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Powys County Times
21-07-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
Over 130 full-time nursing positions in Powys unfilled
Over 100 full-time nursing positions in Powys remain unfilled according to recent statistics. According to information released by Powys Teaching Heath Board, a combined 133 full-time nursing positions were unfilled as of the end of June. The data shows that there is particularly difficulty with entry level nurses with over 75 band-five nursing roles left unfilled. There are also struggles to fill senior staff nursing roles with a further 34 band-six level positions unfilled. Around 17 band-seven roles – which are usually required advanced clinical expertise and managerial responsibilities – also remain unfilled. Powys Teaching Health Board confirmed that the lack of nurses was part of a nationwide trend with NHS Wales having 4,300 unfilled roles as of 2023. A spokesperson for Powys Teaching Health Board said: 'Sadly, these challenges are not unique to Powys. Across the NHS, we are working together to develop sustainable, deliverable workforce plans for the future. Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app 'Here in Powys, we already have successful programmes in place. We've been proud to welcome new nurses from overseas and are grateful to our communities for helping them feel at home in our beautiful county. 'We're also about to launch the next round of our 'earn while you learn' programme, which supports healthcare support workers and apprentices to train as registered nurses. 'But we must also look ahead. Our population is ageing, with more people living longer and managing multiple health conditions, while the working-age population is shrinking. 'That's why we've launched our Better Together programme – a long-term conversation with the people of Powys about how we shape safe, high-quality health services for the future. 'We encourage everyone to get involved. Our current survey is open until 27 July 2025 at
Rhyl Journal
15-07-2025
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Bowel cancer survivor backs research into new AI tool
John Keryakoplis, a 69-year-old grandfather from Flintshire, is backing a new Cardiff University study exploring how AI could identify which bowel cancer patients may not need life-altering surgery. Mr Keryakoplis, has two grandchildren, was diagnosed with stage one bowel cancer in January 2020 after taking part in the NHS Wales bowel screening programme. John Keryakoplis with his wife (Image: Supplied) He said: "It didn't feel great to be told I had cancer, but I was very reassured when the doctor said it was in its early stages and very treatable." He underwent a week of radiotherapy in May 2020, followed by surgery in November 2021 to remove the tumour. As part of his treatment, Mr Keryakoplis had a stoma fitted, which he named "George" after his father. He said: "George the stoma even came with me to Menorca. "I wore swimming shorts pulled up so high I looked like Simon Cowell." Despite his diagnosis and treatment, he continued to swim throughout, and has now been cancer-free for five years. He has also raised more than £1,000 for Cancer Research UK through swimming challenges. Mr Keryakoplis said: "I try to live as healthily as I can after my diagnosis. "This new research sounds really promising. "It would be brilliant for bowel cancer patients to have a more accurate and personalised treatment plan, which could prevent people from having surgery if they don't need it." Cardiff University's Professor Spezi has received a grant to develop an AI tool to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rectal cancer (Image: Matthew Horwood) The research he is supporting is led by Professor Emiliano Spezi at Cardiff University. Professor Spezi has received a £500,000 Stand Up To Cancer grant to develop an AI tool to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rectal cancer, a type of bowel cancer. Current treatment decisions are often based on invasive biopsies, but Professor Spezi's AI algorithm analyses 3D medical images to extract detailed data that could help doctors decide on the most effective treatment. He said: "This research could lead to significantly improved and personalised treatment plans for patients in the future. "We want to extract quantitative information from images that can't be seen with the naked eye. "It could be transformative in the way rectal tumours are assessed and treatment is allocated. "We should be able to identify a subgroup of patients for whom surgery is essential – and those for whom it may not be necessary – ultimately improving quality of life." The technology can assess tumour volume and shape, distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue, and identify complex patterns using deep learning. Professor Spezi is collaborating with Professors Campbell Roxburgh and Joanne Edwards at the University of Glasgow. The research is supported by Stand Up To Cancer, a joint fundraising campaign by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, which aims to accelerate breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Around 20,200 people in Wales are diagnosed with cancer each year. Visit to support the Stand Up To Cancer charity.
South Wales Argus
03-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Bevan Commission launches second wave of health innovations
The Bevan Commission, backed by the Welsh Government, has launched its second Adopt, Spread & Embed scheme, designed to expand proven healthcare improvements across NHS Wales. The programme aims to reduce waiting lists, improve outcomes, and deliver better value by transforming planned care services. Helen Howson, director of the Bevan Commission, said: "For too long, brilliant innovations developed locally have remained isolated pockets of excellence. "Our Adopt, Spread and Embed programme is about changing that by systematically taking what works best and making it available to everyone in Wales. "We have seen the profound positive impact these projects have on patients, staff, and NHS resources. "Now, it is time to ensure these benefits are felt right across the country. "This is about delivering more prudent, value-based healthcare that is both sustainable and equitable." Seven Bevan Exemplar projects have been selected for wider adoption, each showing clear improvements in care quality, efficiency, and patient experience. These include perioperative care for older patients, improved radiology pathways, and community-based gynaecology services. The selected projects have already demonstrated reduced waiting times, cost savings, and improved service capacity. The programme aligns with the Welsh Government's Innovation Strategy, which calls for the translation of successful innovations into system-wide improvements. It also supports the five key change priorities for the health service outlined by First Minister Eluned Morgan and cabinet secretary for health and social care Jeremy Miles. The Bevan Commission will now work with health boards across Wales and the NHS Planned Care team to roll out the selected projects. The programme will use international adoption science to provide a structured approach for embedding these changes and building a culture of continuous improvement.
