News about the NHS

Rachel Hall · 2024-11-21T00:10:26+0000

Mental health patients harmed by being sent to units far from home, report finds Distant placements found to have led to anxiety, PTSD and suicide in some cases, as use of them increases in England Mental health patients in England are being harmed by the increase in placements in psychiatric units far from their homes and families, a new report indicates. Patients have had anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while some have died by suicide as a result of their distant placements, according to a Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) report, which drew on interviews with patients and their loved ones. The participants spoke of how their experiences had resulted in feelings of anger, frustration and a loss...

Jessica Elgot and Peter Walker · 2024-11-20T15:04:30+0000

UK’s longest-serving MPs issue joint plea for Commons to reject assisted dying bill Diane Abbott and the Conservative Sir Edward Leigh, mother and father of the House, say law has been rushed Diane Abbott and Edward Leigh: Our politics could not be more different – but we’re united against this bill Assisted dying: what are the ‘slippery slope’ fears in England and Wales? Britain’s longest-serving MPs, Labour’s Diane Abbott and the Conservative Sir Edward Leigh, have issued a joint call urging the Commons to reject the assisted dying bill, arguing it is being rushed through and puts vulnerable people at risk. Writing for the Guardian, Abbott and Leigh – the mother and father of the house – said there had been insufficient...

Harriet Grant · 2024-11-20T13:36:21+0000

Tower Hamlets mayor taken to court over removal of low-traffic neighbourhoods Save Our Safer Streets crowdfunds to challenge Lutfur Rahman over scrapping three LTNs in London borough The mayor of Tower Hamlets is facing a judicial review this week over his decision to remove three low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the east London area of Bethnal Green. The campaign group Save Our Safer Streets (SOSS) says the LTNs are vital to protect children in deprived areas from pollution and the risks of heavy traffic. Continue reading... By Harriet Grant Tower Hamlets mayor taken to court over removal of low-traffic neighbourhoods to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Denis Campbell Health policy editor · 2024-11-20T00:13:00+0000

Wes Streeting orders review of physician associates’ role in NHS About 3,500 PAs work in England but there is growing alarm in medical profession about patient safety Wes Streeting has ordered a review of what physician associates (PAs) do in the NHS, amid growing alarm in the medical profession about patient safety. It will examine the safety of their roles and how patients should be made aware that, despite their titles and ability to diagnose illness, they are not doctors and can only perform certain tasks. Continue reading... By Denis Campbell Health policy editor Wes Streeting orders review of physician associates’ role in NHS to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Guardian Staff · Tuesday at 5:25 PM

Midlife MOTs on the NHS? Who knew? | Brief letters Health checks | Bothering the NHS | Cornwall tourists | Christmas markets | Horse racing Dr Jahangir Alom (Letters, 17 November) raises an important issue regarding midlife health checks. He rightly points out that people (especially men) from certain cultural backgrounds not engaging with vital NHS checks is a problem which needs to be solved. I wonder, though, how many other people in their late 60s, living in east London like me, have just found out through the Guardian letters page that these health checks exist. Could it be that many of those who aren’t engaging with the process simply haven’t been told that there is a process with which to engage? Name and address supplied •...

Robert Booth UK technology editor · Tuesday at 12:09 PM

Meta bid to use AI in UK public sector takes step forward with NHS scheme Silicon Valley tech companies competing to work with local and national government Meta’s push to deploy its artificial intelligence system inside Britain’s public sector took a step forward on Monday night when the tech giant awarded development funding to technology aimed at speeding up NHS A&E waiting times. Amid rival efforts by Silicon Valley tech companies to work with national and local government, Meta ran its first “hackathon” in Europe asking over 200 programmers to devise ways to use its Llama AI system in UK public services and, one senior Meta executive said, “focused on the priorities of the Labour party”. Continue reading... By Robert Booth...

