Category Archives: Health

Health, Healthcare, News

Tredegar pharmacist shares his prescription for a healthier world

A long-serving community pharmacist is doing his bit to put Tregedar and Caerphilly on the global healthcare map.

Simon Nelson, who runs three pharmacies in the birthplace of the NHS, Tredegar –  and another  in Caerphilly –  is one of 27 pharmacists from around the world who have contributed to a new digital book that aims to highlight the changing role of pharmacy and its efforts to create a healthier future for everyone.

The digital book has been developed and translated into 11 languages by Alliance Healthcare as part of  celebrations to mark World Pharmacists Day 2022 which is run by the International Federation of Pharmacists and takes place on Sunday 25th September.

Mr Nelson, who has been a pharmacist for 40 years and is now able to prescribe medications and see patients for individual consultations, said he was delighted to be asked to contribute to the book, adding: “As demand for patient services increases, pharmacy will become ever closer to its patient as pharmacists are able to provide a wider array of services than ever before.

”During the last few years, pharmacy has truly demonstrated its value in keeping the doors open, maintaining health services and being there for the community. It was a big struggle at times and  meant we had to make a lot of sacrifices.

“But it’s important to remember that the future of healthcare starts today, and to improve health outcomes in Wales –  and indeed around the world –  we need to work better together.”

There are currently around 712 active community pharmacies in Wales. Last year (2020/21) they dispensed 81.1 million prescriptions, equivalent to 25.1 items per head of the population. In the same period,  598 pharmacies in Wales provided the seasonal flu vaccine.

Juan Guerra, SVP and Managing Director at Alliance Healthcare, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic saw pharmacists rise to the challenge of becoming a key part of the world-wide response and now, as we emerge into the new world their role is changing. It’s becoming more about offering a complete healthcare service which is seeing more pharmacists offering additional services such as health consultations where they can diagnose and prescribe medication to offering vaccines.

“We are delighted to have been able to celebrate hardworking, dedicated, and innovative pharmacists like Simon who are the backbone of our local communities.

“As a business we’re united in our responsibilities to create healthier futures and we support pharmacists across the globe through our professional networks, which provide support, including, Business Mentors to pharmacists and pharmacies who want to diversify their offering, and via our wholesaler arm which delivers the medications pharmacies need to keep their communities fit and healthy.”

You can read the digital book in full here: www.supportingpharmacy.com

Health, News, Wellbeing

Doing this one thing could be the answer to ten common health problems

From brain fog to mood swings and erectile dysfunction these ten health issues suffered by millions of people in the UK could all be easily fixed with one simple lifestyle change, according to experts.  

The fix for acne, chapped lips, dry skin, mood swings and even high blood pressure, could be as simple as drinking more water.  

It’s thought as many as In the UK on one in ten GP consultations are now linked to the patient being dehydrated – a shocking statistic to support the theory. 

 

This has led one water expert and qualified water sommelier who drinks at least four litres of the good stuff a day, to share the list of ten common health issues that can be caused by not drinking enough fluids, in a bid to educate people around the benefits of staying hydrated. 

 

Doran Binder, AKA The Bearded Water Sommelier, has been conducting his own experiment into drinking water and after noticing multiple benefits from upping his intake to four litres of water day, has made this into a permanent lifestyle choice.  

 

Doran said: “I would urge everyone to drink at least two litres a day, which is the WHO daily minimum, but if you want to see the true power of water up it in sensible amounts and see what happens – I’d love to hear how you get on!” 

 

Ten Common Ailments That Could be Caused by Hydration 

 

1. Headaches                  

 

Parts of the body will temporarily shrink or contract if not properly hydrated which in the case of the brain will cause it to pull away from the skill slightly. This is why headaches occur when enough water is not consumed.  

                  

2. Brain Fog 

 

Prolonged dehydration causes brain cells to shrink in size and mass. Lack of mental clarity, sometimes referred to as ‘brain fog’ can occur with just a 2% drop in water.  

