identified 14 proteins in the blood that can predict lung cancer risk more than five years before diagnosis. The findings, published in Cell, mean that people at higher risk of developing lung cancer who might benefit from drugs to prevent the disease taking hold could be identified early – a major step towards precision cancer prevention.

The NIHR has awarded more than £8 million to six pioneering projects designed to reduce NHS waiting lists and speed up access to care. The six projects are testing a range of AI and digital innovations - including using AI to speed up analysis of head CT scans and chest X-rays - to hasten diagnosis, improve patient care, and make services more accessible and efficient.

A vaccination programme will support those experiencing rough sleeping and people staying in homeless hostels or night shelters, protecting a group at high risk of serious respiratory illness who are too often left behind.

Mölnlycke Health Care, a global leader in MedTech, has confirmed a combined investment of approximately EUR 40 million in Mikkeli, Finland, and Oldham, UK.

British Medical Auctions (BMA) has announced that Founder and CEO Markus Grad will step down from the business after ten years of leadership, innovation and growth.

Theatre teams are being asked to help drive improvements to sustainability, by sharing their insights into the opportunities for reducing waste, associated with procedure packs. The data collected will help contribute to the development of more sustainable solutions.

AfPP’s Annual National Conference 2026 will take place on 7-8 August at Wyboston Lakes Resort in Bedfordshire, bringing together perioperative professionals for two days of learning, insight and shared best practice. For those working across perioperative practice, it offers a valuable opportunity to hear from expert speakers, explore current challenges and developments, and connect with peers from across the profession.

The number of patients in England waiting for an NHS diagnostic test has reached 1.92 million, an 83% increase compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report.

A consultant gastroenterologist from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Sheffield has been elected as the President Elect of the British Society of Gastroenterologists, one of the world’s leading gastroenterology organisations.

New data reveals that e-scooter crashes are causing large numbers of young adults to require reconstructive plastic surgery, with the majority of incidents happening at night-time, and many of the injuries preventable.

​Thousands of men with prostate cancer are to be offered high-powered ‘precision’ radiotherapy on the NHS to target the disease more effectively, helping reduce side-effects and spare them 15 courses of treatment.