logo
NHS Devon scraps changes to cardiac care after objections

NHS Devon scraps changes to cardiac care after objections

BBC News20-06-2025
Planned trial changes to overnight heart attack services in south Devon have been scrapped.NHS Devon said it would not be going ahead with the proposals to drive out-of-hours heart attack patients to hospital in Exeter rather than Torbay to help cut costs and divert resources to cut treatment backlogs, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.Thousands signed a petition against the plan and two MPs said in the Commons the move could have endangered people. The service withdrew the plans in May to consider feedback and it now said it would develop a broader cardiology strategy for the region to be revealed next month.
It said the strategy would be guided by clinical data and public feedback."Rather than only focusing on Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, the scope will be expanded to include prevention such as cardiovascular disease, urgent and emergency care and elective care," it said."The priority remains the commissioning of safe, reliable and sustainable cardiology services that meet the needs of Devon's population now and in the future."
Steve Darling, Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay, said the U-turn was "very good news" and showed people "won't stand by when vital services are at risk"."It's not a definitive victory but it feels like a step in the right direction, now it all depends on where this journey ends," he said."By campaigning we have achieved the outcomes that many people wanted, and we can have higher levels of confidence that we know where we are heading."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Prostate cancer checks soar after Sir Chris Hoy reveals diagnosis
Prostate cancer checks soar after Sir Chris Hoy reveals diagnosis

Telegraph

time5 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Prostate cancer checks soar after Sir Chris Hoy reveals diagnosis

Thousands more men are having checks for prostate cancer since Sir Chris Hoy revealed he had been diagnosed with the disease and was terminally ill. The six-time Olympic cycling gold medallist was told in 2023 that he was terminally ill with cancer that originated in his prostate, and shared his diagnosis publicly last year. Despite a family history of prostate cancer – which also affected his father and grandfather – Sir Chris was never offered the PSA test that could have detected it. New NHS data show almost 5,000 extra men have been referred for urological cancer in the six months after Sir Chris, 49, spoke out, a trend described by experts as 'staggering'. The figures, from October 2024 to March 2025, show 138,734 men were given an urgent referral for urological cancers, with prostate cancer the main form of disease. This amounts to an extra 4,962 cases compared with the same six-month period in 2023-24. Separate data show a huge increase in the number of men with a family history of prostate cancer who have assessed their own risk. The number of men with such a history who have used an online risk checker to assess their chances of the disease rose by 77 per cent over the period. Telegraph launches screening campaign The findings have been released as The Telegraph launches a campaign calling for the introduction of targeted screening for prostate cancer. Men are not offered tests currently, even if they have a family history of the disease. Experts believe there is a growing case for targeted screening, meaning that PSA blood tests would be offered to those at heightened risk of the disease. Peter Kyle, the Science Secretary, hopes to harness AI and data to improve prostate cancer screening for high-risk men which factors in family history, genetics, demographics and other factors. Mr Kyle, writing in The Telegraph, said he hopes researchers can harness the vast amount of health data available to 'develop AI-powered tools that can predict cancer risk' to save thousands of lives a year. The UK National Screening Committee is currently considering whether to recommend the introduction of mass testing. 'I told my story to raise awareness' Sir Chris said: 'I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at 47. By this age, my prostate cancer was advanced and could have been progressing from when I was 45 or even younger. With prostate cancer, the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat. We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier, and stop them getting the news I got. 'That's why I believe men at highest risk, for example men with a family history like me, or black men, should be contacted by their GP earlier on to discuss a simple PSA blood test that can check for signs of prostate cancer. 'Then if there are any issues, they can get it treated it at an earlier stage. 'I've told my story to help raise awareness about the most common cancer in men and get more thinking about their risk and what they can do, but it shouldn't all be men's responsibility.' The online risk checking tool, published by Prostate Cancer Research UK, asks men simple questions about their family history and ethnicity to determine risk levels, and gives advice about what help to seek. The charity found that the number of men undergoing the check rose by 45 per cent overall, when data from October 2024 to February 2025 was compared with the same period the year before. The sharpest increase by far came from men aged between 45 and 49, with a family history of the disease. In total 10,427 such men checked their risk, compared with 5,891 in the same period the previous years. In total there were 688,796 checks during the period, up from 473, 843 the year before.

