NHS performance tracker

NHS performance tracker The waiting list to start elective (planned) care continues to rise, now numbering almost 7.47 million.

There has been a lack of progress on reducing year-long waiters, with the number of people waiting over 52 weeks to start elective care growing from 371,000 in April 2023 to 385,000 in May.

In May, 41% of patients who had their first treatment for cancer following an urgent GP referral waited longer than two months, the third-worst performance on record.

In June 2023, 27% of people attending A&E spent more than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge, signifying minimal progress since the start of the year. Quality Watch

See also:

• NHS Confederation responds to the latest performance statistics NHS Confederation
• Significant A&E demand continues for NHS amid increasing strike pressure NHS England
• NHS Providers responds to record-high waiting list NHS Providers
• No sudden return to waiting times patients expect as NHS disruption continues Nuffield Trust
• NHS waiting lists hit record high in England BBC News
• Damning price of crippling NHS strikes laid bare: Waiting lists soar to record high of 7.47million The Daily Mail
• NHS waiting lists reach worst ever level as strikes cripple health service The Daily Telegraph
• NHS waiting list in England hits record 7.5 million The Independent
• NHS waiting lists in England hit record high with treatment delays for 7.47 million people amid strikes iNews

Fundamental reform of NHS dentistry needed to end a 'crisis of access'

Fundamental reform of NHS dentistry needed to end a 'crisis of access' Urgent and fundamental reform of NHS dentistry is needed if people are to receive the dental care they are entitled to. MPs cite frustration that recommendations for reform made by their predecessor Committee 15 years ago have still not been implemented. They brand the current contract, which pays dentists for NHS ‘units of dental activity’ (UDAs), as not fit for purpose.

The Report finds common misconceptions among the public about entitlement to NHS dental services and calls for action to address this. MPs endorse comments given by the Health Minister Neil O’Brien in evidence that it was the Government’s ambition to ensure that everyone who needs an NHS dentist can access one. The Committee calls for the Government to set out urgently how it intends to reform the dental contract to deliver on the ambition expressed by its Minister. Health and Social Care Committee

See also:

• England: A damning verdict on NHS dentistry British Dental Association
• New report calls for fundamental reform of NHS dental care Healthwatch
• NHS dentists: People having to drive hundreds of miles 'unacceptable' BBC News
• Patients are pulling out their own TEETH at home because they cannot afford a dentist, report finds The Daily Mail
• MPs demand dentistry overhaul as patients resort to DIY treatment The Guardian
• Britons are 'pulling their own teeth out with pliers' because they can't access NHS dentists Sky News

NHS staff receive pay rise

NHS staff receive pay rise Pay scales for most doctors and dentists to increase by at least a 6% this year after the government accepted the recommendations from the independent pay review bodies in full.

Around 130,000 full-time equivalent doctors and dentists, including junior doctors and consultants will see their pay rise in line with the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration’s (DDRB) recommendations. Pay for junior doctors will be increased by 8.8% on average. The agreement means pay for a first year junior doctor will increase by 10.3%. Pay for the most experienced junior doctors will increase by 8.1%. For consultants, this means a rise of 6%. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Pay uplift for doctors fails to recognise or remedy their pay cuts in real terms BMA
• Junior doctor striking over NHS 'abusive relationship' BBC News
• Public sector pay: Workers offered pay rises of around 6% BBC News
• Doctors urged to accept pay rise of up to £7,000 and end strikes The Daily Telegraph
• Sunak offers at least 6% pay rise to millions of public sector workers The Guardian
• Ministers ‘have obliterated morale’: junior doctors on first day of strike The Guardian
• Catastrophic winter pressure on NHS prompted junior doctor strike ballot, says BMA The Guardian
• BMA: Doctors' 6% pay offer 'missed opportunity' to end strikes The Independent
• Final offer: UK's Sunak seeks to end strikes with multi-billion pound pay deal Reuters
• Millions of UK public sector workers including teachers and doctors to get pay rises Sky News

Diet Coke safe as long as you don’t drink 14 cans every day, WHO says after aspartame cancer fears

Diet Coke safe as long as you don’t drink 14 cans every day, WHO says after aspartame cancer fears An artificial sweetener used in thousands of products including diet fizzy drinks, ice cream and chewing gum has been ruled a “possible” cause of cancer by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

But a panel of experts has said the sugar substitute aspartame is safe in limited quantities. The Independent

See also:

• Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released World Health Organization
• Aspartame advice unchanged despite cancer question BBC News
• WHO bosses admit aspartame IS safe following major safety review The Daily Mail
• Aspartame: What effects do carcinogens have on your body? The Independent

Pollutionwatch: improving air quality could ease pressure on NHS

Pollutionwatch: improving air quality could ease pressure on NHS A study shows that the impact of air pollution on GP and A&E workloads may be greater than previously thought. Put another way, improving air quality could ease pressure on the NHS.

Researchers compared the timing of 114,930 GP and 9,878 A&E respiratory visits in Bradford with air pollution measured around the city. Polluted days were followed by increased health service use for breathing problems, with impacts persisting for more than 100 days. The Guardian

See also:

• The effects of exposure to NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 on health service attendances with respiratory illnesses: A time-series analysis (open access) Environmental Pollution

Public satisfaction with GP practices plummets to an all-time low

Public satisfaction with GP practices plummets to an all-time low More patients are turning to overcrowded A&Es for basic care after finding it increasingly difficult to secure a GP appointment, official figures reveal.

Public satisfaction with their practice has fallen to an all-time low, with many giving up trying to see their doctor altogether, according to the GP Patient Survey.

Experts say the NHS poll of 759,000 people lays bare the crisis in primary care and warn patients are being left in pain, unable to work and getting sicker. The Daily Mail

See also:

• GP Patient Survey 2023 headline findings IPSOS
• GP Patient Survey 2023 national report IPSOS
• More admin staff needed to help tackle GP access issues Healthwatch
• Patient satisfaction with quality of care remains steady as general practice battles continuing high demand NHS Confederation

'Groundbreaking' two-in-one prostate cancer drug which 'halves the risk' of the disease progressing

'Groundbreaking' two-in-one prostate cancer drug which 'halves the risk' of the disease progressing A treatment described as groundbreaking could benefit hundreds of men with advanced prostate cancer if approved in the UK.

Trials have shown a combination of two drugs – enzalutamide and talazoparib – can halve the risk of prostate cancer progressing.

The treatment is part of a class of new precision medications which allow tumours to be targeted more accurately. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Talazoparib plus enzalutamide in men with first-line metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (TALAPRO-2): a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial (abstract) The Lancet