HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has opened a consultation to explore the application of a mass balance approach to determine the amount of chemically recycled plastic in a plastic packaging component for the purposes of the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT). It is seeking views on whether a mass balance approach should be accepted as a way of allocating recycled plastic content to packaging, and, if so, the controls and standards that should be adopted to ensure the integrity of the tax. HMRC is consulting on the impacts of chemical recycling for plastics and the potential use of a mass balance approach to account for chemically recycled content for PPT. Mark Palmer, a senior policy advisor at HMRC, has said that this consultation is “just the start” of the process to engage with industry, and that HMRC will be holding regular stakeholder meetings to help inform the policy.

The consultation is also seeking views on whether chemically recycled plastic using a mass balance approach is likely to meet the regulatory requirements for the immediate packaging of human medicines. At present, this type of packaging is exempt from the PPT because, according to the HMRC, regulatory requirements and necessary testing make it “very difficult” for manufacturers to use recycled plastic. The government says its seeking views on this as chemical recycling can produce recycled plastic that is “indistinguishable from virgin plastic”. It continues that this means the justification for the exemption may be diminished over time. The consultation will run for 12 weeks from 18 July 2023 to 10 October 2023.

The Gulf Medical University in the UAE has launched the Institute of AI and Technology in Health Care, an initiative which is aimed at advancing the digital skills of medical professionals and enhancing healthcare services. The new Thumbay Institute/College at the University is the first such institute in the Middle East to specialise adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the medical education landscape. The institute opens avenues for new healthcare research, education, delivery, innovation, and technological advancements. It will offer training courses and programs, with the aim of empowering students to develop cutting-edge AI solutions, that are tailored to the healthcare domain, including applications within the metaverse.

Giving patients digital control over their pathway could avoid 1.6 million unnecessary appointments and save the NHS more than £167m a year, according to a new report commissioned by patient engagement platform supplier DrDoctor. The research was conducted by health economics consultancy Edge Health. The DrDoctor Patient Engagement Platform can be used by clinicians to help them make data driven decisions, activate patients through self-booking, and provide remote care. The report analysed NHS outpatient appointment data. The data indicates that allowing patients to request appointments using Patient Initiated New Appointments (PINAs) and Patient Initiated Follow-Ups (PIFUs) could help to significantly reduce the backlog in NHS elective care. The data reveals that putting patients on digitised PIFU pathways for both high-volume, low complexity conditions and smaller volume, higher-complexity conditions could lead to at least 1.18 fewer outpatient follow-up appointments per patient, and if implemented nationally, this could free up the waiting list for 1.4 million hospital appointments, saving the NHS £167.2 million per year.

A national health information exchange is helping the United Arab Emirates (UAE) unify data. In the UAE, a set of standards has been established to ensure that all healthcare sectors are using consistent language and data is being exchanged safely and efficiently. Terminology is one of the key standards, as this ensures that lab technologists, physicians, nurses, and payers use the same language when communicating with each other about medical records. This has made it more straightforward for healthcare professionals to get access to the information they need. It is now no longer necessary for patients to carry around their medical records, and it has also created a more sustainable, eco-friendly healthcare environment.

Dr Divya Singh, Senior Surgeon, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Director, Maaiya Social Change Front Foundation, has been recently discussing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in surgery, in terms of how it represents a paradigm shift in healthcare. AI technologies are poised to reshape surgical procedures, improving outcomes, efficiency, and patient safety. Traditionally, surgeons rely on their expertise and experience to plan and execute surgical procedures. Now however, AI algorithms can analyse vast amounts of data, including medical images and patient histories, to provide surgeons with valuable insights that can aid in planning surgeries more effectively and accurately. Also, AI can assist in creating personalised surgical plans. by generating 3D models of a patient’s anatomy, which enables surgeons to visualise the surgical area more accurately. This visualisation can help surgeons identify the best approach, reducing the risk of damage to surrounding tissues and improving recovery times.

The Boston Consulting Group Centre for Growth has published its report on healthcare data which shows overwhelming support from the public for unlocking the value of the UK’s data and sets out how the opportunity for leveraging healthcare data can be grasped. The report found 90% of people are willing to share their data with the NHS for any purpose, which is in contrast to the broad misconception that the public’s default position is to oppose access to personal health data. With its vast amount of healthcare data and leading position in life sciences and intelligence (AI), the Centre suggests that the UK has a unique opportunity to unlock the value of this resource and work towards becoming a healthier country. Capturing the full benefits of healthcare data, can potentially lead to better patient outcomes, and more efficient healthcare delivery. It can also help to drive R&D, and innovation and investment across the life sciences and tech industries.