Zoe Williams · Tuesday at 12:09 PM

760,000 women in the UK waiting for a gynaecological appointment? That’s just the tip of the iceberg | Zoe Williams A broken NHS makes life worse for everyone. What happened to the dream of promoting ‘good health in all citizens’? The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has landed on an arresting image to illustrate the waiting-list crisis in its field. If all 760,000 women waiting for NHS gynaecological appointments were to stand in a line, the queue would go from London to Exeter. It’s great for visualisation, but it also rams home what a criminal waste of human energy this represents – the awful pressing interminability. I couldn’t face the queue for Kew Gardens now, let alone if I were in constant pain. Given this...

Tom Ambrose and agency · Monday at 9:39 PM

Unlicensed medicines may lead to more baby deaths in England, coroner warns Contaminated feed inquest conclusions highlight concerns over lack of requirement for providers to report problems More babies in England could die from issues caused by unlicensed medicines if providers are not required to report problems, a coroner has warned. The conclusions were reached at the end of an inquest held after three infants died due to receiving contaminated feed. Continue reading... By Tom Ambrose and agency Unlicensed medicines may lead to more baby deaths in England, coroner warns to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Guardian Staff · Monday at 5:56 PM

As a doctor, I’m trained to preserve life, not end it | Letters Chula Goonasekera highlights several critical issues that need to be taken into account with assisted dying legislation. Plus letters from Jonathan Haydn-Williams and Eric Foxley As a doctor, I find it challenging to reconcile the idea of authorising or consenting to life-ending medication even when legally justified (Cabinet minister Liz Kendall says she will vote for assisted dying, 14 November). My entire training has been centred on preserving life. During the ongoing deliberations, decision-makers must consider several critical points carefully. First, advancements in medicine have enabled patients with severe illnesses to live longer, often through supportive and...

Guardian Staff · Monday at 5:56 PM

A price worth paying for a dignified death | Letters Anne Heaton, Elsbeth Christie and Emma Tait react to the health secretary’s warning that legalising assisted dying would divert funds from the NHS I thought the vote on assisted dying was to be according to MPs’ consciences and that the government wasn’t taking a side. How is it, then, that Wes Streeting is making his views prominent and using his position as health secretary to suggest the NHS will be adversely affected by a vote in favour (Legalisation of assisted dying may force NHS cuts, Wes Streeting warns, 13 November)? I don’t believe that is true, and in any case it is irrelevant. People should have a choice at the end of their lives, even if there is a cost to the NHS. To...

Rachel Hall · Monday at 12:18 AM

Doctors warn of ‘massive’ winter crisis in UK’s overstretched A&E departments Royal College of Emergency Medicine warns of ‘unacceptable risk’ posed by lack of funding to NHS Emergency doctors have sounded the alarm over an approaching winter crisis that they say is already putting patients in overstretched A&E departments at risk. Nearly all medics (94%) fear patients are coming to harm because of the conditions in A&E departments around the UK, according to a snapshot survey of 83 medics from emergency departments from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). Most (87%) are not confident their departments will cope well over the winter months, while 41% feel less prepared for this winter compared with last year. More than...

Ian Sample Science editor · Monday at 12:18 AM

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 · Monday at 12:18 AM

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 · Sunday at 5:59 PM

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 · Sunday at 5:59 PM

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 · Saturday at 5:29 PM

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 · Friday at 9:23 PM

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 · Friday at 8:16 PM

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 · Friday at 6:06 PM

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 · Friday at 6:06 PM

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...

News about the NHS

Show only:

Mental health patients harmed by being sent to units far from home, report finds

UK’s longest-serving MPs issue joint plea for Commons to reject assisted dying bill

Tower Hamlets mayor taken to court over removal of low-traffic neighbourhoods

Wes Streeting orders review of physician associates’ role in NHS

Midlife MOTs on the NHS? Who knew? | Brief letters

Meta bid to use AI in UK public sector takes step forward with NHS scheme

760,000 women in the UK waiting for a gynaecological appointment? That’s just the tip of the iceberg | Zoe Williams

Unlicensed medicines may lead to more baby deaths in England, coroner warns

As a doctor, I’m trained to preserve life, not end it | Letters

A price worth paying for a dignified death | Letters

Doctors warn of ‘massive’ winter crisis in UK’s overstretched A&E departments

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

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