Welcome to another week’s top health and healthcare news roundup in the Friday Five. We’ve scoured the internet for some of the most notable stories from the sector over the past week or so. All so that you don’t have to.
If you’ve been looking for easily digestible healthcare content? You’ve come to the right place. With that said, let’s get into it!
1. Ongoing COVID Inquiry Continues
The public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing at the minute, with contributions being made by some of the pandemic’s most influential figures, like Professor Sir Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, and Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, the former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England.
Speaking to the inquiry, Sir Whitty said that the first lockdown came “too late”, though he caveated this by saying there were no good options at the time. There were just as many fears about locking down too early as there were too late.
2. No New Major Funding Announcements for Healthcare in Autumn Budget
The UK Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, outlined his Autumn Statement this week, with no new significant funding for healthcare announced as part of it.
Instead, the MP for South West Surrey re-committed to existing spending plans, including a £200 million injection into the NHS to bolster resilience and an expansion of NHS Talking Therapies, to name just two.
The budget has been criticised by prominent figures in the sector, including the RCN’s Chief nurse, Nicola Ranger, who called the budget and its lack of new funding for the NHS “short-sighted”.
3. Drones Being Used to Deliver Defibrillation Equipment in Swedish Study
When it comes to dealing with a cardiac arrest, time is of the essence. In settings where there are no defibrillators available, bystanders must wait for an ambulance to arrive with the proper equipment while administering CPR.
In a novel study in Sweden, however, drones have been used to dispatch Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and their times compared with ambulances delivering the same equipment. The study found that drones arrived with AEDs before ambulances in two-thirds of cases.
It will be fascinating to see how these findings are built upon and whether drone delivery of AEDs becomes more commonplace.
4. Research Shows the Impact of Long COVID on the Brain
New research utilising MRI scanning shows the lasting impacts that long COVID has on the brain. The research findings, which will be presented next week at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting, showed that there were “microstructural changes” between the brains of those who experienced long COVID and those who did not.
It’s thought that these changes might account for the brain fog, fatigue, shortness of breath and a general downturn in cognitive performance that people with long COVID experience daily. Long COVID is thought to affect 65 million people globally, so any research that better sheds light on how it works should be welcomed.
5. One in Five Young People (8-25) With Probable Mental Health Disorder
Data collected by NHS England shows that around one in five young people aged between 8 and 25 suffered from a probable mental health disorder in 2023. The data ranked people as either unlikely, possible or probable.
The report also found that eating disorders were found in 12.5% of 17- to 19-year-olds, whilst just under 6% of 20- to 25-year-olds were identified as having eating disorders. For 11- to 16-year-olds, this figure was 2.6%.
Final Thoughts for this Edition of the Friday Five: Healthcare
Hopefully, having read this, you’ll feel more clued up on what’s been going on in the world of healthcare. We’ll see you next week for another edition, but until then, look after yourself and stay well. Whatever you’ve got planned for the weekend, enjoy yourself!
