Group items tagged

The government has earmarked £200 million to enhance NHS resilience and expedite patient care during the upcoming winter season. This extra amount will bolster the health service during its busiest period, while protecting elective care so we can keep cutting waiting lists, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said. On August 13, the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary met with clinical leaders and NHS Chiefs to strategise and refine planning for urgent and emergency care, while prioritising the preservation of waiting list targets for the upcoming winter season. "Patients can be reassured that I will always back the NHS, so that those who most need help and support will get the care they need," Sunak said. "Winter is the most challenging time for the health service, which is why we've been planning for it all year - with huge government investment to fund new ambulances, beds and virtual wards." "This £200 million investment, assured by the Department of Health and Social Care as new and additional funding, should aid NHS leaders in their preparations and mitigation for what will be a seriously difficult winter period," said Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of NHS Confederation. "The priority now is swift allocation of funding to local systems for optimal utilisation."

Long waiting times for National Health Service (NHS) care are leaving people too sick to work in the UK, which is affecting the country's economy. One in three people missed work in 2022 due to delays in accessing NHS care, revealed a new survey by Pollsters Savanta. The market research consultancy surveyed 2,235 people in the UK this month on behalf of the Liberal Democrats. According to the survey results, 19 per cent of the participants could not go to work as they were waiting for a GP appointment. While 15 per cent of the respondents had to take a long period off work while they waited for treatment or surgery, 12 per cent missed work as they waited for emergency dental treatments. Overall, 36 per cent of those surveyed had missed at least some work because of difficulty getting NHS care.

The government, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has begun the negotiations for a new voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing on Thursday (4 May). A new voluntary scheme is expected to take effect from 1 January 2024, replacing the current scheme which came into force in 2019 and ends on 31 December 2023 In their first meeting, the government, NHS England and industry - represented by the ABPI -expected to agree to a shared negotiation aim of working toward a mutually beneficial agreement that supports better patient outcomes and a healthier population, a financially sustainable NHS, and UK economic growth. Health Minister, Will Quince, said: "These negotiations will ensure a new scheme continues to deliver value for money by providing significant savings for our health services, securing access to innovative lifesaving drugs for NHS patients, and helping to reduce waiting times - one of the Prime Minister's 5 priorities. The current voluntary scheme supports investment in NHS services and saves billions of pounds for the NHS, while also promoting innovations and a successful life sciences sector.

A Labour Party analysis of NHS trust figures has revealed that around 148,000 people died last year while waiting for treatment in England. This is more than double the figure recorded in 2017/18, which stood at around 60,000 deaths. It even surpasses the mortality rate observed in 2021, during the peak of the Covid pandemic. The Labour Party obtained the data through a freedom of information request sent to every NHS trust in England. Out of the 169 acute and community trusts contacted, 80 responded. The total number of deaths reported by the respondents was 61,396. Extrapolating this figure to all trusts would suggest a total of 148,227 deaths.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published Lord Darzi's report on the state of NHS England, which revealed that the health service is in "serious trouble." Lord Darzi pointed out that the NHS has failed to meet key promises made to the public since 2015 and patient satisfaction is now at its lowest ever level. Rising waiting times and difficulties accessing GPs were highlighted as major concerns. "There are huge and unwarranted variations in the number of patients per GP, and shortages are particularly acute in deprived communities," the report said. Darzi described the state of A&E as "awful", noting that nearly 10 per cent of patients wait 12 hours or more today. Additionally, Lord Darzi's investigation found that the NHS budget is not being optimally allocated, noting that "too great a share is being spent in hospitals, too little in the community, and productivity is too low."

In 2023, almost 14,000 people in England are estimated to have died due to excessive waits in emergency departments, averaging more than 260 deaths per week, according to new figures from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). The RCEM estimate is based on a large study of NHS patients published in the Emergency Medicine Journal in 2021, which found one excess death for every 72 patients who spent eight to 12 hours in an A&E department. Following a Freedom of Information audit of NHS trusts, the college has found that 65 per cent of people waiting 12 hours or more in A&E were patients waiting for a hospital bed. NHS data for England revealed that over 1.5 million patients waited 12 hours or more in major emergency departments last year. Based on the RCEM calculation, this indicates that over a million of those patients were waiting for a bed.

