South West brain cancer network becomes Centre of Excellence
£40m funding available
The network includes University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Trust and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.Associate Prof of neurosurgery at University Hospitals Plymouth, Dr Ellie Edlmann, told an NHS Trust board meeting on Wednesday that £40m of investment was available to Tessa Jowell centres and she wanted some of that for Plymouth.Dr Edlmann said more genetic testing would enable the centre to learn more about diagnoses and improve the eligibility of patients for drug trials.The organisations that are awarded Centre for Excellence status have to reapply every four years.
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The Herald Scotland
15 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
SNP ministers condemned over social care crisis talks
It comes as The Herald revealed 240 third sector organisations signed an open letter to First Minister John Swinney, warning the state of social care was at an 'apocalyptic' stage. The letter warned 61% of social care charities providing health and social care in Scotland are at risk of imminent closure. Dr Macaskill has echoed these concerns in an exclusive interview and said the industry is 'sick and tired' of being the 'Cinderella' service compared to the NHS. He warned that vulnerable service users are waiting up to 16 weeks for a crucial social care package, compared to the target four to six weeks. 'There are, and there will be, people who die whilst they are waiting for a social care package, but because they are not queued up inside an NHS hospital, nobody notices that,' Dr Macaskill warned in an exclusive interview with The Herald. Social care providers – including charities, local government and independent services – cannot afford to meet the rising demand for support and are equally struggling to retain staff. Read more: Charities are paid by the Scottish Government and local authorities to provide care, but the funds are either extremely delayed or tight due to budget cuts. Publications by the Scottish Government earlier this year focused on early intervention and prevention in the NHS, and while these were welcome, Dr Macaskill described them as 'hugely problematic' for failing to put social care at the front and centre. During a Scottish Care executive meeting this week, he said organisations 'one after another were all saying 'we've never seen it as bad as this and the government has to stop talking and start acting''. Dr Macaskill has warned Health Secretary Neil Gray investment in social care partnerships must be 'immediate' to stop the system collapsing. However, he said: 'What we're seeing at the moment is an absolute paralysis of response from government and it is making people feel really upset and frustrated both in terms of seeing people not getting the support they desperately need and also losing staff. Health Secretary Neil Gray has been told urgent action is needed. (Image: PA) 'The Scottish Government can't control decisions by the Home Office and the Chancellor's decision to increase national insurance, but they could do a lot more with the resources they have available to meet social care needs and stop being obsessed with things such as delayed discharge. 'Social care is sick and tired of the NHS always being the priority and social care being an afterthought.' Read more: The social care expert has said he has waited 'weeks and weeks and weeks' to get a response from government officials, adding: 'It seems to us in social care that the government went on holiday, and is still on holiday, while the rest of us struggle to make ends meet. 'Social care has been the Cinderella service [to the NHS]. The problem is that because a lot of social care is hidden and not seen then you don't necessarily recognise just how critical it is. 'But there are twice as many people in a care home tonight as there will be in an NHS hospital, and five as many receiving care in their own home. 'If these services disappear overnight then we wouldn't have a system to cope with the demands in the NHS because people are being kept out of hospital by social care, and they're able to live independent fulfilling lives.' Concerns around the sustainability of social care are not new, with a report by Audit Scotland in March warning the sector's finances were 'increasingly precarious', with a funding gap of almost half a billion pounds in 2024-25. In January, the Scottish Government scrapped plans for its flagship National Care Service plan, which would have centralised social care under the control of a new national agency. It has instead been significantly scaled back, with plans to set up a non-statutory advisory board underway. The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.
Glasgow Times
29 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Blood matching test to be offered to patients with rare conditions
The move will allow donor blood to be matched to these patients more closely, to reduce the risk of severe reactions. The new test uses genetics to generate detailed blood group information. It is the first time it has been used for patients with rare inherited anaemias – with around 300 people eligible for testing, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). The programme has been backed by the family of toddler Woody Mayers, aged 22 months, who has a rare inherited anaemia called congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia (CDA) type 1. The condition causes the bone marrow to struggle to produce healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Woody Mayers, now 22 months, was born with an extremely rare blood disorder (NHSBT/Family handout) It is estimated to affect between one to five out of every million babies. Patients have low haemoglobin levels, meaning Woody relies on blood transfusions every four weeks to stay alive. However, the donor blood must be carefully matched to reduce the risk of patient's developing antibodies against certain blood types, which can cause severe reactions and make transfusions more difficult in the future. The new genotyping testing programme, a partnership between NHSBT and NHS England, uses genetics to identify more of the rarer blood groups. Samples are collected at routine hospital appointments, with patients' DNA tested to find out their blood types. About 300 people with transfusion dependent, rare inherited anaemias, are eligible for the test. All patients with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia are also eligible, even if they do not rely on blood transfusions. Kate Downes, head of genomics at NHSBT, said: 'The new genotyping test can test blood groups faster and more extensively than standard testing methods.' Professor Dame Sue Hill, chief scientific officer at NHS England, said: 'The power of genomics is transforming medicine, with extended blood group genotyping now being utilised to help patients, especially those requiring regular transfusions. 