CHARITY MENINGITIS NOW are urging young people to take up a potentially lifesaving vaccination to protect against the disease.
The latest Government figures on the uptake of the routine school-based MenACWY teenage vaccination show an increase from 58.3% of those eligible to receive it in 2019-20 to 76.5% last year.
Whilst the charity has welcomed the increase in take up the figure is still not back up to the pre-COVID levels of around 88% and it is concerned that many young people are leaving themselves at risk.
Meningitis Now chief executive, Dr Tom Nutt, said...
The NHS in Devon has announced the launch of a new health and wellbeing app library for local people, powered by the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA).
Effectively a comparison website, the localised site for Devon allows patients and healthcare professionals to search and download from a wide range of apps, making it quicker and easier for people across Devon to access safe and accredited health and wellbeing applications on their computer or smart phone.
Founded by NHS clinicians, ORCHA is used widely for health application evaluation and...
Debbie Coles is a nursing degree apprentice from Exeter studying at the University of Plymouth’s Exeter School of Nursing. Joining the NHS in 2003, she worked her way up through diplomas and, after 10 years as an assistant practitioner, applied for the registered nurse degree apprenticeship via Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. Never believing she’d get in, she’s now just months away from graduating.
“I’d completed a higher national diploma during my time in the NHS,”Debbie said. “And I saw the apprenticeship opportunity on the hospital website. I thought, ‘I’...
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in the UK.
This follows rigorous clinical trials supported by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA, which has concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
Over 700 volunteers took part in the study in the South West, which took place at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and the NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre: Exeter at Royal Devon and Exeter...
The 2022 ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ virtual event has been launched by the South Western Ambulance Charity.
People in the South West of England are being asked to rise to the challenge and support the region’s ambulance workers, by conquering the mileage an ambulance covers on an average shift while responding to people in urgent need.
The South Western Ambulance Charity, the charitable arm of the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT), first launched the ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ fundraiser in 2021 and generated nearly £12,000 of vital donations.
Patients across Devon are being reminded that most GP practices will be closed over the festive and New Year period and that if they need medical advice to make use of alternative services such as 111.
Most GP practices will close at the end of the day on Friday 24 December and will re-open again on Wednesday 29 December until Friday 31 December. They will then be closed again from Saturday 1 January until Monday 3 January due the New Year bank holiday.
The NHS in Devon is asking people to do what they can to prevent themselves becoming unwell and to choose the right NHS...
Dr Sarah Wollaston, newly appointed leader of Devon’s health and care system, has urged people who haven’t yet had a Covid-19 vaccine to reconsider, as parts of the county experience the highest case numbers in the UK.
Dr Wollaston, a GP and former MP for Totnes, took up the role of chair of the Integrated Care System for Devon on 1 December 2021 and has been volunteering as a vaccinator alongside GP teams in Exmouth this week.
She said: “If you are hesitant about the vaccine please look again. This is a really dangerous disease. It’s not just about preventing the risk...
Devon’s residents are being urged to “Get Boosted Now” as part of an urgent national appeal to give themselves better protection from the Omicron Covid-19 variant; which is much more transmissible than previous variants.
The NHS in Devon is working to increase the number of vaccine clinics and extend opening hours following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night (12 December) of the Omicron emergency booster mission. People in Devon are being thanked for their patience while those arrangements to increase capacity are being put in place.
Local GPs and healthcare professionals have begun enrolling participants across Cornwall to a first-of-its-kind clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of new oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 - which can be safely taken at home.
People from across other areas of the South West, including Devon and Somerset, will be invited to take part in the coming weeks.
The Platform Adaptive trial of NOvel antiviRals for eArly treatMent of covid-19 In the Community (PANORAMIC) trial will rapidly assess a range of purpose-designed antiviral treatments which could help...
The NHS in Devon is encouraging local people to use NHS 111 online to get urgent medical advice quickly as we enter what England’s top doctor says will be a ‘winter like no other’.
Patients should continue to come forward for care and are still being encouraged to speak to a pharmacist, GP or call 111 if they need urgent advice.
NHS 111 online can direct patients to urgent treatment centres and walk in clinics, GP surgeries, pharmacies and emergency dental services and, if needed, a call from a healthcare professional.
