At least 70 countries missing out on treatment amid funding cuts, says WHO chief
"In at least 70 countries, patients are missing out on treatments, health facilities have closed, health workers have lost their jobs, and people face increased out-of-pocket health spending," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told WHO members at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
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Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Labour ‘misled' public over NHS waiting lists
Labour has 'misled' the public about the reasons why the NHS waiting list has fallen, two leading think tanks have warned. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, had said the 260,000 drop in the NHS backlog since the general election 'was not a coincidence', adding that it was because of 'record investment and fundamental NHS reform'. But a new Quality Watch report – a joint project between the Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation think tanks – found 245,000 appointments were being removed every month because patients died, had treatment elsewhere or moved abroad, rather than because treatment had finished. Some 2.4 million appointments and operations have been removed from the NHS backlog since Labour took power as part of a so-called 'validation process', which involves deleting any appointments for patients hospitals no longer think need to be seen. The researchers had to calculate the figures manually because they are not explicitly reported in NHS data, and said ministers should be more 'transparent' in their paper, first reported by the Health Service Journal on Wednesday. They calculated the total removals by looking at the number of appointments taken from the 'expected waiting list' that then did not appear in the 'reported waiting list' as either waiting or having finished treatment. The authors pointed out that even the NHS's 'own data shows it is still treating fewer patients than are being referred'. 'Government was not clear' For example, when Mr Streeting said the waiting list had fallen during April 'for the first time in 17 years', the researchers pointed out that on an average working day that month, there were 13,141 people being added to the backlog but 14,608 being deleted without undergoing treatment. The Quality Watch report said the Government does not make the impact of validation and other 'unreported removals' sufficiently clear. The research, authored by Georgia Watson and Dr Elizabeth Fisher of the Nuffield Trust, said: 'Until more transparent reporting is provided, accountability around unreported removals remains impossible and the planned care waiting list will continue to be a misleading indicator of how the NHS is dealing with demand. 'While the waiting list has started to go down, unreported removals have gone up. In fact, they have repeatedly outnumbered the additional incomplete referrals that join the waiting list every month,' they wrote. 'This tells us that, across several months, there were more [appointment referrals] being removed from the waiting list without being marked as complete than [new referrals] joining the list.' They said the monthly removals of almost a quarter of a million equate 'to around 3 per cent of the waiting list'. Patients who no longer need appointments have always been removed from the waiting list but they have recently had a 'more noticeable impact'. 'Since September 2023, this shift has helped the NHS get control of the waiting list, even while according to its own data it is still treating fewer patients than are being referred,' the report said. 'We are freeing up capacity' A Department of Health spokesman said: 'Our drive to clear the huge waiting list backlog we inherited includes making sure all patients are getting the right treatment as quickly as possible. 'That's why we are supporting GPs to seek specialist advice before making referrals, and screening existing waiting lists to check that all patients need to be on there, freeing up capacity to get more people seen more quickly. 'This is one element of our wider work to cut waiting times for patients and improve productivity through our Plan for Change, through which we have already delivered over 4 million extra appointments and cut the waiting list by 260,000.' An NHS spokesman said: 'NHS staff have made significant progress in reducing waiting lists in the last year – down by more than 260,000 since June 2024 – and this is driven by the fact that 2,300 more patients are receiving treatment every day compared to last year. 'While the validation process has a small impact on the overall waiting list – as is made crystal clear in our published monthly waiting list data – it's right we regularly clinically review those waiting so hospitals can prioritise patients more accurately and deploy their resources efficiently.'
