Future of Healthcare
“The
Paula Barbosa, Associate Director, Vaccines Policy, IFPMA Page 06
“Adult social care is the NHS’s most essential yet under-resourced partner.”
Fraser Rickatson, Policy Manager, Care England Page 14
Wales’
As cancer rates rise and resources are stretched, Wales pioneers artificial intelligence (AI) and big data use to support earlier detection and diagnosis of cancer.
Investment in essential digital infrastructure is underway, including digital pathology, where traditional practices are being transformed through digital imaging and data analysis.
AI enhances pathology efficiency
By converting pathology images into digital formats, faster case referrals between organisations are now possible, with AI enhancing the analysis of complex data with greater speed and accuracy. A prime example is Ibex Medical Analytics’ Ibex Prostate platform, currently being tested across six NHS Wales Health Boards.
A previous trial at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board showed promising results, with the system allowing urgent cases to be prioritised for clinician review, improving patient outcomes through faster diagnosis and potentially reducing the need for additional biopsies. Overall, Ibex Prostate led to a 13% increase in cancer detection.1
Big data advances cancer prevention
Meanwhile, big data is proving invaluable for population health. Platforms that gather and process vast datasets help identify health trends, support research and train AI models for future medical applications. The need for and benefits of developing a multi-omic platform that integrates clinical, genomic and imaging data are well recognised, building on existing Welsh assets and expertise.
For example, Swansea University’s SAIL Databank holds some of the richest populationscale data in the world, enabling researchers to comprehensively address critical health questions. This extensive resource enables the study of disease trends and risk factors. It equips public health teams with the data necessary to develop targeted cancer prevention strategies and clinical teams with tools to improve patient outcomes by detecting cancers earlier.
Wales pioneers digital healthcare
As Wales continues its digital transformation, strong evidence is emerging of how innovative technology can alleviate healthcare system pressures, reduce costs and, crucially, improve patient care and outcomes.
Through these approaches, Wales is setting a new standard for a more efficient, sustainable and patient-centred healthcare system. For innovators, Wales offers a unique collaborative environment. Join Life Sciences Hub Wales to access opportunities and partnerships that drive impact in cancer care and population health.
The UK faces health crisis as long-term conditions keep millions out of work
The UK has a sickness problem, with demand for health and care services higher than ever before, plus 2.8 million people economically inactive, largely due to long-term illness.1
One does not need to be a mathematician to understand the impact this crisis has on health and other public services and the economy. In this, the UK is also an outlier compared to other European countries. Where our closest geographical peers have seen a fall in economic inactivity since the pandemic, we have seen a rise.
Pilot projects to reduce inactivity
The Chancellor recently announced funding for a small number of pilot projects aimed at reducing economic inactivity due to health and care-related issues among working-age individuals. If successful, this could offer multiple benefits for the NHS, including reducing demand for health and care services, as working-age individuals tend to experience worsened health when unemployed.
These resources should be targeted to conditions that are playing the biggest role in driving inactivity in the population, namely those living with musculoskeletal conditions and mental ill health.
Tackling workforce decline
The opportunities presented by tackling economic inactivity are
significant. If we can’t drive down the demand for health services, and the number of people unable to work due to illness keeps rising, then we will face a major problem. The Office for Budgetary Responsibility recently estimated that if the deterioration in health carries on, then 1 million fewer people would be in work by 2070. Preventing health and social care collapse
We must try and tackle this issue head-on. If not, our health and care system will become ever more fragile and stretched, and the associated fallout will put a huge strain both on other public services and the economy.
From the origins of public health to the creation of the welfare state, we know significant change is possible. It is often difficult and not without big challenges, but we do not have the option of taking the gamble of doing nothing.
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How the NHS can use scalable tech to build tailored healthcare solutions
The NHS benefits from an agile approach to digital transformation, according to Michael Odling-Smee, Founding Director of tech and innovation experts, Aire Logic and Aire Innovate.
How are companies like yours supporting digital transformation within the NHS? We founded the consultancy side of our business, Aire Logic, because we saw how challenging it could be to deliver big technical projects in the NHS and felt we could help improve agility and efficiency. We work with customers in a true partnership to deliver their aims and ensure they have the knowledge and skills to drive future transformation themselves.
The NHS also needs revolutionary tech solutions for improved patient outcomes; so, on the Aire Innovate side of the business, we developed a suite of products. This includes a digital forms engine, a workflow engine and an electronic healthcare record (EHR). These and other tools can be used to build a scalable platform tailored to specific healthcare needs. They’re ‘low code,’ so users effectively become masters of their own destinies. They don’t need us to create new capabilities for them.
What’s the best way to achieve digital transformation within the NHS?
procurement practice but, overall, there’s a tendency within the NHS to say: ‘We have this problem today. What piece of technology will fix it?’
The trouble is that the technology that’s chosen might not solve tomorrow’s problems. There needs to be more lateral thinking about how tech can evolve and flex to meet future needs.
How important is systems integration across the NHS for seamless data sharing?
If you buy a new system, it may not talk to all your other systems. It’s why we’re very strong advocates of interoperability and why we wanted to create a super-flexible platform that users could arrange in any way they wanted. There’s still a lot of debate about the importance of different systems adhering to the same technical standards, but most of the challenge comes at the human — rather than technical — level.
Can technology give patients a better healthcare experience?
Absolutely. For instance, better remote communication with their healthcare professional can reduce the constant need for patients to book appointments or be placed back into an over-burdened system. It can also make it easy for the patient to see where they are on the clinical pathway.
How will AI be used in the NHS in the future?
I see it becoming more of a commodity in the next five or 10 years, so the surrounding infrastructure will need to be able to support it. Our platforms are flexible, so plugging in AI is easy. However, there’s a big question about how AI could be used to summarise an EHR so that healthcare professionals can see where each patient is on their healthcare journey. These are human lives, so there’s no room for error.
These are human lives, so there’s no room for error.
In an agile way. Transformation should be less of a ‘big bang’ event and more of an ongoing process. The NHS does need to make changes to ‘business as usual,’ but taking a ‘big bang’ approach means huge swings in workforce, huge swings in effort and potentially huge failures; whereas an agile approach is incremental — and any failures can feed back into future success.
What are the challenges of the NHS’s current procurement procedures? Procurement needs to be smarter. There are pockets of good
As a service and tech provider, what does ideal engagement with the NHS look like?
At a recent conference someone said: ‘When the NHS is procuring a supplier, it’s not just procuring a product or a service. It’s procuring a relationship.’ That’s absolutely our view, too. Obviously, we’re alive to the customer-supplier relationship: we’re brought in for a reason, and we’re expected to deliver. But we also want collaboration and to build a relationship of equal partners who work well together and trust each other.
INTERVIEW WITH Michael Odling-Smee Founding Director, Aire Logic and Aire Innovate
BY Tony Greenway
New treatments and awareness are battling the scourge of addiction
Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a big problem in the UK. More innovative treatments are needed from pharma firms, alongside life-saving training and awareness initiatives.
