Health and care sector latest developments

NHS launches ‘health MOTs’

The NHS is launching a nationwide initiative to provide free health checks in workplaces, targeting over 130,000 middle-aged employees, particularly in male-dominated industries.

The programme aims to identify the risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes through 20-minute health MoTs, focusing on early detection and prevention.

Backed by £7 million in government funding, this initiative is part of the government’s strategy to reduce chronic illness and boost economic productivity by shifting healthcare from treatment to prevention.

A digital version of the NHS Health Check, which will integrate with GP records, is also planned, with trials starting in 2025. The programme is expected to deliver a million checks in four years.

Minister for public health and prevention Andrew Gwynne said: “We know so many deadly diseases can be avoided if we seek help in enough time. That’s why we’re working to improve access to treatment while also taking steps to address the preventable causes of cardiovascular disease".

Hospices raise concerns over cuts to services

BBC News is today reporting that five hospices run by St Giles Hospice are having to plan job cuts as a result of financial pressures. Hospice UK, which represents the sector, has urged the government to provide more funding for services so that further cuts can be avoided.

The current situation has been caused by a variety of factors which include increased energy bills, higher wages, and a lack of NHS funding.

Chief executive of Hospice UK, Toby Porter, has said that it is "an absolute scandal to see hospice services taken away from communities because there isn't enough money".

Department of Health and Social Care has acknowledged the problem, explaining that the government "has inherited huge challenges in the hospice sector", emphasising the need to "shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community".

Minister defends outdoor smoking ban 

Skills minister Jacqui Smith has defended a potential outdoor smoking ban, arguing that such a measure would "make it much more likely that people who are direct active smokers will actually want to give up smoking".

Meanwhile, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has expressed general support for further measures, but has argued that the government is using the debate as "a smokescreen from the bigger issues of the day, which is the austerity agenda that the Labour Party are pushing".

Hospital sets target to recruit more staff from deprived areas

An acute trust has set the goal of employing almost 40 per cent of its workforce from the most deprived areas of its patch by next year.

North Bristol Trust has for the first time set a goal of employing 38.5 per cent of its workforce from Bristol’s most socio-economically deprived communities by March 2025. Currently, that figure is 37.2 per cent.

The target covers the whole workforce, whereas many objectives to increase diversity seek an increase among certain groups, often the senior leadership.

The trust said it was looking to meet that goal with initiatives such as improving opportunities for jobseekers from under-represented groups through a community mentoring scheme and working with local schools, colleges and community groups.

Doctors call for change to at-home abortion rules 

Doctors are calling for laws around at-home abortions to be changed after it was shown that abortions administered at home are safe and effective after 12 weeks gestation.

Under current rules, at-home abortions are only allowed until ten weeks gestation.

Catching up on sleep linked to lower risk of heart disease 

Using data from the UK Biobank project, new research has found that catching up on lost sleep over the weekend can lead to a 20 per cent lower risk of heart disease.

The author of the study, Professor Yanjun Song, explained that the findings show that "sufficient compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease".

Research published today has also shown that the drug Vutrisiran can reduce the risk of dying due to a rare form of heart disease.