Health and care sector latest developments

Winter pressure builds as no sign of ‘festive flu’ letting up 

Flu cases in hospital have already surpassed last year’s peak as festive infections ‘flood’ hospitals early this winter. 

NHS England’s latest weekly figures show one-in-18 hospital beds are being taken up or closed by a festive bug, with 2,504 beds alone being taken up by flu patients – an increase of almost half on last week (1,861). 

Cases of norovirus also remain high, with 711 beds taken up by norovirus patients – almost a quarter more than last year. 

Responding to the figures, Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said: “NHS leaders and their teams will be working incredibly hard to keep patients safe, but we should not underestimate the impact that these winter viruses have on hospitals, with staff having to close wards or bays to stop the spread of infection or to be deep cleaned. This can have a big impact on capacity in a very busy system.” 

Hundreds of thousands of older people to get urgent care at home this winter 

Hundreds of thousands of older and frail patients will receive urgent treatment from home this winter, as part of NHS plans to manage additional pressure this winter. 

Rapid teams based in local neighbourhoods will attend less clinically urgent calls within two hours and treat patients for a range of conditions and issues at home. 

From falls to diabetes support or people who are suffering from confusion, the nationwide teams ensure that patients are treated quickly and effectively in their home, avoiding a hospital stay but also preventing hospital admissions. 

Responding to the announcement, Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said: “Finding new ways of providing care that can ease the pressure on hospitals is absolutely essential if we are going to put the NHS on a sustainable footing, particularly over the winter months. With the health service already facing what looks likely to be a very difficult winter, it is vital that innovations like this are set up and expanded so that we do not face another winter like this.” 

‘No let-up in demand’ for health and care services in Wales 

The NHS Wales performance and activity statistics for October and November revealed that, in November, an average of 198 immediately life-threatening calls were made to the ambulance service each day – the highest on record. 

For cancer services, 2,051 people started their first definitive treatment in October, 228 more than the previous month. 

Responding to the figures, Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said that they ‘show no let-up in demand for health and care services and therefore heightened pressure on staff.’ He added: ‘Unless we take prevention seriously with a whole-government approach to improving health and wellbeing, demand will continue to overwhelm health and care services, with staff and patients bearing the brunt.’ 

Hospices in England to receive £100 million funding boost 

Hospices in England are to receive £100 million of government funding over two years to improve end-of-life care, health secretary wes Streeting has announced. 

Another £26million is going to hospices for children and young people, which is a continuation of money previously given through a grant. 

It comes after hospice leaders warned that they were forced to close beds due to increasing financial pressures. 

The issue was the subject of an urgent question in parliament today. 

Only about a third of hospice funding comes from the NHS, the rest has to be raised from donations, fundraising and charity shops. 

Hospitals write off £112 million in foreign patient bills 

Figures obtained by the BBC show that London hospitals have written off more than £112 million in unpaid treatment bills from overseas patients between 2018 and 2023. 

Under current NHS regulations, hospital trusts in England must charge patients who are not ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for non-urgent treatment. 

Critics argue that the current system for recouping these costs is unfair and ineffective, with the British Medical Association arguing that the charging policy deters vulnerable groups from accessing necessary healthcare while diverting NHS staff time away from patient care. 

The DHSC said it expected all NHS trusts to recover any charges not paid in advance wherever possible.

Trust axed decade-long deal with consultants’ firm after NHS England ‘intervention’ 

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation Trust ended a long-standing multi-million deal with an insourcing firm owned by some of its medical consultants after a ‘supportive intervention’ by NHS England, the HSJ has reported. 

The trust has paid Oswestry Orthopaedics LLP, which has 28 of the trust’s consultants listed on its website, millions of pounds in recent years, but the deal, under which the firm was paid for additional elective work, was axed earlier this year.

 This followed a change in national agency rules, and a specific ‘supportive intervention’ with RJAH by the NHS England Midlands team, to ensure the contract was ended. 

It comes as many trusts are grappling with negotiations with medical consultants over the cost of extra-contractual work, with similar LLP arrangements existing at other providers. 

Ex-regulator chief sent into ICS facing £350 million deficit 

Louise Shepherd, NHS England’s north-west regional director, has told local leaders that Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System has made ‘no progress’ in reducing its spending rate since entering the national ‘investigation and intervention’ scheme earlier this year. 

In a letter seen by the HSJ, she has asked Stephen Hay, former managing director of NHS Improvement and a PricewaterhouseCoopers team led by Damien Ashford to ‘perform a rapid two-week diagnostic’. 

The letter explained: ‘NHS England has accepted a £175million deficit plan for the system for 2024-25. Despite practical support instigated through the investigation and intervention process, the system made no progress in reducing the run rate…At month seven, the system had a year-to-year deficit of £217 million, and without immediate and significant action the system is at risk of ending the year with a deficit in excess of £350 million. This is not affordable and so NHS England must now take urgent action…’. 

ICB chief quits to go full-time at NHS England 

Adam Doyle, the chief executive of Sussex ICB, is leaving the role to join NHS England full time, having been working part time as national director for system development since March last year. 

He will take up the NHS England role full-time from mid-January. 

It has been noted that Mr Doyle’s workload had been increasing because of his part in developing a new NHS operating model and oversight and assessment framework. 

New chair for integrated trust 

Homerton Healthcare Foundation Trust has announced Mary Elford will replace Sir John Gieve as chair of the organisation when his second three-year term expires in April next year. 

Ms Elford has been chair of Cambridgeshire Community Services Trust since 2020 and has previously been vice chair at East London Foundation Trust and a non-executive director at Barts Health Trust. She has also served on the national independent reconfiguration panel, and the council of the General Pharmaceutical Council. 

NHS England deputy director to join ICB 

Ed Waller, who has been deputy chief financial officer at NHS England since early 2022, is to become chief strategy and partnerships officer at Kent and Medway ICB, where he will lead on ‘strategic transformational change programmes’.

At NHSEngland, Mr Waller led on strategic finance and planning, which involves a major role in negotiations over funding and objectives with government. Previously he worked as a primary care director at NHS England, and on the COVID-19 vaccination programme.