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Staff left “vulnerable” after concerns “ignored” by trust leadership

A culture in which staff felt “done to” and not able to raise concerns safely to a disconnected leadership have all contributed to “a longstanding sense of dissatisfaction” and “continuing” fears over care quality at one of the NHS’s largest teaching trusts, an NHS England review has discovered.

The review was undertaken by NHSE’s Maternity Safety Support Programme into care delivered by Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. Its publication comes a month after the Care Quality Commission downgraded maternity services at Leeds General Infirmary and St James University Hospital from “good” to “inadequate”.

The publication of the NHSE review in the trust’s board papers led to the trust chief executive Phil Wood to write to the organisation’s 20,000 staff, warning them that it and another investigation into the organisation’s paediatric congenital cardiac service would prove “challenging”.

The report describes the culture at LTH as “challenging” and exhibiting “a degree of negativity”. It was not viewed as “supportive”, and a “lack of communication” was a common theme. Many staff felt “they were ‘being done to’”.

The combination of these factors “led to escalation fatigue from the staff as they did not feel that their safety concerns were responded to in a productive and supportive way”.

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Source: HSJ, 28 July 2025

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Trusts blaming cyber-attack risk for failing to share information

Four trusts have been warned by the UK’s information regulator over their failure to respond to freedom of information requests.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said it carried out an assessment across the NHS provider sector after receiving regular complaints over delays and backlogs. The review focused on compliance with the FOI Act, which grants the right to access information held by public authorities. 

The review has resulted in Nottingham University Hospitals Trust being served an enforcement notice over a “significantly low compliance rate” and a backlog of nearly 200 requests that were over a year old. The formal order is issued when an authority is considered as failing to comply with obligations.

The ICO said NUH had answered only 17% of requests within the statutory deadline compared to an average of 82%. 

ICO director of FOI Warren Seddon said most trusts were treating the laws with the “seriousness that is required”. But he added: “A small number still show significant room for improvement and that’s where we step in.”

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Source: HSJ, 28 July 2025

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Mum who blames mesh implant for crippling pain blasts Government for continued use

A mum who blames a controversial plastic implant for her crippling pain has blasted the Scottish Government for continuing to use the products.

Roseanna Clarkin is one of a number of women who blame mesh products for life-changing complications.

In her case, it was used to treat an umbilical hernia in 2015.

Three years later, while the Scottish Government banned the use of trans vaginal mesh products, surgical mesh is still used for other procedures.

Studies suggest 5 to 20% of hernia operations result in mesh failure. A study in the British Medical Journal, said the rate could be 12 to 30%.

Campaigners have been calling for an independent review and patients including Roseanna want a ban on all surgical mesh and fixation devices.

Roseanna, 41, of Clydebank, said: “Vaginal mesh is banned but mesh is still used for other procedures. Ultimately, it’s the same mesh that can cause the same problems.”

In 2023, then First Minister Humza Yousaf said to suspend the use of hernia mesh would leave some people with limited or no treatment options.

Last year, Roseanna was diagnosed with a rectocele – a prolapse of the wall between the rectum and vagina – but was shocked doctors wanted to use mesh.

She said: “I was outraged. Mesh has caused ­devastating effects to my life and body. There was no way I was having any more.” 

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Source: The Sun, 23 July 2025

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Top medical body concerned over RFK Jr’s reported plans to cut preventive health panel

A top US medical body has expressed “deep concern” to Robert F Kennedy Jr over news reports that the health secretary plans to overhaul a panel that determines which preventive health measures including cancer screenings should be covered by insurance companies.

The letter from the the American Medical Association comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kennedy plans to overhaul the 40-year old US Preventive Services Task Force because he regards them as too “woke”, according to sources familiar with the matter.

During his second term, Donald Trump has frequently raged against organisations and government departments that he considers too liberal – often without any evidence. The US president, and his cabinet members such as Kennedy, have also overseen huge cuts and job losses across the US government.

The taskforce is made up of a 16-member panel appointed by health and human services secretaries to serve four-year terms. In addition to cancer screenings, the taskforce issues recommendations for a variety of other screenings including osteoporosis, intimate partner violence, HIV prevention, as well as depression in children.

Writing in its letter to Kennedy on Sunday, the AMA defended the panel, saying: “As you know, USPSTF plays a critical, non-partisan role in guiding physicians’ efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services.”

“As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the long-standing process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can be continued without disruption,” it added.

