Welcome to your autumnal edition of your favourite Health News round-up! With the clocks haven ‘fallen back’, making the evenings even darker quicker, leaves adorning every pavement and having resurrected that winter coat, the hat, scarf and gloves as we know won’t be too far behind! Please enjoy these carefully selected articles from the media over the past month:

2^nd LinkedIn – The future of Medicine: A conversation with Dr. David Feinberg – Author of ‘ChatGBT, MD’

LinkedIn’s Fixing Healthcare podcast’s latest guest is Dr. David Feinberg, Chairman of Oracle Health and an expert in driving innovative change. With decades of leadership experience at healthcare giants like Geisinger Health, Cerner and Google Health, he has been at the forefront of healthcare’s technological evolution.  Dr. Feinberg outlined three important technological advances that will reshape medical care over the next five to ten years.

1)Reducing the interference of technology in Healthcare

Too much of the technology used in medicine today disrupts and detracts from the doctor-patient relationship, forcing clinicians to focus on computer screens, pop-ups and reminders. In the near future, technology will support, rather than hinder, clinical care by automating administrative tasks and allowing healthcare providers to maintain eye contact with the patient in front of them. Generative AI tools that can listen to conversations in the exam room and create an accurate electronic healthcare record (EHR) entry are one such example.

2) Leveraging the Cloud for greater security and data availability

The cloud will transform healthcare by enhancing security, enabling seamless sharing of patient records, and supporting more advanced data analysis. Patient health records, rather than being siloed within individual health systems, will be easily accessible to all clinicians involved in a patient’s care (provided the patient consents to data sharing). Additionally, the cloud’s advanced cybersecurity measures will help protect against major breaches, offering stronger safeguards for sensitive medical data than most standalone computer systems.

3) Using AI for ‘anticipatory medicine’

AI will evolve to predict future health outcomes, creating a new era of anticipatory medicine. By analysing patient records, family history and data from home monitors, AI will help doctors identify health risks early. This will enable timelier interventions and prevent life-threatening complications. The result will be longer lives with more years of good health.

16^th WPA – The Truth about Vaping and your health

In recent years the rise of vaping has created a smokescreen of controversy and confusion around its health implications. Marketed as a cleaner alternative to traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes have surged in popularity, particularly among younger demographics. But beneath the cloud of vape smoke lies a pressing question: What are the real effects of vaping on our health?

How Vaping affects the body

The act of vaping involves inhaling vapour produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. This vapour typically contains nicotine, flavourings, and other chemicals. While it lacks the tar and carbon monoxide found in cigarettes, vaping is not without its own set of harmful substances and potential health risks.

The impact on Lung health

One of the most significant concerns surrounding vaping is its effect on the lungs. The inhaling of vapour, which contains a mixture of nicotine, flavouring chemicals, and other substances, can lead to various pulmonary issues. Studies have linked vaping to conditions such as bronchiolitis obliterans organising pneumonia (BOOP), also known as popcorn lung, a condition named for its initial identification among workers in a popcorn factory exposed to diacetyl, a chemical also found in many e-liquids.

Moreover, e-cigarettes can cause inflammation in the lungs, similar to that caused by traditional cigarettes. This inflammation can lead to decreased lung function and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections. There’s also evidence to suggest that vaping may exacerbate asthma and other pre-existing lung conditions, leading to more frequent and severe episodes.

Nicotine addiction and cardiovascular risk

Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, whether consumed through smoking or vaping. E-cigarettes can deliver nicotine more efficiently than cigarettes, potentially increasing addiction risks. Nicotine addiction can lead to an increased heart rate and blood pressure, putting additional strain on the cardiovascular system. Over time, this can increase the risk of heart disease and strokes.

Moreover, the addictive nature of nicotine can make quitting vaping particularly challenging, leading to long-term use and increased exposure to its harmful effects. The perception of vaping as less harmful than smoking can also contribute to prolonged use, compounding the risk of cardiovascular issues.

The Gateway Effect

There’s ongoing debate about whether vaping acts as a “gateway” to conventional smoking, especially among teenagers and young adults. Some studies suggest that non-smokers who start vaping are more likely to begin smoking  cigarettes later on. This potential gateway  effect raises concerns about the role of vaping in perpetuating nicotine addiction and its associated health risks.

Exposure to harmful chemicals

Aside from nicotine, vape juice contains a variety of chemicals, including propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, and flavouring agents. While these substances are generally considered safe for ingestion, the health effects of inhaling them are not fully understood. Some research indicates that heating these chemicals can produce harmful compounds, such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which are known carcinogens.  

