News about the NHS

Ian Sample Science editor · Nov 18, 2024

Study to look at why some people with aggressive cancer are ‘super-survivors’ NHS centres join search for patients who have lived much longer than expected, in hope of developing new therapies Doctors have launched a major study to understand why a small percentage of cancer patients beat the odds and survive long after being diagnosed with some of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Eight NHS cancer centres are joining dozens of hospitals around the world to find patients who had extraordinary responses to cancer treatment and lived much longer than expected. Continue reading... By Ian Sample Science editor Study to look at why some people with aggressive cancer are ‘super-survivors’ to Continue reading... NHS Forums -...

Rachel Hall · Nov 18, 2024

Declining standards of care for stroke patients must be reversed, says charity Figures from audit of England, Wales and Northern Ireland show some basic care now worse than decade ago Ministers are being urged to improve declining care for stroke patients to lower the risk of death and disability as new figures show rising cases, especially among people in their 50s. Thousands of stroke patients are missing out on appropriate treatment and rehabilitation, the standards of which have worsened over the past decade, the Stroke Association has said as it publishes the latest figures from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP), the nation’s biggest stroke data audit covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Continue...

Guardian Staff · Nov 17, 2024

Hospital league tables risk sapping NHS morale | Letters Pury Sharifi says tick boxes cannot measure continuity and compassion, while Alison Vaspe says naming and shaming is not the answer. Plus a letter from Sue Stephenson Re Rachel Clarke’s article on Labour’s plans to introduce hospital league tables (Wes Streeting, you must have a better plan for ailing hospitals than public humiliation, 13 November), I left the NHS during Labour’s introduction of the “value for money” policy in the health service pushed forward by Tony Blair. I worked in a very deprived area in London as a psychotherapist when Labour became besotted with performance targets. The test of how successful we were “to get people back to work”, which was given...

Guardian Staff · Nov 17, 2024

A vital health check is bypassing the people most in need | Letter Take the ‘midlife MOT’ to the people, especially those in deprived and ethnic-minority communities, who are more likely to develop heart disease, writes Dr Jahangir Alom The lack of engagement with the NHS health check should be deeply concerning for the secretary of state, as it is with me, an emergency medicine doctor who treats the consequences of undiagnosed heart disease (Less than half of eligible people received NHS ‘midlife MOT’ since 2019, says watchdog, 13 November). When you look into it further, the inequalities are alarming. If you come from a deprived part of England, such as east London, where I work, then you are four times more likely to die from a...

Phillip Inman · Nov 16, 2024

Streeting’s reforms could save the NHS from the private sector. He must not fail Fears over the health secretary’s plan are understandable. But patients and doctors alike are now fleeing the service for other providers There is going to be lots of angst in Labour ranks about the government’s proposed health reforms. At first glance they appear to be a reheated collection of Blairite targets and financial strictures that smack of privatisation by the back door. When the former health secretary and arch-Blairite Alan Milburn was installed by his successor Wes Streeting to oversee the shake-up, it was easy to see how fears of a rightward shift might be being confirmed. Continue reading... By Phillip Inman Streeting’s reforms could...

Denis Campbell Health policy editor · Nov 15, 2024

Streeting warns Britons against having cheap cosmetic surgery abroad Wes Streeting speaks out after deaths in Turkey among women travelling for procedures such as butt lifts Britons should resist the temptation to have cosmetic surgery abroad at “rock-bottom” prices in case they are harmed by substandard care, the health secretary has said. Wes Streeting spoke out after a spate of deaths among women who had travelled to Turkey for aesthetic treatment such as a Brazilian butt lift (BBL). Continue reading... By Denis Campbell Health policy editor Streeting warns Britons against having cheap cosmetic surgery abroad to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Denis Campbell Health policy editor · Nov 15, 2024

UK’s unhealthy food habits cost £268bn a year, report finds Exclusive: Food, Farming and Countryside Commission added up cost to NHS and economy of diet-linked disease The UK’s growing addiction to unhealthy food costs £268bn a year, far outstripping the budget for the whole NHS, the first research into the subject has found. The increased consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar or which have been highly processed is having a “devastating” impact on human health and Britain’s finances. Continue reading... By Denis Campbell Health policy editor UK’s unhealthy food habits cost £268bn a year, report finds to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Josh Halliday North of England editor · Nov 15, 2024

Letby inquiry: hospital bosses rebuked for not reporting spike in baby deaths to watchdog CQC official says managers showed a ‘lack of transparency’ during inspection nine months after Lucy Letby’s first murder Hospital managers showed a “lack of transparency” by failing to tell a healthcare watchdog about a spike in baby deaths during an inspection that took place nine months after Lucy Letby’s first murder, an inquiry has been told. A senior manager at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said executives at the Countess of Chester hospital had a “professional obligation” to alert inspectors to concerns about the rise in neonatal mortality during its review in February 2016. Continue reading... By Josh Halliday North of England...

