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‘Deeply concerning’ backlog of thousands of cancer patients waiting months for treatment revealed

Thousands of patients with suspected cancer have been left waiting more than two months for treatment, according to new data that exposes the “deeply concerning” state of NHS urology cancer care.

Almost half of the patients urgently referred for suspected urology cancer, such as kidney or bladder, have been left waiting too long, with leaked figures obtained by The Independent showing an “urgent backlog” of 4,237 patients who have waited more than the 62-day national target as of August.

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Source: Independent, 26 October 2024

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Trusts rejecting GP referrals risk contract breach, LMCs warn

GP leaders are pushing back against hospital trusts rejecting referrals, with LMCs issuing warnings of potential contract breaches.

A number of LMCs have encouraged GPs to send warnings back to providers who reject their referrals, stating that there are no valid grounds for the rejection. 

Some template letters produced by LMCs to help GPs do this are badged as part of collective action efforts, since the BMA’s ‘menu’ of actions encourages GPs to ‘stop rationing referrals’.

It comes after Pulse revealed that GPs are concerned about a rise in rejected referrals and particularly from ‘anonymous’ clinicians, with referrals coming back to general practice unsigned, and patients being put at risk when secondary care and other providers do not accept GP referrals.

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Source: Pulse, 28 October 2024

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NHS facing ‘real problems this winter’ and Budget cash will not prevent avoidable deaths, Streeting warns

The NHS faces “real problems this winter”, the health secretary has admitted as he refused to rule out the prospect of people waiting on trolleys and in corridors over the coming months.

Speaking on a joint visit to St George’s Hospital with chancellor Rachel Reeves, Wes Streeting said the extra money the health service is set to receive in Wednesday’s Budget might not prevent avoidable deaths and another winter crisis over the coming months.

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Source: Independent, 29 October 2024

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Deadly new drugs found in fake medicines in the UK

Super-strength drugs linked to hundreds of deaths have been found in samples of fake medicines bought across the UK, the BBC can reveal.

We found more than 100 examples of people trying to buy prescription medicines such as diazepam - commonly used to treat anxiety, muscle spasms and seizures - and instead receiving products containing nitazenes.

The synthetic opioid drugs have been connected to 278 deaths across the country in a year, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). Nitazenes can be stronger than both heroin and fentanyl, a prolific killer in the US.

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Source: BBC News, 29 October 2024

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Teenager’s death linked to national IT system, review suggests

The 999 assessment and triage system is being reviewed after the death of a young footballer, which may have highlighted a recurring flaw in the tool.

Adam Ankers collapsed as he came off the pitch after playing for Wycombe Wanderers’ under-19s team in January. He was airlifted to the Harefield Hospital in London but was brain dead and a few days later his family agreed to his life support being turned off.

The talented youngster was found to have an inherited heart condition, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. This and other inherited heart conditions are thought to be responsible for at least 600 sudden deaths a year in teenagers and young adults.

But a serious incident investigation into Adam’s death by South Central Ambulance Service Foundation Trust, shared with HSJ by Adam’s dad, revealed there was a potential missed opportunity to start life support earlier because “agonal breathing” — which is indicative of a cardiac arrest — was not identified.

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Source: HSJ, 28 October 2024

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How close were hospitals to collapse in Covid?

Jim Reed, health reporter for the BBC reports on the impact of Covid at it's peak. 

"We’ve long been told that hospitals were struggling to cope during the pandemic. In January 2021, then prime minister Boris Johnson warned the NHS was “under unprecedented pressure But now many hours of testimony to the Covid inquiry this autumn is offering our clearest understanding yet of what was really going on at the height of the pandemic."

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Source: BBC Online, 28 October 2024

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New data laws will allow patient data to be shared across the NHS

A new bill which will allow patients’ data to be easily transferable across the NHS has been introduced to Parliament.

Delivered by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), the bill will require IT suppliers for the health and care sector to ensure their systems meet common standards to enable data sharing across platforms.

The Data Use and Access Bill will enable healthcare information to be easily accessed in real time across all NHS trusts, GP surgeries and ambulance services, whichever IT system they are using.

A press release, published by DSIT on 24 October 2024, said that the measure “will free up 140,000 hours in NHS staff time every year, providing quicker care for patients and potentially saving lives”.

