Hello and welcome to your end of year edition of your favourite Health News roundup folks! Where did 2024 go? This month’s News features an NHS patient survey, an NHS pill that helps to give up smoking, celebrities protesting against 5G on the tube network, as well as nurses who are still waiting for financial support having contracted long-Covid – Enjoy!

30^th Broadstone – NHS GP Patient Experience

The 2024 GP Patient Survey (GPPS) revealed that nearly 40% of patients found it difficult, or very difficult to access their NHS GP (38%). Of those that tried to contact their GP, 23% either couldn’t contact them at all or didn’t know what to do afterwards. Many of these patients tried to treat themselves, or turned to friends, family, or even the internet for help.

Of these 31% sought information or advice online, from friends or family, or elsewhere. 15% didn’t do anything further when they couldn’t contact their GP. 12% attempted to treat themselves or the person they were calling for.

12^th The London Standard – Stephen Fry, Chrissie Hynde and Sophie Winkleman sign letter protesting 5G advertising on the Tube

Stephen Fry, Chrissie Hynde and Sophie Winkleman are among the celebrities and concerned London residents who have signed an open letter protesting TfL signage that promotes 4G on the Tube. The letter calls for removal of a poster that shows a young woman looking at her phone with the caption “5G is coming to the Tube.”

The message, which is spearheaded by musician and Save Soho founder Tim Arnold, warns of the “potential dangers” of this advertisement. “As parents and health professionals campaign worldwide to protect their children from the numerous harms associated with smartphone apps, your administration is normalising the pervasive technology they’re fighting against,” it says.

“As these parents work tirelessly, without resources for large-scale media campaigns, to preserve their children’s right to develop without the constant distraction of digital connectivity, London’s Underground stations now send an implicit message to children – and parents – that smartphone use is the default, leaving little room for alternatives.”

It also references the U.K. Code of Broadcast Advertising. Said code advises that “advertisements must not condone, encourage or unreasonably feature behaviour that could be dangerous for children to emulate.” The letter (which is still open to sign) implies that the TfL 5G advertising breaches this code.

The letter goes on to suggest an alternative poster in the style of TfL’s ‘Be Kind’ and ‘Be Considerate To Others’ campaigns with illustrator Toby Triumph. The new poster bears the slogan “It’s Ok To Be Off Grid If You’re A Kid.” Arnold argues that “children want to [switch off], but are scared to step outside these digital norms, pressured into smartphone use or bullied if they choose otherwise.”

Arnold’s signature on the letter to TfL is followed by several celebrities, including Stephen Fry, The Pretender’s Chrissie Hynde, actress Sophie Winkleman, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams collaborator Guy Chambers and costume designer Sandy Powell, as well as Labour councillor Paul Dimoldenberg (who also happens to be the father of TikTok and YouTube famous daughter, Amelia Dimoldenberg).

Addressing the Mayor, Arnold says: “I implore you to be a leader for London who understands that while advancing technology can bring benefits, it doesn’t always lead to social progress – especially when its presence is all-encompassing, and for young minds, often pervasive.”

The letter requests that the current poster be removed and replaced with an alternative, in order to “acknowledge the rowing evidence of the adverse effects of excessive device use on children’s attention and neurodevelopment, as highlighted by NHS professionals.”

12^th The Times – Daily pill on the NHS will help thousands give up smoking

Tens of thousands of adults will be given pills to stop them smoking as part of a big government drive aiming to prevent ill health. Varenicline, which is taken daily, works by binding to receptors in the brain to stop people craving or enjoying nicotine. It is being introduced in England across GP surgeries and stop-smoking services as an option for anyone who wants to quit. More than 85,000 people a year are set to benefit.

The drug’s manufacturer lists its cost at about £25 for 28 tablets. It is seen as a vital new tool in efforts to phase out smoking over the coming decades. Its availability through the NHS builds on legislation announced last week that would make it illegal for anyone now aged 15 and under ever to buy cigarettes, and ban smoking in some outdoor spaces.

“Prevention is better than cure,” Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said. “The rollout of this pill can save the NHS millions of pounds, save appointments to help other patients be seen faster, and save lives.” Labour has vowed to put more emphasis on preventing the root causes of ill-health, such as smoking and obesity, arguing that this is the only way to make the NHS financially sustainable.

