BMC Series Highlights - April - BMC Series blog

BMC Series Highlights - April - BMC Series blog

Oliver Cocks

Manuscript Editor at BioMed Central

Oliver has been Manuscript Editor for the BMC Series Journals since October 2019. He has a Bachelor degree in Biology and a Master by Research degree specialised in Behavioural Ecology and Reproductive Evolution both from the University of Lincoln. Here he studied the effect of Life history evolution and female reproductive architecture on spermatozoa diversity across complex mating systems before moving to Syracuse, NY to continue his research by using integrative molecular approaches at the Center for Reproductive Evolution. He then joined the BMC Series as an Assistant Editor in September 2018 and is excited to continue to work for the BMC Series journals, driving the development of Open Access as Manuscript Editor.

BMC Series Highlights – April

NHS visitor and migrant cost recovery programme - Methodological challenges of analysing COVID-19 data - Effectiveness of telemedicine for pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus - Embryonic development of Octopus vulgaris under controlled laboratory conditions - Resistance training for neck-and shoulder pain relief in the workplace

Oliver Cocks 27 May 2020

BMC Public Health – The NHS visitor and migrant cost recovery programme – a threat to health?

In April 2014 the UK government launched the ‘NHS Visitor and Migrant Cost Recovery Programme Implementation Plan’ which set out a series of policy changes to recoup costs from ‘chargeable’ (largely non-UK born) patients. In England alone roughly 75% of all diagnoses of Tuberculosis (TB) will be made in people born abroad. Because of this, the authors of this manuscript set out to assess the impact of the Cost Recovery Programme (CRP) on the quality of healthcare received by those not eligible for free NHS healthcare. Utilizing a dataset of 2237 diagnosed TB cases the authors found that median time-to-treatment after the introduction of the CRP increased by 20 days from 69 to 89 days for non-UK patients. They also found a significant change in the number of years migrant patients had been living in the UK before diagnosis. Rising from 10 years pre-CRP to 14.8 years post CRP. With delays in the diagnosis of TB increasing morbidity and mortality it is imperative that diagnosis is made as early as possible. With direct significant relationships between the introduction of the CRP and an increase in time-to-treatment the authors argue that restricting healthcare access for non-UK populations undermines national efforts to eliminate TB and conclude that governments have a “moral and legal obligation” to uphold the right to the highest attainable standard of health for all people, no matter their immigration status.