AI platform to 'make sense' of health data; New health communications resource; Future after Healthwatch

New AI platform to bring health information together

Copilot Health, a new AI platform launched by Microsoft, is promising to use medical intelligence to help people make sense of their health information all in one place. Microsoft says Copilot Health is a separate, secure space within Copilot. It integrates medical records, wearable data, and lab results to provide personalised health insights. Copilot Health uses AI to make sense of patterns in health data. 

Microsoft said: "The truth is that most people don’t need more information. They need help to make sense of what they already have. This work paves the way to providing users with trusted access to medical superintelligence – health AI that can ultimately combine the wide-ranging knowledge of a general physician, with the depth of a specialist."

Find out more on the Microsoft website here.

Helping communicators connect with audiences 

A new resource from the Public Health Communications Collaborative aims to support public health communicators to connect with underserved communities. The Communicating Effectively About Public Health resource includes examples of how to communicate more effectively under three headings: 

• The Journey: How people find and come to trust new sources of health information, such as using search engine optimisation to ensure your information shows up.
• Emotional Influences: What people like about new sources of health information and why. 
• Experiential Influences: How personal experiences shape trust in health information. 

Read more about the resource on the PHCC website here.

The future after the abolishment of Healthwatch

The King's Fund has published a new report exploring what can be learned from the Healthwatch model. The review follows the Government's decision to abolish Healthwatch England. The body and its local teams had operated since 2013 to gather patients' views and support improvements to health and care services. In the report – The future of patient voice: Learning from the Healthwatch model – The King's Fund highlights some of the model's strengths. 

However, because of its limited statutory powers, Healthwatch had a limited ability to move from insight to action. The report goes on to say whatever replaces Healthwatch must build on the core conditions that enabled it to have a positive impact as a voice independent of government and services. There should also be a renewed focus on ensuring patient and service user voice is central to how the health and care system operates.

Read the full report on The King's Fund website here.

Evaluation of mental health literacy training

The BMJ has published a study protocol detailing plans to evaluate a co-produced, culturally appropriate mental health training package. The Co-STARS training package was co-produced by young Black African and Black Caribbean people with lived experience of mental ill health and a research team at the University of Birmingham. The training – delivered within underserved communities via an e-learning package in large mental health trusts – is designed to improve mental health literacy within Black communities. This means they can access timely support for their mental health. 

Read more about the protocol on the BMJ website here.

Visual health information can improve understanding

Findings from a project in which students co-produced visual health information resources found well-designed illustrations can significantly reduce misunderstandings. Students from Cardiff Metropolitan University worked alongside patients and healthcare professionals in clinical settings to develop illustrated materials covering the correct administration of hydrocortisone injections. The resources were designed to be clear, accessible and patient-centred, ensuring complex medical information could be more easily understood during consultations. By providing supportive visual materials, clinicians are better equipped to explain treatment options, while patients gain greater confidence in participating in decisions about their care.

Read more on the Cardiff Metropolitan University website here.

Women's health website launched as hubs open

Information about new women’s health hubs and how to access them are included in a new website dedicated to women’s health in Wales. The Women's Health Wales website aims to make it easier for people to find reliable, clinically verified guidance on a range of topics. It shows what services and support are locally available to them. 

The new "pathfinder" hubs will begin opening this year and bring together doctors, nurses, and other health specialists to support women’s health at every stage of life. Services will include menopause care, contraception and menstrual health. 

Find the new website on the NHS Wales website here.

New framework to support alternative birth choices

A new framework to help maternity healthcare professionals support women who choose alternative birth choices has been published by the Scottish Perinatal Network (SPN). The framework says a trusting relationship between the woman and her care team is central to safe, person-centred care. Care should remain respectful, safe, and accountable, while upholding the principles of informed choice and supported decision-making. The guidance also aims to ensure practitioners are supported by the wider maternity team when caring for women who choose care that falls outside clinical recommendations and wider national and UK guidance. 

Find the new framework on the SPN website here.

Healthcare systems 'came close to collapse' in pandemic

The third UK Covid-19 Inquiry investigation, published by Baroness Heather Hallett, has concluded that the UK’s healthcare systems “came close to collapse” during the pandemic. The latest report – The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (Module 3) – found the UK entered the pandemic ill-prepared. The report added: "Healthcare systems were already overstretched and in a precarious state. This fragility had profound consequences once the crisis hit, especially when the numbers of people seeking treatment for Covid-19 started to increase dramatically." Among the report's conclusions were that 111 services were not able to cope with the level of demand; initial infection prevention and control guidance was flawed; and the public messaging may have inadvertently sent the message that healthcare was closed. 

Read the full report and recommendations on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry website here.