PIF member welcomes screening announcement; Charity AI attitudes revealed; Improving patient information

PIF member welcomes SMA screening announcement

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) UK has welcomed a "landmark moment" in the journey towards ensuring every baby born with SMA has the opportunity to receive life-changing treatment before symptoms develop. Following confirmation that newborn screening for SMA will begin across 72% of England from October 2026, it has been announced the remaining six laboratories will also begin screening from October 2027. This means, by the end of next year, every newborn baby in England will have access to screening for SMA, regardless of where they are born. The announcement follows a disease awareness and policy campaign by SMA UK and fellow PIF members Novartis UK.

Read more about the screening update via the SMA UK website here.

Read a case study on the joint campaign via the ABPI website here.

Annual report reveals falling charity trust in AI

The annual Charity Digital Skills Report has revealed 8 in 10 charities are now using AI. However, just 3 in 10 charities have a digital strategy in place and 4 in 10 say they are struggling to keep up with emerging tech trends. More than half of respondents say lack of skills is their biggest barrier to adoption. Lack of trust in AI tools has also increased significantly – more than 3 in 10 lack trust in AI tools now, compared to more than 1 in 10 last year. 

Read the full report via the Charity Digital Skills website here.

Fake news and information most reported negative impact of AI

New Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has revealed public opinions on the use of AI. More than 8 in 10 people said they believed AI made it "difficult to tell whether news or information are fake", making it the most commonly reported negative impact. This was closely followed by use of personal data without consent. Four in 10 people said they did not believe AI could have a positive impact on their life at all. The most commonly reported potential positive impact was increased access to education or learning, reported by 3 in 10 respondents.

Access the full data set and previous reports on the ONS website here. 

Improving patient information

The latest Patient Safety Commissioner report includes an update on the MHRA's Improving Patient Information project. The project aims to modernise how medicine product information is delivered, making it more accessible and trusted. PIF is part of the project working group, which will explore digital patient information leaflets (PILs) and other formats.

Read the full report via the Patient Safety Commissioner website here.

Patient experience included in new quality framework

A new NHS England quality strategy includes patient experience as a core dimension of quality for the first time. Patient experience now sits alongside safety and effectiveness as the core quality pillars for NHS boards to consider. Experience includes  everything that happens when people interact with services including involvement and communication.

Read the full quality strategy via the NHS England website here.