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Source: The Guardian, 27 July 2025

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Impact of long NHS waits on patients revealed, plus who waits longest

People who wait longer for NHS treatment are significantly more likely to seek emergency care in the months after eventually receiving it, compared with those who are seen quickly.

People treated within 18 weeks of being on the waiting list made 18% fewer A&E visits per week in the three months following their treatment, compared to how often they visited A&E while waiting for treatment.

In contrast, people who waited over a year ended up making 31% more A&E visits in the three months following their care.

The Health Foundation, which carried out the research and shared the findings with the Sky News Data and Forensics Unit, say that the fact people need more emergency care after long waits for treatment "may indicate additional aftercare needs or decreased effectiveness of treatment following a longer wait".

They analysed detailed patient-level data that had previously not been available for research use.

It complements new NHS data published last week which revealed the make-up of the waiting list for the first time, in terms of the gender, age, ethnicity and deprivation status of the patients on it.

The Health Foundation explained that, as well as patients having to live with the "consequences of debilitating conditions for longer", long waits can also lead to "more complex, difficult and expensive treatment" being required.

They also "significantly increase consumption of pain relief medication". In some cases, while waiting, conditions for the patient become permanent and untreatable.

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Source: Sky News, 25 July 2025

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First trusts picked to ‘host’ neighbourhood health

An integrated care board has become the first to select “integrators” to coordinate neighbourhood teams in four of its boroughs, each of which will be “hosted” by a trust.

South East London ICB said the arrangements – all of which are an alliance between several organisations – would not replace its “place-based care partnerships” in the boroughs. The integrators will “provide the core infrastructure to support effective integrated neighbourhood team working as it develops”.

London’s other four ICBs are still in the process of selecting organisations or partnership for each of their council areas, as agreed in a neighbourhood health operating model for the city published in May. 

The “host” for each integrator is likely to employ any dedicated staff and hold its funding, particularly if it takes on delegated commissioning budgets. The London model says integrator hosts must be of a ”scale sufficient to manage related budgets and provide required infrastructure, including around data sharing, workforce, estates and digital”.

As well as developing and coordinating community-based services, the integrators will help any GP practices which are “at risk of failure”, the plan said.

However, the concept of an integrator was not included in the 10-Year Health Plan, and it is unclear how it will fit with the government’s proposed neighbourhood provider contracts.

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Source: HSJ, 25 July 2025

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Millions will die from infections as aid budget is cut

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the gravest public health threats confronting the world, one projected to cause 39 million deaths by 2050 and a direct threat to the UK that demands urgent action, not shortsighted funding cuts.

The Fleming Fund has an effective surveillance tool to track resistant infections, supporting experts working in hundreds of laboratories in countries in Africa and Asia at the greatest danger from AMR. It is the perfect example of the UK aid budget being used to protect us all from health crises that respect no borders, which makes the government’s sudden decision to scrap it a shocking act of vandalism.

It is five months since the government announced its £5 billion cut to the UK’s overseas development budget, a 40% reduction taking spending to its lowest level this century, but only now are the grim consequences becoming clear. Projects to combat AMR are particularly vulnerable because they are funded by the Department of Health and Social Care which must slash almost two thirds from its share of the aid budget over the next two years, from £331 million to just £123 million. 

AMR evolves constantly across borders. When we abandon surveillance programmes we create blind spots that allow drug-resistant infections to spread unchecked. 

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Source: The Times, 21 July 2025

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Surgeon named ‘Bravest in Britain’ who told insurers he had his legs amputated due to sepsis charged with fraud

A “brave” vascular surgeon who told insurers he had his legs amputated due to sepsis has been charged with fraud.

Neil Hopper, 49, who carried out hundreds of amputations before having his own legs removed below the knees, is accused of telling insurers that the leg injuries were the “result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted”, intending to make a gain.

He has also been charged with encouraging someone else to remove the body parts of others.

Mr Hopper, of Truro in Cornwall, appeared before Cornwall Magistrates’ Court in Bodmin on Wednesday, charged with two counts of fraud by false representation, and a charge of encouraging or assisting in the commission of grievous bodily harm.

It is alleged that between 3 June and 26 June 2019, Mr Hopper dishonestly made a false representation to insurers.

It is also alleged that between 21 August 2018 and 4 December 2020, Hopper bought videos from The EunuchMaker website showing the removal of limbs, which “encouraged [website ringleader] Marius Gustavson to remove body parts of third parties”.