 

3. Acne / Chapped Lips / Dry Skin 

 

Acne caused by dehydration often appears on the forehead and around your ears, so if you’re finding that your breakouts appear in this area, try cutting back on dehydrating drinks like caffeine and alcohol alongside upping your water intake.   

 

Drinking less water can suck the moisture out of your skin and lips. If you’re dehydrated, you’re likely to have wrinkled and dull skin along with chapped lips.                             

 

4. Mood Swings                            

 

According to scientists in Connecticut, ‘even mild dehydration can alter a person’s mood, energy levels and cognitive function. They also found that alterations in mood were worse in women who were thirsty.   

 

5. High Blood Pressure                           

 

High blood pressure or hypertension is common in those who are dehydrated. Lack of water stimulates the production of chemicals that constrict blood vessels which in turn causes the blood pressure to rise.  

 

6. Airways / Difficulty Breathing / Allergies 

                  

When dehydrated, airways are restricted by the body in an effort to minimize water loss. This can make asthma and allergies worse. Studies have also shown that when dehydrated the body produces higher histamine levels which can drive/worsen allergies.  

                  

7. Sexual performance 

 

Deyhydration can result in sexual dysfunction because a low volume of red blood cells and plasma prevents the corpus cavernosum (chambers inside the penis) from getting enough oxygen and nutrient-rich blood necessary to maintain an erection.  

 

8. Weight gain / obesity 

 

Drinking water regularly stimulates the metabolism, boosting your body’s ability to burn fat and lose weight. The body sometimes confuses the messages for hunger and thirst causes some people to reach for a snack  

                  

9. Sore joints 

 

Dehydration pulls fluid out of your tissues, which causes overall body aches and pains. One of the easiest ways to reduce pain is to increase the amount of water you drink daily.  

                  

10. Bowel movements / regularity                    

 

Dehydration is one of the most common causes of chronic constipation. If you don’t have enough water in your body already, the large intestine soaks up water from your food waste. As you can imagine that’s a much less healthy way to hydrate than drinking a clean, clear glass of water.  

 

Doran Binder, owner of Crag Spring Water (https://www.cragspringwater.co.uk), further commented:  

 

“With dehydration being recognised as a worldwide issue, and the rise in statistics not only being seen in adults, but children – the impact on our physical appearance and health is palpable. 

“We have not only conducted in-depth research into every physical impact on the body and health of a human being, but I have also undertaken my own experiment in which I have upped my daily intake from two litres a day to four – the results have been life changing!” 

“In my experience every part of my life has improved and my advice is that people should not rely on thirst as a signal of when and how much water to drink, by that point you are already dehydrated.  

“How to avoid some of these common health issues is really simple, drink water and lots of it.” 

Health, News, North of England, Tech

How a life-threatening diagnosis and kidney transplant motivated entrepreneur to build a business

Leeds entrepreneur, Manpreet Singh found a new lease of motivation after a traumatic personal battle behind closed doors gave him a whole new perspective that he used to drive his business forward. 

Manpreet founded his business, Bobble Digital – a media-focused digital marketing agency in 2017 at 27 years old, following a terminal diagnosis of IgA nephropathy, also known as IgA disease or Berger’s disease – a kidney disease that causes inflammation and kidney damage, which can ultimately lead to kidney failure – as it did in Manpreet’s case. This led him to make the risky decision to have a kidney transplant in the height of the pandemic in spring 2020.  

Telling his story to help raise awareness of IgA nephropathy and to inspire other entrepreneurs facing uncertain health issues, Manpreet explains: “The idea to start Bobble Digital originally came midway through 2016, when I was forced to move to part-time hours at my job due to my symptoms progressing. I needed to earn the same level of income in a way that allowed me to work more flexibly and at my own pace. 

“For four to six months leading up to my kidney failure I experienced chronic fatigue, tiredness and lack of appetite. I had very little energy to get out of bed each morning. In December 2016 however, things took a drastic turn for the worst. I caught pneumonia and what little function my kidneys had was killed off. I spent New Year’s Day of 2017 seriously ill in hospital with pneumonia and kidney failure, and was told I would start dialysis within a week.  