Government launches online platform to shape 10 year health plan 

The government has launched an online engagement platform for members of the public, NHS staff and experts to share their ideas to shape its forthcoming 10 year health plan.

Change.NHS.uk will be live until the start of 2025, and available via the NHS App.

The public engagement exercise will help shape the government’s 10 year health plan which will be published in spring 2025 and will be underlined by three big shifts in healthcare – hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.

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Source: Digital Health, 24 October 2024

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UK regulator tells doctors to watch out for obesity injection misuse

The UK's drug safety regulator is asking doctors to be alert for patients who may be misusing obesity injections, such as Wegovy.

It follows reports of some people who are not obese becoming sick, after using the jabs for weight loss.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) stresses that the drugs are only meant for treating obesity and diabetes.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has backed the call, saying the drugs are "serious medicines" and not "for people to get a body beautiful picture for Instagram".

While most side-effects are mild, some can be serious, says the MHRA.

It adds that the drugs should only be prescribed by a registered healthcare professional.

When appropriately used, in line with the product licence, the benefits of these medications outweigh the risks for patients, says the regulator.

But this benefit-risk balance is positive only for those patients within the approved indications for weight management or type 2 diabetes, as described in the product information.

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer, said all medicines carry a risk of potential side-effects: “We encourage healthcare professionals to ensure patients being treated with these medicines are aware of the common side-effects and how to minimise risk."

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Source: BBC News, 24 October 2024

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Safety watchdog urges Streeting to expand her role

The patient safety commissioner is urging the health and social care secretary to remove “constraints” limiting her role amid a government review of national watchdogs.

Henrietta Hughes was named the country’s first patient safety commissioner in 2022 by the Department of Health and Social Care, which restricted her role to “championing patients” and improving the safety of medical devices and medicines.

Two years on, her office still only has five staff, which the former NHS England regional medical director says is not enough to do “this enormous task”. She wants her remit to be expanded to cover “everything to do with keeping patients safe… and listening to patients’ voices”.

Her call comes as Wes Streeting last week announced a review of the six main patient safety organisations, including the commissioner’s office and her former employer the National Guardians’ Office, among others. Many expect it to lead to some of them being merged and scrapped.

She told HSJ: “We [all of the patient safety organisations] each have a narrow set of regulations… and I often have to signpost patients somewhere else.

“That’s a real disappointment to me – because I think the whole point of my role is to try and create a coherence to this disjoined, fragmented system.”

Dr Hughes added: “There’s a mismatch between what my role title is and what my remit is, and that’s really confusing for patients. So I would like to see those constraints removed so that my role is not just about medicines and medical devices.”

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Source: HSJ, 24 October 2024

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‘No solution’ after firm’s closure leaves children waiting for diagnosis

A trust has paused autism assessments of primary school-aged children after being unable to find a “cost effective” provider.

Northampton General Hospital Trust has struggled to source an affordable provider for autism assessments for children aged 5 to 11 in West Northamptonshire after its previous provider, Target Autism, was shut at the end of August on the retirement of its owners.

The trust said in board papers that it has “currently no solution” for what it called a “significant challenge”, despite the provider’s closure being public since at least March.

Services for children with special educational needs in the county already face significant challenges, with families describing years-long waits for assessments. The Care Quality Commission identified “systemic failings” in West Northamptonshire’s SEND provision in March. 

Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board, in its own board papers, raised “serious concerns about the risk of reduced services and impact on children and families”. It said they are experiencing “pathway uncertainty” and “inadequate communication” about waiting times and service gaps. 

Many impacted families have already waited years for an assessment, and had not received adequate communication over the closure of Target Autism, according to feedback collected by a local parents and carers group, West Northants Voices in Partnership.

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Source: HSJ, 23 October 2024

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Copenhagen’s plan to end patient safety incident reporting system condemned as backward

The Danish government wants to abolish healthcare professionals' obligation to report unintentional incidents with patients, a system that has existed for 20 years and is still considered a success.

In its recent budget proposal for 2025, the Danish coalition government repeals the 20-year-old obligation for healthcare workers to report “unintentional incidents” to municipalities and regions, which then anonymise these reports and register them in the Danish Patient Safety Database.

