Digital ‘one stop shop' for NHS will speed up care for patients, Government says
The digital platform – MedTech Compass – aims to bring together technologies that are good for patients with an 'innovator passport' to cut the time firms spend on making repetitive data submissions to NHS trusts.
The aim, set out in this week's 10-year plan for the NHS, is to get technology into the hands of NHS staff and patients quicker than before.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'For too long, Britain's leading scientific minds have been held back by needless admin that means suppliers are repeatedly asked for the same data in different formats by different trusts – this is bad for the NHS, patients and bad for business.
'These innovator passports will save time and reduce duplication, meaning our life sciences sector – a central part of our 10-Year Health Plan – can work hand-in-hand with the health service and make Britain a powerhouse for medical technology.
'Frustrated patients will no longer have to face a postcode lottery for life-saving products to be introduced in their area and companies will be able to get their technology used across the NHS more easily, creating a health service fit for the future under the Plan for Change.'
Writing in The Independent, Mr Streeting said the plan would put nursing at the heart of transforming the NHS, including training them on the latest technology and help 'shift our NHS from analogue to digital'.
He said plans would cut red tape to enable nurses to start working on wards quickly after finishing training, faster payment of expenses and training in communities.
The passport will be introduced over the next two years and will mean technology that has been robustly assessed by one NHS organisation can easily be rolled out to others.
The Department of Health said this would remove 'needless bureaucracy' and create a 'dynamic best buyer's guide', while also helping boost economic growth.
In on example, special wound dressings which are already cutting infections after surgery by 38% at Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals could be adopted across the country, the Department said.
Meanwhile, at Barts Health Trust in London, the use of antimicrobial protective coverings for cardiac devices have cut infections and saved more than £103,000 per year.
The Department of Health also said rapid flu testing at University Hospitals Dorset has cut the time patients spend in hospital alongside antibiotic use – something that could benefit other hospitals.
MedTech Compass aims to make these innovations, and the evidence underpinning them, clearer to buyers within the NHS.
Dr Vin Diwakar, clinical transformation director at NHS England, said: 'We're seeing the impact improvements to technology are having on our everyday lives on everything from smartwatches to fitness trackers – and we want to make sure NHS patients can benefit from the latest medical technology and innovations as well.
'The new innovator passports will speed up the rollout of new health technology in the NHS which has been proven to be effective, so that patients can benefit from new treatments much sooner.'
Chief executive of NHS Providers, Daniel Elkeles, said: 'We welcome any measures which cut red tape and help trusts get proven and effective technology onto the frontline faster to boost patient care and free staff from time-consuming admin.'
Professor Peter Bannister, medtech expert and fellow at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), said: 'This centralisation and simplification of adoption across the NHS will be welcomed by industry – including both large corporates and innovative UK small businesses – as well as by patients and clinicians.
'However, there must be clear evidence standards for manufacturers that recognise the diversity and health inequalities of the UK population, while the variation in digital readiness and workforce skills between different healthcare providers must also be factored in.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Medicine shortages put patients at risk, MPs and peers warn
Patients are facing serious harm from persistent and widespread medicine shortages, MPs and peers have warned. A new report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on pharmacy called for urgent action to ensure shortages do not become the 'new normal'. It also highlights the impact that shortages are having on patients with the likes of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), menopause and diabetes. Writing in the report, Steve Race, chairman of the APPG on pharmacy, said many MPs 'have received a growing volume of correspondence from constituents who are understandably anxious about the availability of their medicines'. 'Whether it is a parent unable to access antibiotics for a sick child, an elderly patient facing delays in obtaining life-sustaining medication, or a pharmacist overwhelmed by the need to source alternatives, the human impact is both visible and deeply troubling,' he wrote. The report said that while medicine shortages are 'not a new phenomenon', they have 'become increasingly severe, persistent, and disruptive' in recent years – leading to consequences for patients, staff and the wider health service. Mr Race said: 'Medicines shortages have moved from isolated incidents to a chronic structural challenge for both the NHS and pharmacy sector. 'As Government continues to recognise and invest in the expanded clinical role of community pharmacy, we must ensure the medicines supply chain underpinning that care is equally robust, resilient and patient-focused. 'Pharmacy is central to NHS recovery and transformation, but frontline teams cannot safely expand clinical services while daily supply disruptions continue to impact the health of patients.' The findings also highlight how shortages severely impact patients with conditions like ADHD, menopause and diabetes. More than nine in 10 pharmacists, GPs and prescribers told an APPG survey ADHD medicines had been affected by shortages. Around three quarters (76%) said HRT and diabetes drugs had been affected, while 44% said antibiotics. One patient with ADHD told the inquiry they had been self-medicating with cannabis due to an ongoing shortage of methylphenidate. The report said: 'These shortages are having a significant impact on patients' ability to access treatments and in some cases are having serious impact on patients' health and well-being.' Mr Race added: 'Medicines security must be treated as a core component of NHS planning, alongside funding, workforce and digital infrastructure. 