Climate change is a health emergency and along with challenges around workforce, health inequalities and winter pressures, system leaders must also work to meet the net zero target by 2040. Healthcare Leader provides an overview of the current state of play The NHS has done major work on reducing its impact on climate change but […]
The start date for the adult flu and covid vaccination programmes – initially set for 1 September – has been delayed until October, NHS England has confirmed. However, vaccinations for flu in school-aged children and for pre-schoolers will start on September 1, as planned. The Enhanced Service specification for the seasonal flu programme published by NHS […]
Austerity measures in the decade leading to 2020 left the NHS and UK as a whole ‘hugely unprepared’ for the Covid pandemic and its fallout, a report from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has found. Funding cuts to public services reduced the country’s ability to respond to the pandemic, with strain felt particularly in public […]
Culture wars surrounding lockdowns and revelations of rule breaking during the pandemic have ‘sapped our will’ to learn from Covid, the NHS Confederation’s chief executive has said. Additionally, the Government is too ‘embarrassed’ about worsening waiting lists and poor GP access to engage with the public on how the NHS should deliver care, Matthew Taylor […]
People from ethnic minority backgrounds are no longer more statistically likely to die from Covid-19, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. In the earliest stages of the pandemic, mortality rates were significantly higher for people from ethnic minority backgrounds compared to those from white British backgrounds. But that difference has been in decline […]
Covid-19 vaccination sites are offering eligible patients atrial fibrillation (AF) and blood pressure (BP) screenings under a new pilot scheme. Launched in the Surrey and Heartlands ICB footprint in November, the pilot will see four local vaccination sites offer BP screenings to up to 26,000 people and AF screenings for up to 6,000. Patients over […]
As many as 244 hospital beds in Lancashire and South Cumbria are currently occupied by patients confirmed to have Covid-19, the ICB has warned. Of these, 239 patients are occupying acute medical meds, while the remaining five are occupying critical care beds. The ICB has cautioned that the higher number for Covid patients is impacting […]
The number of patients in Devon’s hospitals with Covid-19 is around five times higher than it was at the start of September, marking a huge spike in infections across the county, the ICB has warned. As many as 250 hospital patients are currently positive with the virus, the Board said. This number stood at just […]
The NHS backlog would have likely hit 5.3 million people at the end of May 2022, regardless of the pandemic’s impact, new analysis has found. The current waiting list for elective care stands at a record-breaking 6.7 million people, with around 355,774 patients waiting more than a year after referral. However, analysists from the Nuffield […]
Covid mortality rates are still around three to four times higher in the most deprived areas in England compared to the least deprived, a review has found. According to the Health Foundation, there remains ‘a significant gap in the risk of dying from Covid-19’ by deprivation level. It noted that age-standardised mortality rates have been […]
The Government is failing to provide ‘adequate support’ for NHS staff with long Covid, the BMA has said, with just two weeks left until pay provisions for the condition are cut. The association said that there is still a ‘significant burden of long-term illness’ from Covid-19, which is likely to increase as people continue to […]