The decision has sent shockwaves through the Danish health community since the system is considered effective.

“Yes, it is a success. The obligation to report errors has created a culture of patient safety that has led to more errors and cases being reported and learned from during the years,” Annette Wandel, Deputy Director at the Danish Patients Association, told Euractiv. She is afraid that the budget proposal would undermine this.

The move, which will also close the national database, is a part of the government’s de-bureaucratisation ambition to cut the number of civil servants in Denmark.

The Danish Nurses’ Association considers the implementation would send Denmark back 20 years.

“It is unique in Denmark that we have created a system where employees can safely report errors to prevent the same errors from happening again,” Harun Demirtas, deputy chairman of the Danish Nurses' Council, told TV 2.

Camilla Rathcke, chairwoman of the Danish Medical Association, called it a bombshell: “Improving patient safety through learning is an ongoing process - it's not something the health system will stop. If you want patient safety and a learning healthcare system."

She added: "It makes no sense to close the database. On the contrary, more effort should be put into learning from its data,” she told the union newspaper Ugeskrift for Laeger.

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Source: EURACTIV, 18 September 2024

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Hundreds more babies in US died than expected in months after Roe was overturned

In the 18 months after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, leading more than a dozen states to implement near-total abortion bans, hundreds more babies died than expected, new research has found.

The study, which was conducted by researchers from the Ohio State University and published on Monday in Jama Pediatrics, compared data on infant mortality from the months before Roe’s downfall with data from afterward. Overall infant mortality, they found, rose by 7% in October 2022, March 2023 and April 2023.

On average, in those months, researchers found that there were roughly 247 more infant deaths a month than expected. In six out of those 18 months, mortality among infants with congenital anomalies rose by 10%. In those months, there were about 210 more deaths a month than expected.

Infant mortality rates never dropped lower than expected.

This study is the latest to examine how Roe’s demise has affected babies’ health. In June, another study estimated that, after Texas outlawed abortions past roughly six weeks of pregnancy, the number of infants who died in their first year of life rose by 13%.

The researchers behind that study also found that deaths among infants with congenital anomalies spiked.

These conditions can frequently be detected in utero and, in states where abortion is still legal, lead people to terminate their pregnancies, especially since they may be incompatible with life. However, that may no longer be an option for people living under abortion bans.

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Source: The Guardian, 22 October 2024

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Hospital warned over safety and ‘undermining behaviour’

Regulators are carrying out “enhanced monitoring” of clinical radiology services at a major London hospital, after concerns about safety and “undermining behaviour”.

The General Medical Council introduced the special measures on the department at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow last month, it has emerged, after concerns were raised in the regulator’s annual survey by higher specialty trainees.

Enhanced monitoring is used when a department or hospital has failed to improve after concerns have been raised locally, and where the GMC feels the quality of training could affect patient safety or junior doctors’ ability to progress.

In relation to Northwick Park’s clinical radiology, issues highlighted included staff behaviour, whether there is a “supportive environment”, trainee safety, clinical supervision out of hours, educational supervision, and resources for trainers.

GMC medical director and director for education and standards Professor Colin Melville said it was concerned about “the quality of training in the department and undermining behaviours”.

He added: “We’ll continue to work closely with NHS England London to make sure an improvement plan is implemented. We will check that progress is being made to make sure trainees and registrants are working in a safe, supportive, and sustainable training environment.”

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Source: HSJ, 23 October 2024

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Staff at care scandal trust have ‘little left to give’ as spending controls bite

Staff at a scandal-hit trust feel “undervalued and without any autonomy” due to newly imposed financial controls, according to internal emails.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust employees have told executives they have “little left to give” due to what CEO Ifti Magid called the “top-downism” of spending restrictions, according to an all-employee message.

The trust was criticised by the care watchdog earlier this year for a “series of errors, omissions, and misjudgements” in the case of Valdo Calocane, a patient with paranoid schizophrenia who killed three people in Nottingham last year.

In a message to staff sent this month and seen by HSJ, Dr Susan Elcock, deputy CEO and executive medical director, said: “It’s incredibly tough at the moment without any shadow of doubt and many colleagues have expressed feeling that they have very little left to give.

The email added: “…I have heard from a few colleagues about what a small act of kindness can do to help.”

