Health News Blog

Repairing Tory damage to NHS
'Is Wes Streeting up to the task ...?' asks a Telegraph coloumist. Sir Michael Marmot says Streeting is half right, it might need reform but it must have comparable funding to equivalent European countries. 

The quality of care of privatisation
Based on the evidence, a scientific review challenges the justifications for health-care privatisation and concludes that the scientific support for further privatisation of health-care services is weak.

Physician assistants: the hidden agenda
We know that physician assisants are replacing doctors, but read about 'algorythmic medicine' - you cannot replace the skill of a real doctor.

British Social Attitudes: NHS Survey
Just 24% of people across England, Scotland and Wales, the fewest on record, are satisfied with the health service. However, 82% said that it should be funded primarily from taxation, 84% think the NHS has a major or severe funding problem, and forty-eight per cent want the government to increase taxes and spend more on the NHS.

Cuts in NHS staffing are unavoidable
Trusts face pressure to get down to pre-covid staff numbers as NHS England's financial plans for 2024-25 report a total £6 billion deficit. A primary function of Integrated Care systems is to enable the government to control the NHS budget, so our healthcare suffers for their parsimony.

Poor housing and health emergency
A children's doctor reports the rising numbers of children brought to her with chest infections caused by damp housing. 58% of renters live with damp, mould or excessive cold. 

"Nye": play about NHS founder
A National Theatre play starring Michael Sheen explores much of Aneurin Bevan’s life and the setting up of the NHS, including battles with the medical profession and Conservative party. Book tickets to see it live streamed here.

Private equity and £16 million
G4S and Mountain Healthcare Ltd owned by private equity run 26 of the 50 NHS and police-funded centres in England that support thousands of child and adult victims of sexual assault. In the last financial year the two companies collected £16 million.

Scandal of care home profit-taking
The financial model underpinning the UK care home industry is unsustainable. £261 million of the annual income received by the largest 26 care home providers goes towards paying off their debts. Of this £117m (45%) are payments to related, and often offshore, companies. Read the Exec Summary on page 5.

Supercars, yachts and a private jet...
Three people have been arrested as part of an investigation into a £76 million care home scandal that saw investor cash spent on supercars, yachts and a private jet.

Private hospitals 'cannibalising the NHS'
While the NHS is deliberately underfunded the private healthcare sector is making huge profits our of our NHS budget. Why not invest this funding into training and employing more doctors and nurses?

Tax cuts versus funds for crumbling NHS
Hunt's budget has put tax cuts ahead of supporting our crumbling public services. With the NHS facing rampant inflation and increased patient demand for years to come, a lack of investment will inevitably result in real-terms cuts.

The NHS is now voters top concern
The state of the National Health Service has overtaken soaring prices as the issue most Britons believe is the biggest challenge facing the UK. Whereas Tory philosophy is to impoverish public services to make them easier to privatise, the NHS remains popular with the public who don't want it privatised.

Physician assistants in roles beyond their ability
Trainee physician associates are being employed to work with patients despite having so little medical training. The BMA is deeply concerned about the blurring of boundaries between doctors who hold a primary medical qualification and others who do not.

Improve welfare or poverty will soar
14.4 million people in the UK are now in poverty, with the situation set to worsen without radical change. A research project looking at the experiences of families living on low incomes, identifies the two key challenges as being measures to tackle poverty, and policies to open opportunities to good quality work.

Massive NHS repair backlog
Disrepair in NHS buildings led to thousands of potentially harmful incidents last year including critically ill patients being moved when rainfall came through the ceiling. Sewage leaks, floods and failing equipment also featured in incident records.