Healthcare
Roundup
 
12 August 2022
 
Contact Us Twitter LinkedIn Send to colleague
Seven days in the NHS and health IT
Cyber security
Cyber attack affecting NHS organisations
Widespread reports around the impact of a ransomware cyber-attack affecting NHS supplier Advanced, have continued to emerge this week. PublicTechnology.net reported that some customers expected to be affected for weeks. Health Service Journal reported that the company supplies an electronic patient record system to a number of trusts and most NHS 111 providers, and that the company is investigating “potentially impacted data”. The chief executive of one mental health trust reportedly told the publication that staff could not access the EPR or risk assessments. National newspapers including The Guardian and the Independent also reported on the news.
NHS crisis
Barclay not waiting for Sunak or Truss
Immediate action is needed to help the NHS avoid an emergency during the winter, and decisions cannot wait until a new prime minister enters Number 10 in September, health secretary Steve Barclay has reportedly said. In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, he said his Whitehall department needed to make fast decisions ahead of threats from possible rises in Covid-19 and flu, and the rising cost of living, which are all expected to put additional pressure on services during autumn and winter months. Decisions are expected to include whether to increase the NHS workforce through greater overseas recruitment.
Backlog
Virtual appointments from other parts of the country to help tackle outpatient backlogs
Patients should be offered virtual consultations from hospitals in other parts of the country, if they are on a long outpatient waiting list at their local trust, Sir James Mackey has reportedly said. Speaking to Health Service Journal, the chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said there would be a big focus on outpatients, following a drive to reduce surgery waiting lists in England. He was appointed by NHS England and NHS Improvement to advise on elective recovery in September 2021.
Backlog
NHS dramatically reduces two year waiting lists, but long cancer waits grow
The NHS has reduced the number of people waiting for at least two years for surgery and hospital treatment to fewer than 2,800 patients, according to media reports. The Clinical Services Journal reported that at the start of 2022 this figure exceeded 22,500 patients. DigitalHealth.net reported comments from NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard, who praised NHS staff for the achievement which she added had relied on the introduction of “innovative techniques” and the adoption of “pioneering technology”. Separately, Health Service Journal reported that 10,000 patients with suspect cancer were now waiting at least 104 days after referrals, a figure the journal said had doubled since June 2021.
Vaccines
Polio jabs for children in London
Children in London between the ages of one and nine are to be offered a vaccine for Polio, according to the BBC. The drive from the UK Health Security Agency to vaccinate nearly one million children, comes as more than 100 samples of the virus have been found in the capital’s waste water. GPs are expected to contact families, and the agency said all eligible children living in Greater London needed to have a dose of the vaccine.
Skills
Social care skills to be boosted, says government
Ministers have confirmed new measures and support to improve skills and careers in social care, as part of an already announced £500 million support package, Public Sector Executive reported. The announcement from care and mental health minister Gillian Keegan included more money for employers to help them fund professional development, a new care certificate qualification, and a digital hub and skills passport. Though the funding package had been welcomed, Miriam Deakin, interim deputy chief executive of NHS Providers said that social care still had 160,000 vacancies along with significant recruitment and retention challenges, and called for additional government action to ensure social care was on a “sustainable footing”.
Med-tech
Call for evidence on medical devices and inequalities
The government is seeking views around inequalities that could be caused by medical devices and technologies. A Department of Health and Social Care press release said the call for evidence is part of an Independent Review on Equity in Medical Devices led by Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead. The government said it wanted to gather evidence on how medical devices and other technologies could be biased in relation to different genders, ethnicities and other socio-demographic groups. Technology suppliers are amongst those that have been called on to share views. The consultation can be found on the Gov.uk website.
Health tech
Health tech in the news: AI to help GOSH spot fractures; Trial sees reduced A&E attendances in Staffordshire; Dignio integrates with AceAge.
Great Ormand Street Hospital has started a new research programme to identify how AI can make it easier for healthcare professionals to identify fractures in children, Health Tech Newspaper reported. A trial also involving AI has helped to reduce A&E attendances in Staffordshire. DigitalHealth.net spoke to Dr Paddy Hannigan, clinical lead for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System, about the project designed to predict those at high risk of attendance. And digital remote care company Dignio has announced that it has integrated smart pill dispenser Karie into its Dignio Connected Care solution. The development is part of a partnership with AceAge, according to a story from Newsfile Corp.
Health tech comms for tough, competitive times
Highland Marketing Blog
The NHS is emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic with limited resources to meet the huge pressure it is under. That’s focusing attention on national targets and upping the stakes for health tech companies with digital solutions to help deliver on them.

At times like this, effective sales, marketing and PR campaigns are essential. Highland Marketing co-founders Mark and Susan Venables have some pointers to offer.
Copyright © 2022 Highland Marketing Ltd. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email due to subscribing to our update list.
View our disclaimer and copyrights, and privacy policy.

Our mailing address is:
Highland Marketing Ltd
20 St Dunstan's Hill
London, EC3R 8HL
United Kingdom

Add us to your address book

Unsubscribe from this list