Research and Technology

Confed19 Preview: The challenge we face

03.06.19: Niall Dickson, chief executive of NHS Confederation, shares a preview of what to expect at this year’s Confed19 conference, which will be taking place in Manchester on 19-20 June. The NHS is always at a cross roads, is it not? There i...

NHS Counter Fraud: Who cares about ISO 17025:2005?

03.06.19: We do, writes Nikki Crook, technical lead of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority’s (NHSCFA) Forensic Computing Unit (FCU). I work for the NHSCFA, which is leading the fight against NHS fraud at the national level. Our dedicated FCU suppor...

How are we improving outcomes for those affected by stroke?

28.05.19: Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), provides her view on the newly published NICE impact report on stroke. Stroke is one of the greatest health challenges of our ti...

‘Thriving’ UK medicines discovery sector being driven by brand new technologies

13.05.19: New state-of-the-art technologies are keeping the UK competitive in a “thriving” service and supply sector in medicines discovery, a 2019 State of the Discovery Nation report has revealed. The research from the Medicines Discove...

‘Pink drink’ cancer treatment that helps surgeons spot brain tumours rolled out across NHS

13.05.19: A new innovative brain cancer treatment aid that allows surgeons to identify areas of the brain affected by cancer has been rolled out across the NHS and could save up to 2,000 patients a year. Known as the ‘pink drink’, 5-ALA u...

New emergency services radio system to be at least £3bn overbudget and three years late as Home Office failings blasted by NAO

10.05.19: An overhaul of the communications system used by the UK’s emergency services will be at least £3bn overbudget and three years late, a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed. The Emergency Services Network was c...

Ends of AIDs in sight as HIV-suppressing drugs succeed in making the virus ‘untransmittable’

03.05.19: HIV-suppressing drugs can now make the AIDS virus “untransmittable” even to sexual partners, and could lead to an end to the entire epidemic, a landmark study has found. In a study of nearly 1,000 gay male couples across Europe...

NHSE strikes largest ever deal to ‘completely eliminate’ hepatitis C

03.05.19: NHS England has reached a “first-of-its-kind” deal with three major drug companies that could completely eradicate hepatitis C, weathering a lengthy negotiation process and a legal battle on the way. The procurement deal, said t...

All NHS hospitals and GP practices to be equipped with fibre optic internet

01.05.19: All NHS hospitals, GP practices and community care services are to be equipped with full fibre optic internet, under plans announced by the health secretary. Part of the NHS Long-Term Plan’s bid to improve connectivity and modernise h...

Routine breech scans could lower mother and baby mortality rates and save NHS money, researchers say

17.04.19: Scanning mothers-to-be late in their pregnancy could prevent 15,000 unexpected breech births, 4,000 emergency C-sections, and the deaths of up to eight babies a year, new research has shown. Breech births, where a baby’s bottom or fee...

NHS rolls out new digital portal for home care vacancies in bid to reduce hospital discharge delays

16.04.19: A new digital portal that allows hospital staff to find care home spaces for patients is to be rolled out across the NHS in a bid to reduce delays. The ‘Capacity Tracker’ is being rolled out by NHS England to hospitals, care hom...

Mixed reviews for ‘full of jargon’ NHS App pilot ahead of summer rollout

12.04.19: NHS Digital has published the results of the pilot phase of the NHS App, finding that users were “enthusiastic” about using the app to order prescriptions but appointment bookings were “full of jargon.” A number of c...

A smarter approach to tackling AMR

10.04.19: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is estimated to cause 700,000 deaths each year globally. This could rise to 10 million by 2050 if we do nothing. Better stewardship, new diagnostics, and effective health education is crucial to tackling this growi...

DHSC reveals early focus for NHSX digital unit and names CEO

04.04.19: NHSX has named its new chief executive as the government announces that its digital specialists will be joining up with cancer and mental health national policy teams to help improve patient experiences through technology. The Department of...

GDEs: Harnessing technology's potential

03.04.19: Gareth Thomas, clinical co-chair of the Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) blueprinting steering group, consultant in intensive care medicine and anaesthesia, and chief clinical information officer, discusses the publication of the first wave of GDE...