He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance at Truro Crown Court on 26 August.

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Source: The Independent, 23 July 2025

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21 US States sue CMS over new ACA restrictions

A coalition of 21 Democratic-led states are suing the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) over new Affordable Care Act (ACA) rules they allege would impose significant barriers to receiving health coverage.

The lawsuit, filed 17 July in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenges a final rule that CMS introduced earlier this year to amend ACA marketplace regulations, which the plaintiffs argue will lead to millions of people losing access to health insurance, raise costs for states, and reduce the availability of essential health benefits.

The final rule is set to go into effect on 25 August and is projected by CMS to cause up to 1.8 million people to lose coverage. It aims to implement stricter verification requirements for eligibility, shorten open enrolment periods, and eliminate coverage for gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit. In the complaint, the 21 states argue that the changes violate the law and would harm consumers by increasing premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and by imposing burdensome new paperwork requirements that could deter people from enrolling.

The coalition argues that the rule is “arbitrary and capricious” and would place undue financial strain on state health programs, including Medicaid programs. The states also claim that the rule would increase costs by forcing them to provide more healthcare services to newly uninsured individuals, adding to Medicaid spending and costs for emergency care. The coalition, which includes California, Illinois and New York, is seeking preliminary relief to prevent the rule from taking effect as planned.

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Source: Becker's 18 July 2025

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Urgent care clinics are pushing pain pills that do little to treat conditions, new study finds

Urgent care clinics are reportedly pushing pills that do little to treat patients’ medical conditions.

Researchers said that a substantial number of antibiotic, glucocorticoid, and opioid prescriptions were filled despite being deemed inappropriate given the patients' diagnoses — potentially resulting in harm.

Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections, glucocorticoids are steroids that can treat arthritis and asthma, and opioids are prescribed to treat pain. America’s opioid epidemic, which has led to thousands of deaths, has been tied to an increase in painkiller prescriptions.

"Previous studies had shown that patients continue to receive antibiotics for diagnoses where they may not be indicated, such as for a viral respiratory infection, especially in urgent care settings,” Dr. Shirley Cohen-Mekelburg, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a statement. “Our findings reveal that this trend of inappropriate prescribing includes other classes of drugs — including glucocorticoids — and a variety of conditions.”

The reason for these findings, they suggest, is tied to the knowledge of clinic doctors, demand from patients, and a lack of an information system to support the clinicians’ decisions.

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Source: The Independent, 23 July 2025

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UK-first scheme aims to cut cardiac arrest deaths

People calling 999 in the East of England to report a cardiac arrest will be the first in the UK to be offered live video support from advanced paramedics.

During the call, staff in the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) control room will coach them on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) via a video streaming platform.

It follows a successful trial in Denmark , externalthat improved the bystanders' hand position and the speed and depth of compressions.

Resuscitation Council UK, external said when resuscitation was attempted following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, fewer than one in 10 people survived to hospital discharge and EEAST hopes the pilot will improve survival rates.

Liam Sagi, an advanced paramedic, said survival had not "really changed in 40 years".

Starting resuscitation immediately could quadruple the chances of survival, external, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Mr Sagi said the public needed to know what to do.

"We know that less than half of the public have learnt CPR and for every minute that goes by without getting CPR, your chances of survival drop by 10%," he said.

Bystanders do not need to download an app. During the 999 calls, paramedics send a text message to them via the GoodSAM video platform.

The caller clicks on a link within that message to initiate the video while they are still on the phone. The caller and paramedic can see each other in the two-way video call.

EEAST said this allowed the paramedic to assess the situation visually and provide guidance on CPR technique until the ambulance service arrived.

The video stream will also be used to coach bystanders on how to use defibrillators correctly.

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Source: BBC News, 23 July 2025

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Many DIY health tests could give false results, studies find

Many DIY health tests available on the high street are unfit for purpose and need better regulation, according to two new studies.

Self-tests for high cholesterol, vitamin deficiency, fertility and prostate problems are widely available in supermarkets and pharmacies, with the industry predicted to be worth £655m by 2030.

But researchers at the University of Birmingham have found that many tests could give users false results and were not always appropriate or safe.

The scientists reviewed 30 DIY health tests costing £1.89-£39.99, covering 19 different health conditions. These included vitamin D deficiency, blood sugar levels, thyroid function, prostate health, HIV, menopause and bowel cancer.