'Failure to act risks further undermining patient care and destabilising a community pharmacy sector that millions depend upon.' The APPG has laid out a number of recommendations, which includes a number of measures to better support patients. People impacted by shortages, particularly those with chronic conditions, struggle to find information on out of stock drugs, leading to 'frustration, dangerous delays in care, and unnecessary anxiety and harm', it said. It also welcomed work being carried out by the Department of Health and Social Care to potentially change pharmacist prescribing protocols to allow pharmacists to make dose and formulation changes during shortages. Elsewhere, the inquiry found more than eight in 10 pharmacists face daily shortages, with many spending hours every day finding alternative treatment and communicating with distressed patients. One told the APPG they are 'constantly firefighting'. Reacting to the report, Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said: 'Pharmacy teams are under enormous pressure but are forced to spend hours hunting down stock for distressed and frustrated patients. 'It is particularly frustrating for pharmacists to be unable to meet a clear need when they have a perfectly safe and effective solution in their pharmacy already. 'MPs are right that it is madness to send someone back to their GP to get a prescription changed, and it risks a patient either delaying taking vital medication or forgoing it altogether, which poses a clear risk to patient safety. 'As the APPG says, the Government must allow pharmacists – who are highly trained health care practitioners – to use their professional judgment to supply an appropriate alternative medication when the prescribed version is unavailable.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'This government inherited ongoing global supply problems, but we have robust measures in place to mitigate disruption for patients. 'We are working to build the resilience of medicine supply chains and prevent future disruption as we get the NHS back on its feet. 'We have recently agreed an extra £617 million of funding over two years with Community Pharmacy England to support the sector and provide patients with more services closer to home as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.'
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
‘Groundbreaking' drug could slow down progression of type 1 diabetes
A 'groundbreaking' drug to slow down the development of type 1 diabetes is being tried by a handful of patients in the UK. Teplizumab, which is already approved in the US, trains the immune system to stop attacking pancreatic cells, delaying the need for insulin by an average of three years. With type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, meaning blood sugar levels are no longer regulated by the body. If blood sugar is too high or low, it can cause serious health problems and even death. People with type 1 therefore need daily insulin. Dentist and mother-of-two, Hannah Robinson, from Devon, is the first adult in the UK to try the drug in the hope it can delay the condition. She is having treatment at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust after discovering during pregnancy she was in the early stages of developing type 1. A handful of people are being given the medicine on a case-by-case basis while it is reviewed for wider use on the NHS. The 36-year-old said: 'For me, this new drug offers more freedom and the chance to focus on my health before I have to start thinking differently and managing life as somebody needing daily insulin. 'This isn't just about what I eat or monitoring my glucose, it is also about having more control and not feeling defined by my condition. 'This treatment could potentially pave the way for a future cure for type 1 diabetes, which is incredible. I feel very lucky to be part of this.' The new drug teplizumab must be given at the earliest stage of the disease to be effective. Dr Nick Thomas, diabetes consultant and academic clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, said: 'This new treatment represents a really exciting shift in how we manage type 1 diabetes. 'For the first time ever, we will be able to provide targeted treatment early enough in the process to alter the underlying immune process, aiming to slow down how quickly people need insulin. 'Approximately half of all type 1 diabetes cases develop in adulthood, and Hannah will be the first adult in the UK to receive this treatment. 'My hope is that in the future, we may be able to stop people with early type 1 diabetes from needing insulin at all.' Experts at the Royal Devon and the University of Exeter are using genetics and other testing to spot people at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes. The hope is more people could be offered the drug to delay type 1. Dr Lucy Chambers, head of research impact and communications at Diabetes UK, said: 'For people in the early stages of type 1 diabetes, teplizumab offers a groundbreaking opportunity to buy them precious extra years insulin-free. 'Right now, it's only available in research settings – and while the excitement is real, urgent work is still needed to ensure it reaches everyone who could benefit. 'That means securing a UK licence for teplizumab, establishing national screening programmes to identify people with early-stage type 1 diabetes before symptoms appear, and preparing the NHS to deliver this treatment at scale. 'Diabetes UK is proud to be at the forefront of these efforts – funding pioneering research and working closely with the NHS towards a future where immunotherapies become the first-line treatment for tackling the autoimmune attack at the root of type 1 diabetes.' Professor Richard Oram, consultant physician at the Royal Devon and professor at the University of Exeter, said: 'Excitingly, teplizumab is the first drug with the potential to delay type 1 diabetes, but needs to be given before clinical diagnosis due to high blood glucose. 'It is really important to find new and improved approaches for identifying individuals at elevated risk.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Millions of tonnes of toxic sewage sludge spread on UK farmland every year