You might not think of addiction to drugs or alcohol as a medical condition. But it absolutely is, insists Julia Jones — and a particularly devastating one at that.
Addiction in the UK causes devastation
Greenway
“I can’t think of another medical condition that strips you of everything,” says Jones, Director of Critical Care and CNS (Central Nervous System) at pharmaceutical company Accord Healthcare. “That’s what addiction does. You can lose your job, home, relationships, mental health and physical health. If you take too much of a particular substance, it can lead to the ultimate loss: the loss of your life.”
Addiction statistics in the UK make grim reading. According to estimates from the European Centre for Drugs and Drug Monitoring (EMCDDA), around 140,000 people received treatment for opioid disorder (although the number of those with opioid addiction issues is thought to be much larger). EMCDDA also reveals that around 6,000 drug users die of overdose each year across the whole of the EU, and around three-quarters of those deaths involve opioids. In 2023, GOV.UK reported that more than 4,000 people die from an avoidable drug overdose every year, and the majority of these deaths involve opioids.
Committed to working in the addiction space
Are these worrying statistics part of the reason why Accord Healthcare is now committed to working in the addiction space? “We wanted to move into the area of addiction because we thought it needed more focus and more attention,” says Jones. “The drugs available to treat addiction haven’t changed much over the years, but we felt we could add value by offering alternative formulations that might improve them in some way.”
The company has had a number of successes, too, such as bringing to market opioid use disorder medicines that reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. “This deters a person’s compulsion to seek out illicit drugs,” explains Jones. “It helps to keep on a treatment programme under the regular supervision of a doctor, and therefore much less likely to die from an opioid overdose.”
Delivering knowledge that can save lives
To get life-saving solutions to patients as quickly as possible, the company is dedicated to working in partnership with local health boards, the NHS and even other pharma firms. “For example, a company might develop a product but lack the ability, expertise or reach to commercialise it,” says Jones. “We can use our knowledge and infrastructure to help bring it to market.”
They might have an opportunity to save a person’s life, but only if they know that a medicine exists — and how to use it.
Battling addiction isn’t just dependent on new and improved medicines. It also needs training and awareness on a massive scale so that a person’s family members and friends — and the wider public, for that matter — know how to act in an emergency, such as an overdose situation. “It’s why we provide various training and awareness initiatives, distributing instructional aids and other supportive tools wherever possible,” says Jones. “We also partner with the police, prisons, universities, academic institutions and other organisations likely to be first responders. Because they might have an opportunity to save a person’s life, but only if they know that a medicine exists — and how to use it.”
INTERVIEW WITH Julia Jones Director of Critical Care & CNS, Accord Healthcare WRITTEN BY Tony
How a pioneering intervention for opioid overdose has saved lives in a UK prison
A new way to deliver treatment for opioid overdose is saving the lives of newly discharged prisoners and those still in custody, says a substance misuse nurse at HM Prison Swansea.
Rebecca Osborn is dedicated to changing — and saving — lives. As a Charge Nurse working in the area of substance misuse at HM Prison Swansea, she looks after the care and wellbeing of all prisoners who have addiction issues with drugs and alcohol.
Rising opioid addiction and deaths
“It’s my job to deliver the treatment interventions needed by these prisoners,” Osborn explains. “It’s a wonderful and frightening responsibility and, in terms of my nursing career, the biggest thing I’ve ever done.”
Most prisoners with addiction issues already have them when they arrive at HM Prison Swansea, notes Osborn. However, an increasing number develop issues while they are in custody because of the amount of illegal drugs circulating in UK prisons, including heroin and synthetic opioids. Because of this, drug-related deaths of prisoners and former prisoners are on the rise in the UK.
administration of an opioid antagonist can bring them back from the brink, reversing the opioid overdose. However, at HMP Swansea, the treatments were delivered by injection — and, as Osborn discovered, this was a significant barrier to its use.
First, prison officers were wary of carrying medication around with them in case they administered the treatment incorrectly. Second, prisoners who were being discharged back into the community would often refuse to take doses of treatment home with them for their family or friends to administer. “It was delivered in a big yellow syringe,” explains Osborn. “That was like a sign saying: ‘I’m a drug addict.’ There’s a stigma attached to it.”
So, three years ago, Osborn reached out to pharma company Accord Healthcare to see if they could offer training and support in normalising and simplifying the administration of opioid antagonist treatments. “They came up with an unobtrusive nasal spray version,” she says. “Now, a prisoner who has overdosed can be given treatment easily, and the results can be instantaneous, depending on the amount of drugs they have taken.”
Training prisoners in overdose awareness and treatment
To ensure a successful roll-out, Osborn started an innovative pilot programme, which involved training prisoners to recognise the signs of overdose and then administer the treatment themselves. This means prisoners can be given doses to keep in their cells to use in emergency situations. “At first, prisoners were stunned that we were giving them this responsibility,” she says. “When we explained that we saw them as mentors who could use the medication to save the lives of their fellow prisoners, they understood our rationale.”
Using and delivering treatment interventions in this way has already prevented prisoner deaths. “When one prisoner overdosed soon after arriving in reception, a mentor quickly obtained the medicine and saved his life,” says Osborn. “In fact, the last death from an opioid-related overdose at HMP Swansea was more than 24 months ago. My hope is that other prisons will look at what we’ve achieved and adopt it as standardised practice because it’s working so well.”
INTERVIEW WITH Rebecca Osborn Charge Nurse, HM Prison Swansea
WRITTEN BY Tony Greenway
WRITTEN BY Paula Barbosa Associate Director, Vaccines Policy, IFPMA
New vaccine technologies can shape preventative care
Vaccines have long been our greatest defence in public health. As we confront new global challenges, the latest vaccine technology is central to a preventative approach to healthcare.
Over the past five decades, vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives, according to the World Health Organization. Diseases like smallpox have been eradicated, and polio is on the brink of elimination, thanks to widespread immunisation efforts.
Vaccine innovation unlocks global health Ensuring new vaccine technologies can keep up with the challenges presented by ageing populations, climate change and the emergence of new infectious diseases must be central to how our healthcare systems respond. According to research by the Office of Health Economics earlier this year, adult vaccination programmes can return up to 19 times their initial investment. An approach that looks to first prevent disease should, by definition, include the implementation of successful immunisation campaigns. It should also go hand in hand with fostering an environment that supports the development of new vaccine technologies.
The role of different vaccine technologies Vaccine technology continues to evolve alongside the science. Various vaccine platforms can more effectively target a range of diseases and enhance future protection against diverse pathogens. To combat COVID-19, various vaccine technologies were successful in providing effective protection against the virus, including mRNA technology, which was used successfully for the first time.
Different vaccines can also improve protection in settings with diverse healthcare infrastructure and resources; help address vaccine hesitancy; and, during pandemics, offer a variety of vaccines to ensure all populations can be quickly protected against a virus.
Over the past five decades, vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives, according to the World Health Organization.
Vaccine technology is evolving rapidly. Companies aim to broaden disease protection, extend immunity and develop more accessible vaccine formulations and administration methods (such as patch-based vaccines) that make vaccination easier for patients and healthcare systems.