The two linked studies, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), rated 60% of the tests as “high risk” over concerns about the testing equipment, sampling process, or instructions and interpretation of the results. Only eight stated who the tests were suitable for, while fewer than half provided any information about accuracy. And of these, much of the evidence to back these claims was not publicly available or was of low quality.

Dr Clare Davenport, an associate clinical professor at the University of Birmingham and co-lead author of the studies said: “The wide range of off-the-shelf tests now available to the public are not endorsed by the NHS and evidence for their benefit is lacking.

"This is in contrast to well-established self-tests, such as pregnancy tests.

“We are worried that consumers concerned about their health and tempted by the convenience of buying a test over the counter may be harmed if they use these tests in the wrong way.”

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Source: The Guardian, 23 July 2025

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Government accused of 'sitting on' delayed report into learning disabled deaths

The Health Secretary is under mounting pressure to release a long-delayed report into the deaths of learning disabled and autistic people in England.

The Department of Health and Social Care is being accused of “dragging their feet” and “sitting on” the findings by Parliamentarians and disability campaigners, who describe the delay as “appalling”.

The Learning from Lives and Deaths report, known as LeDeR, is an annual investigation into the deaths of every adult with a learning disability and autism with the aim of preventing future deaths.

The unpublished report relates to deaths in 2023 and was due to be released last year.

ITV News has learnt the report was submitted by King's College and handed to NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care last December.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Scriven, who has spoken to ITV News about the death of his nephew, who was learning disabled and autistic, has submitted two urgent questions to the government seeking an explanation for the delay.

He is yet to receive a response.

“The LeDeR report has experienced an unacceptable delay in its release,” he told ITV News.

“The extended wait for the LeDeR report's publication raises important questions. It suggests either that the report contains findings which are challenging for the Government and healthcare system or that the preventable deaths of people with learning disabilities are not being given the priority they deserve by those at the top of Government.

“Like many, I am keen to see this report made public. I am calling for the immediate publication of the LeDeR report and would welcome an explanation from Wes Streeting regarding the ongoing delays.“

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Source: ITV News, 16 July 2025

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New AI tool could speed up skin cancer diagnoses in remote parts of world

A researcher at a Scottish university has developed AI tools that could give people in remote areas of the world access to fast and potentially life-saving skin cancer diagnoses.

Tess Watt , the PhD student at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh who led the project to develop the technology, said it is intended to enable early detection of skin conditions anywhere in the world, and without the need for direct access to dermatologists.

The technology also works without internet access.

The system involves a patient taking a photograph of their skin complaint using a small camera attached to a Raspberry Pi device - a cheap, energy-efficient handheld computer that is capable of storing vast amounts of information.

The photograph is analysed in real-time using the latest state-of-the-art image classification, comparing it to an enormous dataset of thousands of images stored on the device to reach a diagnosis.

The findings are then shared with a local GP service to begin a suitable treatment plan.

The project is understood to be the first of its kind to combine AI medical diagnosis with the aim of serving remote communities.

Ms Watt explained: "Healthcare from home is a really important topic at the moment, especially as GP wait times continue to grow.

"If we can empower people to monitor skin conditions from their own homes using AI, we can dramatically reduce delays in diagnosis."

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Source: The Scotsman, 21 July 2025

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RFK Jr orders changes for organ donation network as report finds dozens were not dead when harvested

Amid reports that organ donors may be at risk for having their body parts harvested while still alive and kicking, the Trump administration has launched a sweeping reformation of the U.S. organ transplant system.

The move, announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., comes on the heels of an investigation by the department’s Health Resources and Services Administration that revealed “disturbing” practices by a major organ procurement organization.

“Our findings show that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs of life, and this is horrifying,” Kennedy said in a statement.

“The organ procurement organizations that coordinate access to transplants will be held accountable. The entire system must be fixed to ensure that every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.”

The administration directed the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network – which links organ donation and transplantation professionals throughout the country – to reopen a case involving potentially preventable harm to a neurologically injured patient by the federally funded organ procurement organization serving Kentucky, southwest Ohio and part of West Virginia. The department did not name the organization.

The New York Times recently reported that the federal inquiry had begun last fall after 36-year-old Kentuckian Anthony Thomas Hoover II’s organs were pursued even as he shook his head and drew up his knees to his chest. Hoover’s sister, Donna Rohrer, had previously told NPR that she felt “betrayed by the fact that the people that were telling us he was brain dead and then he wakes up.”