“It was completely devastating and took a long time to come to terms with. I was told dialysis treatment isn’t a permanent solution, as the body can only handle so much and that I’d be lucky to live for another 15 years. To hear this at just 27 years old was a total shock, it took a huge toll on my mental health, I lost all sense of purpose, and felt the best years of my life and plans for the future were being robbed from me.

“Going through dialysis was exhausting and life-altering. I could no longer travel far, go on holiday, I couldn’t even drink much fluid, I struggled to walk long distances, sleep, dealt with many infections with my dialysis line, I was in hospital multiple times a week and had multiple surgeries. I had to take lots of medications every day, my life felt like it revolved around a box of pills. It didn’t feel like living anymore, it felt like a life of just surviving. 

“Setting up Bobble Digital gave me purpose again. It gave me something to be passionate about and a reason to get out of bed in the morning. In the early days of the business, it was a way to help me survive. However, when I began to build a pattern and control of my treatment – my mindset shifted to ‘what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’ and I became focused on improving. I learned I needed a positive mindset to keep moving forward and that became a powerful tool I use in my daily life now – to keep fighting on even through the toughest of times.

“Of course, there’s been times when I thought running a business was too much whilst dealing with all the symptoms and side effects of treatment and the mental toll. The initial economic impact of covid even nearly ended the business, but I took this as a lesson and accepted that sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward again, there are always good days and bad days but the good days give you the energy and enthusiasm to continue.

“There were many difficulties that came with running the business whilst going through dialysis, I had to account 6 hours 3 times a week for dialysis – so fitting when I could work around this was hard. However, once settled into a routine and moving my treatment pattern into evenings meant I could work whilst on dialysis.”

In order to make Bobble Digital a success, Manpreet also sold assets including his beloved Mustang so he could invest funds into the business. He shared: “Things like the Mustang are just materialistic, they hold no value in the grand scheme of things and I knew I had the skill set and expertise to rebuild everything I had, so it was an easy decision to make”.

In March 2020, Manpreet was given a life-changing opportunity to go ahead with a kidney transplant. He shared: “It was a scary decision to make, as although the odds of surviving a kidney transplant are high (around 99%), there was the risk of my body rejecting the kidney. The biggest risk, however, was catching covid, as this was during the worst of the pandemic when a lot was unknown – other than if I did catch it, there was a high risk it could be fatal. 

“After a lot of thought about the risks, the extremely tough road to recovery and also the financial impact it would have on the business and support from amazing friends, family and doctors, I decided to go ahead. Ultimately the doctor’s confidence gave me enough hope that it was worth the gamble, and I’m lucky to say it has changed my life, I will be forever grateful to all the doctors, surgeons and nurses and everyone else who has helped me through this journey.”

Now, five years since being dealt the blow he potentially had only 15 years to live, the charismatic entrepreneur, whom listeners to marketing advice podcast BobblePod – will know as #MrBobble – Manpreet has guided the business to achieve astonishing success. The agency has grown into a fully-fledged agency team, achieving a 300% growth in turnover from 2020 to 2021, through supporting local, national and international brands with their digital marketing.

On Bobble Digital’s success, Manpreet commented: “Making the business a success has been what’s kept me going through these incredibly testing times. However, the business wouldn’t have been able to achieve what we have without our fantastic team and clients”. 

Since having his transplant, Manpreet still lives with the risk that the IgA nephropathy may come back and impact his transplant and has to take daily steroid medication indefinitely – but he doesn’t let this get in the way of living his life to the full and is working towards plans to open international Bobble Digital offices in the near future. 

What is immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy?

IgA nephropathy, also known as Berger’s disease, is a kidney disease that occurs when IgA deposits build up in the kidneys, causing inflammation that damages kidney tissues. IgA is an antibody and protein made by the immune system to protect the body from foreign substances such as bacteria or viruses. 

What are the symptoms?

Each person can have different signs and symptoms, but the most common are:

  • Hematuria: Having blood in your urine that can sometimes make it dark brown or cola-coloured.  
  • Proteinuria: Foamy urine due to large amounts of protein leaking into your urine.

