Health News Blog

There isn't enough staff!
Barclay's announcement that the private sector will be used to cut waiting lists received a retort from the BMA. "We do not have enough staff working in the NHS or the private sector,” said the BMA's Dr Latifa Patel. ".... there is no guarantee that diverting more patients to the independent sector will cut NHS backlogs.”

Recovery Taskforce packed with privateers
Independent Healthcare Provider Network boss David Hare, Dr Paul Manning of US-owned Circle Healthcare, owner of the UK’s largest chain of private hospitals, Darsjak Shah from private eye health firm Newmedica and many others are directing a privatisers dream way to cut waiting lists. And a dream is what it really is!

Millions at risk: Universal Credit falls far short
In a letter to Rishi Sunak 32 health organisations tell him "many people are routinely going without the essentials.... it poses a serious risk to the UK’s health. The BMA: "When people are having to choose between paying for the very basics needed to sustain themselves and families – whether that’s to eat nutritiously; to power, heat, clean and maintain their homes; or for transport to get to work and NHS appointments – their health and wellbeing suffers."

Palantir was always a certainty for data contract
An email exchange in which senior NHS executives discussed the budget for a new national data platform reveals that Palantir was always expected to be the winner of the contract. The firm’s clients include the US army, which uses its surveilling software to conduct drone strikes.

Concern about Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
The introduction of so-calld "integrated care" relies on a data-driven methodology To identify the high-risk, potentially high-cost individuals who may benefit from interventions that may prevent expensive hospital admissions. All Integrated Care Systems are required to explain why they collect our health data and who they share it with. It is claimed that health data is currently protected by legislation, in practice existing safeguards can be trumped by what is argued to be the broader "public interest".

GP workforce crisis deepens
Despite government rhetoric GP numbers continue to fall. There were 27,153 FTE fully-qualified GPs last month, down from 28,129 at the end of 2019. The Royal College of GPs warns of ‘intense workload and workforce pressures’.

ULEZ and public health funding
Yes this is an opinion piece, but it says it how it is. Air pollution is the biggest killer, between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths every year are due to human-made air pollution.

"Not enough time with patients"
As an example of the worrying picture of the intense pressures being felt at the NHS frontline, a poll across a range of NHS professions shows they have too little time to help patients and the quality of care the service provides is falling.

Mental health callouts: no new cash
Health services will not get any new funding when they take over responsibility for mental health emergencies from police next month, increasing pressure on ambulance and A&E services already in crisis.

Consultants strike for "the future"
"We’re seeing a drain of expertise from this country... as a consequence the NHS is crumbling, patients are suffering – our ask is to restore pay to improve retention."

NHS facing an exodus of doctors
Sunak says there's no need to act over doctor's leaving to go to Australia. But medical leaders are increasingly worried about an emerging trend of senior doctors quitting the NHS. Striking consultants have been offered new jobs in Ireland paying up to £233,000 pa.

Private equity take-overs are "worse"
A review of private equity healthcare service takeovers across eight countries including the US, UK, Sweden and the Netherlands reveals that private equity ownership of healthcare services including hospitals and nursing homes is linked to a harmful effect on cost and quality of care.

40 "new" hospitals promise
The National Audit Office says the government is on track to break a key election promise to build 40 new hospitals in England by the end of the decade.

Health institutes urge leaders to invest
The Kings Fund, the Health Foundation and the Nuffield Trust writes to political leaders to urge them to "...make a decisive break" from years of NHS underinvestment. "The NHS has endured a decade of under-investment...capital spending has been well below comparable countries. As a result, the health service has insufficient resources to do its job."

Austerity has lead to decline in quality of care
The coalition government’s austerity programme in the early 2010s led to the heath service no longer being able to meet key waiting time targets, the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation have said.

Patient death: Physician associates under fire
A patient died after receiving care from a physician assistant. The largest share of the blame "...lies with NHS England and its determination to solve our workforce crisis on the cheap".