14th February 2024

Sunak holding up deal with junior docs – surely not!
The PM has been accused of being “a blocker” to a successful deal. Anybody would think the Tories need an excuse on the appalling length of waiting times to cover for 14 years of NHS under-funding.

Labour’s NHS plans: Fit for the Future?
Labour seems more than happy to endorse the magic efficiency tree, rather than give the NHS a clearly needed injection of funds. It’s disappointing to see in Labour’s ‘Build an NHS fit for the future’ that there’s so little ambition. Here’s an NHS campaigner’s view.

NHS planning dictated by media headlines
First NHS England instructs Integrated Care Boards to raid dental budgets for funding, then it reverses its decision with the recent media stories of the dirth of NHS dentistry. So much for independent local control of our healthcare.

1.5 million patients wait for 12 hours in A&E
More than 1.5 million patients in England had to wait 12 hours or longer in A&E in the past year, and one in seven people in England are waiting for treatment. Why? Not strikes, nor the pandemic. It was austerity that brought the NHS to its knees.

Virtual wards: value for money?
A study published by BMJ assessed 318 virtual ward patients with a range of conditions. It found that while their initial hospital stay was shorter, they also experienced higher rates of readmission, which ultimately led to additional costs.