Whitehaven plans for mental health hub at former bank
Whitehaven plans for mental health hub at former bank

BBC News

time34 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Whitehaven plans for mental health hub at former bank

Plans have been submitted to create a 24/7 mental health hub in a former bank building, as part of an NHS pilot Community Trust Limited has applied for permission to turn the former Halifax branch on King Street, Whitehaven, into the Hope Haven comes after NHS England announced the pilot to expand mental health services in the area and bring different services under one roof."The hub will provide drop-in support, 1:1 consultations, group therapy and sessions focused on physical health, fitness, health promotion and shared learning," planning documents submitted to Cumberland Council said. Various organisations would work from the hub including Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, mental health charities and organisations that can provide housing and employment Halifax branch shut in 2024 and although the building is not listed it sits within the Whitehaven town centre conservation documents said minimal alterations would be made to the outside of the building and any work would respect its "architectural character and historic value"."The proposed use seeks to revitalise the building, currently vacant and in a state of decline," they added. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

NHS bosses vow to minimise doctors' strike impact
NHS bosses vow to minimise doctors' strike impact

BBC News

time34 minutes ago

  • BBC News

NHS bosses vow to minimise doctors' strike impact

The regional medical director of the NHS in north-west England says they want to "make sure that we cancel as few appointments as possible" as the current doctors' strike continues into its fourth five-day walkout by resident doctors - previously known as junior doctors - began on Friday and is due to end on Wednesday morning after the government and doctors' union British Medical Association (BMA) failed to agree on wages last is the 12th strike by doctors since 2023 in the long-running pay dispute. Dr Michael Gregory, regional medical director of the NHS, said previous strikes had a "detrimental effect particularly with outpatient appointments and electric procedures". "Certainly this time around NHS England have made a definitive push on making sure that as many operations and outpatient appointments go ahead as possible," he told BBC North West Tonight."We still have urgent emergency care and we do have urgent cancer and other priority surgeries going ahead."He added that they had "consultant cover in place where we can on most days to cover services" but "clearly there's going to be services stretched".The NHS says it wants to keep operating non-urgent services during this latest walkout as they advised patients to attend appointments unless contacted to surgeries remain open and, for urgent or non-life threatening issues, 111 continues to be the best option and for emergency care A&E or 999. Speaking near a Liverpool hospital picket line, members of the public shared a variety of responses with one woman, who previously trained as a nurse, saying she believed the medics are "amazing but I think they're also on a good wage".Another man said: "I guess the doctors need to be paid. They do work hard, they do work long hours."Another woman added: "I disagree with them being on strike because they had a pay rise last year and most people are on a minimum wage."Resident doctors comprise around half of all doctors and can earn a basic salary of £38,831 during their first foundation year after completing their medical degree. This rises to £44,439 in the second year and salaries can increase to about £70,000 after eight years. 'Pay restoration' During 2023-24, over two years, they received a 22% pay rise. From this August, they will get an extra 5.4% pay the BMA says resident doctors' pay will be 20% lower in real terms than it was in 2008, even with the increase this also argue that resident doctors may have more student debt due to the five or six-year duration of their representative Dr Mohammed Kamora, who was on the Liverpool picket line, described the latest pay increases as having "started a journey towards pay restoration" and that those on strike were "asking for parity for what we had in 2008"."That is the key to retaining our best and brightest," he Secretary Wes Streeting has said resident doctors have received the largest pay rises of any public sector employees over the past three government said it would not offer any further increases and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the walkouts threatened "to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year". Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store