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Source: The Independent, 21 July 2025

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1,000+ additional deaths, 100K hospitalised annually due to Medicaid cuts in the US

Recent Medicaid policy changes will result in 1,484 additional deaths and nearly 100,000 preventable hospitalizations per year, according to a study published 16 July JAMA Health Forum. 

Two weeks before President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, another study projected 16,642 premature deaths annually among adults, based on the House of Representatives’ version of the bill. 

The Congressional Budget Office projects the sweeping policy bill will reduce Medicaid spending by around $900 billion, decrease enrollment by 10.3 million and result in 7.6 million uninsured individuals by 2034. Using the CBO’s projection and a higher-effect scenario, researchers from University of California San Francisco and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill quantified estimates on health outcomes and health system viability. 

By 2034, the study predicts: 

  • Approximately 1,484 excess deaths, 94,802 preventable hospitalizations, 1.6 million people delaying care due to cost and 1.9 million cases of medication nonadherence.
  • One hundred and one rural hospitals will be at high risk of closure. Federally qualified health centers could lose 5 million Medicaid patients and gain 1.9 million uninsured patients annually, creating an 18.7% reduction in revenue reduction ($3.3 billion). 
  • In the higher-coverage loss scenario, 14.4 million people losing Medicaid coverage would annually result in 2,284 excess deaths, 145,946 preventable hospitalizations, 2.5 million people delaying care and 2.9 million cases of medication nonadherence. 

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Source: Becker's Clinical Leadership, 17 July 2025

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Mental health care ‘being rationed’ over failure to cut spiralling waiting list, top doctor warns

Mental health care is being rationed because the government is failing to tackle the spiralling waiting list, the UK’s top psychiatrist has warned, with 48,000 people facing delays of more than two years for treatment to start.

Nearly 1.7 million people were waiting for community care, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist appointment, for treatments including everything from severe depression to serious personality disorders at the end of December 2024.

That is up from 1.3 million in March 2024 and is in addition to the 7.4 million people on the countrywide NHS waiting list, which only counts patients with physical health problems.

Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the figures proved that mental health care was being downgraded in favour of other services.

She said: “It’s very clear that there has been a prioritisation of services; mental health care is not one of those services. As far as I’m concerned, it’s been rationed for years. It’s not been prioritised, full stop. I say that because we’ve got 1.7 million people who were waiting for mental health services.

“They are not being prioritised and so there is rationing of mental health care, full stop.”

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Source: The Independent, 23 July 2025

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NHS defends plan to not cancel non-urgent care if resident doctors strike

The NHS has hit out at the doctors’ trade union for alleging that it is putting patient safety at risk by not cancelling planned treatment during a forthcoming strike.

NHS Providers, a membership organisation for NHS Trusts, says it is in fact the British Medical Association (BMA) putting patient safety at risk by staging a strike.

Up to 50,000 resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, are expected to join the industrial action from 7am on Friday 25 July to 7am on Wednesday 30 July. They are demanding a 29% pay rise.

Days before the strikes are due to start, the BMA, the trade union for doctors, has criticised changes to the way the health service is preparing.

During previous strikes, urgent and emergency services have been staffed by senior hospital doctors, including consultants, and pre-planned work was largely postponed. But the BMA said hospital leaders had been told to continue with scheduled non-urgent care during the forthcoming dispute.

In a letter to the NHS chief executive, Sir Jim Mackey, the BMA council chair, Dr Tom Dolphin, and the deputy council chair, Dr Emma Runswick, said: “Your decision to instruct hospitals to run non-urgent planned care stretches safe staffing far too thinly, and risks not only patient safety in urgent and emergency situations, but in planned care, too.

“Consultants cannot safely provide elective care and cover for residents at the same time. We therefore strongly urge you to reconsider your instructions to hospitals, which should be preparing now to postpone non-urgent planned activity in order to provide a safe urgent and emergency service in keeping with the levels of staff available.”

But NHS Providers, which represents NHS hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services that treat patients and service users in the NHS, hit back at these allegations.

Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “The NHS, not the BMA, is putting patient’s interests first. Given that some patients will be caused undoubted harm if the short-notice strike goes ahead, NHS trusts are doing the responsible thing by not cancelling people’s care whilst talks to avert the strike are ongoing.

“Now is a time for cool heads in the BMA because it’s not too late to avoid a damaging, costly strike. NHS trust leaders hope for a breakthrough from talks between government and the union.