To ensure that our immunisation approach can keep pace with the evolving nature of disease, it’s important that we support the continued development of different vaccine technologies. A commitment to science and research at a global, regional and national level is essential to achieving this. The pharmaceutical industry will continue to invest in the next generation of vaccines to do just that.
Why general practice investment is key to NHS stability and patient care
Professor Kamila Hawthorne Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, General Practitioner in South Wales
Lord Darzi’s landmark NHS review for the new Government in September highlighted troubling issues. For GPs and frontline teams, though shocking, these findings were all too familiar.
Today, over 1 million patients will be seen by their local GP practice, and this figure has been rising for years. Our College has long warned that general practice is under immense pressure from years of under-investment and poor workforce planning; and it is our patients — particularly the most vulnerable — suffering the consequences.
Current primary care situation
Lord Darzi acknowledged that primary care is consistently delivering more care but receiving a shrinking proportion of the NHS budget. Our workload has grown, both in terms of complexity and volume, and we are delivering millions more appointments, all with fewer qualified full-time equivalent GPs than five years ago.
Our latest figures show that each GP is now responsible for an average of 2,300 patients. General practice can’t keep doing more with less. Patients are struggling to get appointments, and our colleagues are leaving the profession in droves because they are burnt out and exhausted.
Primary care is consistently delivering more care but receiving a shrinking proportion of the NHS budget.
Workforce needed to reach government targets
The new Government has set out clear targets for improving the NHS. One commitment is to move more care out of hospitals and into the community. Patients want to be treated closer to home, where care is more cost-effective, more convenient for patients and outcomes are better — but we need the workforce to deliver this. We need to recruit thousands more GPs to deliver more care to our patients. Alongside this, the Government must do everything possible to retain our valued and experienced GPs. We need national retention schemes to support them at every career stage. Our surveys show that over 40% of GPs said they were planning to leave general practice within five years.
Supporting general practice for NHS resilience
The Government announced it will publish a 10-year plan for the NHS in 2025 — this is a real opportunity to turn things around. GPs are innovators, and we are used to adapting the way we work to meet the changing needs of our patients. General practice will need to play a vital role to ensure we have a modern, efficient and safe health service that can deliver the care patients need well into the future. Investment in general practice is an investment in the entire NHS. However, we need the right support to make it happen.
WRITTEN BY
AI-enabled CT and MRI scanners scaling up NHS capacity
Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platforms can help address NHS workforce shortages, potentially improving lung cancer diagnosis and treatment to build a healthier, future-proofed NHS.
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK and the most common cause of cancer deaths. Over 45% of cases are diagnosed at stage four, but patients diagnosed at this stage have only a 5% chance of surviving five years or more. This compares to a 65% survival rate of people diagnosed at stage one.1
AI innovation to tackle radiology challenges NHS Trusts across England suffer from a lack of skilled radiologists, and reporting radiographers to cope with the reporting workload. This amounts to a 31% shortfall of skilled clinical radiologists. The Royal College of Radiologists predicts this will rise to 40% in the next three to four years if no further action is taken on recruitment and retention.2
Labour’s Fit for the Future programme, a £480 million commitment,3 will drive innovation through the NHS. Behold.ai welcomes the new Government’s ambition to double the number of AI-enabled CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners and ensure NHS equipment is fit for this decade and the next.
Future-proofing NHS capabilities AI can help address chronic workforce shortages with proven and safe technology that is already deployed and saving lives, time and money. Supporting British innovation as part of a drive toward economic growth is a key priority of this Government, and there is no greater recent example of innovation than artificial intelligence.
Award winning, life-saving British AI solutions, such as Behold.ai’s red dot® platform, can help deliver both the NHS’s Long Term Plan and Labour’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future. They have the potential to fix — and heal — the country’s ‘broken NHS.’
Why investing in lower-paid NHS staff is key to a resilient healthcare system
As the population grows older and faces more complex health issues, demands on healthcare services and NHS teams will increase.
We may hear about the need to address infrastructure, rebuild crumbling buildings and develop more streamlined systems. What about the often-overlooked healthcare workers who are unseen but integral to keeping the NHS running?
Staff essential to the NHS
We are describing the often-overlooked lower-paid staff members, such as healthcare assistants, porters, cleaners and other essential workers. These individuals play a crucial role in the day-to-day operations of hospitals and care facilities, ensuring patient comfort and the smooth functioning of healthcare services.
Despite their indispensable contributions, they often face financial struggles, job insecurity and lack of recognition. These are the team members who face many of the same infection risks, long hours and challenging workplaces. Yet, they do so often without thanks or anywhere near the same support.
Recognising and supporting healthcare workers
As the demand for healthcare services increases, particularly in light of an ageing population and the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pressure on these workers will only grow. It is imperative that we prioritise their wellbeing and security and provide them with the necessary support to thrive in their roles.
Many of these workers are not only underpaid but also live paycheck to paycheck, leaving them vulnerable to crises like rising living costs, housing insecurity or unexpected emergencies. Yet, without them, our health service would grind to a halt — often the people last thought of but critical to care.
Investing in wellbeing for resilience
Charities like ours are stepping up to bridge this gap by offering financial assistance and mental health support to these lower-paid healthcare workers. However, systemic change is required to ensure these individuals have even a fraction of the support, opportunities and recognition that other parts of our NHS teams do.
Investing in the wellbeing of our lower-paid healthcare staff is not just a moral imperative; it is a necessary step to build a resilient and sustainable healthcare system for the future.
Simon Rasalingham CEO and Chairman, Behold.ai
UK report reveals urgent need for better Crohn’s and colitis care
Every year, 25,000 people in the UK receive news that they have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis,1 the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There is no cure for either.
Anew report, ‘The State of IBD Care in the UK’, has just been published by IBD UK, a partnership of 16 professional bodies, royal colleges and patient organisations, including Crohn’s & Colitis UK. The report 2 gathers the views of more than 17,000 patients and 126 adult hospital IBD services.
Delays harm IBD patients
We know that the sooner people with Crohn’s and colitis get the right treatment, the better. Yet, we also know they face delays at every stage of the process, from referrals and diagnosis to ongoing care. This puts pressure on A&E and leads to avoidable hospital admissions and emergency surgery. One in seven adults who took part in the IBD UK survey said they had been diagnosed during an emergency admission. Finding out you have an unpredictable, lifelong condition changes everything, yet only 1 in 5 people agreed they were asked about their mental health.
How to prioritise IBD patient care
Workforce pressures are huge; we know this from our Crohn’s & Colitis UK nurses. Less than a quarter of adult IBD services surveyed met resourcing recommendations for colorectal surgeons, dieticians, psychologists, IBD nurse specialists and pharmacists.
With the NHS under immense pressure, the patient voice must be at the heart of Government plans to fix it. This report sends a clear message: it’s time to prioritise the needs of people with Crohn’s and colitis, so they are not left behind.
We want to see proper emotional support for people with IBD and personalised care plans that look at patients as people rather than a collection of symptoms. Moreover, we need shorter waits for diagnosis, treatment and surgery. Change can’t come soon enough for people with Crohn’s and colitis.
