The rise of the expert patient has the power to transform the NHS February 12, 2015 The productivity of the NHS isn’t just important for our health. At 7 per cent of GDP, it matters for the whole economy. And this is why the next Parliament must see an efficiency revolution in the NHS, greater than any seen elsewhere or in the UK before. One important idea at the heart of [...]
Unison suspends NHS strike after new offer January 27, 2015 The Unison union has called off plans NHS workers to walk out on 29 January. After bitter disputes over pay with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the union said a new offer from the Department of Health would be put to its members. Unison was joined in its to suspend strike action by Unite, GMB and [...]
Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Private NHS operator Circle Holdings share price falls 27 per cent as it begins talks to to exit “unsustainable” contract January 9, 2015 Shares in healthcare contractor Circle plunged 27 per cent to 49p this morning, after it admitted it is in talks to pull out of its contract managing the UK's first privately run NHS hospital Hinchingbrooke. The company blamed increased pressure on its accident and emergency services, a lack of places for patients awaiting discharge and funding [...]
General Election 2015: This NHS spending arms race will not deliver the health service we need January 6, 2015 The NHS is unsustainable in its current form, but the remedy is reform rather than more money alone. This was the conclusion of the landmark report by Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, late last year. He argued that radical reform was needed to treat people quicker and prevent illness in the first place. [...]
Andy Burnham says Labour will spend £2.5bn a year to add 32,000 staff to the NHS January 4, 2015 Labour is evoking the spirit of Blair’s 1997 victory by attacking the Conservatives on the NHS. The shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has said if Labour is elected in May, it will invest £2.5bn a year in an NHS “time to care” fund, which will pay for 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 more GPs and an [...]
David Cameron: We need to “bust some myths” on TTIP and the NHS December 19, 2014 The government is poised to go on a PR campaign to win over critics of the transatlantic trade and investment partnership, with Prime Minister David Cameron saying advocates should “bust some myths” surrounding it. TTIP has courted controversy, with supporters saying it will cut barriers and boost the UK economy by as much as [...]
NHS would be in trouble without migrant workers December 10, 2014 The NHS would be “in dire straits” without migrant workers, one of the UK’s senior economists claimed yesterday. Office for Budget Responsibility board member Stephen Nickell told the Treasury Select Committee that 35 per cent of health professionals came from outside the UK. When asked whether immigration had a positive or negative impact on the [...]
Parkinson’s app uMotif is the first app to be prescribed on the NHS December 3, 2014 The NHS has just started prescribing its first app – from now on, patients with conditions such as diabetes, heart failure and Parkinsons can use uMotif, developed by a London-based startup, to monitor their health, The app works by monitoring patients' blood pressure, blood glucose – and even includes a pedometer. Using the data it [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: £2bn cash boost for NHS is not enough, says Labour November 30, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne announced a £2bn boost to NHS spending yesterday, ahead of formal plans which will be set out in the Autumn Statement. However, Labour hit back almost immediately, arguing that the extra cash is nowhere near enough to plug a hole in the healthcare budget. Speaking on the Andrew Marr show yesterday the [...]
NHS: George Osborne to promise an extra £2bn of funding November 30, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne is expected use his Autumn statement on Wednesday to announce an extra £2bn funding for frontline NHS services. It is anticipated that Osborne will pledge extra funding from April next year, according to the BBC. In a speech to parliament on Wednesday, when he will deliver exact details on its [...]