1st May 2023

UK is the sick man of Europe
Michael Marmot, with his usual clarity, tells us “since 2010, improvements in healthy life expectancy have stalled, health inequalities have been increasing…even Margaret Thatcher increased NHS funding at a higher rate than the Conservatives in the 2010s”.

NHS dispute: Why not arbitrate?
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has called for third-party arbitration to break the impasse on a pay dispute between junior doctors and the government. Is it because the doctors really do have a justifable case? Their pay really has fallen in the last decade?

The new “Illegal Migration bill”
Here’s a brilliant analysis of the medical consequences of the new Bill. Healthcare in immigration removal settings is largely inadequate and there is no access to specialist services for complex mental health conditions. Increasing detention will result in more people experiencing devastating suffering.

Integrated Care: make-believe plans
The idea that by screwing down on ICS finances we can still provide a comprehensive health service is fairy-land planning. Guidance states integrated care systems have a statutory duty to break even, an impossible goal if adequate comprehensive healthcare is provided.

NHS data: opposition to Palantir expected
David Davis, the Conservative former Brexit secretary has serious privacy concerns about Palantir’s bid. Exactly how is the data is being used within the Palantir software, what types of analysis are being done, how many users there are and how privacy is being protected? You can say “No to Palantir” here.