“This then feels at real odds with how it is feeling being on the end of many restrictions and controls that have been put in place and are either being tightened or further restrictions added.

“In many instances, colleagues have fed back that this “top downism” that Ifti has coined the phrase of, leaves you feeling unvalued and without any autonomy.”

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Source: HSJ, 22 October 2024

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Is the system letting down people who were harmed by Covid vaccines?

There is nothing in life that is free of risk. That includes vaccines. But the evidence is compelling that the benefits of getting immunised with those vaccines recommended in the UK far outweigh the possibility of serious side effects.

The level of benefit from Covid vaccines is well documented. And the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is credited with saving more lives, external in the first year of its use than any other - 6.3m globally compared to 5.9m for Pfizer/BioNTech’s jab.

However, we need to discuss not just the huge positives that Covid vaccines brought, but also the small minority left injured or bereaved by the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Around 50 families affected by rare blood clots have begun a group legal action for compensation under the Consumer Protection Act, arguing that the vaccine was not as safe as the public were entitled to expect.

They are a tiny fraction of all those vaccinated, but that is no comfort to the families affected, who feel like they have been airbrushed out of the pandemic and that their pleas for support have been ignored.

Those families include Jane and Ian Wrigley from Buckinghamshire. Jane, 62, used to run, ski and climb mountains. Now she can barely walk due to extreme weakness down her left-hand side.

Two weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021, Jane was admitted to hospital. She suffered blood clots in her brain and required emergency surgery to remove part of her skull. Jane’s medical records clearly state that she suffered these blood clots as a direct side effect of the vaccine.

Her husband Ian is now her full-time carer. Jane told me: “Before I had the vaccine I was a very independent, active woman doing half marathons and enjoying my life. Now I’ve lost every bit of independence.”

Her case, and those of others affected by blood clots, raises serious questions about whether the system is letting down those who have suffered serious harm as a result of taking Covid vaccines.

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Source: BBC News, 23 October 2024

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How to fix the NHS? Free waffles and a maximum BMI for nurses

A website launched by Sir Keir Starmer to hear the public’s ideas on how to change the NHS has been flooded with unusual responses, including a maximum BMI for nurses and free waffles for every patient.

Before the launch of the website on Monday, the prime minister said it was time to “roll up our sleeves and fix” the NHS, and asked the public for suggestions on how to do it. “We have a clear plan to fix the health service but it’s only right that we hear from the people who rely on the NHS every day to have their say and shape our plan as we deliver it,” he said.

In a video launching the website, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said: “We all owe the NHS a debt of gratitude … I’m calling on you to help us fix it. This government is launching a ten-year plan to turn the NHS around but we can’t do this alone.

“We want patients and NHS staff to have your fingerprints all over it. Whether you work in the NHS or use it as a patient, you see firsthand what’s great but what isn’t working and we need to hear your experiences of the NHS to get your ideas about how to change it.

“So please add your voice today by following the options below. It’s quick, easy and it’ll be worth it. Because if we get this right then together we can take the NHS from the worst crisis in its history, get it back on its feet and make it fit for the future. So get involved.”

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Source: The Times, 21 October 2024

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AI to help doctors spot broken bones on X-rays

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to reduce the number of broken bones missed when doctors analyse X-rays, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The health assessment body says research suggests the technology is safe and could speed up diagnosis, relieving pressure on clinicians and reducing the need for some follow-up appointments.

AI will not be working alone - each image will be reviewed by a healthcare professional.

NICE says broken bones are missed in 3-10% of cases - it is the most common diagnostic error in emergency departments.

And the trained experts who perform and analyse thousands of X-ray images every day in the NHS are in short supply, with a huge workload.

Vacancy rates are 12.5% for radiologists and 15% for radiographers, according to the long-term plan for the NHS in England, external.

The solution, according to NICE, is to harness the power of AI to work alongside clinicians.

Mark Chapman, director of health technology at NICE, said it would make their job easier.

“These AI technologies are safe to use and could spot fractures which humans might miss, given the pressure and demands these professional groups work under," he said.

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Source: BBC News, 22 October 2024

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NHS delays mean ‘death sentence’ for some patients, says Wes Streeting

Some NHS patients have received a “death sentence” due to delays within the health service, Wes Streeting has said, as Keir Starmer stressed the need for more use of AI and technology.