Guardian Staff · Nov 15, 2024

Will Trump now save the Chagos Islands? | Brief letters Climate crisis | Uses for National Dried Milk tins | NHS league tables | Emoji-led communication This week, Nigel Farage told MPs that a senior Donald Trump adviser said that Diego Garcia in the Chagos archipelago is “the most important island on the planet as far as America was concerned”. Does Trump know that its mean height above sea level is just 4ft? If so, will he stop gambling with its future now and take real action to combat climate change? Julie Gale Oxford • Ian Simmons was not alone in storing his Lego in National Dried Milk tins (Letters, 13 November). They were, like 35mm film canisters, in the vanguard of cylindrical storage solutions. John Thompson York...

Peter Walker, Jessica Elgot and Pippa Crerar · Nov 14, 2024

Cabinet minister Liz Kendall says she will vote for assisted dying Work and pensions secretary confirms stance, as Wes Streeting faces criticism for saying law could bring NHS cuts Liz Kendall has become the first cabinet minister to confirm she will vote for the assisted dying bill since it was published, as the row intensified over the proposed law change. Some supporters of assisted dying have expressed anger after Wes Streeting, the health secretary and an opponent of the plan, warned it could be a potential drain on NHS resources. Continue reading... By Peter Walker, Jessica Elgot and Pippa Crerar Cabinet minister Liz Kendall says she will vote for assisted dying to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient...

Michael Minton · Nov 14, 2024

Robert Twycross obituary Doctor who transformed pain relief and emphasised the need for a holistic approach for patients in palliative care Robert Twycross, who has died aged 83, was a pioneering doctor in the field of palliative care. He helped build the specialty both in the UK and internationally, not only as a practitioner, but also as a teacher and author. His contribution to improving the care of the dying and those at the bedside is immense. Robert first met Dame Cicely Saunders, the founder of the modern hospice movement, while still a medical student in Oxford. Inspired by her work, he joined her at St Christopher’s hospice, in Sydenham, south-east London, as a research fellow in 1971. There, he began trials into the drugs...

Polly Toynbee · Nov 14, 2024

The right to die is about freedom – don’t let those who see it as a line on a spreadsheet torpedo it | Polly Toynbee MPs soon have a once-in-a-generation chance to vote for the assisted dying bill. Wes Streeting must not derail it That is a low blow, health secretary. On a matter of life, death and personal freedom, the debate should be elevated above this. Wes Streeting cheapens discussion on the right to die by suggesting there is no money to pay for a doctor to hand a dying patient the lethal dose they request. Disingenuously, he suggests that finding the funding would mean cuts to other services. It would have “resource implications” that would “come at the expense of other choices”. He made this unevidenced assertion before...

Harriet Sherwood · Nov 14, 2024

Many NHS staff would use conscience clause if assisted dying is legalised, say doctors Christian and Muslim groups say medics who refuse to help patients die not protected in England and Wales bill A significant proportion of NHS medical staff are likely to exercise a conscience clause if assisted dying is legalised by parliament. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s private member’s bill stipulates that no doctor would be under any obligation to participate in assisted dying. Continue reading... By Harriet Sherwood Many NHS staff would use conscience clause if assisted dying is legalised, say doctors to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Andrew Sparrow · Nov 14, 2024

Hospital waiting times in England fall to lowest level in five months - UK politics live The waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has fallen to 7.57m Prof Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, has put out a statement welcoming the waiting list reduction (see 9.53am), but saying the health service will be busier than ever before this winter. He says: The NHS is going into winter under more pressure and busier than ever before, with another record month for A&E and ambulance services before we even start to see a further spike of pressure caused by colder weather and the spread of winter viruses. While we saw 10% more A&E patients within four hours than last year despite the record demand, it...