WRITTEN BY Dr Roshana Mehdian, Chair, Healthcare
Paid for by Behold.ai
Paid for by Crohn’s & Colitis UK
Find out more at behold.ai
WRITTEN BY
WRITTEN BY Marianne Radcliffe CEO, Crohn’s & Colitis UK
Why female-founded businesses and tech could boost health equity
Despite strides in medical science, women’s health remains underrepresented. The UK Government’s Women’s Health Strategy has brought attention to this issue, showing healthcare solutions and research overlook their unique needs.
On average, women live longer than men but spend more of their lives in poor health.1 Bridging this gap calls for immediate action, particularly in supporting femtech startups, which are vital for long-term advancements in women’s healthcare.
Gender disparities in healthcare
Statistics reveal a stark imbalance: women are diagnosed an average of four years later than men across various diseases, from diabetes to cancer.2 Chronic conditions like heart disease are often considered male issues, yet they remain a leading cause of death among women worldwide. Furthermore, women make up 70% of chronic pain sufferers, yet 80% of pain medication testing excludes female subjects.3 This disparity leads to higher risks of adverse effects for women, underlining the need for female-specific health innovations.
Investing in female-founded solutions
Investment in femtech also lags, with only 2% of venture capital allocated to female-founded businesses.4 Yet, female-led companies, often resource-efficient and highly innovative, are uniquely positioned to address women’s health concerns effectively. For meaningful change, it’s crucial to support more female-founded businesses in health technology, promoting gender diversity in both leadership and investment.
Supporting femtech health equity
At Discovery Park in Kent, we’re fostering a supportive environment for life sciences companies focused on health equity. Through our Discovery Spark programme and Discovery Park Ventures, we provide mentorship, funding and networking opportunities to empower startups in the femtech space. We believe in the importance of female-focused data to create personalised, effective healthcare solutions, which is why we’re committed to advancing this field through our initiatives and partnerships. The future of healthcare hinges on addressing historical biases and supporting femtech innovations. By prioritising women-specific research and encouraging investment in this space, we can pave the way for a healthcare system that truly serves everyone’s needs.
A paradigm shift to circular healthcare can save the NHS
Tasked to ‘reform or die’, the case for developing a circular NHS — one that eliminates waste while keeping products in their highest-value state — has become an existential imperative.
With tightening purse strings, the typical household might look to make the best use of the goods they have. Despite enduring budget issues, such thriftiness has long not been true for the NHS: plastics used in the NHS for example are repurposed at a rate around 10 times less than average household waste. In the NHS, ‘linear’ healthcare is ingrained, as single-use devices are used as a standard, and unused surgical products are often simply thrown away out of habit.
Advantages of circular healthcare
With millions of different products and procedures to make circular, this will be no mean feat, though the UKRI National Circular Economy Research Hub this year spotlighted several encouraging cases already in practice. Remanufactured catheters, for example, can halve both costs and carbon emissions, while reusable PPE cuts waste and makes supply more reliable.
Teaching circular behaviours
WRITTEN BY Jane Kennedy Chief Business Officer, Discovery Park
to quick successes. These include the steep reduction of greenhouse gas-intensive anaesthetic gases; the elimination of waste bound for landfills; and a new waste recovery programme to repurpose metals and plastics in devices.
Shifting the linear healthcare paradigm
The UCL Trust’s model of leadership shows how we can achieve the necessary paradigm shift to circular healthcare, in time for the Government’s ambitious 2045 deadline to remove single-use devices from the NHS where possible. Health leaders can make an essential first step to providing a positive vision for sustainable healthcare through the forthcoming long-term strategy for the NHS.
Reusable PPE cuts waste
and makes supply more reliable.
Scaling these solutions up requires a cultural overhaul in the NHS, as sustainability is routinely sidelined by misplaced concerns around the quality and cost of care. Pioneering trusts such as the UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are showing how effective leadership can achieve change.
Alongside its 2020 green plan and 2023 netzero strategy, the trust has set up a sustainability board comprising leaders from across medical disciplines. It has also developed a staff engagement structure to report successes and make sustainable healthcare business-as-usual in all practices.
These innovations in management have led
Those interested in this topic are encouraged to participate in a forthcoming inquiry. Policy Connect will be chairing sustainable healthcare practices, run through the AllParty Parliamentary Groups on Sustainable Resources and Health.
WRITTEN BY Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
WRITTEN BY Gaelan Komen Policy and Research Manager, Health, Policy Connect
Marking 40 years of supporting families affected by substance use
Dealing with the effects of someone else’s addiction can be incredibly challenging and isolating, causing physical, emotional, social and financial distress while many also suffer mental ill health and experience abusive behaviours.
Adfam is the leading families and addiction charity that works in England to advocate for the millions of people affected by someone else’s drinking, drug use or gambling. Often, family members — children, siblings, parents, partners, friends and grandparents — simply don’t know where to turn when confronted with this complex issue.
Improving lives of people experiencing substance use
Established in 1984 by Simon Ann Dorin who could not find the support she needed to deal with her son’s heroin use, Adfam started as a volunteerled charity operating in the vestry at St George’s Church in Campden Hill, West London. This 2024 is its 40th anniversary as a charity. Over time, it has evolved, adapted and changed, but its mission has always remained the same: to improve life for anyone affected by someone else’s substance misuse and ensure they are heard, valued and have access to support.
The flagship Adfam@Home service provides remote, professional 1:1 support to family members. It has achieved enormous success in helping them deal with the negative effects of their loved one’s substance use and to find a positive way forward. However, the availability of this specialist support across the country is very much a postcode lottery, and more services are needed to reach the many who suffer in silence.
Accessible support for people affected
While a lot has changed politically and societally over the past 40 years, the experiences of these individuals are still very much apparent. An
estimated 5 million adults in the UK are currently negatively affected by the drinking or drug use of a family member or friend. The need for support hasn’t gone away and never will.
An estimated 5 million adults in the UK are currently negatively affected by the drinking or drug use of a family member or friend.
Additionally, substance use continues to be a stigmatising and polarising issue. While there has been a gradual shift in recognition and understanding of the problems, there’s still not enough. Stigma silences people affected by substance, and more needs to be done to raise awareness of the issues facing them and ensure their needs are not forgotten.
BY Vivienne Evans OBE Chief Executive, Adfam
Patients want to be treated closer to home — but we need the workforce to deliver this.
~Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair, Royal College of General Practitioners, General Practitioner in South Wales
WRITTEN
Balancing AI innovation benefits with patient-centred care and privacy
The promise of a reformed NHS has been front and centre of the new Labour Government’s priorities.
The shift from sickness to prevention, hospital to community, and analogue to digital has underpinned all new policies and guidance. However, the push to use technology and innovation in improving the delivery of healthcare services has been ongoing for years.
Potential of AI in healthcare
The NHS uses emerging technology in various ways, from scans to detect bone fractures to helping rule out throat cancer and predicting patterns of illness. However, is it the silver bullet that it is touted to be?
