News
£21 million to roll out artificial intelligence across the NHS
NHS staff will be given the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology to diagnose and treat patients more quickly as a result of a new £21 million fund, announced by the Health and Social Care Secretary. NHS Trusts will be able to apply to the AI Diagnostic Fund to accelerate the deployment of the most promising AI imaging and decision support tools to help diagnose patients more quickly for conditions such as cancers, strokes and heart conditions. The Health and Social Care Secretary has also committed to rolling out AI stroke diagnosis technology to 100% of stroke networks by the end of 2023. This AI Diagnostic Fund will include the use of AI
tools to analyse chest X-Rays. With over 600,000 chest X-rays performed each month in England, the deployment of diagnostic AI tools to more NHS Trusts will support clinicians to diagnose cancer patients earlier, improving patient outcomes. The use of AI in the NHS is already having a positive impact on outcomes for patients, with AI in some cases halving the time for stroke victims to get the treatment they need by helping doctors diagnose stroke faster, which has been shown to triple the chance of patients living independently after a stroke. The £21 million funding will be open for bids for any AI diagnostic tool that Trusts want to deploy, but will have to represent value for money for the funding to be approved.
PDI partners environmental experts
PDI International, a supplier of infection prevention solutions, has announced its partnership with Positive Planet, a leading organisation dedicated to environmental initiatives. Over the coming months, they will help PDI turn its sustainability goals into meaningful action. This will involve carrying out accurate carbon footprint measurements,
then developing and embedding a successful sustainability programme. They will also help PDI enage employees, ensuring sustainability is firmly embedded in the company’s culture. PDI has already taken important steps in addressing sustainability, with 99% of the company’s energy supply coming from renewable sources.
HEE and NHS England complete merger
NHS England and Health Education England have legally merged to create a new, single organisation to lead the NHS in England. This follows the merger of NHS Digital and NHS England on the 1 February 2023, and brings the NHS’s people, skills, digital, data and technology expertise together into one national organisation. The transfer sees NHS England assume
responsibility for all activities previously undertaken
by Health Education England, including planning, recruiting, educating and training the health workforce, and ensuring it has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours in place to support the delivery of excellent healthcare to patients and the public. It is expected that, by the end of 2023/24, the new organisation will be between 30-40% smaller than the current combined size of NHS England, Health Education England and NHS Digital.
Fast track build of operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital
Modern Methods of Construction have enabled MTX to achieve faster and more efficient completion of a new general surgery operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital. The single storey unit includes the theatre suite with recovery rooms, reception and waiting areas, office space and a dedicated staff facility. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)
are increasingly being chosen by NHS Trusts because they meet Government requirements for adopting offsite construction techniques. They provide additional facilities more quickly with time on site reduced by up to 50%, reduced costs and a greener build. The new theatre will principally help reduce
waiting times for patients needing day-surgery procedures, breast surgery, dermatology, plastic surgery and other general surgery. Caroline Osborne, a consultant breast
surgeon at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Yeovil District Hospital, said: “With the day theatre located away from the main hospital building, it has freed up space in our main hospital theatres for the more complex procedures, helping us to reduce the waiting times for patients across Somerset who need operations. There has been a real change in the way we perform many operations in Somerset with some specialties able to offer day surgery, where patients can be assessed, treated and go home on the same day as their surgery, rather than staying overnight in hospital. We’ve had great feedback from patients on this approach.” MTX worked on the project with Simply
Serve, a subsidiary of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.
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