Author: Healthcare Propulsion Staff

The final round of speakers for Digital Health Summer Schools 2026 has been announced, with experienced NHS digital leaders joining the line-up. The premier learning and networking event for digital health leaders is exclusively for members of the Digital Health Networks, the UK’s largest health IT community, and is open to current and aspiring digital health leaders. The newly confirmed speakers are: David Walliker, chief digital and information officer, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Minal Patel, programme delivery director, frontline productivity, NHS England Mike Bracken, founder, Public Digital Linda Vernon, head of digital empowerment, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care…

Patients are taking charge of their healthcare with artificial intelligence and other solutions, with 58% of U.S. patients researching symptoms before deciding whether to book an appointment, according to a new report from ZS Impact Institute.  The recent report drew insights from nearly 10,000 healthcare consumers and providers across the U.S., Germany and China. Researchers note the shift is consistent across healthcare systems, which they say points to a “broader breakdown in how patients seek and experience care globally.” Thirty-seven percent of U.S. respondents report using search engines for health information—94% of which find it helpful—and 18% report using AI.…

Dr Steven Montgomery, BMA’s Northern Ireland resident doctors committee chair, said the “better pay and better working conditions on offer in other countries means we are losing doctors when we really need to do all we can to keep doctors working here”.He said the “growing patient numbers without the necessary number of doctors needed to meet this demand and pressure” was a “perfect storm for our health service”.”We did not think we would have to take strike action again so soon after the last walk-outs, but we were left with no choice.”The onus is now firmly on government to engage…

Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on fish oil supplements, largely because of claims that the omega-3 fatty acids they contain can support brain health. These essential nutrients help build and maintain the connections between brain cells that are important for thinking and memory. But new research from Keck Medicine of USC suggests that boosting omega-3 levels through supplements may not provide the brain benefits many people expect. The study, published in eBioMedicine, found that although omega-3s from fish oil successfully reached the brain, they did not improve measures of brain health in older adults at increased risk…

AI startup Doctronic is partnering with Simple HealthKit, an at-home health screening platform, to offer consumers end-to-end diagnostic screening integrated with virtual clinical care. Doctronic and Simple HealthKit provided Fierce Healthcare with a first look at the partnership. Simple HealthKit provides an at-home health testing service that allows consumers to privately collect samples (such as blood, urine or saliva) and mail them to a certified lab. The company has a growing portfolio of at-home screening programs across diabetes, chronic kidney disease, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections and other preventive health conditions.  Simple HealthKit offers at-home screening kits directly…

The NHS is failing to capitalise on some of AI’s biggest productivity benefits by underusing the technology for administrative tasks, despite growing adoption across radiology and oncology services, new workforce census data from the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) reveals. Analysis from the RCR 2025 workforce census, seen by Digital Health News, shows that while AI is increasingly being adopted in clinical workflows, its use for routine administrative work remains limited, even in areas where departments report the greatest workload reductions. Three-quarters (75%) of UK radiology departments now use AI, up from 69% in 2024, with the technology most commonly…

In the UK, whether or not someone can get hold of this drug is down to the local Integrated Care Board (ICB).In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Xonvea is included in its official list of approved prescription medications, called the formulary.It was prescribed to Basi by her GP, but it took seven weeks.Eldridge says: “Getting hold of Xonvea in the UK at the moment is really difficult. It’s a postcode lottery drug.”It’s great that it is on the formulary now in Hampshire, however, it’s one of these areas where they’ve added a few little criteria on to their prescribing…

Researchers led by Daan van der Vliet, working with teams from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Leiden University, and Utrecht University, have identified a biological process that may help explain why multiple sclerosis (MS) becomes especially severe in some patients. Examining brain tissue from people with rapidly progressing MS, they found large numbers of unusual immune cells packed with fat droplets. The findings could point to new treatment strategies and future biomarkers that help predict how quickly the disease will worsen. MS damages myelin, the fatty protective coating that surrounds nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. As this…

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered that the human brain can continue performing surprisingly advanced language tasks even when a person is fully unconscious under general anesthesia. The findings, published in Nature, challenge long held assumptions about the relationship between consciousness and cognition. They also offer new insights that could shape future research on memory, language, and brain-computer interfaces. “Our findings show that the brain is far more active and capable during unconsciousness than previously thought,” said Dr. Sameer Sheth, professor and Cullen Foundation Endowed chair of neurosurgery and a McNair Scholar at Baylor. “Even when patients are…

Writing on social media, alongside a picture of herself at the summit of Ben Nevis, she said: “Cancer doesn’t just affect the body. “It changes how you think and feel and profoundly affects every aspect of life. “I know this personally, and that the journey through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone.”She continued: “Through this challenge, I want to raise awareness for the deeper impact of serious illness and the importance of holistic healthcare. “Every individual is different, and ensuring there is a whole person approach to care enables those living through cancer to manage the deeply personal…