Being able to access high-quality healthcare at the times you need it most is vital. Regardless of whether this is a simple check-up, a medical review or complex surgery, having a suitable healthcare package designed according to your medical needs will be beneficial in the long run. The NHS has recently come under significant strain. Factors such as an increase in the number of patients, reduced funding and increased life expectancy have led to long waiting times and limited treatments. As a result, more individuals are now seeking private healthcare which, while it may be more expensive, offers faster and more effective treatment. Here we'll discuss some of the main benefits of private healthcare and why it is becoming the ideal choice for healthcare in 2023. Reduced waiting times One of the main issues faced by the NHS is waiting times, with some patients being made to wait up to a year for routine hospital care. Currently, ambulance services and A&E units are under unprecedented pressure and it is estimated that hundreds of deaths each week are associated with admission delays. Understaffing has been a chronic issue in recent years in the NHS and is a major threat to the welfare of patients. This has been one of the major concerns that has led to nurses and ambulance staff taking strike action. As nurses and hospital workers are put under higher strain, they are more likely to make mistakes, which could well lead to patients coming into harm and making a claim. Opting for private healthcare guarantees that you are able to access your appointments, surgeries and treatments much quicker, with some flexibility offered to align with your lifestyle. The capacity to bypass the painfully long waiting times ensures you receive the necessary medical attention much sooner and could prevent the emergence of other health complications.

In a strategic move to enhance healthcare delivery, the NHS has announced plans to intensify the utilisation of virtual wards under the the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan. The NHS virtual wards are aimed to reduce avoidable hospital admissions across England. This follows a comprehensive analysis revealing significant benefits from virtual wards over the past year. "Virtual wards offer a transformative approach to healthcare delivery, allowing patients to receive medical care from the comfort of their own homes," remarked NHS national director for urgent and emergency care, Sarah-Jane Marsh. "This initiative not only reduces the burden on hospital resources but also ensures that patients receive timely and personalised care."

Expressing apprehension over the concerning decline in the nursing workforce, Sir Julian Hartley, CEO of NHS Providers, urged the forthcoming government to bolster investment in nursing education and enhance support for student nurses. Recent analysis from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has projected that the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan will fall short by 10,000 new nurses by 2025. Commenting on the RCN analysis, Sir Hartley underscored the critical importance of having an adequate number of nurses to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care. "Without enough nurses, the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care is compromised," he said. He cautioned that the predicted shortfall in nurses would exacerbate existing pressures on the NHS, resulting in long waiting times, delayed treatments and staff burnout.

In his address to both Houses of Parliament today (17 July), King Charles III highlighted the new government's commitment to enhancing the National Health Service (NHS), reducing waiting times, focussing on preventive care, and improving mental health services. Marking the first State Opening of Parliament under the Labour government, the King unveiled a raft of bills and draft bills, including the Mental Health Bill and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. King Charles III said: "My government will improve the National Health Service as a service for all, providing care on the basis of need regardless of the ability to pay. "It will seek to reduce the waiting times, focus on prevention and improve mental health provision for young people." Furthermore, the King stated that mental health would be given the same attention and focus as physical health. He announced the introduction of the Mental Health Bill, which aims to modernise the Mental Health Act to better meet contemporary needs.

The NHS Confederation has urged the government to reconsider its 'living with Covid' plan and introduce mitigating actions that will help avoid further critical incidents being declared at the NHS front-line. The organisation said the high rates of Covid is having a major impact on the delivery of health services and slowing down efforts to reduce large waiting lists, noting that the country has been in the grip of another spike in Covid cases resulting from the Omicron BA.2 variant. With more than 20,000 patients now in hospital with Covid (or who have Covid but are in hospital for other reasons) and high staff absences, NHS is facing huge operational challenges, harming efforts to reduce waiting times in other areas, it said.

