Government's new hospitals pledge on shaky ground

Government's new hospitals pledge on shaky ground Plans for 40 new hospitals by 2030 are on shaky ground, NHS leaders have said, warning that delays are pushing up costs, denting staff morale and putting the safety of patients at risk.

Nearly two in three leaders who responded said delays to the programme affected their ability to deliver safe and effective patient care, with all those facing delays reporting cost implications. NHS Providers

See also:

• New Hospital Programme survey July 2022 NHS Providers
• Is the government going to build 48 new hospitals by 2030? Full Fact
• NHS hospital buildings risky and need repair, say trust bosses BBC News
• Plans to build 40 new hospitals in England ‘moving at a glacial pace’ The Guardian
• NHS chiefs warn patients will start being turned away due to delays in repairing hospital buildings iNews

The NHS: decline and fall, or resurrection?

The NHS: decline and fall, or resurrection? This briefing outlines how the NHS is struggling to recover from the impact of the pandemic and rising demand for services. It describes a change programme that could reverse the decline, involving public health reform, the expansion of community health services and more. Social Market Foundation

Improving children and young people’s mental health services: Local data insights from England, Scotland and Wales

Improving children and young people’s mental health services: Local data insights from England, Scotland and Wales Across the UK, the number of children and young people experiencing mental health problems is growing.

Mental health services are expanding, but not fast enough to meet rising needs, leaving many children and young people with limited or no support. Too little is known about who receives care and crucially, who doesn’t.

This briefing presents analysis from the Health Foundation’s Networked Data Lab (NDL) about children and young people’s mental health. The analysis from local teams across England, Scotland and Wales has highlighted three key areas for urgent investigation, to help ensure children and young people get the care they need.

How the public thinks about health, and why it matters

How the public thinks about health, and why it matters Ask the public about health, and they often put the responsibility on the individual and the NHS.

And yet we know the context in which we live and make choices really matters. The context that governments, businesses, employers and investors have a big hand in shaping.  

Polling shows the public is increasingly seeing the government as having an important role to play in improving people's health, and there's public appetite to reduce the health inequalities highlighted by the pandemic. 

So how does the public think about health? And what can be done to engage local communities in improving health?  Podcast from The Health Foundation.

Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity

Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was making some progress in increasing national participation in sport and physical activity until the impact of the pandemic reversed these gains. However, it needs to do more to reach key groups who are less likely to be active including women, the least affluent and Black and Asian people, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published The main points from this week’s national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report are:

Surveillance indicators suggest that, at a national level, COVID-19 activity has increased in several indicators in week 26 of 2022.

The number of acute respiratory infection incidents (suspected outbreaks) increased in England to 504 in week 26, compared to 382 in the previous week. UK Health Security Agency

UK heatwave: Temperatures to hit low 30s as heat-health alert issued

UK heatwave: Temperatures to hit low 30s as heat-health alert issued Parts of the UK are predicted to experience a heatwave over the next few days, the Met Office has said.

Southern and eastern areas will see consistently high temperatures over the next week.

On Friday, parts of the country are predicted to hit 28C (82.4F) - beginning the run of hot days. BBC News

See also:

• Heat-health alert issued UK Health Security Agency
• Warning symptoms of heatstroke as heat-health alert issued Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS England to be 'between 30 and 40 per cent smaller than current size'

NHS England to be 'between 30 and 40 per cent smaller than current size' The chief executive of NHS England has revealed that the organisation is expected to be between 30-40% “smaller than the current combined size of NHS England, Health Education England and NHS Digital” by the end of 2023/24. Digital Health

Government warned over ‘political paralysis’ as chiefs fear unavoidable NHS strikes

Government warned over ‘political paralysis’ as chiefs fear unavoidable NHS strikes Political paralysis is a threat to the NHS, leaders say as chiefs warn the government over crumbling hospitals and inevitable doctors’ strikes.

As the UK government faces political turmoil, health chiefs fear it will impact major decisions over NHS staff pay and funding for hospital buildings. The Independent

Cancer spending threatened if NHS staff given 3% pay rise without extra funds

Cancer spending threatened if NHS staff given 3% pay rise without extra funds The NHS will have to cut investment in cancer care if ministers award frontline staff a pay rise above 3% but refuse to provide extra money to cover it, health service bosses have warned.

The NHS England chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, and Julian Kelly, its chief financial officer, made clear their belief that soaring inflation means the service’s 1.3 million staff deserve a pay award of more than the 3% the government has already given the organisation funding to cover. The Guardian

See also:

• Cancer and GP service budgets could be cut for NHS staff pay rise The Independent

Calls for UK to stock up on antibody Covid drug that slashes risk of illness by up to 80%

Calls for UK to stock up on antibody Covid drug that slashes risk of illness by up to 80% Britain must urgently build up stocks of a Covid drug that could be a lifesaver for half a million extremely vulnerable Britons, campaigners say.

Evusheld, developed by AstraZeneca, will allow people who were less likely to get an immune response from the Covid vaccines to return to normal life, they claim.

The twice-yearly injection was approved by drug regulators in March after a study showed it slashed the risk of falling will with Covid by nearly 80 per cent. The Daily Mail

See also:

• HMP Lewes Covid measures 'not humane', says watchdog BBC News
• How will Boris Johnson’s handling of the Covid crisis be remembered? The Guardian
• NHS staff criticise 'incomprehensible' scrapping of special Covid leave The Independent
• NHS to enforce mask wearing as Covid hospital infections rise 100% The Independent
• Covid hospital patients nearing peak of spring wave The Independent
• UK Covid cases soar to record high as public vigilance slumps after Partygate scandal iNews
• COVID-19: New wave of Omicron mutations spreading across Europe, EU Medicines Agency warns Sky News

More than a MILLION teens in England now prescribed antidepressants - as experts blame lockdowns

More than a MILLION teens in England now prescribed antidepressants - as experts blame lockdowns More than a million prescriptions for antidepressants are written for teenagers in England each year, official figures suggest.

The number of drugs doled out to 13 to 19-year-olds rose by a quarter between 2016 and 2020, latest NHS data shows.

It includes prescriptions up to the end of 2020, following a year of national Covid lockdowns and school and university closures. The Daily Mail