While Donald Trump embarks on more aggressive actions in his quest for world domination, bringing many misery with the effects of Trumpflation, Keir Starmer’s government has been getting on with business at home. Some good efforts made by the Labour government to improve the lives and healthcare of people in Britain have been overshadowed by Trump’s crisis, and what has become a political scandal not necessarily of the PM’s making, the Mandelson debacle.
Little cherries are sweet, especially those that help the public when they need it.
Health – and in particular women’s health
Labour has done away with the morning scramble to score one of a limited number of e-consults available for the GP practice. The new ‘total triage system’ makes it easier to get in touch with the practise at any time of the day to request assistance.
This is particularly pleasing for those without access to a computer who can now ring in or turn up at reception and ask staff to assist with the form.
There are even bigger improvements on the horizon in the form of the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England, full details of which are available here.
Action 47 is to accelerate access to new technologies, streamline adoption of innovation and help end the postcode lottery. One of the four cancer priority areas for the programme is technologies to improve detection of endometrial cancer in women with postmenopausal bleeding.
Wes Streeting devised a public consultation on how to improve the NHS and the government has listened. The NHS consultation was a great opportunity to ask for improved diagnostics. Suggestions were made to improve diagnostic technology for endometrial cancer, in particular through an innovative specialised test which we will discuss in more detail below. The Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy (womb biopsy), a procedure considered the best method for investigation of this condition in some cases and for far too many women, commonly performed without anaesthesia, has tirelessly raised awareness and requested alternative diagnostic tests.
Insufficient pain management meant women could pass out during the procedure; the medical intervention left many women completely traumatised. Where the procedure was abandoned, women had no other option but to go onto longer waiting lists to have the investigations under general anaesthetic, delays which sadly for some women have had fatal consequences. The reason to perform this procedure without general anaesthesia was to save costs.
Scientific advances by researchers at London University led by the brilliant Austrian specialist, Prof Martin Widschwendter and leading young scientist Dr Chiara Herzog, together with Sola Diagnostics produced a revolutionary test called the WID Easy, which detects the presence of endometrial cancer biomarkers via a simple smear test. The WID Easy allows gynaecologists to decide which patients should have further investigations like hysteroscopies. It also detects rarer forms of endometrial cancer, serous carcinoma, that would not be picked up by a hysteroscopy. This test was initially made available in Austria and Switzerland, but was not licensed in the UK until December 2024.
The test can be carried out by GP surgeries by a practice nurse.
It is currently undergoing a two million trial in London funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). For a detailed scientific presentation on the test and research, see here.
Wes Streeting highlighted how disgusted he was at the medical misogyny in the current system during the launch of the new Women’s Health Strategy, which not only includes improvements to diagnostics but a one million pound investment to improve menstrual education, alongside better access to contraceptive and abortion care.
“We have introduced Jess’s Rule in her memory so that GP teams have to “reflect, review and rethink” if a patient presents three times with the same or escalating symptoms. We have also stood up a rapid investigation into maternity services, taken urgent action to bring down gynaecology waiting lists, made the morning-after pill available for free at high street pharmacies, and introduced menopause questions into routine health checks”.
“The NHS is failing women and girls on even the most basic measures of healthcare”
Reform UK
Reform UK claims it wants to protect British women. This is the party that would drastically alter the NHS to a French style insurance-based system, raising costs for the general public. This is a party which fraternises with extreme right wing organisations, who seek to roll back women’s rights, raises ideas about making childless women pay more income tax and which would seek to do away with aspects of our legislation which promote equality and diversity training.
When Nigel Farage talks about being on the side of ordinary people, this is a politician who is backed by billionaires, crypto-currency lobbyists, oil and gas giants and other businesses who have a vested interest in deregulation who see political influence as a market for them to capture.
A popular saying from Greek culture springs to mind:
“When you hear about many cherries, hold a small basket.”
When you hear many fabulous promises, do not build up your expectations too much.
Labour is quietly getting on with the job in office and has made real progress.
Labour opened up possibilities for patients to get time with their GP. Consequently, less people feel forced to use a private GP services.
No government is perfect. They are trying and, in many cases, delivering.
Remember that on 7 May.
