Melanoma Focus welcomes vaccine findings; review of early deaths of care leavers; Eve Appeal explains home HPV kits
Melanoma Focus welcomes vaccine study findings
PIF member Melanoma Focus has welcomed the news that a personalised cancer vaccine has shown positive results in a large phase 3 clinical trial. The trial involved people with high-risk melanoma following surgery in what the charity called ‘an exciting development’.
Read more on the Melanoma Focus website here.
‘You really are on your own’: study of early deaths of care-experienced young people
An independent review of early deaths of care leavers has identified lessons for policy and practice to help prevent future deaths. Its authors looked at the deaths of 112 care leavers aged 18 to 24 in 2025. It found that the dramatic drop-off in support from social services at 18 led to catastrophic consequences.
Read analysis of the report on the Guardian website here.
Read the full review on the Gov.uk website here.
The Eve Appeal shares information on home testing kits for HPV
The NHS will roll out new HPV self-testing kits in England to those who have not attended their cervical screening appointment. Following the announcement, The Eve Appeal shared a detailed breakdown of what the news means on its website. It included answers to the most frequently asked questions about HPV self-tests at home.
Read the information on The Eve Appeal website here.
Find campaign resources from NHS England here.
UK men with heart disease at higher risk of developing and dying from cancer
A decades-long study has found a stark gender difference in the outcomes of people with heart disease. Millions of men with heart disease have a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer, according to analysis of health data from 22,000 Britons over 25 years. The biggest drivers behind male cases were smoking, obesity and drinking too much alcohol, with the link most pronounced in lung and oesophageal cancers.
Read about it on the Guardian here.
And find the full study in the European Heart Journal.
High-street pharmacies to launch cholesterol checks
Around 100 NHS pharmacies in England will begin offering cholesterol check-ups this autumn. This is part of an NHS drive to reduce heart disease and stroke deaths by a quarter over the next decade. People aged 40 to 84 who are not pregnant and have not had a blood test in the past year will be eligible for the quick pin-prick test.
Read more on the NHS England website.
Join group to share learnings on health literacy
The next health literacy community of practice is planned for Wednesday, 23 September, at 1pm to 2.30pm. The meeting is delivered by the North East and North Cumbria in collaboration with NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System. Speakers include staff from Hartlepool Borough Council and Professor Gill Rowlands from Newcastle University.
Join the Health literacy community of practice on the NHS Futures platform (non-NHS staff can email the Support Team to ask to join).
'Tech alone can’t solve workforce pressures'
The Royal College of Physicians has warned AI cannot compensate for staffing shortages and training pressures. It called for urgent reform of the NHS workforce and medical training, following the publication of a report by the General Medical Council. The report found 4 in 10 doctors surveyed were struggling to provide the standard of care they would like. This was due to workload, staffing shortages and administrative burden.
Read the report from the General Medical Council here.
And read about the response from the Royal College of Physicians on DigitalHealth here.
New end of life care report
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's new end-of-life care report offers guidance to help councils and care providers deliver compassionate end-of-life care. It draws on learning from real cases and families' experiences. NICE’s quality standard on end of life care for adults echoes this focus, highlighting advance care planning, coordinated care and family support as key to good practice.
Read the 'No second chances: what complaints teach us about end of life care' report.