'This is an exceptional example of an evidence-based innovation, developed from genetic data, being used to drive forward improvements that will make a huge difference across the NHS. 'Blood donations can be lifesaving for patients, and the NHS needs a constant flow of donations to provide people with the best possible care, so I'd encourage anyone who can donate to do so.' Woody's family were alerted to potential health conditions at a 20-week pregnancy scan. He was born prematurely at 34 weeks with haemoglobin levels around a quarter of what they should have been. Woody's mother Polly was alerted to her son's health condition at a pregnancy scan (NHSBT/Family handout) Woody's mother Polly Mayers, 35, from Robertsbridge in East Sussex, said: 'When he was born, he was very poorly and pale. He didn't cry for a few minutes. He needed ventilation breaths. It was really frightening. 'The first few days were very critical for Woody. He was extremely unwell. Nobody knew the cause for his haemolytic anaemia.' The toddler has now being having regular transfusions fore more than a year, receiving 140mls of red blood cells every four weeks to boost his haemoglobin. Despite this, his family describes him as an energetic little boys who likes trips to the park and riding his bike. His mother added: 'Woody will need the blood to be well-matched so that his transfusions don't become too difficult or risky. 'The test will help him and anyone else with a similar condition. I hope everyone eligible gets it.' Woody, who is 22 months, enjoys trips to the park and riding his bike (NHSBT/Family handout) Ms Downes said: 'Woody has very rare disorder and he relies on blood transfusions to stay alive but these need to be well matched. 'We want everyone eligible, like Woody, to be tested so they can get better matched blood. We also need more people to donate, so we can supply the matched lifesaving blood to Woody and people like him.' Woody's family are also urging people to donate blood. Mrs Mayers, a community matron, said: 'There's no way to sugar-coat it – if it wasn't for blood donors, Woody would not be alive. 'I'm incredibly grateful to blood donors for ensuring blood is available when he needs it.'
Daily Record
34 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Hundreds of NHS buildings over seventy years old as SNP slammed over "national scandal"
EXCLUSIVE: Some of the buildings used by the NHS are older than 100 years. The SNP Government has been accused of a 'national scandal' over figures showing hundreds of NHS buildings are over 70 years old. One clinic in Johnstone is in a property that is 165 years old - over twice the age of the health service. Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "These numbers show that the Scottish NHS is still relying on hundreds of buildings which are almost as old as the health service itself. "While there will be many old buildings which have undergone the appropriate modernisation, the scale of the NHS's maintenance backlog suggests that many of them have not kept pace with where health boards would like them to be.' 'It is a national scandal that millions across the country are being treated in old and crumbling buildings that are no longer fit for purpose.' According to figures released under freedom of information, there are 597 NHS buildings over 70 years old across the country. One hundred and twenty one of these buildings are based in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, where there are also 210 buildings up to 50 years old. In this health board area, buildings in Dykebar hospital near Paisley are listed as being 116 years old. Some wards at Stobhill hospital in Glasgow are in buildings that are 121 years old. One hundred and four buildings in NHS Lothian are older than 70 years old, while the figure in NHS Grampian is 97 and 93 in NHS Tayside. Thirty buildings in NHS Ayrshire and Arran are more than 80 years old - predating the founding of the NHS. The figures also show that across Scotland there are at least 18 buildings older than 70 years old which also require high risk repairs. It was revealed in December that the cost of the NHS maintenance backlog had risen to more than £1.3bn. The figure was an increase from £1.1bn at the end of 2022, according to a report by Audit Scotland. In February last year, the SNP Government put on hold plans to build new hospitals, surgeries and a network of treatment centres. At least a dozen NHS projects were delayed or paused for up to two years due to budget pressures. Cole-Hamilton said: "While there will be many old buildings which have undergone the appropriate modernisation, the scale of the NHS's maintenance backlog suggests that many of them have not kept pace with where health boards would like them to be. 'The SNP have constantly delayed and paused new building projects. I know from speaking with hospital staff that they believe poor facilities are holding them back from treating patients as swiftly and effectively as they would like.' Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baille said: 'Nowhere is the SNP's failure clearer than in the state of Scotland's NHS. It is deeply troubling that hundreds of buildings across the health estate are more than 70 years old, despite SNP ministers having been warned for years about the issues affecting patients and staff. 'The reality is that John Swinney and the SNP have no meaningful plan, no strategy, and no ideas to save our NHS. It is imperative that SNP ministers act swiftly to ensure that patients do not come to unnecessary harm because of the condition of Scotland's NHS estate.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We are providing £139 million additional investment this year in NHS infrastructure to increase core capital funding for Boards and support priority improvements and replacements in Scotland's NHS estate. 'Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget, but despite this we have delivered various new healthcare facilities across the country. This includes new National Treatment Centres in Fife, Highland and at the Golden Jubilee, as well as new community hospitals in Aviemore and Skye. 'We are already working with all Health Boards to develop a whole-system NHS infrastructure plan which will meet the needs of the NHS across the whole of Scotland, supporting continued safe operation of existing facilities and informing longer term investment priorities.'
