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Medical Insights

COVENTRY, UK – May 26, 2025 – The EBME Expo, the UK's premier independent exhibition and conference for healthcare technology, returns to the Coventry Building Society Arena on June 25-26, 2025. This critical event is set to welcome over 2,000 delegates, connecting them with 175 exhibitors and 60 expert speakers across 5 dynamic conference streams.

A highlight of this year's expo will be the presence of LtCol Dr. Roman Kuziv, Ukrainian military doctor and Commander of the Medical Forces & Sustainment Group East. With dual qualifications in medicine and law, Dr. Kuziv leads medical response and innovation efforts directly from the eastern front line. A recipient of numerous state honours, including the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Dr. Kuziv will share invaluable lessons from Ukraine's battlefield medical operations, focusing on trauma system reform, drone injury analytics, and frontline infrastructure resilience.

NHS England torn up

NHS England has announced the incoming team who will help lead the organisation’s transition into the Department of Health and Social Care. The team – called the NHS Transformation Executive Team – will replace the current NHS England Executive Group and will support ongoing business priorities, statutory functions and day to day delivery.

Except for the deputy chief executive officer, all colleagues will be in post on 1 April 2025 to support this critical work.

The new team – drawn from the existing executive and the wider NHS on secondment – has been appointed following discussion with the Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care senior officials, incoming chair Dr Penny Dash and NHS England’s Board. All appointments are subject to the approval of the Board. Permanent recruitment and appointments will be made when the future form and structure is more clear.

New Hospital Programme: Plan for Implementation

On 20 January 2025, the government confirmed funding and a realistic timetable to put the New Hospital Programme on track to deliver all its hospital projects. This provides certainty on the next steps for the New Hospital Programme.

The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: Following the 2024 General Election, the Chancellor and I set out to undertake a review of the New Hospital Programme (NHP) to provide a realistic and affordable timetable for delivery.

The NHP was announced in October 2020 to deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030. Despite the claim, there were not 40 ‘new’ schemes and some were just refurbishments or extensions. To put it simply - there were not 40 of them, they were not all new and many were not even hospitals.

News 09 12 2024

Innovative IT software designed to tackle waiting lists and reduce discharge delays has been rolled out across more than two thirds of the NHS. The NHS Federated Data Platform securely brings together data currently held in separate systems, making it easier for staff to access key information so they can provide quicker and more joined-up care for millions of patients across the country. A year since its introduction, 87 NHS acute hospital trusts and 28 integrated care boards in England have signed up so far. The platform brings together real-time data, such as the number of beds in hospital, the size of elective waiting lists, staff rosters, the availability of medical supplies and social care places so staff can then plan their resources better. New data published today show hospital trusts using the NHS Federated Data Platform have each treated on average 114 more inpatients in theatres every month since introducing the tool.

The platform has come as part of the NHS’ plan to reform patient care and provide maximum value for taxpayers, with figures showing new initiatives to boost productivity have helped the NHS save £2 billion in the first 5 months of this financial year to be reinvested into patient care.

News 30 09 2024

Actions before and after the actual surgery in theatres will impact on theatre productivity. Inefficiencies already identified pre-Covid were amplified during the pandemic. Ensuring hospitals reset their surgical pathways and processes, while maintaining capacity to teach and train, is vital to improve theatre productivity and efficiency. It will enable more efficient use of the sessions we can currently staff and run and will provide a firm base on which to increase our estate usage.

Improvements to theatre productivity require a full team effort and should not be seen as the sole responsibility of theatres. Input and action are required across the surgical and perioperative pathways and providers should ensure this work is taken forward by relevant teams working collaboratively and in an aligned way with dedicated clinical ownership and executive support. Improving productivity means delivering as much clinical value for patients as possible with the resources we have, while maintaining safety and improving staff engagement and morale. A whole provider approach is needed with all clinical, operational and theatre teams considering how the elements within their control contribute to the overall value of surgical services and care.

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