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STV News
43 minutes ago
- STV News
Doctors urged to have say on future of profession
Doctors in Scotland are being asked for their views on the future of the profession. A 'once-in-a-generation' project has been launched to look at the current shape of the health service and gauge the views of the profession on how it should look in the next 15 to 20 years. The health service has gone through a period of prolonged struggle in the past decade, with high waiting times and long lists of Scots yet to be seen or treated. Multiple political parties have said there is a need for reform in the NHS to ensure it is sustainable in the long term, but few concrete ideas have been put forward by Government. As part of the first phase of the Future Medical Workforce initiative, doctors are being asked to come forward for a series of focus groups looking at the future of training, recruitment and workforce planning – but the project will not cover the pay and conditions of medics. Health secretary Neil Gray said: 'This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of the medical workforce and create a sustainable, fulfilling career path for doctors in Scotland. 'We know the NHS faces major challenges, and it is vital that those living the reality of what it means to be a doctor today are at the heart of shaping what comes next. 'I strongly encourage doctors across Scotland to get involved in this work. Your voice matters and your insight will help ensure that the future of our health service is informed, inclusive and resilient.' Focus groups are due to begin this month, with doctors asked to sign up at Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Guardian
44 minutes ago
- The Guardian
My friends had to subsidise the cost of running my vital oxygen therapy
I am dependent on long-term oxygen therapy after a double lung transplant. I'm entitled to reimbursement of the excess electricity used by the oxygen concentrator and have received quarterly payments of about £48 from Vivisol, which administers rebates on behalf of the NHS. However, I was forced to stay with friends and family for a year after my house was flooded, and I spent a further two months convalescing at my daughter's house after a heart operation. I received no rebates during that time, and Vivisol told me l would not be reimbursed while I was not living at home, which means my hosts had to subsidise my treatment. SS, East Sussex The rebate scheme is intended to protect eligible patients who rely on an oxygen concentrator from spiralling energy costs. I see that Vivisol's website states, in passing, that patients are eligible for the cost of using the machine at their main address. This strikes me as insufficiently clear, as well as potentially unfair. It's a no-brainer that those with such serious health issues might have to relocate, as you did, for convalescence, for respite care or building work. It seems unreasonable to me to expect friends and family to foot what can be a considerable bill for treatment and, since concentrators record electricity consumption on an integrated meter unconnected to the household meter, it is straightforward to be able to monitor the costs involved. I first approached NHS England to ask if this restriction was NHS policy and whether there were exemptions for cases such as yours. It referred me to the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board, which explained that patients can nominate a temporary address as their main residence via their service provider in circumstances such as yours. In the meantime, Vivisol responded to my contact by agreeing to reinstate and backdate your rebates to cover the period while you were away. A spokesperson said: 'All communication does highlight that the eligibility only applies at the patient's main address. As a result of your email, we will review to identify if that can be made clearer.' We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Free STI vaccines offered at health clinics
The Labour Government is calling on those who are sexually active and eligible to take up a free STI vaccine on the NHS. The world's first gonorrhoea vaccination programme is being rolled out by the NHS and local authorities and is now available at sexual health clinics in England for people at highest risk of infection. From Monday, clinics will be able to offer the free vaccine to those at highest risk of the sexually transmitted infection (STI), including gay and bisexual men who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners and a bacterial STI in the previous 12 months. Ashley Dalton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, said: 'Rolling out this world-leading gonorrhoea vaccination programme in sexual health clinics in England represents a major breakthrough in preventing an infection that has reached record levels. 'This government's world-first vaccination programme will help turn the tide on infections, as well as tackling head-on the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. 'I strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to come forward for vaccination, to protect not only yourselves but also your sexual partners.' The vaccination programme comes at a critical time, with diagnoses of gonorrhoea reaching their highest levels since records began. In 2023, a record 85,000 cases of the disease were reported in England — three times higher than in 2012. The Government says this vaccine will protect thousands of people and save the NHS more than £7.9 million over the next decade. It will also help combat increasing levels of antibiotic-resistant strains of the disease. The vaccine that can now be offered to 'high-risk individuals' at local sexual health clinics is the existing vaccine for meningococcal disease (4CMenB) that also helps protect against gonorrhoea. Eligible patients attending clinics for the gonorrhoea vaccine will also be offered mpox, hepatitis A and B and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations, which the Government says will provide comprehensive protection against an array of diseases. Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS national director for primary care and community services, said: 'The roll out of the NHS' world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhoea from this month is a real step-forward for sexual health and I know health service staff, alongside local authority colleagues, have been working hard to hit the ground running. 'This vaccine is already used to protect against Men B and is proven to be effective against gonorrhoea, preventing the spread of infection and reducing the rising rates of antibiotic-resistant strains. 'That is why it is so important that everyone eligible takes up the offer through sexual health services alongside existing jabs for mpox, Hep A & B, and HPV, helping ensure we keep each other safe.' Gonorrhoea is the second most common STI in the UK, and officials are becoming increasingly concerned that it could become 'untreatable' following a rise in an antibiotic-resistant strain from abroad. The programme will primarily target gay and bisexual men with a recent history of multiple sexual partners or a bacterial STI, who are at an increased risk of becoming infected. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data show there was a 9.4 per cent increase in gonorrhoea diagnoses among this group in 2023, with cases rising from 37,095 to 40,586. ENDS