One in eight adults in the U.K. smoke – about six million people in total – and last year smoking caused more than 400,000 hospital admissions. Analysis by University College London suggests that the use of Varenicline on the NHS in the next five years would prevent 9,500 smoking-related deaths, including from cancer.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s chief executive, will announce the introduction of Varenicline in a speech at the NHS Providers annual  conference in Liverpool today. She will say: “This simple daily pill could be a game-changer for people who want to quit smoking and is another vital step in shifting our NHS further towards prevention.” Varenicline zis the most effective medication yet developed to help people stop smoking. Research shows that it helps one in four people quit, making it more effective than nicotine-replacement gum or patches. A branded version, called Champix, had been available on a limited basis until it was withdrawn from the U.K. and Europe in 2021 because of an impurity.

The treatment is now being made available through a collaboration between NHS England and the pharmaceutical company Teva U.K., which has agreed to make a version of the treatment for the NHS at a significantly lower cost and without the impurity. The NHS said that more drug options to help smokers quit were “on the near horizon”, with a second drug, Cytisine, being considered.  

NHS chiefs said the benefits of the drug will vastly outweigh the costs. Each year the NHS spends £2.6 billion on treating health problems caused by smoking: it is leading cause of preventable illness and deaths. It is estimated that one in six hospital admissions for respiratory disease in 2022-23 was related to smoking, along with 8 per cent of all admissions for cancers and 7 per cent of admissions for cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Ian Walker, Cancer Research U.K.’s executive director of policy, said: “Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer in the U.K. and stopping completely is the best thing you can do for your health. Around 160 cases of cancer are caused by tobacco every day in the U.K., so it’s essential that action is taken to prevent people from smoking in the first place.”

16^th ITV News – ‘Complete Betrayal’: Nurses who contracted Long Covid still waiting for access to financial support

Thousands of nurses and doctors who contracted Long Covid during the pandemic are still waiting for access to financial support, according to the Royal College of Nurses (RCN). This is despite the Industrial Injuries and Advisory Council (IIAC) recommending Long Covid to be listed as an occupational disease two years ago, which would allow those who contracted the virus at work to apply for extra benefits.

Many healthcare workers have stopped working and taken an early retirement because of Long Covid symptoms, leading to a huge loss in earnings. The nursing union has called this a “betrayal” and is urging the government to take action. Lisa, a former children’s intensive care nurse for 25 years, contracted Covid in 2022. Warning Long Covid  leaving hundreds of doctors ‘miserable’ and ‘penniless.’ ‘My life was tipped upside down,’ says this mum.

She worked in the adult intensive care unit at various hospitals during the pandemic, and believes she contracted the virus whilst at work. Lisa says she suffers from debilitating Long Covid symptoms, including chronic fatigue in her legs and arms, brain fog, memory loss and Raynauld’s phenomenon. She said as a result she was forced into early retirement. “I can’t do the job that I love doing, that I’ve done for the last 25 years. It’s really, really sad, but it’s one of those things. I need to move on and hopefully get a little bit better, so that I can then get back to nursing children, which is what I love,” she told ITV News.

In 2022 the IIAC recommended Covid complications be recognised as an occupational disease. This would mean staff would have more routes to access Industrial Injuries and Disablement Benefits (IIDB). However, despite IIDB covering more than 70 diseases, Covid is still not listed, making it harder for affected staff to access financial support.

Lisa says she feels “completely betrayed” by the government because the disease still isn’t listed. “I am now on hardly any money. I feel that it’s something that I can try and claim, but it’s been very, very difficult. There’s been lots of hurdles. It’s like everyone clapped for us, but where are they now? What are the government doing now? It’s really hard on myself and family. My 14-year-old has had to become my carer. She has had to do a lot of stuff for me.”

The RCN has written a letter to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall urging the government to act. Nicola Ranger, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor, told ITV News: “Thousands of nurses have contacted us for support because they have contracted Long Covid and sadly many of them have had to retire early. The careers that they love ended and some of them living on as much as £500 a month.”

  *******************************************

That’s your lot good people, as interesting as ever! Regarding GP access, many health insurers offer not only remote appointments but also nominally-priced £20 face-to-face Private GP Appointments, with Bupa and VitalityHealth being two good examples of such. Further discussing the 20^th century addiction, that enticed huge swathes of the population into becoming reliant upon nicotine smoke, this 21^st century appears desperate to quash this self-destructive, death dealing habit, which puts a huge strain upon the NHS of course, whilst cautiously embracing 5G technology on our transport networks, mindful of the harm that it is proving to have had upon our younger generation’s mental health, and no doubt everybody’s. Until 2025 please stay fit and healthy as the seasonal more wintery weather takes hold.

Kind regards,

Daniel Donoghue

MD, ‘Whole of Market’ Broker – Surrey Circle Health

Private Healthcare Broker