Sammy Gecsoyler · Nov 14, 2024

Pharmacies vote to cut services unless UK government acts over ‘crisis’ Pharmacy owners to reduce hours and make fewer home deliveries of medicines unless there is better funding Pharmacies have said they will halt a number of services within weeks, including the end of free medicine deliveries and extended opening hours, unless the government drastically boosts funding for the sector to stem an “escalating crisis”. In a high-turnout ballot run by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents independent community pharmacies, 99% of pharmacy owners said they were willing to limit their services in the interests of patient safety if improved funding was not forthcoming. Serve notice on opening hours above the minimum...

Editorial · Nov 13, 2024

The Guardian view on NHS reform: evidence not dogma should be the guide | Editorial The health secretary is right to link investment to accountability, but he must be wary of creating perverse incentives For any government contemplating NHS reform, the 2012 Health and Social Care Act is a textbook case of what not to do. Despite promises of “no more pointless reorganisations”, the Tory health secretary Andrew Lansley did just that, abolishing management tiers and imposing new care commissioning and competition systems on reluctant doctors. The whole thing was a political nightmare that wasted resources, demoralised staff and undermined public confidence. In an independent report published earlier this year, Lord Darzi described the...

Guardian Staff · Nov 13, 2024

A remarkable feat of 19th-century joinery | Brief letters George Browne’s fitted kitchen | Regional restaurants | National Dried Milk | Human infestation | Lysistrata revisited Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky’s fitted kitchen was not the first (‘That damned kitchen!’ How the inventor of the fitted kitchen came to see it as a curse, 12 November). George Browne, of Troutbeck in the Lake District, built his stunning fitted kitchen in the early 1800s. It would be hard to adapt the design to modern kitchens, but it’s a remarkable feat of joinery that’s worth seeing at Browne’s farmhouse, Townend, which is now in the care of the National Trust. Lynn Fotheringham Over Kellet, Lancashire • Like Colin Struthers, I live in the Rossendale Valley...

Denis Campbell Health policy editor · Nov 13, 2024

Legalisation of assisted dying may force NHS cuts, Wes Streeting warns Minister has asked officials at Department of Health to analyse implications for other services Civil servants are looking at the extra costs that assisted dying would impose on the NHS amid a warning from Wes Streeting that some services may be cut to fund expanded end-of-life care. The health secretary has asked officials at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to analyse potential implications for NHS services if the right to die is legalised in England and Wales. Continue reading... By Denis Campbell Health policy editor Legalisation of assisted dying may force NHS cuts, Wes Streeting warns to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff |...

Rachel Clarke · Nov 13, 2024

Wes Streeting, you must have a better plan for ailing hospitals than public humiliation | Rachel Clarke The plan to introduce league tables is a simplistic, retrograde gimmick that will demoralise NHS staff – and sideline their incredible work Rachel Clarke is a palliative care doctor Seriously, Wes Streeting? After 14 wretched years of Tory austerity, stealth privatisation, draconian outsourcing, the Brexit staff drain and the horror and trauma of Covid from which – as you know – staff haven’t remotely recovered, the big NHS plan is to be … naming and shaming? Complete with inflammatory language that’s designed to scapegoat staff, such as the bad managers you’ve branded the NHS’s “guilty secret”? Do you genuinely think this is...

Andrew Sparrow · Nov 13, 2024

Streeting defends plan for hospital league tables after backlash – UK politics live Health secretary says bad managers are NHS’s ‘guilty secret’ in broadcast round ahead of first major speech on health service reform The Labour MP Diane Abbott has suggested that Wes Streeting’s attacks on NHS managers are a pretext for further privatisation. She posted these on social media this morning. Wes Streeting’s cascade of abuse of NHS managers and medics is a pretext for further and faster privatisation. Just yesterday NHS chiefs told Streeting they have not been given sufficient resources to meet his waiting list targets. They are right - they have not. Demanding unreachable targets when funds are inadequate will just deepen the crisis...