The UK's performance in hospital-based care is falling behind other high-income countries, according to a new report published by the Health Foundation. For hospital care waiting times, the UK ranked among the worst in a public survey of 10 nations, with 11 per cent of people waiting a year or more for a specialist appointment and 19 per cent facing the same delay for non-emergency surgery. Only Canada had comparable figures. The report published on Thursday (22 August) also pointed out that waiting times for specialist appointments have increased more rapidly in the UK than in other countries. In 2023, 61 per cent of people in the UK reported waiting more than four weeks for a specialist appointment, a significant rise from just 14 per cent in 2013. Over 21,000 people from across 10 developed countries, including over 3,000 from the UK, participated in the 2023 Commonwealth Fund survey.

Britain plans to launch a pilot programme exploring how new weekly weight-loss shots such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy can be given to obese patients by general practitioners even as the drug's market launch remains unclear. The government's announcement on the £40 million pilot programme comes after drug cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE in March recommended the use of Wegovy in adults with at least one weight-related condition and a body mass index of 35, but only within the NHS specialist weight management scheme. The timing of Wegovy's launch in Britain - which would be only the fourth country to use it - is uncertain, however, after Novo last month rationed starter doses to secure supply to U.S. patients already on the regimen, after it was overwhelmed by demand there. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday (May 7) the pilot and fighting obesity-related diseases could reduce pressure on hospitals. It would also support "people to live healthier and longer lives, and helping to deliver on my priority to cut NHS waiting lists". The NHS endured a tough winter in England in particular, with waiting lists hitting record highs and staff striking for higher pay amid double-digit inflation.

NHS England has launched the first major update to the 'Act FAST' campaign since 2009, as new data reveals that many stroke patients wait almost an hour and a half on average before making an emergency call. The updated campaign urges the public to call 999 immediately if anyone experiences one of the three common stroke symptoms: difficulty smiling (Face), trouble raising an arm (Arms), or slurred speech (Speech). Around 100,000 people are estimated to suffer a stroke each year in the UK, which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Without prompt treatment, a stroke can lead to death or long-term disabilities such as paralysis, memory loss and communication problems. Strokes remain the fourth single leading cause of death in the UK, resulting in about 38,000 deaths each year. An analysis of NHS data for 2023-24 indicated that among 41,327 patients with a recorded time of symptom onset, the average time from the first symptom to making a 999 call was 88 minutes. Additionally, a poll of 2,001 adults in England revealed that 57 per cent of respondents believed you should have 2-3 symptoms of a stroke before calling 999, despite the fact that even one symptom is a sign of a medical emergency.

Long appointment wait times, embarrassment, and lack of trust are causing thousands of Brits to avoid visiting doctors, according to new research by Newfoundland Diagnostics. With 1 in 4 individuals resorting to A&E due to the lack of available GP appointments, which adds to the NHS burden, the medical self-testing brand believes that educating the nation on at-home testing can help ease the strain on the health service. The research revealed the top five reasons why Brits avoid visiting doctors for medical testing: Appointments taking too long to book (28 per cent) Embarrassment around their illnesses (15 per cent) Preference for at-home testing (12 per cent) Not having time (10 per cent) Lack of trust in the NHS or their GP (7 per cent) The research team cautioned that delaying care can worsen conditions, resulting in more severe cases that place greater strain on the NHS.

The UK government's community diagnostic centre programme, which was first launch in July 2021, is helping cut waiting lists, and speed up diagnoses and treatments for NHS patients. As of November 2023, a total of 6.1 million vital checks have been carried out at community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across England, according to a joint statement released by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England. Under the £2.3 billion programme, 141 CDCs have been opened across the country in a variety of settings including shopping centres, university campuses and football stadiums, offering patients a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home. The government has set a target to open 160 CDCs by March 2025, with many expected to open ahead of schedule.

