Which staff members leave the NHS acute sector?

Which staff members leave the NHS acute sector? In a report, published today and funded by the NIHR’s Health and Social Care Workforce Policy Research Unit, we examine some of the factors associated with NHS staff leaving the NHS acute sector. We use the Electronic Staff Record, the monthly payroll of directly employed NHS staff, to analyse the leaving rates of consultants, nurses and midwives, and health-care assistants (HCAs) between 2012 and 2021. Over this period, the leaving rates for these staff groups differed considerably: on average, 0.4% of consultants left the acute sector each month, compared to 0.8% of nurses and midwives and 1.2% of HCAs. Different factors are likely to be related to the leaving decisions of each group, and so we separately consider how different factors are related to exits among each staff group. Institute for Fiscal Studies

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 decreased in most indicators in week 33 of 2022.

The number of acute respiratory infection incidents (suspected outbreaks) decreased in England in week 33 to 124 compared to 172 in the previous week. UK Health Security Agency

Over 50 new surgical hubs set to open across England to help bust the Covid backlogs

Over 50 new surgical hubs set to open across England to help bust the Covid backlogs Over 50 new surgical hubs will open across the country to help bust the Covid backlogs and offer hundreds of thousands more patients quicker access to vital procedures, the Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has announced. Department of Health and Social Care

Synthetic mouse embryo develops beating heart

Synthetic mouse embryo develops beating heart Scientists in Cambridge have created synthetic mouse embryos in a lab, without using eggs or sperm, which show evidence of a brain and beating heart.

The mouse embryos, developed using stem cells, only lasted for eight days.

But the research team say it could improve understanding of the earliest stages of organ development - and why some pregnancies fail. BBC News

See also:

• Synthetic embryos complete gastrulation to neurulation and organogenesis (open access) Nature

Nationwide strike ballot of NHS nursing staff confirmed

Nationwide strike ballot of NHS nursing staff confirmed Nursing staff will be asked to consider industrial action after a decade of real-terms pay cuts.

A nationwide ballot of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members is now set to take place next month. Nursing Notes

Parts of England have one NHS dentist for thousands of people, data shows

Parts of England have one NHS dentist for thousands of people, data shows Dental patients are still suffering from the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, as parts of England are left with only one NHS dentist for thousands of people.

In North Lincolnshire, there were just 54 NHS dentists – equivalent to one for every 3,199 people – at the end of March, NHS Digital figures show. This means every NHS dentist in the area would have to work nine-hour days every working day of the year without holidays for each resident to receive one annual checkup on the NHS. The Guardian

‘People are freaking out, seeing young men with lesions all over their faces’: the anxious wait for monkeypox vaccines

‘People are freaking out, seeing young men with lesions all over their faces’: the anxious wait for monkeypox vaccines With supplies running low, many gay and bisexual men are struggling to get appointments at sexual health centres – and for some, the handling of the outbreak has alarming echoes of the HIV/Aids epidemic. The Guardian

Woman confronts Steve Barclay on NHS outside hospital

Woman confronts Steve Barclay on NHS outside hospital The health secretary has been confronted outside a hospital by a woman who angrily criticised the government for doing “bugger all” to fix record-high ambulance wait times.

During an interview with broadcasters in central London on Thursday afternoon, Steve Barclay was told the Conservatives had had “long enough” to fix the NHS by a visibly angry member of the public. The Guardian

See also:

• Stephen Barclay challenged on ambulance delays BBC News

Staffing emergency as 999 workforce shrinks while demand increases, data shows

Staffing emergency as 999 workforce shrinks while demand increases, data shows  The number of ambulance staff is falling despite a rise in demand, according to a Daily Mail analysis.

The workforce in England had been increasing since April 2019 but has dropped for three months in a row, analysis of NHS figures reveals.

From October last year to March this year, the number stayed above 18,000, while it now stands at 17,847, the lowest since September last year.

See also:

• Ambulance chiefs blasted by Health Secretary over 'unacceptable' ambulance handover delays The Daily Mail
• NHS 'misled' public over growing crisis of A&E waiting times The Daily Telegraph