Millions of tonnes of treated sewage sludge is spread on farmland across the UK every year despite containing forever chemicals, microplastics and toxic waste, and experts say the outdated current regulations are not fit for purpose. An investigation by the Guardian and Watershed has identified England's sludge-spreading hotspots and shown where the practice could be damaging rivers. Sludge – the solid matter left over after sewage treatment – is laden with Pfas 'forever chemicals', flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and toxic waste from homes and industry. Water companies rebrand it as biosolids and give or sell it to farmers as a nutrient-rich fertiliser. It is spread over vast areas under light-touch regulation and minimal scrutiny, unmonitored for toxic substances. 'On the outside it appears to be 'black gold' – containing nitrogen and phosphates valuable for soil,' a water industry expert said. 'But hidden within it are microplastics, Pfas forever chemicals, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals.' About 87% of the UK's 3.6m tonnes of sewage sludge is applied to farmland. An Environment Agency (EA) officer, speaking anonymously, said: 'People have seen the sewage in rivers … they need to know about the sludge, where it goes and what's in it.' The water industry's own chemicals investigation programme found hormone-damaging nonylphenols and phthalates, the banned carcinogen PFOS, antibiotics, antimicrobials and anti-corrosion chemicals in every sample tested from 11 treatment works. Scientists from Cardiff and Manchester universities estimate that 31,000 to 42,000 tonnes of microplastics are spread on European farmland annually via sludge, with the UK possibly facing the worst contamination. Rules set in 1989 require testing only for a few heavy metals, and EA insiders say they are 'not fit for purpose'. The investigation identified about 34,000 registered sites in England where sludge is stored, usually before being spread at the same site or on a field nearby, although it can sometimes be transported long distances. Of these, about 33,000 sites are defined as being agricultural land. In 2023 alone, more than 768,000 tonnes of dry solids were spread across 152,000 hectares. Figures from the past decade consistently fall between 715,000 and 800,000 tonnes. Some counties are more affected than others: Hampshire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and Essex have the highest number of sites, with 6,371 between them. Sludge-spreading is governed by waste exemptions, allowing companies to store or apply waste on land without an environmental permit, provided certain conditions are met such as avoiding significant risk to water, soil, air or wildlife. But enforcement is weak. 'No one checks. No one cares,' said one EA insider. An EA officer explained that sludge toxicity depends on local sources: 'Anywhere with an industrial estate will likely produce more contaminated sludge than a rural area.' Industrial waste, such as landfill leachate, is often tankered into sewage works, mixed with domestic waste, and the resulting sludge is spread under the same rules as any biosolid. Contaminated fields become silent sources of pollution. Even uncontaminated sludge can be a problem if mismanaged. When too many nutrients reach rivers, they fuel algal blooms that block sunlight and starve aquatic life of oxygen – a process called eutrophication. The investigation found that one in 20 sludge storage sites in England are within 100 metres of a river, and 1,277 sites are within 500 metres of waters already classed as eutrophic by the EA. The investigation found that 73% of all sludge sites – 23,844 – are within nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs), where strict rules apply due to pollution risks. In England, no rivers meet chemical standards and just 14% meet ecological ones. Sludge-spreading occurs in Wales and Scotland, too. Almost a quarter of sludge storage sites in Scottish locations that could be identified are within NVZs. A study from the James Hutton Institute found microplastic levels rose by 1,450% after four years of sludge-spreading in North Lanarkshire and remained elevated 22 years later. In Northern Ireland, most sludge is incinerated. Richard Benwell, Wildlife and Countryside Link's chief executive, said: 'Though sludge could be a beneficial fertiliser, it is mixed with the dregs of chemical pollutants. Damaging Pfas, BPA and glyphosate are prevalent in sludge. Regulation must be strengthened to protect public health and the environment.' Prof Rupert Hough, of the James Hutton Institute, said: 'At the moment, sludge will only be checked for metals and the receiving environment is checked for metals but I don't think it gets checked rigorously. 'We all put chemicals down the drain, take medicines – these end up in the sludge and on land, and can enter the food chain.' He said the alternative options – landfilling and incineration – had capacity limits and high costs. 'The cost of removing chemicals from sludge is also prohibitively expensive … the industry has few options,' he said. A water industry source said: 'Colleagues in the industry are not out to commit evil in their public service of water management. They're just constrained by a lack of research and development.' A spokesperson for Water UK said water companies were backing research and trialling new uses for bioresources, including as aviation fuel. 'The UK has banned some products with microplastics – we need the same for Pfas, plus a national cleanup plan funded by polluting manufacturers. Contaminants cross borders, which is why we're calling for coordinated action across Europe.' Shubhi Sharma, of the charity Chem Trust, said the government used lack of funding as an excuse for 'failing to prevent our farmlands from being poisoned'. She called for tighter chemical restrictions and a 'polluter pays' model. 'France has already introduced taxes for Pfas polluters. The UK should follow,' she said. The EA said sludge must not harm soil or water, and that it enforced strict rules, including through more than 4,500 farm inspections last year, resulting in more than 6,000 pollution-reducing actions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it wanted safe, sustainable sludge use and it has launched an independent water commission to review the regulatory framework in collaboration with the EA, farmers and water companies.
