Latest news with #GloucestershireHospitalsNHSTrust
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'Hidden' breast cancer found in new screening study
A pioneering breast cancer trial involving more than 9,000 patients has found early stages of the disease that might be missed by regular mammograms. Researchers used a range of different scanning methods, including MRI scans and injecting dye into breast tissue, to better understand the disease. More than 1,300 patients in the trial were recruited through Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust. Dr Sarah Vinnicombe, the lead breast radiologist and deputy director of screening at the Thirlestaine Breast Centre in Cheltenham, said she and her colleagues had known for a long time that mammography "even though it's a good screening tool for most women, is not perfect". The issue, she told BBC Radio Gloucestershire, comes down to the density of breast tissue. People with denser tissue are at a higher risk of developing cancer, but as breast tissue and cancers both appear white on mammograms, early warning signs can be difficult to pick up. The researchers looked at three different ways of picking up early-stage cancers - a whole-breast ultrasound, a quick form of breast MRI and a type of mammogram in which patients are injected with a dye to highlight abnormal areas. With more than 9,000 women involved overall it was the first study ever to take this approach and, Dr Vinnicombe said, it yielded "fascinating" results. What the researchers found in the group of patients who had the MRI scan or contrast mammogram was a "massive increase in the number of cancers" detected. As for how their findings could impact what women are offered, Dr Vinnicombe said: "There are a lot of conversations going on in the Department of Health and the national screening committee at the moment. "It's a work in progress - it's quite clear that we can't just implement contrast mammography or MRI for all those women in the country who have very dense breasts," she added, as this would amount to around 10% of the 2.2 million women screened each year. However, she added, the research had found that not all women with denser breast tissue were at higher risk - meaning the more effective techniques they had identified could be targeted at a smaller group of women. Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. New hope for patients with breast cancer gene Call for NHS to give women with dense breasts extra cancer scans Gloucestershire NHS Foundation Trust
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'Hidden' breast cancer found in new screening study
A pioneering breast cancer trial involving more than 9,000 patients has found early stages of the disease that might be missed by regular mammograms. Researchers used a range of different scanning methods, including MRI scans and injecting dye into breast tissue, to better understand the disease. More than 1,300 patients in the trial were recruited through Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust. Dr Sarah Vinnicombe, the lead breast radiologist and deputy director of screening at the Thirlestaine Breast Centre in Cheltenham, said she and her colleagues had known for a long time that mammography "even though it's a good screening tool for most women, is not perfect". The issue, she told BBC Radio Gloucestershire, comes down to the density of breast tissue. People with denser tissue are at a higher risk of developing cancer, but as breast tissue and cancers both appear white on mammograms, early warning signs can be difficult to pick up. The researchers looked at three different ways of picking up early-stage cancers - a whole-breast ultrasound, a quick form of breast MRI and a type of mammogram in which patients are injected with a dye to highlight abnormal areas. With more than 9,000 women involved overall it was the first study ever to take this approach and, Dr Vinnicombe said, it yielded "fascinating" results. What the researchers found in the group of patients who had the MRI scan or contrast mammogram was a "massive increase in the number of cancers" detected. As for how their findings could impact what women are offered, Dr Vinnicombe said: "There are a lot of conversations going on in the Department of Health and the national screening committee at the moment. "It's a work in progress - it's quite clear that we can't just implement contrast mammography or MRI for all those women in the country who have very dense breasts," she added, as this would amount to around 10% of the 2.2 million women screened each year. However, she added, the research had found that not all women with denser breast tissue were at higher risk - meaning the more effective techniques they had identified could be targeted at a smaller group of women. Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. New hope for patients with breast cancer gene Call for NHS to give women with dense breasts extra cancer scans Gloucestershire NHS Foundation Trust
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Jobs could be lost amid plans for NHS mergers
Jobs could be lost amid plans for health authorities in Gloucestershire to be merged with those in neighbouring counties. A national blueprint has been published setting out changes to the function of Integrated Care Boards (ICB) which would see responsibilities go to neighbourhood providers and NHS regions. Gloucestershire currently has its own ICB but health bosses were told on 8 May that this could soon change. Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Kevin McNamara said a significant reductions of non-clinical staff was expected. Central government wants to reduce the running costs of ICBs by around 50 per cent and cut non-clinical leadership by half, a Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust board was told at a meeting last week. Mr McNamara said: "There will be human impact. We are working closely with ICB and Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust colleagues to work our way through this." He said there was a vacancy freeze for non-clinical roles in the organisation unless they had a direct bearing on patient or staff safety or were business critical, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "It's pretty fast moving," he said. He explained that over the next few months more would be known as discussions about how ICBs should be clustered was ongoing. More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire NHS England has published guidance showing the roles and responsibilities of health authorities and ICBs. Mr McNamara said the NHS could be more efficient and said in Gloucestershire some of the corporate back office functions were triplicated. The NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board said in a statement that any structural changes to the ICBs would not affect the current day to day provision of health services. It said the board would continue to have a critical role as strategic commissioners working to improve health, reduce inequalities and improve healthcare access. A spokesperson added: "In order to meet our more focused strategic commissioning role and the requirement to reduce our organisational costs, the ICB footprint is likely to be larger in the future, but it will be crucial to retain strong 'place' based arrangements and partnerships at a local level." Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. 'Blood test delays' as workers continue pay protest NHS phlebotomists six weeks into strikes over pay Maternity services rated 'unsafe' by inspectors Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Jobs could be lost in Gloucestershire amid plans for NHS mergers
Jobs could be lost amid plans for health authorities in Gloucestershire to be merged with those in neighbouring counties.A national blueprint has been published setting out changes to the function of Integrated Care Boards (ICB) which would see responsibilities go to neighbourhood providers and NHS currently has its own ICB but health bosses were told on 8 May that this could soon Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Kevin McNamara said a significant reductions of non-clinical staff was expected. Central government wants to reduce the running costs of ICBs by around 50 per cent and cut non-clinical leadership by half, a Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust board was told at a meeting last week. Mr McNamara said: "There will be human impact. We are working closely with ICB and Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust colleagues to work our way through this."He said there was a vacancy freeze for non-clinical roles in the organisation unless they had a direct bearing on patient or staff safety or were business critical, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service."It's pretty fast moving," he said. He explained that over the next few months more would be known as discussions about how ICBs should be clustered was ongoing. NHS England has published guidance showing the roles and responsibilities of health authorities and ICBs. Mr McNamara said the NHS could be more efficient and said in Gloucestershire some of the corporate back office functions were NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board said in a statement that any structural changes to the ICBs would not affect the current day to day provision of health services. It said the board would continue to have a critical role as strategic commissioners working to improve health, reduce inequalities and improve healthcare access.A spokesperson added: "In order to meet our more focused strategic commissioning role and the requirement to reduce our organisational costs, the ICB footprint is likely to be larger in the future, but it will be crucial to retain strong 'place' based arrangements and partnerships at a local level."