The health secretary was speaking alongside the prime minister at the launch of what they described as the “biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since it was founded 76 years ago”.

But while Keir Starmer tried to take an optimistic tone, alluding to the benefits and opportunities that could arise from a public conversation, Streeting warned the NHS is in “such a poor state, I’m amazed we’re not still using carrier pigeons”.

Streeting said: “The NHS is going through what is objectively the worst crisis in its history, whether it’s people struggling to get access to their GP, dialling 999 and an ambulance not arriving in time, turning up to A&E departments and waiting far too long, sometimes on trolleys in corridors, or going through the ordeal of knowing that you’re waiting for a diagnosis that could be the difference between life and death.

“Worse still, receiving a prognosis that amounts to a death sentence that could have been avoided, because the NHS didn’t reach you in time.

“That is, I’m afraid, the daily reality in the NHS today.”

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Source: The Guardian, 21 October 2024

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AI does not necessarily lead to more efficiency in clinical practice

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in hospitals and patient care is steadily increasing. Especially in specialist areas with a high proportion of imaging, such as radiology, AI has long been part of everyday clinical practice.

However, the question of the extent to which AI actually influences workflows in a clinical setting remains largely unanswered. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have therefore conducted a comprehensive analysis of existing studies on the effect of AI. They were able to show that AI does not automatically lead to an acceleration of work processes. Their results have now been published in the journal npj Digital Medicine.

Although AI is often seen as a solution for handling routine tasks such as monitoring patients, documenting care tasks and supporting clinical decisions, the actual effects on work processes are unclear. Particularly in data-intensive specialties such as genomics, pathology and radiology, where AI is already being used to recognise patterns in large amounts of data and prioritise cases, there is a lack of reliable data on efficiency gains.

"We wanted to find out to what extent AI solutions actually improve efficiency in medical imaging," explains Katharina Wenderott, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at the University of Bonn at the UKB's Institute for Patient Safety (IfPS). "The widespread assumption that AI automatically speeds up work processes often falls short."

"Our results make it clear that the use of AI in everyday clinical practice must be considered in a differentiated way," emphasises Prof. Matthias Weigl, Director of the IfPS at the UKB, who also conducts research at the University of Bonn. "Local conditions and individual work processes have a major influence on the success of implementation."

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Source: Digital Health News, 18 October 2024

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Wes Streeting unveils plans for ‘patient passports’ to hold all medical records

Wes Streeting is to unveil plans for portable medical records giving every NHS patient all their information stored digitally in one place on Monday, despite fears over breaching privacy and creating a target for hackers.

The health secretary is launching a major consultation on the government’s plans to transform the NHS from “analogue to digital” over the next decade. It will offer “patient passports” containing health data that can be swiftly accessed by GPs, hospitals and ambulance services.

New laws are also set to be introduced on Wednesday to make patient health records available across all NHS trusts in England. It will speed up patient care, reduce repeat medical tests and minimise medication errors, he said.

The digital data bill will standardise information systems across the NHS, making it possible to share electronic records across all parts of the service, and bringing them together in a single patient record on the NHS app.

Streeting moved to allay patients’ fears over “big brother” oversight of private records, telling the Guardian that they would be “protected and anonymised” as the government pursued new technological opportunities.

He also defended the government’s plan to transform healthcare in England by working with big tech and pharma companies to develop new treatments, saying he would get the “best possible deal” for the NHS.

The health secretary told the Guardian the development “will mean the NHS can work hand in hand with the life sciences sector, offering access to our large and diverse set of data”.

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Source: The Guardian, 21 October 2024

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White women most likely to get HRT prescriptions in England, study finds

Menopausal women of Chinese and black African backgrounds are about 80% less likely to receive hormone replacement therapy than white women, according to a large-scale study.

HRT is one of the most common treatments for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, poor sleep and vaginal dryness. It can also help maintain muscle strength and prevent osteoporosis.

But a 10-year study of nearly 2 million women in England has found worrying inequalities in women’s access to HRT.

Academics at the University of Oxford examined HRT prescriptions issued in England to 1,978,348 women aged 40 to 60 over a 10-year period.

