ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of wounds managed by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) in 2012/2013 and the annual levels of healthcare resource use attributable to their management and corresponding costs.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort analysis of the records of patients in The Health Improvement Network (THIN) Database. Records of 1000 adult patients who had a wound in 2012/2013 (cases) were randomly selected and matched with 1000 patients with no history of a wound (controls). Patients’ characteristics, wound-related health outcomes and all healthcare resource use were quantified and the total NHS cost of patient management was estimated at 2013/2014 prices.ResultsPatients’ mean age was 69.0 years and 45% were male. 76% of patients presented with a new wound in the study year and 61% of wounds healed during the study year. Nutritional deficiency (OR 0.53; p<0.001) and diabetes (OR 0.65; p<0.001) were independent risk factors for non-healing. There were an estimated 2.2 million wounds managed by the NHS in 2012/2013. Annual levels of resource use attributable to managing these wounds and associated comorbidities included 18.6 million practice nurse visits, 10.9 million community nurse visits, 7.7 million GP visits and 3.4 million hospital outpatient visits. The annual NHS cost of managing these wounds and associated comorbidities was £5.3 billion. This was reduced to between £5.1 and £4.5 billion after adjusting for comorbidities.ConclusionsReal world evidence highlights wound management is predominantly a nurse-led discipline. Approximately 30% of wounds lacked a differential diagnosis, indicative of practical difficulties experienced by non-specialist clinicians. Wounds impose a substantial health economic burden on the UK's NHS, comparable to that of managing obesity (£5.0 billion). Clinical and economic benefits could accrue from improved systems of care and an increased awareness of the impact that wounds impose on patients and the NHS.

Bradford Scholars -how to deposit your paper Overview Copyright check• Check if your publisher allows submission to a repository.• Use the Sherpa RoMEO database if you are not sure about your publisher's position or email openaccess@bradford.ac.uk.

Bradford Scholars -how to deposit your paper Overview Copyright check• Check if your publisher allows submission to a repository.• Use the Sherpa RoMEO database if you are not sure about your publisher's position or email openaccess@bradford.ac.uk.

Within the study's limitations, use of the EAE device potentially affords the NHS a cost-effective treatment for managing VLUs when compared with patients remaining on their previous care plan.

Background The COVID‐19 pandemic has created a need to prioritize care because of limitation of resources. Owing to the heterogeneity and high prevalence of breast cancers, the need to prioritize care in this vulnerable population is essential. While various medical societies have published recommendations to manage breast disease during the COVID‐19 pandemic, most are focused on the Western world and do not necessarily address the challenges of a resource‐limited setting. Aim In this article, we describe our institutional approach for prioritizing care for patients presenting with breast disease. Methods and results The breast disease management guidelines were developed and approved with the expertise of the Multidisciplinary Breast Program Leadership Committee (BPLC) of the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. These guidelines were inspired, adapted, and modified keeping in view the needs of our resource‐limited healthcare system. These recommendations are also congruent with the ethical guidelines developed by the Center of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC) at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi. Our institutional recommendations outline a framework to triage patients based on the urgency of care, scheduling conflicts, and tumor board recommendations, optimizing healthcare workers' schedules, operating room reallocation, and protocols. We also describe the “Virtual Blended Clinics”, a resource‐friendly means of conducting virtual clinics and a comprehensive plan for transitioning back into the post‐COVID routine. Conclusion Our institutional experience may be considered as a guide during the COVID‐19 pandemic, particularly for triaging care in a resource‐limited setting; however, these are not meant to be universally applicable, and individual cases must be tailored based on physicians' clinical judgment to provide the best quality care.

After separating initial assessment process into two different areas, delays in chemotherapy administration were reduced.

ObjectiveTo estimate clinical progression and resource utilisation together with the associated costs of managing children and adults with LAL Deficiency, at a tertiary referral centre in the UK.MethodsA retrospective chart review was undertaken of patients in the UK with a confirmed diagnosis of LAL Deficiency who were managed at a LAL Deficiency tertiary referral treatment centre. Patients’ pathways, treatment patterns, health outcomes and resource use were quantified over differing lengths of time for each patient enabling the NHS cost of patient management in tertiary care to be estimated.ResultsThe study population comprised 19 patients of whom 58% were male. Mean age at the time of initial presentation was 15.5 years and the mean age at diagnosis was 18.0 years. 63%, 53% and 42% of patients had hepatomegaly, abnormal lipid storage and splenomegaly at a mean age of presentation of 17.8, 17.1 and 20.9 years, respectively. Over a period of 50 years there were a mean of 48.5 clinician visits and 3.4 hospital admissions per patient. The mean NHS cost of patient management at a LAL Deficiency tertiary referral treatment centre, spanning a period of over 50 years was £61,454 per patient.ConclusionThis study provides important insights into a number of aspects of the disease that are difficult to ascertain from published case reports. Additionally, it provides the best estimate available of NHS resource use and costs with which to inform policy and budgetary decisions pertaining to managing this ultra-orphan disease.

In today's global economy, service providers in the service industry, so do their requirements. For example, are under increasing pressure to maximize margins and streamline operational efficiency to remain competitive. In order to do this, providers are turning to new technologies, advanced collaboration with partners and creative service strategies to ensure a well-managed workforce. They are also creating virtual workforces where resources may work from home or on the road over a disparate geographic region. To this end, service providers are seeking to reduce or all together eliminate the brick and mortar office, and replace it with a loose coalition of people with diverse skill sets. As this shift continues they are now required to handle the entire service order management process by continually updating their offerings to stay competitive against others in the same industry; i.e., doing more with less. In this context, a trustworthy solution is one that enables management to automate and streamline all aspects of the field service operations, allows providers to offer additional services, with greater accessibility to ensure growth and fitness for service. We demonstrate the solution by reviewing its implementation for the Catholic Community Services and its Community Outreach Program for the Deaf.2633