Weight loss drug complications “not slowing down” says SAM president-elect (18 January)
Commenting in the Mail on Sunday (18 Jan) on an investigation which found hundreds of people are being hospitalised after suffering serious reactions to weight loss drugs, Dr Vicky Price, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The Society for Acute Medicine warned last year about the number of patients attending hospitals with complications from new weight loss drugs they had purchased online.
“We are seeing serious, life-threatening complications including inflammation of the pancreas gland and alterations in blood salt levels in these patients who were not aware of the risk they were taking.
“Sadly these presentations are not slowing down despite the issue being raised consistently over recent months.
“We continue to highlight this inappropriate use with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as there is a need for urgent regulation and control of access for weight loss drugs online to avoid more patients becoming unwell.”
More from SAM
More news, statements and updates from the Society for Acute Medicine.
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1,450 patients a day experienced delays of over 12 hours last month – SAM statement (10 September)
Commenting on the release today of the latest NHS performance data, Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Today’s figures show that 44,951 patients waited more than 12 hours in emergency departments from decision to admit to admission in August, up 25.2% on last year. That means 1,450 patients a day…
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‘NAO’s findings end suggestion marginal A&E improvements are enough’ – SAM president (9 September)
Commenting on the National Audit Office report into NHS A&E performance published today (9 September), Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The NAO’s findings should end any suggestion that marginal improvements are enough. Patients are still waiting far too long, and progress remains too slow. “The result is greater overcrowding,…
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Statement on the impact of extreme heat on healthcare services in the UK (14 August)
The UK is currently gripped by its fifth heatwave of the year. At time of writing, all of England is subject to an amber heat health alert, meaning ‘significant impact is likely across health and social care’. Drought is declared across the country, and devastating fires threaten both lives and infrastructure. We are all feeling…
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‘Performance data should bring sharp focus to the new Prime Minister’s first weeks’ – SAM president-elect (13 August)
Commenting on the latest NHS performance data released today (13 August), Dr Ragit Varia, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “From permawinter to permaheat, there is no longer a quiet season for the NHS. Month after month, patients are left waiting far too long in overcrowded emergency departments, corridors and other unsuitable spaces.…
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SAM response to government’s mental health announcement (05 August)
Commenting on the government’s announcement of an expansion of community mental health support across England (05 August), Dr Nick Murch, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “This is a positive development for patients and will go some way in reducing pressures on A&E and acute medical units which have had the…
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President’s Fully Funded Places: SAMGlasgow conference
Introduction The Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) has long been at the forefront of supporting healthcare professionals in the field of acute medicine, recognising the importance of continuous learning and development of clinical roles. This is especially true of the wider Acute Medicine MDT. To help remove financial barriers to conference participation, SAM has established…
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‘Ending corridor care must improve care, not simply change where patients wait’ – SAM president-elect (30 July)
Commenting on analysis published today (30 July) by the Nuffield Trust which shows that patients over 80 are worst affected by very long waits in emergency care, Dr Ragit Varia, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The Nuffield Trust’s analysis provides further evidence that prolonged waits for hospital admission have become normalised across…
Society for Acute Medicine
The professional home of Acute Medicine, supporting standards, education, policy, research and improvement across acute care.