Category Archives: NHS

Policy must tackle root causes of England’s record mental ill-health, says report

Posted on by

Coalition of experts publish action points including tackling inequality, poor housing and child poverty

Ministers must tackle poverty, poor housing and air pollution to improve England’s worsening mental health, a coalition of charities, thinktanks and staff groups has urged ministers.

Their blueprint for better mental health also includes a crackdown on racism, reforms to the benefits system and action to end the stark inequality whereby people with severe psychiatric conditions die up to 20 years sooner than the general population.

A new Child Poverty Act to banish child poverty by 2030.

The creation of a minimum income guarantee and reforming sick pay.

Action against junk food, smoking, alcohol and gambling.

The end of “hostile environment” immigration policies.

Continue reading...

1m NHS appointments and operations cancelled in England since strikes began

Posted on by

Latest figures show 1,015,067 ‘episodes of care’ have been postponed since end of last year

More than 1m outpatient appointments and operations have been cancelled since strikes began in December across the NHS in England, figures reveal.

Last week’s four-day stoppage by consultants and junior doctors forced hospitals to reschedule 129,913 more “episodes of care”, taking the total to just over 1m, NHS England said.

Continue reading...

Changes to Covid treatment system in England ‘could lead to postcode lottery’

Posted on by

Patients have been left confused and frustrated with no centralised system for obtaining medicines

Changes to the way Covid treatments are obtained by those most at risk from the disease could lead to a “postcode lottery” for access, experts have said, with charities warning patients have been left confused and frustrated by the new system.

Previously, people eligible for Covid treatments in England were contacted by their local Covid Medicines Delivery Unit (CMDU) once they reported testing positive for the virus.

Continue reading...

Paramedics not sent to a third of 999 ambulance calls in parts of England

Posted on by

Exclusive: Concerns over patient safety after NHS figures show less-qualified staff attending urgent calls

One in three life-or-death 999 ambulance calls in some parts of England are not attended by a paramedic, NHS figures obtained by the Guardian reveal.

The disclosure has prompted fears that seriously unwell or badly injured patients may receive inadequate care from a less-qualified member of ambulance staff lacking a paramedic’s skills.

Continue reading...

Teenager who died after legal fight with NHS trust can be named, judge rules

Posted on by

Sudiksha Thirumalesh, 19, and her family had opposed her being moved to palliative care

A 19-year-old woman who died after a legal battle with an NHS trust over her treatment for a rare mitochondrial disorder can be named, a judge has ruled.

Sudiksha Thirumalesh, an A-level student, and her family were embroiled in a dispute with an unnamed trust over whether she should be moved on to palliative care.

Continue reading...

NHS consultants offer to call off strikes for 12% pay rise in apparent olive branch

Posted on by

BMA also offers to take non-pay investments into account to reach agreement – but No 10 insists pay talks will not be reopened

Hospital consultants in England have offered to call off their strikes if they receive a pay rise of about 12% this year – double the increase that ministers insist is their final offer.

Their proposal, and the disclosure of recent “constructive” conversations with the government, appear to be a conciliatory move by the British Medical Association (BMA) to end their pay dispute.

Continue reading...

Almost 90% of voters – including 65% of Tories – say Britain needs fresh team of leaders, poll suggests – UK politics live

Posted on by

Rishi Sunak’s government seen as less competent that Boris Johnson’s administration

The UK economy is set to witness the highest inflation rate of the world’s G7 advanced economies this year, according to new forecasts, PA Media reports. PA says:

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also increased its predicted average UK inflation rate for 2023 compared with its previous estimate.

Economists at the globally recognised organisation also reduced their UK growth forecast slightly for next year amid pressure from higher interest rates.

Continue reading...

Doctors’ strike to disrupt care ‘unlike anything seen before’, warn NHS officials

Posted on by

Consultants and junior doctors will take joint action this week for the first time in escalating pay dispute

NHS officials have warned that doctors’ strikes this week are likely to cause disruption to patient care “unlike anything before”, as Wednesday will see consultants and junior doctors taking joint strike action for the first time in the escalating dispute over pay.

Junior doctors, who have already staged five days of industrial action this year, will now strike again from 20 to 22 September – the first day of which coincides with action by consultants.

Continue reading...

Hope for thousands as NHS approves drug for acute migraine

Posted on by

First and only Nice-recommended medicine could ‘alleviate misery’ of condition in England and Wales

NHS health advisers have approved the first treatment for acute migraine in a decision that promises to bring relief to about 13,000 people.

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has recommended a drug called rimegepant, also known as Vydura, which is made by Pfizer.

Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak blocked rebuild of hospitals riddled with crumbling concrete

Posted on by

Exclusive: Delay to work on five buildings in 2020 led to warnings of ‘catastrophic’ safety risk

Rishi Sunak blocked plans to rebuild five hospitals riddled with crumbling concrete three years ago, prompting warnings of a “catastrophic” risk to patient safety, the Guardian has learned.

Just two of the seven hospital rebuilding projects requested by the Department for Health were signed off by the Treasury at the 2020 spending review when Sunak was chancellor and Steve Barclay, now the health secretary, was his chief secretary.

Continue reading...