“If the strike goes ahead then NHS trusts will do everything they can to avoid any harm to patients and are planning for as many patients as possible to be cared for.”

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Source: The Guardian, 22 July 2025

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Major HRT supplier sanctioned after whistleblowers raise concerns over patient safety

A major UK supplier of menopause drug HRT has been sanctioned after whistleblowers claimed patients were being put at risk, it has emerged.

A group of employees from Theramex, which supplies HRT treatments to millions of patients in the UK, wrote a letter to the pharmaceutical regulator Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry over allegations the company was not following regulatory standards and may “jeopardise” patient safety.

The whistleblowers claimed some products featured inaccurate prescribing information and failed to highlight common side effects. They claimed they had been forced to contact the regulator after their attempts to raise issues internally were brushed off.

The company has now admitted it breached regulatory codes, amounting to “bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in the pharmaceutical industry”, according to an interim case report from the ABPI. It also failed to maintain high standards and provide accurate and up-to-date prescribing information, the report said.

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Source: The Independent, 21 July 2025

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'Substantial changes' on infected blood payouts

The government has said it is making "substantial changes" to the compensation scheme for thousands of victims of the infected blood scandal.

The announcement was made in Parliament two weeks after a heavily critical report into the payment scheme by the chair of the public inquiry into the disaster.

The new rules mean estates of affected people who have already died will be able to claim compensation and those with a chronic hepatitis C infection will receive higher amounts.

Victims' groups "cautiously welcomed" the announcement but said it was disappointing that some changes were still subject to further consultation.

It is thought 30,000 people were infected with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s after being given contaminated blood products.

The inquiry's main report into the scandal, published last year, found that too little was done to stop contaminated blood products being imported from abroad, and that elements of the scandal had been covered up.

Earlier this month the inquiry's chair, Sir Brian Langstaff, published a follow-up report after receiving "email after email" expressing concerns about the way the compensation scheme had been managed.

He criticised the speed that payments had been made and said victims had been "harmed further" by the way they had been treated.

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Source: BBC News, 22 July 2025

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Health bosses won't be rewarded for failure under new regulations

NHS managers who commit serious misconduct will not be able to take up other senior NHS roles, under plans to boost patient safety.

The new proposals set out by the Department of Health and Social Care will mean any leader who silences whistleblowers or behaves unacceptably will be banned from returning to a health service position.

They set out the first steps to meet the government’s commitment to introduce professional standards for, and regulation of, NHS managers, with legislation set to be put forward to Parliament next year.

Tens of thousands of clinical and non-clinical managers work in the NHS but there is currently no regulatory framework specifically for managers, like there is for doctors and nurses.

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said:

I’m determined to create a culture of honesty and openness in the NHS where whistleblowers are protected, and that demands tough enforcement. If you silence whistleblowers, you will never work in the NHS again. We’ve got to create the conditions where staff are free to come forward and sound the alarm when things go wrong. Protecting the reputation of the NHS should never be put before protecting patient safety.

I promised no more rewards for failure in the NHS, and these measures will deliver on it. Most NHS leaders are doing a fantastic job, but we need to stop the revolving door that allows managers sacked for misconduct or incompetence to be quietly moved to another well-paid role in another part of the NHS.

The reforms we are making through our Plan for Change will slam the door in the face of unsuitable managers, while providing the training, support and development to help NHS leaders thrive and lead the NHS into a brighter future.

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Source: Department of Health and Social Care, 21 July 2025

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Mackey ‘risking safety’ with tough line on strikes, says BMA

NHS England’s instruction not to cancel planned care during the upcoming resident doctors strike risks harming patient safety, the British Medical Association has warned.

In a letter to NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey, the union argued the approach was “not only causing frustration and confusion to hospital leaders, but will put patients at risk”.

But Sir Jim has told HSJ that trusts, along with NHSE, should decide what was cancelled, rather than the British Medical Association.

Sir Jim said: “I do not accept it is necessary or acceptable to take this approach. If a diagnostic or outpatient clinic, or an elective procedure, has been booked, it should go ahead unless the BMA can present a credible argument as to why it was clinically necessary, but now is not.”

The letter, from BMA council chair Tom Dolphin and deputy Emma Runswick, said: “Your decision to instruct hospitals to run non-urgent planned care stretches safe staffing far too thinly, and risks not only patient safety in urgent and emergency situations, but in planned care, too.