Kidney Donation

Donating a live kidney can potentially save someone’s life. Find out more and register your interest to become a kidney donor here.

Construction, Construction News, Health, Healthcare, Healthcare News, News, South East

Morgan Sindall Construction completes hat-trick of hospital refurbishment in Norfolk

Morgan Sindall Construction has completed a new refurbishment scheme at the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust following the successful delivery of two previous upgrade projects, signalling its total commitment to working with them long term.  

The Great Yarmouth-based hospital now benefits from refurbishment work to Ophthalmic Theatre 8, the latest in a series of three upgrades at the site totalling £3.8m.  

The Morgan Sindall Construction Eastern Counties business had previously formed a strong partnership with the NHS Foundation Trust throughout two previous projects during the pandemic. The 872 sq. ft. refurbished operating theatre includes a separate prep and scrub room. 

Relying on its strong partnership with the hospital, Morgan Sindall Construction have ensured that the construction activity has not impacted the vital work of the live hospital site.   

Taking into account key considerations, such as the worksite being located in the middle of an active hospital where there are no out-of-office hours and that intricate surgery can take place just metres away, has been an important aspect of the project’s design and build.  

As part of the refurbishment, the pre-existing theatre was demolished, converted and refitted. In order to not disrupt the flow of the hospital, Morgan Sindall Construction built and utilised an external entry point. 

Alister Broadberry, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Eastern Counties, said: “This is now the third project we have completed on behalf of James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and it has been a privilege to build upon our previous partnership formed with the hospital.  

“Through this long-standing project we have formed a close relationship with the team and key stakeholders at the hospital. This, in addition to our experience constructing in delicate surroundings, has been beneficial for the whole project team when delivering the intricate refitting work required for the project. 

“It is not only the refurbished hospital theatre that the community will now benefit from, as Morgan Sindall Construction’s commitment to using local contractors and employing local people has generated additional value for the Great Yarmouth area.” 

Richard Varvel, Estates Capital Programme Manager at the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Located above and adjacent to the ‘live’ clinical areas, refurbishment work to create a new Ophthalmic Theatre has been particularly challenging.  

“Working closely with hospital staff, Morgan Sindall Construction managed the work with minimal disruption to patients, keeping to a tight project programme and within budget. Feedback from staff using the new Theatre has been great, allowing the hospital to increase surgical capacity for cataract operations and other eye surgery going forward.” 

Business Advice, Health

Tips to starting your own dental practice

If you want to open your own dental practice you know that it is going to be a challenging road for you. It will take some time, hard work, and long nights before you see the doors on your practice open and the customers start to charge in, but it doesn’t have to be super hard. By taking advantage of some of the tips in this article you can have a fun time getting your dental practice started!

Create A Business and Financial Plan

While you might envision creating one of the best dental practices out there, you need a solid plan of action to get everything through. A business plan shows off your business, defines who your customers are, shows what type of dental procedures you are going to take on, and more. 

Pick your niche for your business! Are you only going to be focused on cleaning and caring for adult teeth? Will you offer child care and support for the mouths of children? Will you also offer care for dental problems such as root canals and periodontal disease? Your dental office doesn’t need to do everything under the sun, but you also need to define what you want your office to do for its customers.

Once you’ve got a business plan it is time to determine what this is going to cost. You need to have a picture of your finances as you start your business, even if it is a barebones one that is just going to work for now and will change later. Knowing what your overhead and your basic expenses will be is often enough to get you started.

Find Insurance

Your dental practice will need to be insured, and while you will need basic liability insurance, you will also need other insurance types that are specific to the field of dentistry and your dental equipment. Make sure you are working with people who know how to make sure that your business is covered and you won’t need to worry about that!

Talk With Someone In The Field And Find A Mentor

One of the best tips for anyone starting a business, not just a dental business, is starting to find a mentor. You should talk to other successful dentists and see if you can pick their brains about how they got started, how they work in their area, and any pitfalls or problems that they encountered while starting out in their business. 