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Contradiction' in figures makes health experts question NHS data
Health analysts have said they have spotted a 'contradiction' in NHS data as they called for more transparency in the way waiting list figures are reported. Experts suggest that more patients are being referred for treatment than leaving the waiting list, despite the overall waiting list coming down. Analysis found that in May, for every 100 referrals for pre-planned care, only 86 patient 'pathways' were complete – a scenario that would expect to see the waiting list getting bigger. But the official figures for May, published last month, show that the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England had dropped to its lowest level for more than two years. 'There appears to be a contradiction in the data,' analysts from the Nuffield Trust think tank said. Writing a piece for part of the Quality Watch programme, the experts claim that an increase in NHS activity alone has not been enough to cause the reduction in the waiting list. Their new report examines so-called 'unreported removals', which occur when someone is taken off the waiting list for a reason other than that person having received their treatment that month. The report says that over the last two financial years there has been an average of 244,500 unreported removals a month. Though the waiting list has started to go down, unreported removals have gone up, they add. Officials from the Department and Health and Social Care insist that over the last 12 months, the number and percentage of unreported removals are lower than 2019. The new report points out that some of these unreported removals will represent patients that did get treatment but it was not recorded properly at the time. Another issue could be problems with NHS software and data management processes. The authors of the review wrote: 'Improving the data quality of waiting lists is important to ensure that people who should not be on the list, like people who have been treated privately or left the country, are no longer counted among those waiting to be seen. 'However, accusations of gaming the validation process, by removing referrals from the waiting list inappropriately without treatment, are likely to persist in the absence of transparency about what actions the unreported removals materially represent. 'The NHS is delivering more planned care, but still not enough to keep up with demand. 'The planned care that is reported is not enough to explain the reduction in the elective waiting list, and the publicly available data provides little more insight.' Officials estimate that 85% of the reduction in the waiting list is because of increased NHS 'activity' and suggest that 15% is because of unreported removals. According to the latest NHS figures, an estimated 7.36 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of May, relating to just under 6.23 million patients, down from 7.39 million treatments and just over 6.23 million patients at the end of April. These are the lowest totals since March 2023 for treatments and April 2023 for patients. The list hit a record high in September 2023, with 7.77 million treatments and 6.50 million patients. The size of the list had been on an upward trend for much of the last 10 years, passing three million treatments in 2014, four million in 2017, five million in 2021 and seven million in 2022. In February 2020, the last full month before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the list stood at 4.57 million treatments. The authors of the latest review add: 'The information available in the public domain is insufficient for independent scrutiny of the elective waiting list, and consequently for holding government to account. 'Removals from the waiting list should be described in publicly available data in a meaningful way; the current process is unduly obscure. 'Until more transparent reporting is provided, accountability around unreported removals remains impossible and the planned care waiting list will continue to be a misleading indicator of how the NHS is dealing with demand.' It comes as the NHS in England is to reveal its latest waiting list figures on Thursday. Commenting on the analysis, an NHS England spokesperson said: 'NHS staff have made significant progress in reducing waiting lists in the last year – down by more than 260,000 since June 2024 – and this is driven by the fact that 2,300 more patients are receiving treatment every day compared to last year.' 'While the validation process has a small impact on the overall waiting list – as is made crystal clear in our published monthly waiting list data – it's right we regularly clinically review those waiting so hospitals can prioritise patients more accurately and deploy their resources efficiently.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: 'Our drive to clear the huge waiting list backlog we inherited includes making sure all patients are getting the right treatment as quickly as possible. 'That's why we are supporting GPs to seek specialist advice before making referrals, and screening existing waiting lists to check that all patients need to be on there – freeing up capacity to get more people seen more quickly. 'This is one element of our wider work to cut waiting times for patients and improve productivity through our Plan for Change, through which we have already delivered over four million extra appointments and cut the waiting list by 260,000.'
