Care sector news review: November 2018

Catch up with the latest care sector news from across the sector in our November 2018 industry review, including care services, medical research and more.

Welcome to care sector news review, November 2018 edition.

Here, we’ll update you on the latest care sector news, medical research and awareness initiatives.

Find out what’s been happening across the care sector in November 2018:

Care services

• The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will deploy artificial intelligence in a bid to enhance the identification of care failings and targeting of inspection resources. The regulatory body hopes this move will make it easier for care providers to work with CQC and drive improvements.
• The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for an additional £3.6bn to be invested in care services by 2025 in order to maintain care services at the current standard. As part of the same consultation, the LGA called for greater focus on ill-health prevention services.
• NHS Digital has pledged almost £800,000 to help independent care providers make better use of digital tools. The primary aim of the project is to make it easier to share information between providers in a safe and secure manner.
• Plans to create a new primary care organisation in Greater Manchester have been shelved following criticism of those leading the project. Having originally been paused in July, there is hope that a change in leadership will help vested parties overcome the current impasse.

Medical research

• Doctors could soon use a five-minute ultrasound scan to determine dementia risk before symptoms become apparent, according to a new study. This potentially significant development is the culmination of 15 years of research by the team at University College London (UCL).
• Larger strokes have been confirmed as a risk factor in the development of epilepsy among older people, new research has shown. Strokes are now considered to be the most common cause of epilepsy among people aged 60+.
• Scientists are set to explore ‘non-coding DNA’ (areas once thought to serve no purpose) to look for alterations that may indicate an increased risk of developing heart disease. It’s thought that 90% of the ‘variants’ that could indicate heart disease risk are likely to reside in these areas.
• Researchers from Trinity College Dublin believe they have established a further link between obesity and cancer. The results of their latest study suggest that cells the body uses to destroy cancerous tissue can become clogged by fat, preventing them from working effectively.

Awareness initiatives

• November marked Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month 2018. Organisers Pancreatic Cancer UK provided the public with multiple options to raise awareness and generate funds for new research into the condition, which is the hardest cancer type to diagnose, treat and survive.
• COPD Awareness Month 2018 also took place during November. The COPD Foundation partnered with a number of respiratory health organisations to provide a series of online resources and in-person activities to raise awareness and funds.
• November 12-18 was designated as Self Care Week 2018. Through this initiative, the NHS aims to help raise awareness among the public of steps to take to improve physical health and mental well-being for ourselves, and our loved ones.

Join us again in the last week of December for the final Care Sector News Review of 2018.

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