Two in five inpatients in England report health decline while on NHS waiting list

Posted on by

New CQC report also finds growing number of patients think there are too few nurses to care for them

Two in five people admitted to hospital for planned care in England last year had their health worsen while they were on the NHS waiting list, a major survey reveals.

The finding emerged in a new report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that also found that growing numbers of patients think there are too few nurses on duty to care for them.

39% of patients would like to have been admitted sooner.

Almost one in five (18%) felt they waited “far too long” to get a bed once they had been admitted – a big rise on the 8% who said that in 2020.

Only 52% thought there were always enough nurses on duty.

Discharge was often unsatisfactory for patients, with only 48% given enough notice about when they would leave and only 45% told how their post-hospital care would happen.

Hospital care was less good than before Covid struck in 2020, patients said.

Continue reading...

NHS website records 552% surge in heat exhaustion queries

Posted on by

Figures from NHS England reveal people seeking heat-related health advice as temperatures surpass 32C

Hot weather has led to a 552% increase in people seeking heat exhaustion advice from the NHS website this week, figures show.

There were 32,130 visits to the health advice page on heat exhaustion and heatstroke from Sunday to Thursday this week, according to figures released by NHS England, which runs the NHS website.

Consume plenty of cold drinks, especially when exercising.

Take cool baths or showers.

Wear light-coloured, loose clothing.

Sprinkle water over skin or clothes.

Avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm.

Avoid excess alcohol.

Avoid extreme exercise.

Continue reading...

NHS to begin autumn Covid jabs next week as new variant spreads

Posted on by

Pirola variant has prompted concern among scientists because of high number of mutations it carries

Care home residents and people who are housebound will be offered Covid vaccines from Monday, with over-65s and other vulnerable groups to be called for their jabs from the week after.

The NHS will kick off its autumn programme of Covid vaccines from next week, having moved the date forward by a month in response to the spread of a new variant nicknamed Pirola.

Continue reading...

‘Martha’s rule’: ministers consider law to give right to second medical opinion

Posted on by

Mother of girl who died after hospital failed to admit her to intensive care says policy would make it easier for patients and families to seek advice from senior doctor

Ministers are considering introducing Martha’s rule in England to make it easier for patients and their families who believe their concerns are not being taken seriously by medical staff to get a second medical opinion.

Steve Barclay, the health secretary, said a similar measure enforced in Australia had been shown to have saved lives. He said officials had been tasked with looking into such initiatives could “improve patient safety here in the UK”.

Continue reading...

‘National tragedy’: figures show large rise in people dying while on NHS waiting list

Posted on by

Figures obtained by Labour show an estimated 120,695 people died in England while awaiting treatment

More than 120,000 people in England died last year while on the NHS waiting list for hospital treatment, figures obtained by Labour appear to show.

That would be a record high number of such deaths, and is double the 60,000 patients who died in 2017/18.

Continue reading...

UK health officials bring forward autumn flu and Covid vaccinations

Posted on by

Move in England comes after detection of highly-mutated coronavirus variant that is spreading around the world

Health officials have brought forward plans for autumn flu and Covid vaccinations after detecting a highly-mutated Covid variant that is spreading around the world.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said vaccinations would be available from 11 September in England as a precautionary measure intended to protect the most vulnerable as the winter months approach. The vaccination programme had not been scheduled to launch until early October.

Continue reading...

Men in England to be offered blood pressure checks in barbershops

Posted on by

Tests part of NHS drive to cut heart attacks as study finds risk for men twice as high as for women

Men are to be offered blood pressure checks in barbershops as part of an NHS drive to prevent heart attacks, as research reveals they face double the risk of women.

Having high blood pressure raises the risk of a heart attack, but many men and women remain unaware they may be affected because typically there are no symptoms.

Continue reading...

Labour blames postcode lottery in cancer care in England for delays

Posted on by

Analysis also reveals patients in more deprived areas are more likely to have their cancer diagnosed late

A postcode lottery in cancer care means more than one-fifth of patients with cancerous tumours wait longer than two months to have them removed in some parts of England, Labour has claimed.

Analysis of NHS data exposes regional inequalities in cancer treatments, with one in five patients receiving care following a cancer diagnosis in the West Midlands waiting longer than two months to have their tumours removed.

Continue reading...

Nice calls for routine use of at-home faeces tests for bowel cancer screening

Posted on by

Hopes guidance could help diagnose colorectal cancer faster and cut NHS waiting times for colonoscopies

At-home faeces tests could spare tens of thousands of people in England and Wales from having to undergo invasive procedures to rule out bowel cancer.

It is hoped the move could help diagnose colorectal cancer faster and cut NHS waiting times by reducing the need to refer people for a colonoscopy.

Continue reading...

Home Office considered using overseas workers in case of disease on Bibby Stockholm

Posted on by

Ministers had planned to issue visa waivers to cover staff absences on barge housing asylum seekers

The Home Office considered drafting in workers from overseas using a visa waiver scheme in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease on the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge to accommodate asylum seekers, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

The barge is moored in Portland, Dorset. It was opened to asylum seekers on 7 August as a key part of the government’s “small boats week” to signal that it was implementing its undertakings to move asylum seekers out of hotels. However, in a blow to this policy the barge was evacuated just four days later after legionella bacteria was found in the barge’s water pipes.

Continue reading...