Several benefits of using artificial intelligence (AI) underpin the strong push by various governments to use it in healthcare services. AI has the potential to make healthcare delivery efficient and effective. It can provide vital support in cutting down costs, improving resource allocation and reducing the continuously growing waiting times the NHS experiences.
regarding the accuracy of results and patient privacy.
Ensuring privacy and patient benefit
If AI is to be integrated into healthcare practices, several concerns should be addressed in guidelines drafted for its use. AI models need to be trained on patient data, which contains sensitive and confidential information that should be handled with ethical consideration. Moreover, inaccurate patient data will lead to AI models producing inaccurate outputs — an important consideration when used for diagnosis and treatment.
AI models need to be trained on patient data, which contains sensitive and confidential information.
Lastly, it is important to understand the extent to which AI integration is viable, helpful and effective in improving healthcare service delivery. As its use cases continue to evolve, all healthcare professionals must understand the weight of using such technologies in patient care delivery.
Maintaining high-quality care standards
Why digital must be at the heart of reforms
Learn how digital providers support the NHS at all points of the patient journey.
If the Government is serious about reform and the health of the NHS, then digital providers must be at the heart of their plans.
Let doctors be doctors
In 2023, there were 353 million appointments in primary care1 but less than 60% of GPs’ time was spent on patient care.2 Scaling digital services will allow doctors to be doctors. More than 400 GPs already work with Livi, Europe’s leading digital-first healthcare provider, providing appointments to over 8 million people in the UK. Similarly, Holly Health is easing the pressure on GPs with personalised digital solutions for multi-morbid patients, utilising coaching and behaviour change. Providing online assessments to prescribe and deliver medication, Dr Fox Pharmacy supports primary care and the busy high street pharmacy sector.
Improving hospital services
NHS hospitals face pressure in their Emergency Departments, bed shortages and poor patient flow. Innovators like TeleTracking are helping reduce waiting times, giving clinicians more time to care for patients and increasing bed availability. As the wider NHS wrestles with waiting lists, HBSUK is using insourcing, a tech-enabled single point of access outpatient service, and ‘blended’ online and in-person pathways to support Trusts.
Maintaining independence
Remote healthcare is crucial to older people maintaining independence. Lili’s remote monitoring technology spots ‘small soft signs’ allowing carers to act before a decline in health. HealthNet Homecare’s clinical homecare provides specialist medicines which patients can administer at home with support and training from HealthNet nurses. Its digital solutions also ease the time burden on NHS clinicians.
The uses of AI don’t stop at just large-scale diagnosis and prediction; a fifth of GPs use AI tools to help with administrative tasks such as writing letters for their patients after appointments, according to a survey.1 While the technology has been crucial in alleviating pressures on healthcare providers, it does raise concerns
As the new Government continues supporting technological advancement in healthcare, it must ensure every step remains patient-centred. Thoughtful investment in AI should be balanced with a commitment to protecting patients and upholding quality care standards.
Preventx’s in-house laboratory provides high-quality sexual health and blood tests to the NHS, a capacity that improves efficiency. Their self-testing model means quicker results and less pressure on health services.
Inertia is keeping the country sick
Digital services already help patients and save clinicians’ time. The right support and leadership are crucial to accelerate these innovations and transform healthcare for the better.
References
WRITTEN BY
Lavanya Rangarajan
Project Coordinator, Health, Policy Connect
WRITTEN BY Catherine Davies Director, Digital Healthcare Council
Digital health solutions that are improving atrial fibrillation (AF) diagnosis
This evolution is not just a futuristic concept but a present-day reality that is reshaping how we approach health and wellness. Unlike traditional healthcare, which normally requires patients to visit hospitals or clinics for care, digital healthcare might bring monitoring and support directly to individuals, wherever they are. This shift ensures continuous, personalised care that adapts to a patient’s daily life, enhancing convenience and early intervention. For cardiac health, this means empowering individuals with real-time insights into their heart’s performance, enabling earlier detection of issues and more effective management of chronic conditions.
Reshaping cardiac diagnosis
Heart and circulatory diseases, including atrial fibrillation (AF) — which can feel like a racing or irregular heartbeat, sometimes accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue or a fluttering sensation in the chest — remain a significant health challenge in the UK, affecting around 1.4 million people.*
With an ageing population and improved survival rates, these numbers are expected to rise. Early and accurate diagnosis of conditions like AF is crucial for effective treatment and management. Digital health solutions play a critical role in enabling continuous, accurate monitoring and data collection, which can significantly improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.
New era of cardiac monitoring
In an era where technology is seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, the healthcare sector is undergoing a transformative shift towards digital health and improving patient outcomes.
Boston Scientific, a leading medical device company, is at the forefront of digital health innovation. The company offers a comprehensive suite of cardiac diagnostic solutions, including the BodyGuardian™ MINI Remote Cardiac Monitor. This innovative solution can be worn up to 15 days and provides access to full disclosure data post-study, providing data-rich reports that allow physicians to access raw data. This feature is crucial for collecting reliable AF-related data, which requires continuous monitoring. Additionally, the device’s strips can be replaced without interrupting the study, making it a practical choice for long-term cardiac monitoring.
Enhancing quality of life after cardiac interventions
Beyond individual health monitoring, digital health is not just about managing diseases but also about enhancing the overall quality of life. Devices like the BodyGuardian MINI ensure that patients can maintain their daily routines without constant reminders of their health conditions. This seamless integration of health monitoring into everyday life is a significant step towards a future where health management is proactive, personalised and patientcentric.
Empowering patients and transforming healthcare systems
Digital health technologies are reshaping the healthcare landscape, offering the potential to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs and enhance the overall efficiency of healthcare systems by enabling remote monitoring, early diagnosis and data-driven decisionmaking. By identifying potential issues early, these devices can help prevent serious complications and reduce the need for hospitalisations.
As digital health continues to evolve, it provides patients with new opportunities to take a more active role in managing their health. By staying informed about the advancements in remote monitoring and digital diagnostic tools, patients can explore options that suit their individual needs and lifestyles. It is important to ask healthcare providers about the possibilities these tools offer for more personalised and proactive care.
Taking steps to understand and track health-related data can lead to earlier detection of potential issues and better long-term outcomes. Patients have the power to embrace these changes — not as a replacement for traditional care but to complement it and take greater ownership of their health journey. By being proactive, every patient can contribute to building a healthcare system that is more responsive, efficient and centred on individual wellbeing.
For more information, reach out to lee.cochrane@cdxbsci.com
Source: * https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/atrial-fibrillation/
Disclaimer
CAUTION: The law restricts these devices to sale by or on the order of a physician. Indications, contraindications, warnings, and instructions for use can be found in the product labelling supplied with each device or at www. IFU-BSCI.com. Products are shown for INFORMATION purposes only and may not be approved or for sale in certain countries. This material is not intended for use in France. ©2024 Boston Scientific Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Image provided by Boston Scientific
Reducing cancer waiting times with artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools that can offer faster, more accurate cancer diagnosis must be considered in plans for the NHS.