You might have the skills need to clean teeth, prescribe surgery, and open an office, but you might not know about the administrative tasks that come with running an office. A mentor can show that to you, teach you things that you wouldn’t know about, and can answer any questions that you have. A mentor is one of the best things that you can have when it comes to starting your own dental practice, and you need to do whatever it takes to find one for your own needs.

Learn How To Make Marketing Easy

Marketing isn’t just a few hours of sales calls trying to find clients, or sporadic posts to your social media page every other week. Marketing is a constant and concentrated effort to bring new clients in the door and keep the ones that you already have. However, it doesn’t have to be hard.

Instead you can choose to make marketing easy for yourself by having fun with it. Figure out how you like to communicate with people and choose to do that with your marketing. If you like to be on video, make all your marketing be on video. If you like to speak to people, have webinars and podcasts. If you love writing then write articles. No matter how you manage your marketing, get it out to the people and then analyze the results.

Every month, see how your marketing is working for your business. Is it bringing in new people for your business? Are people viewing what you have to say? Do you want to change any aspects of your approach? If you can make marketing easy, effective, and fun, then you can bring customers into your business while enjoying the entire process!

Finally, Start.

It can be very easy to procrastinate on starting your business because you are still setting it up or you want to make sure everything is perfect. However, the sooner you get started on laying the foundation for your dental practice, the sooner you can open the doors.

Health, Healthcare Tech, News

How has technology made health diagnostics more accessible in the last years?

How is Healthcare Becoming More Accessible with the Latest Technological Advancements?

In the past two decades, technology has fundamentally changed the way people communicate and consume media. It has also impacted us in a more intimate way by changing our outlook on health and well-being. You will surely not deny that technology has made healthcare more accessible by making it cheaper, simpler to reach, and easier to understand. Living in a time when people continue to face problems with having access to healthcare, services such as Cignpost Diagnostics strive to explore the various ways in which people can receive better healthcare with the help of technology.

Some of the Latest Technological Advancements in Healthcare Systems

Millions of people lack consistent access to healthcare across the world for various reasons. While we enjoy free care on the NHS, outside the UK many people rely on insurance – and many people under the age of 65 have no health insurance. In fact, having health insurance or not isn’t the only issue that determines whether you have access to quality medical care. Other factors, such as the region you belong to, the language you speak, and the amount of money you can afford, can limit your access to proper healthcare.

It is where technology made one of the biggest breakthroughs. Advancements in technology have improved communication, enhanced efficiency, and brought more access to patients in the form of smart diagnostic systems, drug containers with motion detectors, and many more. The implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) in the past few years has revolutionised the way of handling patient records in healthcare systems. EMRs have made healthcare more efficient, less expensive, and more streamlined.


If you are still wondering how, then have a look at the latest healthcare facilities below that clearly show how technology has revolutionised healthcare.

 

Mobile Clinics in Smartphones

In today’s world, having a smartphone is like having a sophisticated handheld computer in your pocket. Taking advantage of this, IT companies are increasingly developing apps and mobile gadgets that can convert your phone into a portable medical device.

Apps like Tissue Analytics, which aids in wound monitoring by allowing you to photograph and send pictures of your wounds to the doctor for assessment, AliveCor, which turns your phone into a mobile ECG machine and can measure your heart’s electrical activity, or NetraLabs, which allows you to perform eye testing at home, are some of the widely recognized apps which are making healthcare more affordable and cheaper. Such apps were a great help during the time of the Covid-19 outbreak when hospitals had a significant rush for treatment and check-ups.

 

Telemedicine Facilities

A decade ago, could you have imagined consulting your doctor over the phone via call, let alone video? Surely not. But you will be surprised to hear that millions of patients have used telemedicine services in the last year.

People living in remote locations or from rural backgrounds can now talk virtually with their physicians, which spares them the cost of travel and other expenses. In fact, during the Covid pandemic, when people had to stay isolated or were unable to step out of their homes unless it was an emergency, they used telemedicine services to consult with doctors and report their daily well-being.

