Health and care sector latest developments

Cracked pavements stopping older people from being active, say MPs

Britain’s crumbling infrastructure is stopping elderly people from staying active, a report from MPs has said.

Problems such as cracked pavements and poorly paved streets are acting as barriers to exercise, driving ill-health in later life, the document warned.

The report from MPs on the health and social care select committee said exercise was just as important as medicines in keeping older people healthy.

It said a lack of exercise was linked to health conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In the UK, lack of activity is associated with one in six deaths and is estimated to cost £7.4 billion a year.

The MPs called for more to be done to remove barriers such as ‘policy, funding and accountability barriers that have led to inactivity being designed into daily life, particularly for older people’.

UK scientists developing Ebola vaccine that could be ready for trials in months

Scientists at Oxford University are developing a new vaccine that could be ready for clinical trials within two to three months to help tackle the Ebola emergency. The outbreak, centred on the Democratic Republic of Congo, has resulted in 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths.

The rare species of Ebola, known as Bundibugyo, for which there is no proven vaccine, kills around a third of those infected.

There are no guarantees the vaccine will prove effective, and it will take animal research and trials on people to know if it will be. But scientists say they are working urgently in case the outbreak spirals and their experimental vaccine is needed.

The risk from the current Ebola outbreak has now been upgraded from ‘high’ to ‘very high’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo, by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Melanoma skin cancer cases hit record high in the UK as heatwave warning issued

The UK has recorded its highest ever number of diagnoses for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, with more than 20,000 people now affected annually.

The Independent says new figures from Cancer Research UK reveal 20,980 new cases were identified in 2022 alone, marking an unprecedented peak.

Ahead of a sunny bank holiday weekend, the charity has urged the public to prioritise sun safety.

It advises covering up and diligently applying sunscreen to reduce the risk of developing the disease.

AI firm sues government over procurement decision

An AI scribing firm that also runs one of primary care’s most widely used GP triage platforms has filed a court claim against the government over a procurement decision.

According to the Health Service Journal, Continuum Health Limited, which trades as Anima Health, filed a Part 7 procurement claim in the Technology and Construction Court on 19 May.

The Cabinet Office, the minister for the Cabinet Office and the Government Commercial Agency are both listed as defendants.

Anima was founded in 2021 by doctor Shun Pang and former Treasury official Rachel Mumford.

It is a fast-growing platform across primary care, providing triage and online consultation tools in over 400 GP practices and serving more than two million patients.

Trust chief executive quits despite being cleared of misconduct

A trust chief executive who was cleared of misconduct after being wrongly suspended by her chair has resigned.

Tracey Fletcher is to step down as chief executive of East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust. She had been absent since mid-November, when chair Annette Doherty gave her less than 24 hours to accept a settlement or face suspension.

Ms Fletcher was suspended three days later and raised a grievance in December. A draft investigation report, seen by the Health Service Journal, found Ms Doherty had ‘exceeded her authority’, breached the trust’s governance procedures and acted ‘not in line with the NHS values and expectations of a senior leader’. It largely upheld Ms Fletcher’s grievance.

Growing private services creating ‘regulatory gap’, claims watchdog

There is a growing ‘regulatory gap’ around several NHS services where private provision has grown rapidly, the Parliamentary watchdog has told the Health Service Journal.

Paula Sussex, who became the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in August, said she received a large number of concerns about ADHD and autism services, and provision of wheelchairs.

In relation to neurodiversity diagnosis, there has been rapid growth in NHS-funded and self-funded independent sector provision responding to growing demand, alongside an absence of agreed standards, qualifications, and training.

As a result, Ms Sussex often receives complaints that other services are refusing to recognise and act on the diagnoses, she said.

CQC demands answers over Southport attack data breach

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is investigating whether the trust where staff inappropriately viewed the records of Southport attack victims met its ‘duty of candour’ after the provider was accused of a ‘cover up’, the Health Service Journal has said.

The regulator is understood to be asking further questions to determine whether University Hospitals of Liverpool Group met its statutory transparency regulations when it decided not to tell the patients about the breach.