Anna Bawden · Nov 13, 2024

Less than half of eligible people received NHS ‘midlife MOT’ since 2019, says watchdog Health check, which looks for signs of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, is available to people over 40 Less than half of people over the age of 40 in England are getting the heart health checks they are entitled to, according to the government’s spending watchdog. The National Audit Office called for a review of how NHS health checks are provided in England, after it found that only 44% of eligible adults attended one in the past five years. Continue reading... By Anna Bawden Less than half of eligible people received NHS ‘midlife MOT’ since 2019, says watchdog to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Sam Wollaston · Nov 13, 2024

Nine hours and 52 minutes: did Dave Strachan’s ambulance wait cost him his life? When he woke up with chest pains, his wife, Lucille, called 999, expecting help to arrive in minutes. But as he drifted in and out of consciousness, their wait continued ... On the evening of 15 March 2022, Lucille and Dave Strachan had supper in their north Wales home, watched their favourite TV show, Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, then went upstairs to bed. Apart from one bout of food poisoning in the 1970s, Dave had never been ill before. But at about 11.20pm he woke up and told Lucille he had chest pains and difficulty breathing. Lucille called their daughter Hilary, a doctor, before dialling 999 and asking for an ambulance. Was Dave breathing, the...

Denis Campbell Health policy editor · Nov 13, 2024

Streeting’s hospital league table plan riles NHS medics and bosses Health secretary says controversial scheme for trusts in England is necessary to raise standards Wes Streeting plans to publish a football-style league table of the best- and worst-performing hospitals in England, prompting fury from NHS bosses and staff at the prospect of struggling trusts being “named and shamed”. The health secretary will announce the controversial move on Wednesday to an audience of health service leaders and defend it as a “tough” but necessary way of raising care standards. Continue reading... By Denis Campbell Health policy editor Streeting’s hospital league table plan riles NHS medics and bosses to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For...

Guardian Staff · Nov 12, 2024

Rise in NICs will endanger public health services | Letter While the NHS has been given an exemption to the NIC increase, health services commissioned outside the health service have not, says Greg Fell Your article outlining the extra strain on council budgets that the rise in employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) will cause highlighted the likely impact on adult and children’s social care services (Adult social care in England needs urgent help from ministers, say bosses, theguardian.com, 6 November). There will also be a significant impact on public health services, including sexual health and addiction services, health visitors and school nursing. In England, these (and other) vital services are paid for by the...

Denis Campbell Health policy editor · Nov 12, 2024

NHS England hopes to save thousands of lives with pill that helps smokers quit Experts say once-a-day varenicline tablet reduces nicotine cravings and side-effects from cutting out tobacco Hundreds of thousands of smokers will be given a pill that increases people’s chances of quitting, in a move that NHS bosses believe will save thousands of lives. About 85,000 people a year in England will be offered the chance to use varenicline, a once-a-day tablet that experts say is as effective as vapes at helping people to kick the habit. Continue reading... By Denis Campbell Health policy editor NHS England hopes to save thousands of lives with pill that helps smokers quit to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

News about the NHS

Show only:

Study to look at why some people with aggressive cancer are ‘super-survivors’

Declining standards of care for stroke patients must be reversed, says charity

Hospital league tables risk sapping NHS morale | Letters

A vital health check is bypassing the people most in need | Letter

Streeting’s reforms could save the NHS from the private sector. He must not fail

Streeting warns Britons against having cheap cosmetic surgery abroad

UK’s unhealthy food habits cost £268bn a year, report finds

Letby inquiry: hospital bosses rebuked for not reporting spike in baby deaths to watchdog

Will Trump now save the Chagos Islands? | Brief letters

Cabinet minister Liz Kendall says she will vote for assisted dying

Robert Twycross obituary

The right to die is about freedom – don’t let those who see it as a line on a spreadsheet torpedo it | Polly Toynbee

Many NHS staff would use conscience clause if assisted dying is legalised, say doctors

Hospital waiting times in England fall to lowest level in five months - UK politics live

Pharmacies vote to cut services unless UK government acts over ‘crisis’

The Guardian view on NHS reform: evidence not dogma should be the guide | Editorial

A remarkable feat of 19th-century joinery | Brief letters

Legalisation of assisted dying may force NHS cuts, Wes Streeting warns

Wes Streeting, you must have a better plan for ailing hospitals than public humiliation | Rachel Clarke

Streeting defends plan for hospital league tables after backlash – UK politics live

Less than half of eligible people received NHS ‘midlife MOT’ since 2019, says watchdog

Nine hours and 52 minutes: did Dave Strachan’s ambulance wait cost him his life?

Streeting’s hospital league table plan riles NHS medics and bosses

Rise in NICs will endanger public health services | Letter

NHS England hopes to save thousands of lives with pill that helps smokers quit

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