Health and care sector latest developments
Streeting warns of risks posed by flu outbreak
The health secretary has said the NHS is facing a "challenge unlike any it has seen since the pandemic", as flu cases continue to surge.
As The Guardian reports, Wes Streeting explained that the combination of flu and resident doctor strikes could be "the Jenga piece" which causes the NHS to collapse.
He once again urged "resident doctors to accept the government's offer", thereby averting strikes planned for next week.
Despite Streeting's warnings, some have disagreed with the current scale of the flu outbreak.
Dr Chris Streather, a regional medical director, for example, asserted that it is "nothing like the scale" of the pandemic, and that the NHS "is coping at the moment."
Public health allocations to be held flat
Public health allocations are expected to be held flat in real terms over the next three years.
HSJ has been told that, despite the government's emphasis on shifting to prevention, the £12.1 billion sum cannot amount to more than keeping up with inflation.
The Health Foundation's assistant director, Jason Strelitz, explained that this will leave funding "cut by a quarter on a real-term per capita basis since 2015/16".
Hospitals restricting treatments amid financial struggles
Hospitals are having to restrict treatments as the NHS struggles to balance its books.
The BBC has learned that some hospitals have been ordered to cut back on how many patients they are seeing, which could lead to more patients waiting to be treated.
Sarah Walter from the NHS Confederation emphasised the "unprecedented financial challenge", which has led to "some very tough decisions over how limited funding and tight budgets should be spent."
New MedTech qualifications announced
The government has announced new Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) to tackle skill gaps in MedTech.
Technicians and regulatory advisers will be trained to work on AI-enabled health devices, wearable tech, imaging, and diagnostic tools.
Health innovation minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said the qualifications "demonstrate exactly the kind of innovative thinking we need to equip people with cutting-edge skills".
Clustering ICBs will share board members
Two integrated care boards (ICBs) that recently announced clustering arrangements have confirmed they will share a chief executive, chair and executive team.
Last month, South West London (SWL) and South East London (SEL) ICBs announced they would cluster and explore joint working – almost six months after most other ICBs decided to do so in light of mandated cost cuts.
The south London ICBs told staff in November that non-executive members of SWL ICB had decided they needed to work with SEL. But the groups had not at that point agreed to shared leadership.
Today, the ICBs have confirmed that the new clustering arrangement would involve sharing an ICB chair, chief executive and single executive team.
They have not yet decided who will be in these shared roles. Katie Fisher and Anne Rainsberry are the current chief executive and acting chair of SWL ICB, respectively, while Andrew Bland and Sir Richard Douglas hold those roles at SEL ICB.
Their boards continue to insist they will remain separate statutory bodies, despite NHS England signalling that clustered ICBs are likely to merge in the longer term.
General Medical Services Contract Reform for 2025-26 in Wales
The negotiations for the 2025-26 General Medical Services (GMS) contract have concluded. This agreement reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting general practice in Wales and is the result of constructive partnership working between the Welsh Government, NHS Wales and GPC Wales.
Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, Darren Hughes responded to the news stating:
“NHS leaders welcome this agreement as a positive example of social partnership in action.
“We also welcome the commitment to accelerating digital transformation for patients through the NHS Wales App and the measures agreed in the contract to enable enhanced population health management, such as diabetes management.
“GPs and their multidisciplinary teams remain the ‘front door to the NHS’ and sufficient investment in general practice and wider primary and community care is vital to shifting more care closer to home, improving access and outcomes for patients – as is the aim of the community-by-design programme.
“Evidence shows investing in primary and community care reduces demand on hospitals and emergency care and delivers returns of £14 for every £1 invested. To enable this shift ‘upstream’ from hospital-centred care to integrated services in the community, we must develop care pathways and joint performance measures that address the full needs of individuals.”
UK and Singapore launch regulatory innovation corridor
The UK and Singapore have launched a regulatory innovation corridor, aiming to fast-track healthcare innovations.
Companies will have a coordinated pathway between the MHRA and Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA), enabling engagement with both regulators at the same time.
Both countries should therefore be able to improve horizon scanning for emerging technologies and therapeutic modalities, while learning from each other's regulatory approaches.
Health innovation minister Dr Zubir Ahmed argued the deal makes "the UK more attractive for life sciences investment".
