Health

NHS England hospitals having to rely on ‘obsolete’ imaging equipment

About a third of NHS trusts in England are using “technically obsolete” imaging equipment that could be putting patients’ health at risk, while existing shortages of doctors who are qualified to diagnose and treat disease and injuries using medical imaging techniques could triple by 2030.

According to data obtained through freedom of information requests by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, 27.1% of trusts in NHS England have at least one computerised tomography (CT) scanner that is 10 years old or more, while 34.5% have at least one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in the same category. These are used to diagnose various conditions including cancer, stroke and heart disease, detect damage to bones and internal organs, or guide further treatment.

An NHS England report published last year recommended that all imaging equipment aged 10 years or older be replaced. Software upgrades may not be possible on older equipment, limiting its use, while older CT scanners may require higher radiation doses to deliver the same image, it said.

Among the trusts identified by the Dispatches audit are King’s College hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Cornwall hospitals NHS trust, and Chelsea and Westminster hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Half of London North West university healthcare NHS trust’s MRIs are 16 years old, while one MRI scanner at Great Ormond Street Hospital Trust is 21 years old.

It also found that X-ray equipment dating back to the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s is being used in the NHS in England. The programme, Clapped Out: Is the NHS Broken? will air on Channel 4 on Monday at 8pm.

Dr Julian Elford, a consultant radiologist and medical director at the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), said: “CT and MRI machines start to become technically obsolete at 10 years. Older kit breaks down frequently, is slower, and produces poorer quality images, so upgrading is critical.

“We don’t just need upgraded scanners, though; we need significantly more scanners in the first place. The [NHS England report] called for doubling the number of scanners – we firmly support that call, and recommend a government-funded programme for equipment replacement on an appropriate cycle so that radiologists can diagnose and treat their patients safely.

“We also need significant investment in workforce. The NHS is currently short of nearly 2,000 radiologists. Only by looking at the problem holistically can we bring about real improvement to patient outcomes and cut waiting times.”

A separate report published by the RCR on Wednesday predicted that the NHS could waste £420m by 2030 if it continues with expensive outsourcing and overseas recruitment to plug the UK’s shortage of radiologists and clinical oncologists. One in 10 radiologist jobs in the UK are currently unfilled. The report projected that the shortages of radiologists in the UK could hit 6,000 by 2030, while the current shortage of 200 clinical oncologists could treble to 600.

Coroners have also raised concerns over the national and local shortage of radiology staff, and insufficient CT and MRI scans. Dispatches looked through five years’ worth of prevention of future deaths reports for those where a lack of radiology kit or staff was mentioned. It found 48 reports between 2016 and 2021 that mentioned a lack of scans and/or radiology staff in relation to the death of a patient.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We have backed the NHS with £525m to replace diagnostics equipment over the last two years and have recently set up 40 new one-stop-shop diagnosis centres in the community to deliver 2.8m more scans for patients across the country.

“There are over 9% more radiology doctors compared to the same period in 2019 and we have provided £52m to further invest in the cancer and diagnostics workforce over the next two years.”

Health

WHO sets targets to end Mpox outbreaks in Africa

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has set a target of halting mpox outbreaks in Africa within the next six months.

This announcement came as the first vaccine shipments are expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, in the coming days.

Africa, particularly the DRC, with over 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths, has received only a fraction of the vaccines to combat the virus.

At a press briefing on Monday, September 2, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed confidence in ending the outbreaks, citing strong government leadership and collaborative partnerships.

In August, WHO declared mpox outbreaks a global emergency to spur a more robust international response even though a new strain of mpox known as clade1b, has been identified in many countries, including Burundi, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Kenya.

The potentially more contagious variant of the virus was detected in Congo in May, prompting heightened concerns among health officials.

WHO estimates that approximately 230,000 vaccines could soon be sent to Congo and other affected countries. The WHO is also implementing educational campaigns to inform people in outbreak areas about preventing the spread of the disease.

Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it aims to receive 380,000 vaccine doses from donors, including the US and the EU, which falls short of the quantity required to eradicate the outbreaks.

Health

No recorded case of mpox in Ogun- Govt

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomo Coker, on Wednesday said the state has not recorded any case of Mpox across the 20 local government areas of the state.

She disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Abeokuta, saying that the state has maintained a high level of surveillance since the global outbreak in 2022.

“Mpox is a disease of public health importance and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared outbreaks of a more virulent strain in some countries. Some states in Nigeria have also reported outbreaks of Mpox,” she said.

“Ogun State Ministry of Health is aware of this public health threat and has instituted appropriate measures to prevent it, detect it early, and respond as appropriate.

“The last case of Mpox in Ogun State was in May 2023 and no confirmed case has been reported in Ogun State to date.

“As of 18th August 2024, the state surveillance system has reported 151 suspected cases of Mpox across the state but none of the suspected cases has been confirmed to be Mpox though 53 returned positive for Chicken Pox.

“We are aware of the Chicken Pox cases in the state and the necessary measures are already in place.

“Sensitization of the public on Mpox, Chickenpox, and other priority diseases is ongoing through established platforms. Therefore, there is no need to panic.”

Health

US donates 10,000 monkeypox vaccine doses to Nigeria

The United States government donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria to aid in the fight against monkeypox on Tuesday.

The Jynneos vaccine, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is designed to prevent smallpox and monkeypox in adults aged 18 and older who are at risk of infection.

During the official handover ceremony in Abuja, Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, expressed gratitude to the U.S. government for the generous donation.

Represented by Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom, Pate emphasised the Federal Government’s commitment to improving public health in Nigeria.

He said, “This is a spirit of cooperation and collaboration through the years, and this vaccine will be of great help to us.

“The Federal Ministry of Health understands the importance of having a healthy nation, so all the policies that we implement and the collaborations are focused on ensuring our citizens’ health.”

Pate also extended thanks to other development partners, including USAID, PEPFAR, WHO, UNICEF, and various UN organisations, for their continued support.

He highlighted the importance of addressing public health concerns, particularly diseases like monkeypox that pose significant risks to the population.

Monkeypox, a rare viral zoonotic disease, primarily affects remote villages in Central and West Africa near tropical rainforests.

It is caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus genus, including smallpox and cowpox.

Following the eradication of smallpox, monkeypox has become a prominent concern within the orthopoxvirus family.

On August 13, 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared monkeypox a public health emergency of continental security.

As of last Friday, Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported 40 confirmed cases of monkeypox out of 830 suspected cases nationwide.