Health and care sector latest developments

Almost every GP offering online access for patients 

Patients at 98.7 per cent of GP practices in England can now access their surgery online owing to changes brought in by the government allowing patients to submit online consultation requests open during work hours (8am – 6.30pm). 

A record eight million online requests were submitted by patients in October after the requirement was introduced. This was an increase of one-fifth on the previous month, and an increase of two thirds on last year. 

The government has said that improving access to general practice is vital in easing pressures on other parts of the health system and that online requests will be a critical tool for patients and the health service this winter, providing flexibility and convenience. 

Ruth Rankine, primary care director at the NHS Confederation, said that online requests were ‘helping practices manage demand safely and efficiently, while giving patients greater flexibility in how they seek help’, but she warned that ‘digital access digital access must complement – not replace – face-to-face care’. 

Row continues over planned resident doctors’ strike 

Health secretary, Wes Streeting, has accused the British Medical Association (BMA) of ‘juvenile delinquency’ ahead of a fresh round of what he called ‘unnecessary’ strikes over Christmas. 

He added that the union often behaved ‘more like a cartel than a trade union’ with its ‘wildly irrational and unreasonable’ demands.

The BMA is insisting its members deserve a 26 per cent pay rise to account for inflation over the past two decades. 

The health secretary, however, claimed that the union is ‘wildly out of kilter’ with GPs on the front line. 

RCN warns of 'devastating' winter ahead 

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is warning that patients face a ‘devastating’ winter as new analysis reveals a rise in 12-hour waits for hospital admission – a 90-fold increase in just six years.  

The organisation has accused ministers of acting with ‘insufficient urgency’ since last winter, failing to invest in hospital and community capacity or boost staffing levels.  

Their analysis of NHS data revealed that, between July and September this year, 116,141 patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E after a decision to admit, compared to just 1,281 in 2019 – an increase of almost 9,000 per cent. Over the same period, overnight bed capacity has grown by only 2 per cent, adding just 2,192 beds. 

Pressure on services means that more patients are also leaving A&E without treatment, jumping from 100,000 in 2019 to more than 320,000 in 2025. 

Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said that the findings are ‘deeply concerning and are yet more evidence of rising demand on the NHS, leaving patients being treated in unsuitable places such as corridors and temporary wards.’

CEOs warn ICBs’ roles still opaque 

The new role of integrated care boards remains ‘opaque’ and risks encouraging ‘transactional’ relationships, chief executives have warned.

The government and NHS England have ordered major changes to ICBs’ roles over the past year as part of a new NHS ‘operating model’. 

As part of this, there have been numerous attempts to describe the new approach, for example in the Model ICB Blueprint, which was published in May, the overhaul of the NHS oversight framework, which came in June, and the 10 Year Health Plan which was released in July. 

NHSE leaders have also indicated they think ICBs should have little involvement in day-to-day coordination of secondary care, should call fewer cross-system meetings, and that some local partnership working does not need ICB involvement. 

The new operating model is due to formally take effect in next April.  

Trusts furthest from financial plan revealed 

NHS England has revealed the trusts furthest behind their financial plans halfway through the year, with some providers off plan by up to 6 per cent as a proportion of their turnover. 

The trust-level data follows NHS England reporting its 42 health systems were overall only a fraction of a percentage point behind a planned £1.2bn deficit for the first six months of the year. NHSE said systems were £289m behind plan, against a combined allocation of £167bn (0.2 per cent). 

The group of the 20 most challenged include a broad range, from major acute providers, such as Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, to specialist providers such as Liverpool Women’s Foundation Trust. 

The provider furthest off plan in terms of percentage of turnover was Salisbury FT, which recorded it was £12m overspent, around 6 per cent of its turnover. Two other trusts in the bottom five – Royal United Hospitals FT and Great Western Hospitals FT – sit within the same BSW Hospitals Group.  

Health secretary questions advice to limit prostate cancer screening 

Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was ‘surprised’ by the UK screening committee’s draft advice against wider prostate cancer testing and plans to ‘thrash out’ the evidence with scientific experts before a final decision is made. 

He stressed that decisions ‘have got to be based on science and evidence, not on politics’, but noted significant disagreement among researchers and patient groups. 

While advisers warn broader PSA screening could ‘cause more harm than good’, Streeting is ‘interrogating the data’ amid calls for more targeted screening and concerns that current evidence gaps may disadvantage high-risk groups. 

Government aiming to tackle child poverty 

The government has said that parents will save up to £500 a year as action it is taking on how baby formula is displayed will help them choose the lower price infant formula that is right for them.  

The announcement has been made ahead of the release of the government’s child poverty strategy, which is expected soon. 

Ministers say that the changes will help those who cannot - or choose not to - breastfeed their babies to provide them with the best possible start in life, alleviate child poverty and put hundreds of pounds back in parents’ pockets. 

Covid inquiry has cost government £100 million to respond to 

The public inquiry into the Covid pandemic has cost the government more than £100 million to respond to so far, it has been reported. 

This is in addition to the £192 million spent by the inquiry itself, meaning the cost to the taxpayer is over 50 per cent more than initially thought. 

The government’s spending on the inquiry covers legal advice and staffing costs. A recent estimate found that a team of 248 was working across departments to produce evidence for the inquiry. 

The Cabinet Office has said it is committed to the inquiry and learning the lessons for the future. 

BMA publishes report on disability and neurodivergence in the medical profession 

The British Medical Association (BMA) has published the findings of a survey it carried out of doctors and medical students who are disabled and/or neurodivergent and/or have a long-term health condition/s. 

Key findings include nearly 73 per cent of respondents who needed reasonable adjustments said they hadn’t received all the adjustments they need, with 43 per cent saying they had to use their own money to pay for adjustments. 

70 per cent of respondents thought ableism was an issue in their place of work/study and 56 per cent thought ableism was more of an issue in the medical profession than in wider society. 

67 per cent of respondents said they had notified their current workplace or medical school about being disabled and/or neurodivergent and/or having a long-term health condition. Of these, only 33 per cent said that telling their workplace or medical school had led to improved support. 

Health and Care Women Leaders Network announces new leadership 

The Health and Care Women Leaders Network has appointed a new chair and deputy chair.  

Salma Yasmeen, chief executive of Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, will take over as chair alongside Helen Buckingham, chair of National Voices, who will take on the role of deputy chair.