The UK’s cancer survival rates are among the worst of all developed countries, largely due to the delay that many people face between suspicion of cancer and starting treatment 1 . The proportion of people waiting longer than the target 62 days from referral to treatment has increased over the past decade2
AI may reduce waiting times AI could play a critical role in improving the efficiency of cancer diagnosis, allowing people to access effective treatment more quickly. For example, a cloud-based machine-learning tool is being used in some hospitals to prepare scans for prostate, head and neck cancers. This frees up the time of specialists, who can plan for radiotherapy treatment 2.5 times faster than they would have without using AI 3
in its development is key to avoiding a perception of the technology being an additional burden. The healthcare workforce must also be ready to adopt these technologies, which means upskilling and recruiting key roles where there are gaps. This includes bioinformaticians, radiologists and molecular pathologists. Moreover, the NHS must allow for AI-based diagnostic technologies to learn quickly by supporting the appropriate collection, storage and sharing of data.
If cancer outcomes are to improve, this must include the thoughtful implementation of AI in healthcare.
The Government recognises ‘analogue to digital’ as one of three ‘big shifts in healthcare’ and a key principle for reform in its consultation over the next 10-year plan for the NHS. If cancer outcomes are to improve, this must include the thoughtful implementation of AI in healthcare.
References:
AI can improve efficiency and accuracy These technologies can spot features in samples that may be invisible to the human eye and can combine multiple data sets to identify patterns. This has significant potential to accurately diagnose cancer sooner while supporting doctors in selecting effective treatments. The result is less waste and reduced exposure to severe side effects from treatments that are unlikely to be effective.
Integrating AI will require key issues to be addressed
AI tools must complement the work of humans, not aim to replace them. Involving healthcare professionals
1. Lynch C. 2019. Measuring up: How does the UK compare internationally on cancer survival? https:// news.cancerresearchuk.org/2019/09/11/measuring-uphow-does-the-uk-compare-internationally-on-cancersurvival/ [Accessed 31/10/2024]
2. Office of National Statistics. 2024. Waiting times for cancer treatment across the UK A summary of the cross-UK comparability of cancer waiting time statistics that are published by each nation. Newport: Office of National Statistics
3. NHS Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 2023. AI cuts waiting times for cancer patients in NHS first. https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/news/ai-cuts-waitingtimes-for-cancer-patients-in-nhs-first/ [Accessed 31/10/2024]
WRITTEN BY Jody Tate Director of Research, The Health Policy Partnership
An NHS fit for the future must focus on adopting innovation that works, everywhere
Health Innovation Network
Learn why a dedicated focus on the implementation of innovation is required to enable the future transformation of the NHS.
Our decade-long experience within the health and social care sector has shown the opportunity that innovation offers to tackle some of the NHS’ biggest challenges. The new Government has highlighted the three major shifts required to deliver a transformation in the way that the NHS cares for our patients. If we are to truly deliver this change, then we have to do things differently and also do different things.
Analogue to digital across NHS
Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovations can increase capacity and efficiency. They can improve diagnostics, boost NHS productivity and support patients to better manage their conditions. For example, the BraveAI app, which uses advanced algorithms to help predict a patient’s risk of emergency hospital admission, showed on average a 60% reduction in A&E attendance, a 35% reduction in the number of falls and an 8.7% reduction in the number of ambulance call-outs in a pilot in Somerset.1
Hospital to community
Millions of hospital services can be delivered elsewhere. Innovation can transform high-volume care pathways (such as long-term conditions, frailty and cancer) at scale by enabling diagnostics, monitoring, self-management and treatment in other care settings or at home. Dr-Julian, a service that provides virtual appointments delivered by proprietary video, voice and text technology platforms, could offer a cost-benefit ratio of £1: £2.7 if scaled across the NHS.2
Treatment to prevention
In the cardiovascular disease (CVD) area, at Health Innovation Network, we have 174 high-promising innovations in our national innovation pipeline. This includes CVDACTION, a smart data tool that identifies patients who are at high risk so that GPs can optimise treatment at scale to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Getting innovation right in the NHS isn’t just about finding and testing new ideas or ways of working. While that is of course vital, it is not the end goal. We have an amazing track record of discovery and research in the UK, but the NHS also has more pilots than British Airways. We need to redouble our focus and funding on ensuring that every proven new idea gets into the hands of every clinician and patient who would benefit from it.
References
1. Health Innovation South West, Preventative healthcare: discovery, development and deployment of BRAVE AI in the South West. 2024.
2. Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex. Transforming lives through innovation. Annual review 2024-24.
WRITTEN BY Richard Stubbs Chair,
Find out which spectacle lens type is right for you and your eyes
In recent years, new technologies have been producing lighter, more comfortable spectacles with specialised designs and coatings to enhance vision and comfort in demanding environments.
The demands on our vision are higher than ever, prompting spectacle lens designers to continually enhance vision zones and offer tailored lens options. Your dispensing optician can recommend lenses perfectly suited to your needs, like a custom-made suit. You can also request lenses specifically designed for computer and tablet use.
Thinner and lighter spectacle lenses
Dispensing opticians are the experts in finding the thinnest and lightest lenses for your spectacle prescription. This will ensure they are as comfortable as possible. This is true whether you are short or long-sighted and even when you need reading spectacles.
Therapies for the ‘myopia epidemic’ Across the world, more children are becoming short-sighted (myopic).1 This means that, without spectacles, they cannot see clearly in the distance. This may be due to insufficient time spent outdoors and prolonged use of tablets and laptops.
Changes in lifestyle can help, although using specially designed spectacle lenses has been shown to slow down the increase in shortsightedness as your child grows. Dispensing opticians can discuss the options available to children and to reduce future risks of eye problems as lens power increases.
Coloured and driving lens
While many of us visit the
Strengthening adult social care to improve NHS resilience and preventative healthcare
optometrist and dispensing optician to update our glasses, some experience discomfort, like flickering words and headaches, even when a new prescription is not required. Such discomfort can be associated with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD) autism, Asperger’s syndrome, dyspraxia, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine and headaches. 2 It has been found that, for some patients, the use of an overlay with coloured plastic can reduce and sometimes eliminate these symptoms. 3 There are eye care professionals who specialise in this subject, which often affects children at school and therefore their learning.
Lens designers recognise that vision quality while driving is crucial, especially at night, on long trips and as we age. Dispensing opticians are the experts in visual task analysis and can recommend helpful products. Polarising lenses are useful on sunny days; light (specialist colour) tints can help at any time; and more specialised driving lenses can enhance the experience. Anti-glare coatings are essential, with some designers offering advanced coatings for even greater visual comfort.
References
1. Myopia: A Global Epidemic. (2019). Retina Today. 2. What is Irlen Syndrome?. (2022). Irlen Syndrome Foundation.
3. Use of coloured overlays and lenses are unlikely to help children with dyslexia, study finds. (2015). BMJ, 350, h2830. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h2830
In the drive to build a resilient health and social care system, adult social care is the NHS’s most essential yet under-resourced partner.