Findings presented at the World Congress on Menopause in Melbourne on Monday revealed that between 2013 and 2023, almost six times as many white women were prescribed HRT than black women, and more than twice as many women in affluent areas were offered HRT than those living in socially deprived areas.

While previous studies have identified unequal access to HRT, the academics believe this is the first study to quantify the likelihood of receiving it, having adjusted for age, deprivation and ethnicity.

Over the 10 years they found that, compared with their white counterparts, women of Chinese backgrounds were 82% less likely, and those of black African backgrounds 79% less likely, to receive HRT. Women from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian backgrounds were respectively 70%, 64% and 61% less likely to be on HRT.

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Source: The Guardian, 21 October 2024

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Woman died of sepsis after being ‘abandoned in hospital corridor’

A woman died of sepsis after being “abandoned” for ten hours on a hospital trolley in a busy A&E corridor, an inquest was told.

Tamara Davis, 31, was left to “fend for herself” as she coughed up blood in the corridor of the A&E department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in December 2022.

She had been taken to hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties and collapsing at home. Davis was diagnosed with a respiratory infection and initially placed in a resuscitation room and given oxygen. However, she was moved into the corridor when another patient needed the room and left on a trolley, even as her condition became progressively worse.

At one stage there were 20 patients being treated in the hospital corridor as there was “nowhere else to put patients”, the inquest at West Sussex coroner’s court was told on Monday.

When her condition deteriorated further she was moved back to a resuscitation cubicle and from there she was transferred to intensive care. She died the following day from sepsis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection or injury.

Joanne Andrews, the West Sussex coroner, said she would write to the Department of Health and NHS England to voice her concerns over the use of corridors to treat patients.

Recording a conclusion of death by natural causes, she said: “In relation to the use of corridors, this does to me create a substantial concern.”

However, she added: “There is no evidence of the patient having been placed in a corridor caused or contributed to her death in these circumstances.”

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Source: The Times, 15 October 2024

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More babies harmed in Letby’s care, files suggest

New evidence seen by the BBC suggests more babies in Lucy Letby’s care were harmed – and in one case poisoned with insulin.

The former nurse was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others - including trying to kill two with insulin at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

BBC One's Panorama has seen documents which suggest a third baby may have also been poisoned within hours of Letby taking over the boy’s care.

Medical records reveal the infant’s blood sugar level plummeted and lab results indicated he had suspiciously high levels of insulin.

Panorama has also discovered that potentially life-threatening incidents involving infants occurred on almost a third of Letby’s 33 shifts while she was training at Liverpool Women's Hospital in 2012 and 2015.

The programme’s revelations follow months of criticism of the prosecution’s case in her first trial. A number of experts have challenged the medical evidence used to convict Letby, as well as the way statistics were put forward in court.

In August 2023, the 33-year-old was sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole. Letby was then found guilty of attempting to murder a seventh baby at a second trial in July this year, and sentenced to a 15th whole-life prison term.

Panorama has examined mounting questions from leading statisticians and medical experts about the safety of her convictions.

But as part of the programme, new evidence has also emerged of other sick and premature babies potentially being harmed while in Letby’s care.

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Source: BBC News, 21 October 2024

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Only a third of NHSE staff think it has a ‘clear vision’

A survey showing only a third of NHS England staff believe it has a “clear vision” for the future has been described as ”not as challenging as could be expected” by the organisation. 

It is NHSE’s first full staff survey since its major restructuring and merger with Health Education England and NHS Digital, which has seen around 7,000 posts cut, and widespread irritation with how how the changes were handled.

The summary report from the 2024 staff survey (attached below), obtained by HSJ, highlights particular problems with morale, and failures to develop staff.  

Among NHSE’s worst scores were whether staff felt it had a “clear vision for the future” (33 per cent agreed), while only 26% “feel like I am part of my organisation’s vision for the future”, and just 36% agreed the organisation would address staff concerns if they spoke up.

However, an NHSE executive team presentation report on the results said: “This year’s results should be considered against the backdrop of ongoing organisational change, which can significantly impact staff engagement levels and decreased morale. 

“Independent feedback from our survey providers indicates that the results are not as challenging as could be expected, given the scale and complexity of NHSE’s change programme.”

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Source: HSJ, 16 October 2024

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