Outgoing medical chief calls for collaboration to tackle global health risks
In her final report, Professor Dame Sally Davies, outgoing Chief Medical Officer, called for countries to work together the meet the challenge of global health threats.
Focusing on domestic issues, says Prof Davies, could risk failing to control worldwide health issues such as the continued outbreak of Ebola.
‘Investing in global health is the smart thing to do because it is in our mutual interest. It creates a better world for us and for future generations. It helps to keep our population safe,’ she said.
‘We should invest in systems and solutions that contribute to making health more equitable, secure and sustainable. What we learn abroad will improve our NHS and support our domestic efforts to make sure no-one in the UK is left behind.’
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization. This outbreak is the second biggest on record – it has infected an estimated 2500 people and approximately 1600 have died.
In total, around 11 000 people died across West Africa from 2014–2016 in the largest recorded Ebola outbreak.
Prof Davies also cited the monkeypox outbreak in the UK last year – which were the first cases of the disease outside of the African continent since 2003. A collaboration with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control helped to contain and manage the outbreak.
Monkeypox is a virus from the same family as smallpox; however, it is much less severe and risk of infection is low. In the UK outbreak, patients were believed to be infected with the west African strain, as opposed to the central African strain.
Prof Davies also focused on global health initiatives that will aid in tackling non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, strokes and cancer, which are rising around the world. Such conditions are set to be the leading causes of death in low-income countries by 2021.
Stepping down after 9 years as Chief Medical Officer, Prof Davies will go on to become Master of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. She has been outspoken about the rise of antimicrobial resistance at various global events, a member of the World Health Organization and former Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department of Health and Social Care.
Further cervical screening errors revealed
Capita, a health technology provider, has admitted that several correspondences with patients following cervical screenings have not been processed properly.
The company provides the NHS's Primary Care Support England (PCSE) Service and revealed that an administrative error caused a delay in 16 women being invited to their screenings. It also failed to remove 99 women from the screening programme. The company has since apologised to all of the women who have been affected.
‘A full review has been undertaken, working closely with Public Health England and NHS England, which found that the majority of the items were correctly handled through another route, as part of the NHS Cervical Screening fail safes that are in place,’ said the technology company in a statement on PCSE's website.
The error follows the much larger failures made by the company in 2018, where approximately 47 000 women had not received letters about screening.
‘Less than a year after tens of thousands of women missed vital correspondence about cervical screening, this is a further example of patient safety being put at risk because of Capita's incompetence,’ said Dr Richard Vautrey, British Medical Association GP Committee Chair.
‘While the numbers here are much smaller, this is testament to the hard work and diligence of GPs and their teams, picking up the pieces where Capita has failed. However, if just one patient comes to harm as a result of this blunder – that is one too many. We understand that all women affected have been informed, but to hear that they may be up to two years overdue for an appointment will no doubt cause a great deal of distress and anxiety,’ he continued.
‘Four months ago, following repeated pressure by GPC England, NHS England finally stripped Capita of the cervical screening contract, however it is still responsible for a number of backroom GP functions, delivering Primary Care Support England (PCSE) services. This most recent revelation provides further evidence that it is unfit to hold this PCSE contract and, as we have stressed consistently, NHS England must take it back in-house immediately.’
It has also been revealed that unallocated pension funds are still yet to be distributed to GPs and other health professionals by Capita. The funds have been described as a ‘large’ amount.
Student scheme boosts number of GPNs
A training scheme in Scotland has pushed a second cohort of newly qualified nurses into general practice nursing.
The Government programme – called General Practice Nursing: An Early Career Choice – has funded 30 practices to take on a trainee nurse in the past year. Now the programme is expanding to a further 23 surgeries as the profession is becoming more appealing to young graduate nurses.
‘We're looking for ways to support more primary care services. It's essential that we offer opportunities for our nursing workforce to develop the skills to help people to manage their own health, provide care closer to home and to reduce the need for hospital admission,’ said Karen Wilson, NHS Education for Scotland's Director for Nursing.
‘We want to demonstrate that primary care is an ideal early career option and is beneficial to patients.’
It is hoped that the scheme will help to change the practice nursing demographic across primary care. The most recent statistics show that more than half of nurses in this sector are aged over 50 years.
Part of the programme involves nurses gaining skills in several vital areas, including public health, illness prevention, long-term and complex conditions, mental health and wellbeing.
Each training place is funded nationally at Agenda for Change Band 5 plus employer costs for up to 20 hours per week for a fixed term of 2 years. The scheme provides each trainee with practice-related knowledge, work-based learning and clinical skills training to develop their professional autonomy for practice nursing.
‘When I qualified in 2017, I worked as a community nurse covering maternity leave. After that, I decided that practice nursing was what I wanted to do because I just loved the interaction with people. For somebody who wants to get into general practice nursing there are a number of GP surgeries throughout Scotland who offer training places and I would say it's brilliant thing to go for,’ said Jennifer Nutkins, a nurse in training.
‘When we qualified, we didn't realise that we could go straight into practice nursing so I do think it's a great way to go and you can build on it and there's so many levels, you can go all the way up to advance nurse practitioner, consultant nurse, so you're always learning. You should consider going into general practice nursing because it's such an exciting job.’
Primary schools in England should teach pupils about female genital mutilation
Campaigners are urging primary schools in England to teach their students about female genital mutilation (FGM), as secondary school students will be taught about this issue from 2020 as part of their curriculum.
However, the National FGM Centre reports that most girls who are subjected to the mutilation undergo the practice – often abroad – before they are 10 years old. Therefore the changes to the curriculum may come too late for the girls who are most vulnerable and the most at risk.
‘While some may have reservations about children being taught about this issue at primary school, the work of the National FGM Centre has shown this can be done in a child-centred, age-appropriate way. By teaching primary school pupils about FGM, we are empowering the next generation to speak up about the issue,’ said Leethen Bartholomew, head of the National FGM Centre.
‘But it's not just down to the next generation to break the silence. Everyone, regardless of their community, gender or profession must be part of this conversation, so FGM becomes less of a hidden crime.’
The National FGM Centre wants to see FGM eradicated by 2030 in the UK, and teaching this issue across the country, regardless of the demographic of the community, is beneficial as children can learn that their body belongs to them and no-one is allowed to harm them.
FGM was banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2003 and in Scotland in 2005. However, incidences persist in some communities. The process involves physical mutilation to the external female genitalia and is a common practice in many cultures. This year saw the first successful prosecution of an FGM case in England.
‘It is important that all children understand that FGM is an abhorrent crime which causes immeasurable harm to its victims and their families. From September 2020, as part of the new relationships and sex education curriculum, all children will be taught that FGM is a criminal offence and about the emotional and physical damage it causes,’ said a spokesperson from the Department of Education.
‘Whilst it must be taught in secondary school, primary schools can choose to teach it if they think it is appropriate for their cohort of pupils, and provided it's taught in an age-appropriate way.’