While prevention efforts traditionally focus on stopping illness onset, an equally crucial aspect is preventing the worsening of preexisting conditions. This is where adult social care excels, providing critical support that helps individuals manage their chronic conditions effectively within their communities thus avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions.
Reducing hospital strain with preventative social care
Effective adult social care not only prevents people from needing emergency care but also stabilises and improves their conditions, thereby reducing their risk of hospitalisation. By enabling timely interventions that keep people healthy and independent, social care providers play a vital role in sustaining overall healthcare delivery. Yet, the sector remains chronically underfunded and often seen as separate from mainstream healthcare. As a result, essential preventative support is lacking, leading to avoidable strain on hospitals: 45% of delayed discharges, for instance, are linked to social care shortages (Care Quality Commission, 2024).
Role of ICBs and policymakers in prevention
To address these challenges, integrated care boards (ICBs), local authorities (LAs) and national policymakers must recognise that prevention is not just about halting illness; it’s also about intervening to stop conditions from escalating. With adequate funding and resources, social care can be organised to act as a buffer against the progression of illnesses, supporting people where they live and keeping hospitals available for acute care needs. This requires ICBs to integrate social care into health planning fully, seeing it as a partner that complements and extends the reach of the NHS rather than a separate entity.
Building a resilient ecosystem with social care investment
Strengthening adult social care in a preventative capacity would lead to fewer hospital admissions, improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. For this to succeed, funding must prioritise workforce development to mitigate severe staff shortages and digital innovation to streamline care coordination.
Call to invest in social care for prevention
By investing in adult social care as a primary preventative measure, ICBs, LAs and the national Government can create a healthcare ecosystem that not only prevents the onset of illness but also halts its progression, fostering independence and resilience among those who require the most support.
Essilor® Stellest® lenses slow down myopia progression by 67% on average ** , compared to single vision lenses, when worn 12 hours a day.
WRITTEN BY Kevin Gutsell President, Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO)
WRITTEN BY Fraser Rickatson Policy Manager, Care England
essential focus crucial prehelps effectively unnecessary from improves their hospitalisation. healthy in remains from preventative hospitals: social (ICBs), illness; it’s escalating. of keeping ICBs to it as a NHS capacity health succeed, mitigate streamline preventative create onset of independence support.
WRITTEN BY Tony Greenway
Why myopia is rising in children — and how new lenses can help control its progression
Innovative lens technology has been shown to control the progression of myopia in children. It’s an exciting development, says Ben Marchant, Director, Colin Lee Opticians.
Are you seeing more children with myopia?
Ben Marchant: Unfortunately, yes. Historically, myopia onset occurs in teenage years. However, over the last decade, we’ve seen a rise in younger children. One study noted that the reasons for this include spending less time outside in natural light and more time indoors on near-work activities with technology. The younger you are when you develop myopia, the more quickly it can progress and to a higher level. It’s associated with a greater risk of developing more serious eye conditions in later life.
You now offer children corrective spectacles that control myopia progression. How does this work?
One reason for shortsightedness is that the eye becomes too long, essentially. We’ve been dispensing Essilor® Stellest® lenses since their launch in 2021, which not only correct but also work by slowing the eye’s elongation and therefore slowing down myopia progression.
A clinical trial showed that the lens slows down myopia progression by 67% on average when worn for the recommended 12 hours a day.
How encouraging is this?
Very. We’re seeing these lenses massively reduce eye growth — and therefore the progression of the child’s shortsightedness. For us, we feel the sooner they’re prescribed, the better the outcome.
How do you assess if a child is suitable for these lenses?
If we find that a child is myopic, we’ll discuss options with
Why childhood myopia should be detected as early as possible
A child may not be displaying symptoms of myopia (shortsightedness) — but it’s still important to get their eyes tested regularly in case any optical interventions are necessary.
INTERVIEW WITH
Director of Medical & Professional Affairs, North Europe, EssilorLuxottica
WRITTEN BY Tony Greenway
Parents and carers aren’t always aware of the importance of getting children’s eyes tested regularly. That should change, insists Charlotte Timbury, Director of Medical and Professional Affairs for North Europe at EssilorLuxottica.
When to start testing children for myopia
A routine eye test can assess if your child has myopia (or shortsightedness), an eye disorder that results in blurred vision at a distance and clear vision at close range.
In most cases, this is due to the eyes being too long and usually develops in children of school-going age and tends to worsen every year until adulthood.1
“The earlier the onset of myopia, the faster it progresses and potentially reaches high levels2,” says Timbury.
“Which is why it is important to have your child’s eyes tested as early as
parents, including these lenses — although they aren’t available on the NHS. If we discover myopia has advanced during a follow-up appointment, we can work out how we expect it to progress.
How do you do that?
By using a biometer, which measures axial length (the distance from the front of the cornea to the back of the eye). Our practice has biometer technology called Myopia Expert; we use it to plot the growth of the eye on a centile chart, in the same way you might plot a child’s height and weight. We use it for children who are having active treatment and to plot the risk of those not yet treated, to determine if and how treatment would help.
What happens once the lenses have been prescribed?
Children who have spectacles fitted with Essilor® Stellest® lenses will have appointments every three months to check the fit of their glasses, which is crucial for treatment effectiveness. We’ll also check their level of vision and remeasure their axial length.
Why is offering children’s myopia management important to you? Normally, as high street opticians, whenever you prescribe spectacles, you’re not treating shortsightedness. You’re correcting it. Now, we can prescribe treatment that is actively going to benefit children in later life.
possible. Usually, we suggest the first eye exam from around four years old, as per NHS guidance.”
In the UK, evidence suggests that the prevalence of myopia in children aged between 10–16 years has more than doubled over the last 50 years, and children are becoming myopic at a younger age.3,4
Factors influencing the onset of childhood myopia
Several factors have been identified as possibly contributing to the onset of childhood myopia. These include parental history (a child whose parents are both myopic is up to five times more likely to develop the condition5); spending less time outside (lack of exposure to natural light can disrupt growth of the eye); and time spent on close work, such as reading and playing computer games. Telltale signs in children may include
complaining they can’t see the board at school, rubbing eyes, squinting and complaining of headaches and eyestrain (AKA eye fatigue).
‘Correcting’ vs ‘controlling’ childhood myopia progression
If your child is found to have myopia, Timbury notes that there is an important difference between correcting the condition and controlling its progression. Correcting myopia is done with standard spectacle or contact lenses. Controlling myopia progression is achieved with specially designed spectacle lenses, such as Essilor® Stellest® lenses that both correct and work to slow down eye elongation and therefore slow down progression in children.
“Most children up to age 16 are recommended to have a sight test every year, but if your child is myopic, optometrists may suggest they are seen more frequently,” she says. “Generally, the sooner we can detect any vision problems in children, the better.”
References:
1. Hou W, Norton TT, Hyman L, Gwiazda J, COMET Group. Axial elongation in myopic children and its association with myopia progression in the Correction of Myopia Evaluation Trial (COMET). Eye & Contact Lens. 2018 Jul;44(4):248.