Over the past two years, the Covid pandemic has resulted in a backlog of elective care within the NHS, with record numbers of patients on waiting lists across the UK. Despite efforts to catch up after the first wave, subsequent waves have put further strain on an already stretched NHS system. This has had a tremendous impact on many patients waiting for routine dermatology appointments and, while every effort has been made to see patients with suspected serious skin cancers within two weeks, this target is not always achieved. With rising waiting times, pharmacists are increasingly the first port of call for patients suffering with a broad range of skin problems. From acne and rosacea, eczema or psoriasis, to changing skin lesions or simple insect bites, pharmacists can give helpful advice, allowing some customers to find quick relief to their skin complaint in mild cases, while directing others to see their GP without delay. Below is some practical advice that pharmacists can give to their customers with commonly encountered skin complaints. Acne Acne is a common skin condition that not only affects teenagers but adults too. It is estimated that up to 40 per cent of women continue to suffer with acne into their adult years. Acne has been linked to an increased incidence of depression, anxiety and even suicidal ideation. Patients have reported feeling overlooked and often dismissed in their concerns by health care professionals. Unfortunately, these issues have been further compounded by delays in being seen and treated due to the ongoing Covid pandemic. Pharmacists are well placed to help acne patients choose the right skincare. This should consist of lightweight products, such as gel or milky cleansers, with moisturisers in serum, lotion or light cream preparations. Some acne suitable products are further labelled as non-comedogenic. Oil-based or occlusive preparations are best avoided. There are many good quality, non-comedogenic sun blocks suited

In a significant move aimed at improving patient care and alleviating hospital pressures, the National Health Services (NHS) has expanded its same day emergency care services across the UK. This has resulted in thousands more individuals receiving rapid tests and treatment, effectively avoiding overnight hospital stays. Recent data paints a promising picture, revealing an 11 per cent increase in the number of patients discharged on the same day they were admitted as emergencies. This advancement translates to several patients receiving urgent care within hours, subsequently freeing up beds for others in need. Over the past year alone, an impressive 206,446 more patients have been discharged on the same day, amounting to 2,024,129 individuals in the year leading up to January 2024, compared to 1,817,683 in the preceding year. The successful rollout of same day emergency care to every hospital in England has played a pivotal role in easing bed congestion and reducing hospital admissions by up to 30 per cent in certain NHS Trusts.

A total of 7,599 whooping cough cases have been recorded in England from January to May 2024, according to new data released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). In January 2024, there were 555 cases, followed by 920 in February, 1,427 in March, 2,106 in April, and 2,591 in May. While the majority of cases (over 53 per cent) occurred in individuals aged 15 years or older, who typically experience milder symptoms, a significant number (262) were reported in babies under 3 months old, who are at the highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough. Since the outbreak began in November last year, there have been nine infant deaths (one in December 2023 and eight between January and May 2024). Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection affecting the lungs. This cyclical disease peaks every 3 to 5 years, with the last increase seen in 2016.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) recently published Lord Darzi's report on the state of NHS England, revealing that the health service is in "serious trouble." "The service has been chronically weakened by a lack of capital investment, which has lagged behind other similar countries by tens of billions of pounds," he stated. Shortly after taking office, Health Secretary Wes Streeting commissioned an independent investigation to assess the challenges facing the healthcare system in preparation for a new 10-year health plan. Former surgeon Lord Ara Darzi was appointed to lead this review. In his report, Lord Darzi pointed out that the NHS has failed to meet key promises made to the public since 2015, and patient satisfaction is now at its "lowest ever level." Rising waiting times and difficulties accessing GPs were highlighted as major concerns. "There are huge and unwarranted variations in the number of patients per GP, and shortages are particularly acute in deprived communities," he said. Lord Darzi described the state of A&E as "awful," noting that nearly 10% of patients wait 12 hours or more today.