425 000 NHS patients use online GP registration service in first year
More than 425 000 patients have used a new national online service to register with a GP in its first year, according to NHS England. It says the Register with a GP Surgery service, which is managed by NHS England, means NHS patients have been benefiting from easier and more convenient access to GP registration since it was launched in August 2022.
Many GP surgeries still use paper forms, requiring patients to visit surgeries to collect paperwork. The new online service has been shown to save GP surgery staff up to 15 minutes per registration by helping to reduce paperwork and admin time.
The service invites patients to go online at any time of day to find a local GP and register without having to visit in person, making the process easier for both patients and GP surgeries. Almost half (48%) of all patients using the online tool registered outside normal GP surgery opening hours, taking full advantage of improved accessibility and convenience. Two thirds (68%) of patients using the service over the past 12 months were switching GPs.
Other submissions included patients registering with a GP for the first time, newborns and ex-military patients.
More than 1400 GP surgeries – one in five nationally - have already joined the NHS online registration service, as part of a new plan to improve access to primary care, which aims for 2000 practices to be enrolled with the Register with a GP surgery service by December 2023.
The service can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/how-to-register-with-a-gp-surgery.
Childhood trauma linked with reduced GABA concentration in the brain, potentially impacting sleep and relaxation
Childhood trauma (CT) has been linked to reduced levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter that has a role in enabling the mind to relax and fall asleep, according to new research by the University of Roehampton London.
GABA is an amino acid that operates as neurotransmitter for the central nervous system. It inhibits certain brain signals and decreases excitability in the nervous system. By reducing excitability, it plays a significant role in reducing stress, anxiety, fatigue and ensuring good quality sleep in humans.
The study conducted MRI scans on 56 young adults split into two groups showing high CT and low CT. The research measured levels of GABA within the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) area of the brain and measured the volume of the STG in both groups, which plays a role in perception of facial expressions of emotions and auditory processing.
Participants in the high CT group were more likely to have reduced GABA concentrations in the STG compared to those within the low CT group. The research also found that participants with a smaller STG volume and reduced GABA concentrations were significantly more likely to be in the high CT group.
This is the first human-based study to show a link between a decreased GABA, STG volume of the brain and childhood trauma.
Specifically, the study found it highly likely that the reduced size of the STG in those that have suffered CT leads to lower levels of GABA being produced, thereby impacting the brain's ability to regulate emotionally and leading to a higher chance of developing mental illness such as anxiety disorder.
The research adds to the previously conducted animal-based research finding that early-life exposure to stress leads to lower levels of GABA concentration and increased anxiety and depressive-like behaviour in adulthood. Childhood trauma (CT) is an event experienced by a child that evokes fear and often is violent, dangerous or life-threatening. Examples include physical, psychological or sexual abuse, family or community violence, sudden loss of a loved one, serious accidents, or life-threatening illness. CT has also been linked to people having a higher risk of developing mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, psychosis and schizophrenia.
Dr Piril Hepsomali, the study's lead researcher, commented: ‘This research has broken new ground in analysing the impact of childhood trauma on the human brain. While further studies are essential, the evidence suggests that those who suffer trauma in early life are more likely to suffer from stress-based mental illness in adulthood.
‘We must use the findings in this study prompt greater research to help us further understand the impact of childhood trauma on the brain, helping shape healthcare and policy on the prevention and treatment of mental illness’.
Extra investment in out-of-hospital care ‘could reap billions for the wider economy’
Extra investment in primary and community NHS services could mean tens of billions of pounds in additional investment ploughed back into the wider economy, according to the findings of new independent analysis.
The figures show that for every £1 invested in community or primary care, there is up to a £14 return back into the local economy through gross value added (GVA) – the measure of the total value of goods and services produced in an economy.
The new research, commissioned by the NHS Confederation and conducted by Carnall Farrar, has examined where the greatest returns on investment from spending in the NHS can come from to impact the wider domestic economy. It shows that when high levels of funding are ploughed into primary and community care the economic gains are significant. The findings show that in the five years between 2015 and 2019 those localities in England that most increased NHS spend in primary and community care experienced far higher GVA growth in their areas than those that spent the least on these services.
The analysis makes the link between the historic lack of sustained financial investment in some healthcare settings and the effect of the government's austerity drive. The research also shows that with £1bn potentially generating £14bn in growth, the additional taxation revenues would have more than paid for the original NHS investment.
The particularly high returns in primary and community care reflect the raised level of contact these services have with local people and their local economy. The report builds on the findings from a previous research paper published in October 2022, From safety net to springboard, which demonstrated that for every £1 spent across the NHS, there was a £4 return on investment.
New risk score strongly predicts dementia chances within next 14 years
A new dementia risk score, which draws on 11 mostly modifiable risk factors, identifies people at risk from mid-life onwards of developing the disease within the next 14 years, suggests a large long-term study published in the open access journal BMJ Mental Health.
Up to 50 million people worldwide are thought to be living with dementia, with numbers projected to triple by 2050, note the researchers. Targeting key risk factors, several of which involve lifestyle, could potentially avert around 40% of cases, they point out. Various risk scores have been devised to try and predict a person's chances of developing dementia while preventive measures are still possible. But these scores have proved unreliable across different age groups and geographies, and some rely on expensive and invasive tests, precluding their use in primary care, they add.
Lead co-author associate Professor Sana Suri said: ‘While older age (60 and above) and apolipoprotein E gene confer the greatest risk, modifiable factors, such as diabetes, depression and high blood pressure also have a key role. For example, the estimated risk for a person with all of these will be approximately three times higher than that of a person of the same age who doesn't have any.’
The researchers acknowledge various limitations to their research. The classification of dementia differed between the two groups as did the demographics, lifestyle and health of the participants.