Health and care sector latest developments
Patients face long journeys for medicines as pharmacies cut weekend hours
People who need to obtain medication at the weekend are having to undertake long trips because more pharmacies are cutting their opening hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
According to the Guardian, one in six pharmacies in England have reduced their hours at weekends since 2022, with some shutting altogether, as a result of “unsustainable” pressures on their budgets.
The cuts mean that overall more than 20 per cent of weekend opening hours have been lost, which has left pharmacy services increasingly unavailable, according to the National Pharmacy Association.
That has forced some patients to go to an A&E or urgent treatment centre to get the morning-after pill, or an emergency prescription or advice on how to treat a minor ailment.
Review launched into transition from children’s to adult care
The Health and Social Care Committee has asked its Independent Expert Panel, led by Professor Dame Jane Dacre to investigate problems faced by young people moving from children’s health and care services to adult provision.
The review will assess issues such as poor transition planning, gaps between the end of children’s services and the start of adult care, and weak communication with families, particularly for those with complex conditions.
It will also consider how guidance from NICE is applied and whether services and commissioners are being held accountable.
BMA delays stance on Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act
The BMA has delayed implementing its policy on prioritising UK graduates for specialty training after the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act became law, claiming that the legislation takes a different approach, and members need clarity on the organisation’s position.
Analysis from NHS England suggests that requiring international medical graduates to gain around two years of NHS experience before equal access to training would only slightly ease competition for posts.
The BMA said it will reconsider its approach later in 2026 while engaging with Government consultations but continues to stress that the main challenge remains the limited number of specialty training places.
ICB morale plummets amid restructures
Nearly half of integrated care boards (ICBs) opted out of the 2025 NHS Staff Survey, and those that took part saw a huge drop in morale amid restructuring.
The 2025 data covers just 23 ICBs, because the remaining 19 decided not to take part amid major restructures.
The share agreeing they ‘would recommend my organisation as a place to work’, on average across the ICBs, plummeted from 54 per cent to 36.9 per cent. It was already lower than most provider trusts.
Drastic cuts to ICB budgets and a narrowing of their role were announced a year ago, followed by months of uncertainty and redundancy schemes running over the winter. Many ICBs have merged their leadership with neighbours.
Chief executive: We have ‘hurt and let down’ our staff
A hospital group chief executive says its leaders have “managed to let people down” and, in some cases, “disconnected” from their staff, in response to very poor NHS Staff Survey scores.
The Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group chief executive’s comments in an all-staff briefing email acknowledge the significant morale problems across the three trusts, which are undergoing a major restructure.
Lesley Dwyer was appointed group chief executive and took the group live last year. It comprises Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, James Paget University Hospitals, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Foundation Trusts.
The results showed a year-on-year decline in staff satisfaction across all three trusts. Professor Dwyer told the Health Service Journal this was “from a starting point that was already too low”.