The long-term health implications of exposure to these chemicals through vaping are still being studied. However, there’s growing evidence to suggest that regular inhalation can lead to health issues beyond those associated with nicotine alone.

22^nd Daily Mail – We KNOW what patients need: Swift access to a GP, an end to record waiting lists – and no more people dying on trollies in A&E corridors, by Professor Karol Sikora, Consultant Oncologist

We all know what patients need: healthcare that doesn’t leave people sleeping on chairs in A&E or dying on trolleys in corridors, and GP surgeries offering efficient appointments systems rather than the 8am phone lottery. What patients do not need is more prevarication and consultation. We all know where that will lead: a succession of gimmicky ideas and yet more billions shovelled into the bottomless pit.

Bamboozled

During Labour’s first 100 days in power, we have seen how handing out money has been their reflex response to NHS issues. Junior doctors were paid off with a salary increase of more than 20 per cent, to reward them for taking strike action. Flashy proposals – such as weight-loss jabs and smart watches to be offered to obese benefits claimants – were announced with great fanfare.

During more than 50 years as a doctor, I have seen 23 reorganisations of one sort or another in the NHS – and none has delivered real change. They were all cosmetic, illusory or downright disastrous. One of the first I witnessed was branded the Cogwheel Reorganisation, featuring promotional animations of cogwheels going round, which were supposed to make us all feel interconnected and essential. I was fresh out of medical school and full of optimism, but I was uncomfortably aware that we were being bamboozled. Those cogs were turning without driving any actual changes.

For much of its history, the NHS has been too revered – more of a national religion than a health service, as former chancellor Nigel Lawson said. Now, though, that attitude is ebbing away. It’s true that older people, for the most part, are still in awe of it and wary of complaining for fear that treatment free at the point of use will be replaced by some form of rapacious health insurance system. Younger generations do not revere our NHS in that way, however – particularly after the pandemic has left us with record hospital waiting lists of 7.6 million this summer.

They see what we have now is a shocking system, with trauma patients dying in a queue of ambulances outside a hospital because there’s no space on the wards or even in the waiting rooms. People under 30 can’t remember a time when the NHS worked. All they know is system that is failing their parents and grandparents, inflicting delays, stress, suffering and death.

Public opinion is changing and young adults refuse to bow down to the NHS shrine. In May 2021, a YouGov survey found that 39 per cent of British adults believed that the NHS provided better healthcare than other European countries, while only 10 per cent thought the opposite. When the same survey wascarried out this summer, 33 per cent said that European systems deliver better healthcare and only 17 per cent thought the NHS superior.

Challenge

More than 22 per cent of all hospital patients are over 75, even though this age group comprises just 8 per cent of the population. Put bluntly, elderly people place a disproportionate burden on the NHS. It’s not surprising of course – particularly since the decline of care at home by the extended family.

People who are too frail to live in sheltered accommodation often end up spending months in hospital beds meant for patients needing acute and urgent treatment. We used to have a system of intermediate care, until our cottage hospitals – chiefly staffed by nurses – were closed down. Bringing back such hospitals would alleviate a huge amount of pressure.

Radical

With the right on-the-job training, there’s no reason why experienced health professionals should not graduate to become doctors. Many of them have learned a great deal more in their careers than can ever be crammed into a degree course. By the same token, healthcare assistants should be able to climb the ladder and earn the qualifications to become nurses. It’s ridiculous to insist that everyone in the NHS has to ‘stay in their lanes.’

We need to look at the parts of the NHS that work efficiently, and copy them. That means ‘privatisation’ can no longer be a dirty word. Across the UK, pharmacies and opticians work well. We can get our medication delivered to the door, and book an eye test at a day’s notice. Prescriptions are comparatively affordable and free to many. These services are offered by private businesses such as Boots, Specsavers and Lloyds. They work well – and they have to, because we are their valued customers and not merely service users.

So why can’t that model be applied to cancer or heart treatment?

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That’s your lot for another month dear SCH reader, with those three excellent articles advising upon technologies, vaping and the possible inevitability of a private healthcare provision being implemented in the UK. Enjoy the more reflective autumnal season before the harsher winter climate arrives, until then, please stay fit and healthy.

Kind regards

Daniel Donoghue

Private Healthcare Broker

MD, Surrey Circle HealthSpecialist ‘Whole of Market’ Brokers