Falling short: the NHS workforce challenge. Workforce profile and trends of the NHS in England

Falling short: the NHS workforce challenge. Workforce profile and trends of the NHS in England This is the fourth annual NHS workforce trends report published by the Health Foundation. In it, we analyse the changes in the size and composition of the NHS workforce in England in the context of long-term trends, policy priorities and future projected need.

This report builds on those of previous years to provide analysis of longer-term trends and insights into the changing NHS staff profile. It focuses specifically on the critical NHS workforce issues that have been repeatedly identified in recent years: nursing shortages, and shortages of staff in general practice and primary care. The Health Foundation

See also:

• Support staff and nurses from abroad plugging shortages in NHS workforce The Health Foundation
• Health and social care workforce: General Election 2019: priorities for the next government The Health Foundation
• Nursing shortages forcing NHS to rely on less qualified staff – report The Guardian
• Patients being put at risk as NHS substitute nurses for care staff with only a few weeks of training The Independent

Immunotherapy offers hope for men with prostate cancer

Immunotherapy offers hope for men with prostate cancer A major trial of an immunotherapy drug has shown it can be effective in some men with advanced prostate cancer.

The men had stopped responding to the main treatment options.

Researchers found that a small proportion of men, described as "super responders", remained well even after the trial ended, despite a very poor prognosis before treatment. BBC News

See also:

• Pembrolizumab for Treatment-Refractory Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Multicohort, Open-Label Phase II KEYNOTE-199 Study (abstract) Journal of Clinical Oncology
• Terminal prostate cancer patients could get 'two more years of life' with experimental drug The Daily Mail

General election 2019: NHS news under wraps until after polling day

General election 2019: NHS news under wraps until after polling day There have been calls for politicians to dial down the rhetoric in the health debate and to avoid "weaponising" the NHS.

The subject has been prominent in the election campaign and there is a widespread interest in understanding what is actually happening across the health service.

Political claims, counter-claims and rows over statistics don't always help that understanding. Some voters might feel they would like to hear from clinicians and other frontline staff.

But that won't be possible until after polling day because of a Cabinet Office policy known as "purdah" BBC News

General election 2019: Row over Labour's 'NHS for sale' claim

General election 2019: Row over Labour's 'NHS for sale' claim A row has broken out after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claimed he had "proof" the NHS was at risk under a post-Brexit trade deal with the US.

Mr Corbyn said he had a 451-page dossier showing initial talks had taken place, proving the NHS was "for sale".

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the claims were "nonsense" and the NHS would not be part of trade talks. BBC News

See also:

• General Election 2019: NHS is in no way on the table, says Johnson BBC News
• Jeremy Corbyn says Tories will put NHS 'up for sale' to US The Daily Mail
• Jeremy Corbyn reveals dossier 'proving NHS up for sale' The Guardian
• 'The NHS is not on the table': Boris Johnson denies Labour claims – video The Guardian
• Andrew Sparrow's election briefing: the NHS dossier The Guardian
• Corbyn says NHS will be on the table in US trade talks Sky News

‘I cry every day’: Anorexia patient forced to live 400 miles from home because of NHS bed crisis

‘I cry every day’: Anorexia patient forced to live 400 miles from home because of NHS bed crisis A student midwife battling anorexia is being forced to live almost 400 miles from her home in Norfolk because of a chronic shortage of specialist beds in the NHS.

Emily Gasparro, 20, is one of dozens of patients being forced to travel long distances across the UK to receive the help they need for serious mental health problems. The Independent

Record rise in student nurses – but unions warn it isn’t enough to cover NHS shortfall

Record rise in student nurses – but unions warn it isn’t enough to cover NHS shortfall The number of students accepted on nursing courses at UK universities has reached a record high – but unions warn that significant shortages remain in the workforce.

Figures from Ucas show the number of nursing applicants has risen by 6.7 per cent across the UK, ending a decline that began when the government scrapped bursaries for student nurses in 2017.

But unions say the numbers are still “nowhere near” enough to end the ”staffing crisis” facing the nursing sector. The Independent

Health service in UK lagging behind that of other wealthy countries

Health service in UK lagging behind that of other wealthy countries Britain's health service is lagging behind that of other high-income countries, research suggests.

The study by the London School of Economics and Harvard School of Public Health compared

ten countries, examining spending levels, and a range of indicators measuring quality of care. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Performance of UK National Health Service compared with other high income countries: observational study (open access). The BMJ

Doubling in number of overseas nurses coming to work in UK

Doubling in number of overseas nurses coming to work in UK The number of foreign nurses coming to work in Britain has doubled in just one year, a report shows.

The official figures show more 7,125 nurses who trained abroad registered for work in the UK in 2018/19 - up from 3,525 the year before. The Daily Telegraph

Major NHS hospital sees record 499 A&E patients in one 'manic' day

Major NHS hospital sees record 499 A&E patients in one 'manic' day One of the UK's biggest hospitals had a record-breaking number of people through the doors of its emergency department on Sunday.

The Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent dealt with 499 patients – the most it has ever had – under what its chief executive said was 'immense pressure'.

A normal day for the city A&E sees just 384, meaning the 'manic' rise added a a third more patients. The Daily Mail