South Wales Argus
20-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
£120m to reduce NHS waiting times in Wales announced
This comes as the latest NHS Wales performance data for April and May 2025 reveal the scale of the challenge ahead. The data show a slight increase in the number of people waiting more than two years for treatment compared to March. However, this figure is 86 per cent lower than its peak. Swansea Bay and Powys health boards have no pathways waiting longer than two years and no one-year waits for a first outpatient appointment. Hywel Dda and Aneurin Bevan university health boards each have fewer than 300 patient pathways waiting more than two years for treatment. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, however, has the most pathways waiting more than two years for treatment in Wales. Mr Miles said: "It is disappointing to see the increase in long waits in April after all the progress health boards have made over the last few months. "However, this is an annual trend seen in April in Wales and also the other UK nations. "This is why we are making changes to how the NHS provides planned care and are investing £120m to bring down waiting times this year. "This new funding will mean more and faster appointments, tests and treatments over the next 12 months." Nearly 2,000 people started their cancer treatment in April, with just under 15,000 people informed they did not have cancer. Urgent and emergency care services remain busy, with the Welsh Ambulance Service experiencing the busiest May on record. Despite this, the median response time performance was exactly eight minutes, with more than 80 per cent of calls responded to within 15 minutes. The public is urged to call NHS 111 for advice to ensure they receive the right care from the appropriate NHS service for their needs.
New York Post
09-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Mother, 38, has ‘breast transplant' after cancer diagnosis: ‘I had never seen or heard of such a procedure'
A British breast cancer survivor has undergone what may be a first of its kind surgery: a breast transplant, using her own healthy breast tissue. And it was all her idea. Nicola Purdie, 38, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, after which she had five months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. When her cancer returned a couple of year later — in only one breast — her treatment plan looked quite a bit different. 'This is not run of the mill mastectomy we're talking about,' her breast surgeon, Dr. Reza Arya, told the BBC. 4 Nicola Purdie, 38, has undergone what may be a first of its kind surgery: a breast transplant, using her own healthy breast tissue. NHS Wales Purdie's first bout of cancer was also only in her right breast, but due to family history, she decided to err on the safe side with a double mastectomy. Her reconstructive surgery involved a DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator) flap, in which skin and tissue are taken from the stomach. The upside of that procedure is the breasts are still 'natural' — no implants that need to be changed, and they grown and shrink with weight loss. In 2024, she was healthy and five months pregnant with her second child when she discovered a lump in her right breast — the cancer was back. Testing was limited due to her pregnancy, though she did have a lumpectomy to remove what they knew for sure was cancer. After she delivered her son early, further tests confirmed that she actually had several cancerous tumors, both in the skin and in a lymph node. 'The skin was the only bit of the breast tissue left after my previous reconstruction,' she told the Swansea Bay University Health Board. 4 Purdie was pregnant with her second child when she realized her breast cancer had returned. Nic Purdie / Facebook Purdie underwent chemotherapy again, all while caring for her newborn. 'I finished that in February this year, and then I had what we call the 'crazy idea,'' she said. For the next step in her treatment plan, doctors suggested removal of the entire breast that was infected with cancer, as well as LD flap reconstruction. The latissimus dorsi — a flat muscle that spans across part of the back and over to the side — would be swung around to replace the removed breast tissue. But Purdie didn't love that approach. For one, her aunt had had the procedure and the recovery was rough. It could also limit her future movement. 'All these matters are now clear to us, but at the time the idea was so out of the box that I needed to gather my thoughts.' Dr. Reza Arya For another, it would leave her flat-chested on one side, because there would not be enough skin to accommodate an implant. Purdie wanted symmetry, so that would mean removing her left breast as well. So she asked her doctor: What if they did another DIEP flap like she had done before, but this time used tissue from her healthy left breast to reconstruct the right? 4 Purdie came up with the idea to use healthy breast tissue from one breast to reconstruct the other. Nic Purdie / Facebook 'I remember [Dr. Reza Arya] sitting back in his chair,' Purdie said. 'I could see the cogs whirring.' That's because the idea was new to Arya — and the medical field in general. 'All these matters are now clear to us, but at the time the idea was so out of the box that I needed to gather my thoughts,' he said. 'I was analyzing what the benefits and disadvantages could be before even thinking if it would be technically feasible.' 'I had never seen or heard of such a procedure being talked about or published.' He had conversations with other doctors, but no one was quite sure if it would work. 'We didn't know if the vessels were still running, whether the flap needed to be detached to be transferred and, if so, whether the vessels could withstand the microsurgery again,' Arya said. 4 The surgery has allowed for her to get an implant to have symmetrical breasts, which would not have been otherwise possible for her. Gorodenkoff – 'We went through the pros and cons of all the different options,' Purdie added, 'but something was telling me that because I'd had this idea, there was a reason why I'd had it. I needed to plough on and just trust the process.' She decided to move forward with the seven-hour surgery, and tests conducted afterward showed no signs of cancer. After radiation, she will get an implant on that side — and because of the procedure, there is enough skin for it. Arya calls the surgery a 'world first' and says he will soon publish about it. 'I think that would help others with that very rare question — is an entire breast DIEP flap reusable? Can you freely move it again? Now I can say, absolutely yes. We have successfully recycled a reconstructed breast,' he said. Meanwhile, Purdie is thrilled that they found a solution that 'has allowed me to maintain being a woman' 'I would have been left with only one breast permanently. Radiotherapy would damage the skin and tissues too much to allow for an implant, so this surgery gives me the possibility of having two breasts,' she said. 'I've been so lucky.'
