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The NHS is expanding blood pressure checks available in local communities including barbershops, mosques and at a dominoes club, as part of a major drive to prevent strokes and heart attacks. Thanks to the learning from the NHS covid vaccination programme, local teams are reaching out into their neighbourhoods to find potential health problems before they become more serious for patients at locations that are most convenient.
The lifesaving action by NHS staff comes alongside new figures showing that high street pharmacies delivered a total of 149,865 blood pressure checks to the over 40s in May 2023 – more than double the amount delivered the year before (58,345 in May 2022). More than 1,300 heart attacks and strokes could be prevented this year thanks to the high street checks.
Read more: NHS blood pressure checks at the barbers to prevent killer conditions
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A survey of 300 UK surgeons has found that each surgeon loses an average of four hours a week due to inefficient technology. This is equal to more than an entire working month of hours each year.
The study, State of Surgery in the UK: Technology and Efficiency in Patient Care, conducted on behalf of global healthcare technology firm, Medtronic, reveals 79% of UK surgeons feel care would be easier to deliver if technology was improved.
The study explores surgeons’ attitudes towards the technologies they use in their role, the efficiency of them and the degree to which they enhance or hinder performance.
Fifty-four percent of surgeons reported spending time outside of hospital hours on administration that could be automated, and 58% agree technology in the operating room is inefficient and could impact the delivery of patient care.
Read more: Survey finds that most surgeons lose four hours a week due to inefficient technology
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Ring-fenced funding has been announced by the Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay MP, ahead of the NHS’s 75th birthday. This new AI technology will help diagnose patients more quickly for conditions such as cancers, strokes and heart conditions.
NHS Trusts will be able to bid for funding to accelerate the deployment of the most promising AI tools across hospitals to help treat people more quickly this winter.
The Government is committed to deploying AI decision support tools in all stroke networks by the end of 2023 to help treat strokes through improved diagnosis and access to treatment. NHS staff will be given the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology to diagnose and treat patients more quickly thanks to a new £21 million fund announced by the Health and Social Care Secretary.
Read more: Ring-fenced funding to roll out artificial intelligence across the NHS
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Current regulations provide that the acceptance of CE marked medical devices on the Great Britain market were meant to end on 30 June 2023.
A statutory instrument has subsequently been laid in Parliament, which will enable an extended timeframe for acceptance of CE marked medical devices on the Great Britain market.
Subject to Parliamentary approval this will mean that CE marked medical devices will be accepted on the Great Britain market beyond the current deadline (30 June 2023). This will support the ongoing, safe supply of medical devices to Great Britain and is designed to ease the transition to a future strengthened regulatory framework for medical devices.
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England has become the first country in the world to launch clinical training in perinatal mental health using extended reality (XR) technology. Perinatal mental health conditions affect between 10 and 20% of people giving birth in the UK. While these problems are often mild and last for a short period, some can present as severe mental illness and without the right immediate support and care, can pose a high risk to parents and their babies. Treatment for perinatal mental health conditions relies on healthcare professionals being able to engage and communicate effectively with patients to determine the severity of their condition and make appropriate interventions.
However, there are often limited opportunities for learners to practice these skills in a safe learning environment where they can practice and reflect on their experiences. A ground-breaking patient avatar has been developed by Health Education England in partnership with Fracture Reality and allows healthcare learners to expand their skills interacting with people with perinatal mental health problems through a series of instructor-driven simulations. Using a headset, learners interact with the avatar, called Stacey, a virtual patient who is directed by an instructor and run as a simulation on Fracture Reality’s JoinXR platform. The technology can be used in augmented reality where learners are able to practice in their own clinical setting as well as virtual reality that offers students the chance to experience interacting with Stacey in her own home or other clinical settings.
