A national patient safety alert has been issued by the NHS England National Patient Safety team – in collaboration with the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine – about the risk of harm from incorrectly assembled breathing circuits lacking a proper exhalation route for patients receiving invasive or non-invasive ventilatory support. Risk associated with adult breathing […]

Smoking-related hospital admissions in England increased by nearly 5% in 2022-23, compared to the previous year, but remain lower than before the Covid pandemic. Latest statistics from NHS England show that in 2022-23 there were an estimated 408,700 hospital admissions due to smoking, a rise from 389,800 in 2021-22 (an increase of 4.8%). The newly […]

NHS ‘one stop shops’ have delivered over one million checks and tests since the rollout began, as the biggest catch up programme in health history gathers pace. Over 90 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are already freeing up hospital capacity by offering MRI, CT and other services closer to patients’ homes, often in the heart of […]

NHS patients in England will be some of the first people in Europe to benefit from a new “truly life-transforming” treatment for cystic fibrosis, health service chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has announced today. Three in five patients with the deadly genetic condition could benefit from the ‘triple combination’ treatment produced by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. This […]

People who arrive at A&E experiencing a mental health crisis will receive emergency care within one hour under NHS pilot schemes aimed at improving care and saving more lives. The new standard, a significant step towards parity of esteem for mental health, is among a raft of proposed clinical improvements that aim to deliver rapid […]

Lung cancer scanning trucks that operate from supermarket car parks are being rolled out across the country in a drive to save lives by catching the condition early, NHS England announced today. Around £70 million will fund 10 projects that check those most at risk, inviting them for an MOT for their lungs and an […]

Problem drinkers and smokers who end up in hospital will be helped by dedicated new services as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. As part of new NHS prevention measures, people who are alcohol dependent will be helped by new Alcohol Care Teams, while more than half a million patients who smoke, including pregnant […]

Patients with a chronic lung condition are set to benefit from a “life-changing” procedure that uses tiny balloons to inflate and compress blockages in the blood vessels, as it will now be routinely available on the NHS. NHS England is funding a pioneering procedure, called balloon pulmonary angioplasty, for patients who suffer from Chronic Thromboembolic […]

An innovative team helping prisoners with long term lung conditions breathe better and feel better have won a Nursing Times Award for their flag ship project. The group of six, who all work at Maidstone Prison, scooped the Respiratory Award 2013 prize after diagnosing more prisoners with conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), helping […]