6th June 2022

‘Impossible to improve hospital discharges’
Behind a paywall I’m afraid, but in essence, as is obvious to any sane person, there must be placements available in social care to permit the discharge of elderly hospital patients. Targets to reduce delayed discharges “will not be met” unless the government “invests in domiciliary care wages,” amid high numbers of vacancies in social care.

ICSs face £1 billion gap in first year budgeting
Integrated Care Systems face a financial gap of more than £1 billion 2022-23, even after factoring in additional inflation funding provided by NHS England, even when the extra £1.5 billion announced recently is included. NHS England has instructed ICSs to find efficiency savings to close the gap and deliver a breakeven position for the year.

10 year decline in beds causes A&E crises
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine said the huge loss of beds since 2010-11 was causing “real patient harm” and a “serious patient safety crisis”.  What will the government, who caused the problerm in the first place, do about it? Nothing.

Standards commissioner launches investigation into Tory peer
You may remember Peter Selwyn Gummer. In 1990 he fed his daughter with a burger in the Mad Cow Disease crisis and was also embroiled in the parliamentary expenses scandal. Here he recommended to the government a company that was part of a group in which he was a director and shareholder.

Virgin Care contract cancelled after private equity take-over
Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Bath and North East Somerset Council have cancelled an extension to the contract whereby it has been providing NHS and council commissioned health and care services since 2017.