What's New

NHS England (NHSE) has instructed practices to begin vaccinating eligible 12- to 15-year-olds against Covid-19, while the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended on 4 August that all 16- to 17-year-olds should now be invited for a first dose of the vaccine.

Latest NHS Digital figures on appointments in General Practice have shown that practices in England carried out 31.1 million recorded patient appointments in June 2021.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has accepted updated advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the Covid-19 vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 17 years old.

Amid reports that people were deleting the app to avoid being notified to self-isolate, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that changes have been made so that fewer contacts will be advised to self-isolate following a close contact with a positive case.

A British Medical Association (BMA) workforce study has found that each outgoing GP partner may need to be replaced by three new GPs due to shifting working patterns.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has confirmed that it will be looking at issues faced by general practice services led by GPs from an ethnic minority background as part of its Equality Objectives 2021 to 2025 strategy.

NHS England and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have said pulse oximeters may sometimes overestimate oxygen levels and warned that the devices can work less well in those with darker skin.

NHS England (NHSE) has announced that Amanda Pritchard has now replaced Sir Simon Stevens as NHSE Chief Executive.

Public Health England (PHE) has revealed that the first-ever national cervical screening campaign, which ran in 2019, led to a 25% increase in the number of women aged 50 to 64 attending a smear test at their GP practice.

Employers, healthcare professionals and the general public have been warned to take care when purchasing infrared thermometers online and to familiarise themselves with warning signs for poor quality products.