“It also appears designed to lead to far more late, same-day cancellations for patients. Consultants cannot safely provide elective care and cover for residents at the same time.

“We are aware that many hospital leaders are equally worried about this new change in policy from NHSE, which is starkly different from how services were planned during industrial action under the previous government, and different from all the agreements we have reached with NHSE since 2015.”

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Source: HSJ, 21 July 2025

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‘Difficult’ state of NHS maternity care is due to Tory inaction, inquiry head says

One of the UK’s most senior midwives has said inaction by the previous government over maternity care failures has led to the “difficult” situation in wards across England and a rise in reports of birth trauma.

Donna Ockenden, who is leading the biggest inquiry in NHS history into maternity failures in Nottingham, said the Conservatives had been given a “blueprint” for how to improve maternity services but that it had not been implemented.

“I think the current government has inherited a really, really difficult picture around perinatal care, birth care and increasing reports of birth trauma. If only the previous government had done what it said it would do, that inheritance would have been very different,” she said.

Ockenden is leading a review into maternity services at the Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust, the largest inquiry into a single service in the history of the NHS, with 2,406 affected families taking part. The findings will be published in June 2026.

She expressed frustration over the slow pace of change after her report on the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity scandal, which found that 300 babies had died or been left brain-damaged as a result of inadequate care.

“We published [that report] in March 2022 and there were 22 immediately essential actions, as well as hundreds of actions for the NHS trust,” she said. “But with the chaos that followed in the year before the general election, things got lost and we are not as far ahead with those immediately essential actions as we should be.”

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Source: The Guardian, 21 July 2025

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ME care reforms promised after woman’s tragic death

The government has pledged to overhaul care for hundreds of thousands of people living with chronic fatigue syndrome, acknowledging that many "struggle" to access appropriate support.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) stated its intention to publish a new plan, asserting it is "committed to changing attitudes and transforming care" for individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

The pledge comes in the wake of Maeve Boothby-O’Neill’s death at just 27.

She had suffered with ME for a decade before dying at her home in Exeter in October 2021 from severe malnutrition.

Her inquest revealed she had been admitted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital three times in the year of her death for malnutrition treatment.

Deborah Archer, now an area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, concluded Miss Boothby-O’Neill had died from natural causes “because of severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)”.

Last year she wrote to the Government to highlight a lack of specialist beds, “extremely limited” training for doctors and lack of available funding for research and treatment of the condition.

On Tuesday, the Government said that it has created a plan which “outlines clear steps to improve care for patients, by investing in research and offering access to care in the community”.

But Action for ME said that the plan “does not go far enough”.

Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of the charity, said: “We appreciate the time DHSC has put into the delivery plan and their engagement with us and the ME community throughout.

“However, the plan simply does not go far enough. We are at the stage now where we need more than rhetoric, we need to take a strategic approach if we want a different outcome. What is proposed in the plan will not offer this.

“We must have a funded, dedicated research hub to leverage our world-leading life sciences sector to unlock treatments and ultimately cures for ME.

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Source: The Independent, 22 July 2025

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Coroner warning over incompatible NHS systems

A coroner has warned NHS bosses that delays to the availability of mental health assessments between different teams due to outdated IT systems could lead to future deaths.

Prof Paul Marks, senior coroner for Hull and East Riding, issued a prevention of future deaths report following an inquest into the death of John Kirkman, who took his own life.

Prof Marks said healthcare teams could encounter problems accessing "vital" information about patients as a result of incompatible computer programmes and this could lead to delays in care.

A spokesperson for NHS England expressed their "deepest sympathies" to Mr Kirkman's family and said the organisation would "carefully consider" the report.

The report, sent to the chief executive of NHS England, said the organisation should take action, "possibly by reviewing the compatibility of IT systems".

The document said Mr Kirkman, who was 36, had a long history of paranoid schizophrenia and took his own life on 27 December 2023.

During the inquest, the coroner said the evidence revealed matters that caused him concern.

Prof Marks said that if a mental health screening assessment was carried out in one part of the country, the results and conclusions may not be immediately available elsewhere when a further assessment is carried out, due to the use of different IT systems.

"Absence of vital background information could result in an incorrect prioritisation for onward referral, as it did in this case," he said.

The lack of availability of clinical information and data may "adversely influence subsequent assessments", he said.

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Source: BBC News, 19 July 2025

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