4th March 2024

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.