 

Chatbot Doctors

Do we always need a doctor to advise us about our health practices? Not really, when you have medical advice-powered artificial intelligence facilities right around the corner. Patients now only have to enter the information regarding their health activities and test reports. The AI-based systems will analyse them and reply to the patients about the probable course of action they should take or any further tests they should conduct.

These medical chatbot systems are built using AI. They will ‘learn’ over time by gathering data from various customers and patients and using it to form their knowledge base and refine their diagnoses. Such systems have enabled patients to seek medical advice with a few touches of their fingertips.

 

Language Translating Apps

Often, people who do not have very good proficiency in English face difficulty in understanding the various medical terms. Language barriers seriously affect people’s access to medical care, health services, and communication with doctors.

There are several apps in the market that are designed specifically to solve this language barrier. These apps translate the medical terms from one language to another and provide additional information that helps the patients understand them in their native tongue.

 

Conclusion

 The increasing applications of technology in the field of healthcare are not only making health services and other medical facilities – from basic check-ups to in-depth consultations with specialist doctors – easily accessible but also more affordable and flexible for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health, Law, News

Acuity Law Announces Healthcare Team Success

Leading commercial law firm Acuity Law has announced a significant milestone for its healthcare team.

Acuity Law operates in all areas of the healthcare sector, with specific expertise in dental practices, care homes, housing with care and pharmacies.

Led by Partner Jon Lawley, the eleven-strong healthcare team has completed on the sale or purchase of 150 dental practices across the UK. In total, the deals have a value in excess of £250 million.

Jon Lawley, Partner at Acuity Law, said: “Despite ongoing uncertainties around the future of NHS dentistry, we are seeing that activity in the M&A market in the dental sector is going from strength to strength. An increased demand for cosmetic treatments and a fragmented market dominated by independent practitioners makes the sector an attractive prospect for investors.

“Our team is recognised nationally for its expertise in the healthcare sector and is known for its solid understanding of the dental market which has helped us achieve this milestone.

“It is testament to the hard work and unrivalled skills of our dedicated healthcare team that our clients choose to put their trust in us time and time again.”

Since 2016, Acuity Law’s healthcare team has grown to become recognised specialists. It offers a full range of legal services and support to enable businesses operating in the healthcare sector realise their growth ambitions and address their legal needs in a proactive and cost-effective manner.

Established in 1999, the Acuity team has grown to more than 100 exceptional and instinctively commercial lawyers working throughout the UK, including 25 consultants shaping the business’ growing consultant community.

The top law firm has offices in Cardiff, Swansea, London and most recently Bristol.

For further information on Acuity Law’s full-service offering, see www.acuitylaw.com

Health, Health & Safety

Six jobs that could cause hearing loss

There are many jobs that come with various health and safety risk factors and loss of hearing can be one of them. According to the HSE, from 2018 – 2021, there were 14,000 workers suffering with work-related hearing problems in Britain.

85 decibels is the limit for safety, therefore if an employee works with any noise above that for any length of time, ear protection should be worn.

We’ll explore some of the most common jobs where hearing loss can be a risk.

Airport ground staff

Ear protection must be worn by plane engineers, runway operations personnel and other ground staff at an airport. Planes generate a high level of noise during take-off and landing and, over time, this could have an impact on an employee’s hearing.

Construction workers

Construction work often involves using power tools and equipment that make very loud noise. It’s the responsibility of the employer to provide ear protection as well as take steps taken to mitigate the risk of hearing damage, such as with sounds barriers. Employees may seek legal advice if hearing loss is due to negligence at work, particularly if they’ve not been made aware of the risks or the employer has failed to provide them with the correct personal protective equipment.

Musicians and DJs

Loud music can affect hearing, especially when spending prolonged periods of time next to speakers. Musicians, DJs and staff in entertainment venues such as nightclubs or theatres can be at risk of hearing problems, especially as ear protection is not commonly worn.

Farmers

Farmers are susceptible to hearing loss due to working with heavy, noisy machinery for long hours and often from a young age. With many farmers taking little time off, the effects of agricultural noise on hearing can build significantly over time.

Another issue is that farmers might not consider wearing ear protection, especially if working in small, independent, family-owned environments with minimal staff.

Hairdresser

Although you might not think it, hairdressing can leave workers exposed to dangerous noise levels from multiple hairdryers. Over time, this can lead to hearing damage.

Pre-school teachers

Believe it or not, a chaotic classroom with kids shouting, screaming or singing can have a negative effect on teachers’ hearing. However, unlike in many other jobs, it’s more difficult to gain protection from the risks when it’s necessary to be able to hear children.

As well as the obvious physical effects, hearing loss can also lead to emotional issues such as stress, as well as tiredness, due to not being able to participate in conversations and the inability to concentrate in certain situations. It’s, therefore, crucial to use protection where possible or limit the time exposed to dangerous decibels.

Health, News

Digital Healthcare and the Evolution of Smart Hospitals

Written by Prahlad Koti, Senior Partner, Netcompany

Healthcare technology innovation is rightly seen as the answer to many of the challenges facing global health systems. The role of digital technology in realising the dream of accessible, affordable, and sustainable care has grown across the entire range of health economies in not only serving current needs, but in building the basis for the healthcare of the future: personalised, digital by default and truly patient-centric.

The UK Government’s ongoing investment in growing capabilities in areas such as AI and more broadly around data-driven healthcare, has further fuelled the creation of cutting edge, evidence-based solutions. Solutions which have the key to unlock global challenges, effectively.

 Why digitalisation is a key enabler

The demand for healthcare services is also growing more generally and patients have ever-increasing expectations about the safety and quality of NHS services. In addition, regulations are becoming more complex and hospital managers must adhere to stricter regulatory governance. NHS and private hospitals must excel in providing healthcare service and digitalisation is key to enabling this. The concept revolutionises hospitals on a human, financial and operational level leading to the evolution of smart hospitals.

Smart hospitals are holistic, interdisciplinary innovators. Although smart hospitals require advanced IT technologies, becoming a smart hospital is not merely an IT project. Rather, it is a deeply embedded, system-wide process that requires the participation of all staff, including physicians, nurses, and management.

The benefits are enormous – smart hospitals offer lower infection risks and enhanced security, while at the same time improving patient satisfaction and optimising staff and energy efficiency. Smart infrastructure can help hospitals master digital transformation by collecting, analysing, and making good use of patient data.

According to McKinsey, countries implementing digital technologies in healthcare delivery could help realise cost savings of more than ten percent of overall annual national healthcare expenditures. As a result, investors have recognised the opportunity and US based digital health startups brought in almost $30 billion in 2021, almost doubling the total investment the year prior The shifting digital health investment landscape in 2022  Moreover, StartUp Health reported that health innovation funding reached $44 billion globally in 2021, a 20-fold increase on a decade ago.

The benefits of digital health

Aside from the cost savings outlined above, digital health means collecting and analysing data to predict disease and intervene quicker. It means physicians can have access to patient notes when they need them to make better decisions. It means patients can be seen by medical professionals without travelling long distances. It means citizens can educate themselves on their health and wellness. It also means patients can use machines to do basic tasks and free up skilled staff to do more caring.  Put simply, the healthcare system can do far more with less.

In 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced a draft strategy titled Data Saves Lives: Reshaping health and social care with data. One key aspect of this strategy is the development of smart hospitals, which will use digital interoperability to redesign traditional hospital processes, systems, and infrastructures. At a time when the NHS is trying to recover from a treatment backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic, these smart systems can significantly improve capacity issues and reduce staff burnout by creating intelligently optimised patient healthcare journeys.

One of the critical aspects of smart hospitals is the opportunity to bring data together from across the country, to be gathered and shared in one central hub. Developing a single interoperability platform that connects all the systems within a hospital can transform the way they are managed – from handling medicines to admitting patients – making day-to-day processes smoother and more efficient for both patients and healthcare professionals. Outside hospital walls, these platforms can also improve the lives of patients with long term conditions by easily integrating at-home wearables and other devices with hospital systems for seamless remote monitoring.

 Smart integration

Ensuring that different health tech systems can communicate with each other is vital. By creating systems that can share the huge quantities of data that is available between departments, deeper insights can be discovered and more importantly, patient healthcare outcomes can be improved. Unless these systems are integrated, hospitals end up with just more siloed pools of separate data and more disjointed services within organisations, an issue that has plagued NHS health tech from previous generations.  Likewise accessing and integrating with legacy systems to extract all-important data is also critical.

 A patient-centric approach to healthcare services

Since its inception, Netcompany has focussed on healthcare for its evident criticality to society.  In fact, since 2015 Netcompany has been responsible for development and maintenance of the e-health portal Sundhed.dk, which is the official portal for public Danish healthcare services. The portal enables citizens and healthcare professionals to find information and communicate with one another, facilitating a more patient-centric approach to the Danish healthcare services. It provides one-stop information access for professionals and citizens on a wide range of social healthcare services and gives seamless access to and sharing of personal health data. Additionally, Netcompany has been a the forefront of developing Covid solutions such as the Covid pass for UK, Scotland, Denmark and Norway

The UK Government has committed to build 48 new hospitals by 2030. This new hospital programme will have transformational effects on the fundamentals of health and social care infrastructure, and also give staff and patients access to exciting new technology that will benefit them on a day-to-day basis. Now is the time to strive for the art of the possible and drive transformation with the new advancements in healthcare technology and the evolution of smart hospitals.

Health, News, Wellbeing

Social worker goes from burn out to foster mum and ‘feel good’ entrepreneur

Amy Johnson, from Welshpool quit her job in the social care sector, as she headed on a collision course with burn out and family breakdown.

It was this crisis and subsequent realisation she was suffering from compassion fatigue that led her to leave her social care career behind and transform her life.

It was the catalyst needed to tackle her emotional eating and discover a path to health and well-being that is now a full-time business, aptly named Feel Good Wellbeing.

Life has definitely got the feel good factor for Amy, age 43 and her husband Jeff, who fostered for ten years before adopting their son, following his long-term foster placement with the couple.

Her one day luxury retreats are one of the most popular events she offers, and that recently sparked an idea to create retreats entirely focused on the well-being needs of foster carers. This has resulted in Amy working with New Chapters Fostercare, based in Shrewsbury to develop an innovative and dynamic wellbeing package for their own foster carers.

Amy knows first-hand experience the difficulties and emotional pressures that fostering brings as well as the reward, but little is available to allow foster carers to take some time out for themselves.

Amy said: “So many of us are time poor these days, which is why my one day retreats are so popular.

“My regular feel good clients were enjoying an entire day devoted to their own health and wellbeing, to allow themselves time to recharge occasionally and enjoy some time out. So why couldn’t the same luxury be afforded to foster carers.

“After all nobody knew more than me the struggles and impact self-care and compassion fatigue can have on foster carers. I just thought why not create something just for them.”

Having worked in the care, public and charity sectors Amy is well versed in what’s needed when it comes to pulling together the best professional experts and complimentary therapists to transport foster carers away from the everyday strains of daily life.

She added: “I wish there had been wellbeing tools and strategies with a little luxury thrown in when my husband and me started out on our foster care journey.  I totally get how foster carers can feel overwhelmed in their daily lives, even when the rewards are great and fulfilling. We all need some time out to recharge occasionally.”

The regular luxury retreats, are held at the Lion Quays Hotel and Spa, Weston Rhyn, near Oswestry throughout the year, with the next one on Tuesday, 9 August. They focus on relaxation and well-being, with workshop topics including hypnotherapy, relaxation, meditation, nutrition, gut health and healthy living and use of spa facilities.

Foster Carer Retreats are available on request and tailored to individual needs. Amy brings in personally selected facilitators and practitioners who have worked with foster carers, are motivational in nature and highly skilled in their areas of expertise.

Tickets for the next wellbeing retreat at the Lion Quays on Tuesday 9 August, 2022  are available at Feel Good Wellbeing Retreat or www.feelgood-wellbeing.co.uk

More information about bespoke packages for foster carers contact Amy Johnson on 07534 000951 or email:feelgood@live.co.uk