Health technology guide launched; Cancer charity's new look; Views of NHS communications worsen
New epilepsy technology resource available
PIF member Epilepsy Action has developed a technology guide to provide a trusted resource about aids for people living with epilepsy. The Epilepsy Technology Guide aims to make sense of the technology, apps and medical devices available, helping those who want to try it feel more confident in finding the best options. The guide includes factual information and community reviews on health technology such as wearable seizure alarms, bed monitors, anti-suffocation pillows and seizure/fall detection apps.
Find the full guide on the Epilepsy Action website here.
New look builds on breast cancer charity's strategy
Breast Cancer Now has unveiled a refreshed brand with a new look, a confident voice and bold ambitions. The PIF member launched a new strategy last year with a vision that by 2050, everyone with breast cancer will live and live well. To make this happen, Breast Cancer Now says it wants more people who could benefit from the charity's support to be able to find them. Explaining what has changed, the charity said: "We’re still funding life-saving science, life-changing support and change-making campaigns. And we’ve kept everything that we know people value in us – like our warm and supportive nature, our trustworthiness and our expert knowledge. But we’ve refreshed how we look, how we sound and how we talk about the difference we can make to people’s lives."
Read more about the new brand on the Breast Cancer Now website here.
Perceptions of NHS admin worsen
The dysfunction in how the NHS communicates with people day-to-day – whether by phone, post, text, app or in person – was laid bare in the findings of a national poll published just over a year ago. The King's Fund, in partnership with Healthwatch England and National Voices, commissioned Ipsos to conduct repeat polling a year later. The new results show there been little change in people’s experience of NHS admin, while general perceptions of NHS admin and communications have actually got worse.
Other key findings included:
- More than 3 in 5 patients and carers have experienced at least one NHS admin problem over the past year.
- More than 1 in 5 received an appointment invitation after the appointment had already happened.
- More than 2 in 5 said poor admin made them give up on seeking care or treatment for their condition.
The King's Fund, Healthwatch England and National Voices have identified 10 actions the government and health care leaders should take to improve patients’ experiences of NHS admin.
Read more about the results and recommended actions on The King's Fund website here.
Inquiry says public trust in vaccines must be rebuilt
The latest UK Covid-19 Inquiry report says action must be taken to build trust within communities with lower vaccine uptake. It also notes action is needed to improve access to vaccines before the next pandemic. The fourth inquiry investigation said the development and rollout of Covid-19 vaccines was “an extraordinary feat”. However, an "underlying lack of trust" in governments and health systems across the UK made some communities more susceptible to false information about the Covid vaccines. The level of uptake was lower in areas of higher deprivation and in some ethnic minority communities.
Read the latest report on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry website here.
Can health advice from AI chatbots be trusted?
A BBC investigation has looked at the strengths and weaknesses of seeking health advice from AI chatbots. The BBC's Inside Health team spoke to Abi who shared her experiences of the good and bad sides of using AI chatbots for health advice. The investigation also highlights a University of Oxford study, which saw a team of doctors create detailed, realistic scenarios for AI chatbots. When the chatbots were given the complete picture they were accurate more than 9 in 10 times. But when people were given a scenario to share with a chatbot, they received the wrong diagnosis or care nearly 7 out of 10 times.
Read the investigation on the BBC website here.
- Another study shared within the BBC investigation revealed AI chatbots can peddle misinformation. Researchers in California and Canada conducted a study to audit responses to questions on topics prone to misinformation, such as cancer and vaccines. Nearly half of responses were deemed problematic, reference quality was poor and readability scores were all graded as difficult. Read the full study via the BMJ website here.
Exploring the new neighbourhood health framework
This long read for the Nuffield Trust assesses the neighbourhood health framework, which has been published to provide a clearer picture on how care will be shifted from hospitals to communities under the NHS 10-year plan. Sarah Reed and Dr Becks Fisher praise the framework for providing a broader rationale and understanding for the benefits of neighbourhood delivery and (at least in principle) a stronger commitment to local flexibility. However, they also highlight a lack of appreciation for the scale and breadth of ambition (many objectives with little prioritisation) and under-considered workforce gaps and practicalities of shifting staff into neighbourhood services. There are also elements of the framework the pair say are difficult to make sense of, including who is accountable for which targets and how performance will be measured at what levels.
Read the full article on the Nuffield Trust website here.
LISTEN: How healthtech can change lives
In the April episode of podcast series NICE Talks, listeners can hear from people whose lives have been transformed by NICE-recommended healthtech. Experiences are shared about a hybrid closed loop system for type 1 diabetes, an implantable cardiac monitor to detect atrial fibrillation following a stroke and a rapid genetic test that protects newborns from hearing loss caused by a common antibiotic. NICE's chief executive, Jonathan Benger, also shares plans to support faster, fairer healthtech adoption across the NHS on the podcast.