2. Sankaridurg, P., 2015. A less myopic future: what are the prospects? Clin Exp Optom, 98 (6), 494-6
3. McCullough, S. J., O’Donoghue, L., & Saunders, K. J. (2016). Six year refractive change among white children and young adults: evidence for significant increase in myopia among white UK children. PloS one, 11(1), e0146332.
4. Williams K.M., Hysi P.G., Nag A., Yonova-Doing E., Venturini C., & Hammond C.J. (2013) Age of myopia onset in a British population-based twin cohort. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. May;33(3):339-45. doi: 10.1111/opo.12042. Epub 2013 Mar 20. PMID: 23510367.
5. ones L, Sinnott L, Mutti D, Mitchell G, Moeschberger M. Parental history of myopia, sports and outdoor activities, and future myopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2007; 48(8): 3524-3532.
INTERVIEW WITH Ben Marchant Director, Colin Lee Opticians
Charlotte Timbury
‘Keep quiet and carry on’ — time to change the narrative around men’s fertility
Young men rarely discuss fertility, yet there’s a cultural assumption that ‘everything will be fine’ when it’s time to conceive. However, 7% of men across the world experience infertility according to the World Health Organization. 1
In the UK, one in seven couples have trouble conceiving, and in half of these couples, the problem may exist with the male partner. 2 Because the focus is often on women, men rarely discuss their fertility struggles, leading many to face isolation, pressure and shame. Given the serious mental health challenges men face in the UK, it’s essential to address such issues and highlight available preventative and supportive measures.
Common men’s fertility risks
Young men across the UK benefit from extensive sex education but often remain unaware of how lifestyle choices can affect their future fertility. Risk factors include being overweight, excessive drinking, STDs, genetics, pollution, smoking, drug use and even tight underwear.
While men can reproduce into an older age, those under 40 are more likely to have healthy, successful pregnancies, making age an important factor in male fertility. Many of the above risk factors can be managed. The more we engage young men in conversations about fertility, the better equipped they will be to make informed choices about their future.
Fertility help is available
If there are challenges for men conceiving, there are many ways medical professionals can help. Tests range from blood and urine tests to semen tests or scans, for example. Meanwhile, treatments include many hormonal and surgical options. There is also emotional support available for men, such as from Fertility Network UK’s HIMFertility group.
Merck is a global leader in fertility and is proud to have helped over 5 million babies to be born. We strongly believe that by shifting the narrative for young people to include the full spectrum of choices from career to lifestyle and parenthood, we can offer them true empowerment to have more choices for their future — whatever they aspire to.
References
1. World Health Organization, ‘Infertility prevalence estimates 1990–2021’. Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/hand le/10665/366700/9789240068315-eng.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed Oct 2024].
2. British Association of Urological Surgeons, ‘Fertility Problems’. Available at: https://www.baus.org.uk/patients/conditions/4/fertility_ problems/ [Accessed Oct 2024].
Prioritising prostate health in the black community
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in the UK, responsible for the death of one man every 45 minutes. Black men face an even higher risk.
The reasons for prostate cancer more widely impacting black men than any other race are complex, intertwined and varied.
Some reasons black men are more at risk
• Genetics: Black men have higher Gleason scores and higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels than white men, indicating they are at greater risk for more aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
• Racism: Lack of representation in clinical trials and studies combined with a history of ethical malpractice and mistreatment of people of colour have led to a lack of trust. Many black men fear that their PSA screenings may not be thorough enough or their test results may be misused.1
• Fear and cultural stigma: There can be hesitation among black men to undergo routine screenings, such as a digital rectal exam (DRE) or PSA testing. Concerns about the invasiveness of these procedures and the fear of potential diagnoses contribute to this reluctance.
Increasing awareness and trust in prostate cancer health
Although the above factors pose challenges, steps can be taken to dismantle the barriers around prostate cancer care for black men.
Medical representation: Currently, there is a lack of data in clinical trials for black patients. A large proportion of treatment and diagnostics for prostate cancer has been based on data for white patients, which negatively impacts the healthcare of black patients.2 Increasing representation from people of all minority backgrounds in trials will lead to more inclusive and trusted healthcare.
Early detection: Given the heightened risk and aggressiveness of prostate cancer in black men, early detection and diagnosis are crucial. The European Association of Urology has been taking steps to combat this stigma. One of the steps involves the development of a patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) study focused on prostate cancer care for black men of African and Caribbean descent. The other will be the roundtable ‘Championing Black Health Equity in Prostate Cancer,’ which will take place on Patient Day at the Annual EAU Congress in Madrid, 21–24 March 2025.
WRITTEN BY Dr Stuart Hill Medical Director, Merck
supra
How prosthetic surgery is revolutionising erectile dysfunction treatment
Penile prosthetics offer a transformative solution for erectile dysfunction. These devices can restore confidence and intimacy, marking a significant advancement in medical technology and patient care.
Erectile dysfunction (ED), the persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection for sexual performance, is self-reported in 50% of men aged 40–70.1 It can have a profound impact on men’s health and wellbeing, causing strain on relationships. It is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and smoking in addition to other psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety.2
Multifaceted approach to ED treatment
ED management requires a holistic approach tailored to the underlying cause. Lifestyle modifications include a healthy diet, regular exercise, improved sleep, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol intake. Various medical options are available, including tablets, topical creams, intraurethral pellets and penile injections, as well as vacuum erection devices. Psychosexual counselling is pivotal when potential psychological factors such as performance anxiety and relationship issues are present.
Impact of prosthetics on erectile dysfunction
Penile prosthetics are a surgical option, typically considered when other treatment options are unsuitable or have failed. Two types of devices can be inserted inside the penis: malleable (semirigid) or inflatable implants. A malleable implant is bent upwards to facilitate sexual intercourse and bent down when not required.
The inflatable prosthesis offers a more natural option dependent on a hydraulic mechanism. It is activated when a pump, located in the scrotum, is engaged. This pump moves fluid from a reservoir in the abdomen to the penile prosthesis, which inflates to provide a rigid penis.
The procedure has potentially serious risks and complications. However, in a suitable, wellcounselled patient, studies have demonstrated one of the highest satisfaction rates of 80–90%.3 It offers men with ED restored erectile function, eliminates dependence on variable effectiveness of medical therapy and offers a degree of spontaneity.
Accessing ED medical interventions
Men should seek medical attention and treatment information, as it may also be the first presentation of underlying disease. As research and technology advance, the future holds promise for even more effective and accessible solutions for ED.
References
1. Henry, A. et al. (1994). Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: Results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. Journal of Urology, 151(1), 54-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(17)34871-1.
2. Yafi, F. A. et al. (2016). Erectile dysfunction. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 2, 16003. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2016.3
3. Hellstrom, W. J. G. et al. (2010). Implants, mechanical devices, and vascular surgery for erectile dysfunction. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7(1 Pt 2), 501-523. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01626.x
WRITTEN BY
Mr Eamonn Rogers Chair, EAU Patient Office
WRITTEN BY Ms Maria Satchi Consultant Urologist and Andrologist, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust