I wonder if there'll be any consequences for NHS leadership on the hyping of flu this year? Bullshit from people like Sir Jim Mackey ("5000-8000 beds") and Professor Meghana Pandit ("unprecedented wave of superflu") means NHS statements can only be treated as spin, not factual. Which is dangerous.

Two years on from a landmark Nuffield Trust report on the near-terminal decline of NHS dentistry, our Chief Executive @theasrstein.bsky.social responds to today's government proposals to improve urgent dental care. Read the statement 👇

Some more assessment of this from over on LinkedIn

Dr Suzanna McDonald is back with #UKHSAVirusWatch in 60 seconds. ⏱️ Now is your very last chance to get your flu vaccine in order to protect yourself ahead of the festive period. If you're eligible, book now through your GP practice or online. 🔗 nhs.uk/fluvaccine

Sensible measured messaging from UKHSA. In sharp contrast to what we’ve seen elsewhere.

"A challenge unlike any since the pandemic" - really? Have we all forgotten about December 2022? Ambulance response times for category 2 emergencies like heart attacks and strokes hit 92 minutes on average! The target is 18 mins. Yesterday's data says 32 minutes. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Given the govt's comittment to a) shift care from treatment to prevention and b) shift spending away from hospitals, its hard to justify the decision to keep spending on public health flat for the next three years when the NHS will see real terms spending growth

I've got to say, I'm not sure why this has become such a big media story. I might be wrong but my current view is that it's overblown. Flu arrived early, which is why it's breaking 'time of year' records, but it's only in the medium threshold and could peak lower than last year, let alone 2022-23.

Great take. We looked at the data a few weeks ago and concluded that other than starting early, this year's dynamics are comparable to previous bad seasons. Our scenario models suggest a peak in infections (not hospitalisations which lag 1/2 weeks) in early/mid December. zenodo.org/records/1770...

The UKHSA dashboard has been updated with longer term data for flu hospital admissions. Which is helpful if you're trying to make sense of hysterical 'MORE FLU THAN EVER*' headlines. * for this specific week, compared to previous weeks. That is what 'flu season arrived early this year' means.

🧵How much should the NHS worry about this winter's flu wave? You may have seen this alarming headline on the BBC website today... I think it's too early to make this claim and the data does not support it. I think it will be a bad flu season but no evidence to think worse than previous yrs 1/8

The government is set to publish the Men's Health Strategy on Wednesday @politicshome.bsky.social understands it is expected to include new measures to tackle gambling-related harms, as pressure grows for ministers to treat gambling addiction as a major public health threat

Looking for a GDC-registered dentist with a genuine interest in teaching and dental public health to join our team at the University of Glasgow. Teaching-focused role with real-world impact. If this sounds like you, please get in touch or share: lnkd.in/esVjHEig #DentalEducation #DentalPublicHealth

The Faculty of Public Health proudly represents a multi-disciplinary specialty, and strongly supports opening the availability of NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship posts to all Public Health Specialty Registrars regardless of professional background. www.fph.org.uk/news/stateme...

Learn more about NHS England's Ethnicity Recording Improvement Plan, a significant step forward in tackling health inequalities and building trust between patients and the healthcare system. england.nhs.uk/long-read/et...

The RSV pre-fusion vaccine Abrysvo is really effective in the real world. In this new study effectiveness in the first season post-licensure, the vaccine was 92% effective in preventing severe infection defined as an ER visit or hospitalization requiring oxygen. academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...

Annual epi update on bloodstream infections and C. difficile infections in England. Continuing worrying trend of increasing rates of most of these infections, especially for community-onset cases

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes... MMWR During the 2025 Southern Hemisphere influenza season, seasonal influenza vaccination reduced influenza-associated outpatient visits by 50.4% and hospitalization by 49.7%.

Ever since I learned about this study enrolling I have been eagerly awaiting the results. Researchers in Uganda took a centuries-old cultural practice mothers carrying babies on their backs in cloth wraps and turned it into a public health tool. You got to love it! www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

We've got a shiny new report (full of lovely graphs) all about the no/low alcohol drinks market in Great Britain. How big is the market compared to for standard alcohol and how has it grown recently, how do prices compare, who drinks these products etc. We've got answers to all these questions:

Statement from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency "MHRA confirms taking paracetamol during pregnancy remains safe and there is no evidence it causes autism in children" www.gov.uk/government/n...

New book klaxon: I finally piss EVERYONE off! What happens when you put health on platforms geared for shopping, PR & entertainment? What's medicine and what's marketing? And what impact is it having on health? (In public health lingo -it's commercial meets digital determinants of health)

A story about a man I was honoured to meet. Rest in peace sir.

Our rapid review just published in Journal of #PublicHealth on the causes of diagnostic and treatment delays for #tuberculosis in low-burden countries: 👇https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/doi/10.1093/pubmed/fdaf106/8252890 Collaboration of @fohsheffield.bsky.social clinicians & academics.

Ultimately, our findings suggest that the actions in the 10-year plan may not do much to reduce alcohol harm without some further action beyond just growing the size of the no/lo market. This work links to a big ongoing project about no/lo drinks: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/projects/no-...

14 NHS trusts to be focus of national maternity investigation are named www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

www.gov.uk/government/n... Delighted that #Bradford District and Craven has been chosen to test and roll out new approaches to #neighbourhoodhealth services (one of 43 pilot sites)

Exclusive: 43 ‘neighbourhood’ pioneers revealed www.hsj.co.uk/primary-care...

In under 24h following the newly identified outbreak of #Ebola in the DRC, the virus has been isolated, sequenced and the virus sequence data made publicly available. virological.org/t/the-16th-e...

Neighbourhood health will only work if it includes mental health! + 6 great tips for practice from www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications...

PODCAST: In the second of two special episodes, @jenniferthf.bsky.social​ speaks to Alan Milburn about the future of the NHS and the thinking behind the government’s 10-Year Health Plan. Listen now 🎧

Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to overhaul the NHS has been thrown into chaos after no money has been set aside to cover the costs of making thousands of redundancies at ICBs www.thetimes.com/article/14b7...

The UK’s flagship health research programme promises breakthroughs, but beneath an NHS branded facade, critics are asking who really benefits from this vast database, heavily backed by industry and government. @mgtmccartney.bsky.social and I investigate www.bmj.com/content/390/...

🧵 NEW: Is the 10-Year Health Plan a coherent blueprint for ‘reimagining’ the NHS or a collection of ideas pulling in different directions? We identify five ideas that seem to guide proposals, draw on evidence about potential impact and consider what it all adds up to for the NHS ⬇️

In this guest blog, public health consultant Sarah Smith reflects on strategic commissioning for population health and the steps needed to prepare integrated care boards for the future. buff.ly/Rhpiepl

From late September, the NHS will offer a new ‘suit of armour’ jab to protect around 7,000 premature and vulnerable babies from #RSV, a common virus that can cause serious illness. 👶🛡 🔗 www.england.nhs.uk/2025/07/nhs-...

This death is really tragic and sadly avoidable. We have a safe and effective vaccine. High vaccination coverage protects not just the vaccinated but also the vulnerable in our communities. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"Vaccine confidence in the UK is still relatively high, and under-vaccination is more often due to difficulties accessing services for practical or logistical reasons such as inflexible appointment systems and limited availability."

@helensalisbury.bsky.social: What NHS 10 year plan means for GPs www.bmj.com/content/390/... Inc a timely reminder of the polyclinic eval In some places they tackled unmet need, but in others they duplicated services—and, they didn’t save money assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a750a...

If I live near a hospital will there be a Neighbourhood Health Centre “on my doorstep” as the PM says? Or will I have to travel further than now for care and tests? 200 NHCs for England suggests many people will have to travel further than to their local hospital.

Our latest data shows an increase in the number of pregnant women getting vaccinated against #WhoopingCough. Vaccination rates in England climbed from 59% in May 2024 to nearly 73% in March this year. Find out more: www.gov.uk/government/n... #EpiSki #MedSky

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders? On the whole, screening people for asymptomatic diseases is harmful

Off the back of Wes Streeting's speech at #NHSConfedExpo, @davidjbuck.bsky.social shares his thoughts on what this might mean for population health, devolution and health inequalities 👇

What did the spending review mean for the NHS? We have a briefing for that. www.nhsconfed.org/publications...

FPH welcomes this report from Scotland’s CMO which highlights current challenges and pressures in the health system whilst focusing on how we can nurture careful and kind care, prevent disease, and the role that connections play in improving human and planetary health. www.gov.scot/publications...

The #NHS settlement from the #spendingreview may look generous, but it soon melts away in the context of existing commitments - govt must be clear about the compromises. Social care is also unlikely to see the transformation we were promised. @sallygainsbury.bsky.social‬ response 👇

Robotic Surgery for Rectal Cancer—A Shift From Oncological Equivalence to Superiority jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... Study: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... Great Been waiting 15 yr for an RCT that demonstrated clear superiority of robotically assisted surgery