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
How booming ‘fat jab' black market is STILL rife after celeb stylist sells meds to Sun reporter for £280 via Instagram
WEIGHT loss drugs are still being brazenly flogged on the black market by a celebrity hairdresser who gave The Sun a Mounjaro jab with NO consultation, Sun Club can reveal. The news has led Mounjaro manufacturer Lilly to beg those taking weight loss drugs to only buy from a licensed healthcare professional and warn that "dangerous" black-market products are often made in "unsanitary conditions". 9 9 9 As part of a Sun probe, we obtained self-injectable Mounjaro, dubbed the King Kong of fat jabs, for £280 after responding to an Instagram post by celeb stylist Ozzy Tudo, who is known for working with Katie Price and telly personality Jessica Alves. Our reporter was sold potentially deadly prescription weight loss drugs by Tudo, despite having a normal BMI and telling him she wanted to shed at least one stone in just TWO WEEKS before going "on holiday". The investigation exposed the ease of obtaining the fashionable diet drugs on the booming black market and, despite being confronted about the illegal sale on hidden cameras, Tudo has now started openly selling them again. Less than 24 hours ago, he posted an image of a slim model in white underwear with bottles of Mounjaro underneath and wrote the caption: "Available at great price #mounjaro." He also then posted an image of a Mounjaro injection pen to his 72k followers with the words: "#mounjaro. Very effective." When we asked Tudo about him continuing to sell Mounjaro over Instagram, he said: 'Why don't u go after the pharmacies which sells hundreds or thousands of pens without prescription [sic]? "It's no me do does wrong , it's these big companies, pharmacies and suppliers who sells to everyone who pays pharmacies accept fake prescriptions or without prescription [sic]." Asked to provide evidence that he was a qualified prescriber, Tudo refused to respond. Weight loss drugs can only be lawfully supplied when prescribed for someone by an appropriate practitioner – such as a doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist-independent prescriber - after a detailed health assessment. Mounjaro - which has been linked to 33 deaths in the UK - is approved for adults who are classed as "obese", so with a BMI of 30 or more, or those with a BMI of 27 or more who also have weight-related health conditions. I went on fat jabs but the hair loss was unbelievable so I quit - I'd rather be chubby with hair than skinny and bald However, earlier this year our reporter - who has a BMI of 21 - contacted Tudo through a mobile number on his Instagram account, which he uses to advertise Mounjaro and Ozempic. She told him she weighed nine-and-a-half stones, a size small dress size, and wanted to shed at least one stone before going on a holiday. She was not asked her height or her BMI. She was also not asked for her name or address. Tudo, 47, advised that a dose of 5mg 'is enough' and said to travel to his studio near King's Cross Station in London, where he would supply the drug. Once at the address, a woman, who did not speak English, led us up a staircase and handed over a brown paper bag containing the pen - which holds four injections of the drug, to be taken once a week for a month. With no consultation or explanation of how the prescription drug works, our reporter messaged Tudo saying: 'I don't know how to take it.' He replied: "Send u a video. It's so easy." The hairdresser then sent a YouTube tutorial video on how to self-inject. Asked if it would have any side effects, he replied: "It depends on each person, usually no." When we later confronted Tudo about the illegal sale, which was filmed using concealed cameras, he said: 'I don't even have Mounjaro here.' Pressed on how he prescribed the drug, which has been linked to 'deaths' without the necessary qualifications or even asking our undercover reporter for a name, he said: 'Deaths? No. Just a few overdoses.' Harley Street doctor Sophie Shotter, who has been practising for 16 years, said it was "terrifying' and a "risk to public health" that The Sun had obtained the drug without any medical consultation. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories from people who shed the pounds. In March 2023, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits. It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight. Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, is now available from pharmacies like Boots. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less and therefore lose weight. To do this, semaglutide mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1. GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food. London GP and founder of Dr Zoe Watson, said: 'Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. 'These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.' Aren't they diabetes drugs? Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients. But people started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds. Novo Nordisk then developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss. Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients. Can I get them? Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment. The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide. Both are only available throught specialist weight management services, which means you have to be referred to clinics led by experts. GPs can't prescribe them on their own, Dr Watson said. The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed. Are there any risks? Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. What other options are there? Mounjaro (brand name for tirzepatide) also came onto the market in early 2024. Like Wegovy, tirzepatide stems from a drug originally designed to treat diabetes. The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months. It is available with to order with a prescription online from pharmacies including Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor. It works in a similar way to Wegovy and Saxenda, but is more effective. Dr Mitra Dutt from LloydsPharmacy says: 'Based on clinical trials, 96 per cent of people were able to lose more than five per cent of their body fat using Mounjaro. In similar trials, 84 per cent of people lost more than five per cent of their body weight on Wegovy, and 60 per cent on Saxenda. 'Mounjaro works by activating two hormonal receptors (GIP and GLP-1), which enhance insulin production, improve insulin sensitivity, and work to decrease food intake." After examining the pen at her Harley Street practice, Dr Shotter said: "This is a controlled, prescription-only drug. "This is a UK-approved pen, so this has not been smuggled into the country. "It is a huge concern, because, how has it appeared on the black market in the first place? "If you [our reporter] came into my surgery asking to go on a weight loss drug, immediately the answer would be, 'No.' "If you lost one to two stones, you could drop into a low BMI category. "This is not what the drug is intended for and it is, quite frankly, terrifying that you've been able to buy it. And not just that, it is the fact, you've been placed on a higher dose. "If a patient came to me who did qualify because of their weight, then I would have a thorough consultation with them. 'I would possibly run blood tests to ensure it is as safe as possible and to make sure there are no underlying liver or pancreatic problems. "This man has not even asked you your name, so how is the drug being prescribed? It is impossible that this is legitimate. "It is a genuine risk to public health and especially dangerous to those with eating disorders. 'These drugs carry risks to your health and your mental health, especially to those who suffer from eating disorders.' 9 9 9 9 The rise in the 'dangerous' black market availability of weight loss injections is being increasingly seen by eating disorder charities in the UK. After being informed about The Sun's investigation, Tom Quinn, Beat's Director of External Affairs said: "We're incredibly concerned that it's so easy to access weight loss injections on the black market. "Medications which cause weight loss can be very attractive to people with eating disorders, and can contribute to these dangerous mental illnesses getting worse. "They pose severe health risks, especially if they are easily accessible without prescriptions. "Weight loss injections are very serious medications with severe side effects such as vomiting and nausea, which can contribute to an eating disorder developing, or make it worse. "We also have concerns about what happens after somebody stops taking these drugs. If somebody gains weight after their prescription finishes, this may trigger feelings of guilt and shame, which could increase the chances of an eating disorder developing. "More action needs to be taken to prevent these drugs being so easily accessible. 'And it's vital that there is more education so that people are aware of how dangerous it is to abuse medication in order to lose weight. "For those with binge eating disorder, losing weight won't help a person recover from an eating disorder. 'While it may bring their BMI down in isolation, it will do nothing to address the root cause or symptoms of the eating disorder – and could make things worse. "Doctors and pharmacies must make the general public aware of these dangers, and ensure that prescriptions are only possible after stringent health checks." BLACK MARKET Medicines bought on the black market that have not been through rigorous safety testing bring additional risks. The market leaders Mounjaro, which contains tirzepatide, and Ozempic, which contains semaglutide, are administered via injection of pre-filled pens. They work by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, which is released after eating, and suppresses a patient's appetite. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommends semaglutide for adults who have at least one weight-related comorbidity and a body mass index (BMI) score of at least 35, or a BMI of at least 30 and meet criteria for referral to a specialist weight management service. A Lily spokesperson said: "Patients should only use Mounjaro (tirzepatide) when prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional and prescriptions should be fulfilled and supplied only by registered pharmacies and providers. Any tirzepatide offered without a prescription or for purchase on social media or black market is unlawful. These products are either fake or being 'resold' by an individual who obtained them through illicit means. Both practices put patients at risk. "Counterfeit, fake, and other unsafe products that are sold in a manner that falsely represents their authenticity, origin, or effectiveness are dangerous. These black-market products are often made in unsanitary conditions, which is especially dangerous for sterile injectables, like tirzepatide. "They may contain the wrong ingredients, contain too much, too little, or no active ingredient at all, or contain other harmful ingredients. No one should ever risk putting them into their bodies. "Lilly has taken steps to help address the risks posed by the proliferation of counterfeit, fake, and unsafe products across the world, including working with regulators and law enforcement, and identifying and removing fraudulent or unsafe content online and on social media — and we will continue to pursue all available avenues to combat fake and black-market medicines. "But our efforts alone are not enough. We applaud the MHRA's warnings on the risks of unsafe fake weight loss pens and the risks of buying medicines online without a prescription, and we welcome their continued partnership in the fight against counterfeit and illegal medicines. "We call upon regulators and law enforcement across the globe to take action against those who threaten the health and wellbeing of patients by selling fake or unsafe medicines." 9 9
