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News ArticleNew figures have revealed a record surge in referrals to children and young people’s mental health services in March, alongside unprecedented waiting times. The charity YoungMinds, analysing NHS England data, reported 932,822 under-18s had an active mental health referral during the month. YoungMinds warned the data highlights the "sheer scale of the mental health emergency" facing youngsters. New referrals climbed 11% from February and were up 2% compared to the same time last year. The analysis also found that the average waiting time topped 300 days for the eighth consecutive month. Abigail Ampofo, interim chief executive at YoungMinds, said: “These alarming figures highlight the sheer scale of the mental health emergency. “While waiting lists for the treatment of physical health problems are going down, the time young people are spending trying to access specialist support for their mental health continues to rise. “So many pressures are harming young people’s mental health, including academic demands, rising living costs and inequality. “We need more investment in mental health services, but we also need to tackle these root causes of poor mental health. Read full story Source: The Independent, 28 May 2026
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News Article
21 trusts ‘delivered year’s elective recovery in single month’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Twenty-one trusts delivered their entire 2025-26 elective improvement in March alone, analysis shows, prompting concerns about the “fragility and sustainability” of the NHS’s waiting list recovery. The NHS’s overall performance on the 18-week standard rose by 2.7 percentage points in March – a very large month-on-month improvement – to secure its 65% year-end target. HSJ analysis of official data reveals that 21 providers (nearly 20%) of general acute trusts that were able to report improvement in their 18-week performance between April 2025 and March 2026 were in fact entirely reliant on steep gains in the final month. Between April 2025 and February 2026, the share of their patients treated within 18 weeks had fallen. Waiting list expert Barry Mulholland told HSJ that where trusts had “effectively delivered their entire annual recovery in March alone… that is extremely hard to achieve through ‘normal’ improvement activity”. Mr Mulholland, CEO of consultancy MBI Health, said: “It does not mean the gains are fake, but it does suggest fragility, risk, and raises questions about the overall sustainability. “Similarly, I would want to understand the changes that have been made by the trusts which made large structural improvements, to see what enabled the consistent improvement and if those changes can be replicated more widely.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 26 May 2026 -
News ArticleThe government has hit an interim target for speeding up hospital treatment in England. The goal was for 65% of patients to be treated within 18 weeks by March 2026 – and it hit that, but only just, with the figure reaching 65.3%. It was seen as the first stepping stone to hitting the 92% target by the end of the Parliament in 2029 – a key manifesto pledge of Labour's. The news came just hours before Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary, saying there needed to be a leadership challenge as he had lost confidence in the Prime Minister. Speaking before he resigned, he hailed the achievement – performance was below 59% when Labour came to power. He said: "It means we are right on track to deliver the fastest reduction in waiting times in the history of the NHS. "That is thanks to the government's investment, modernisation, and the remarkable efforts of staff right across the country. "Lots done, lots more to do." Read full story Source: BBC News, 14 May 2026
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Content ArticlePartnership working between Consultant Specialists and GPs is front and centre to the Government’s commitment to move patient care closer to home. Pre referral advice and guidance supports integrated care and peer to peer learning as well as service improvement. General Practices across the country already support advice and guidance pathways, which are intended to help to ensure patients receive care in the right place at the right time. However, advice and guidance pathways have workload implications for both general practice and secondary care. This document from NHS England gives more information about General Practice Requests for Advice and Guidance (A&G) pathway.
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News Article
NHSE accused of ‘admitting defeat’ on children’s waits
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England guidance suggesting adult services are the priority for bringing down long waits risks “failing” children, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has said. A senior paediatrician criticised advice issued by the health service on how to approach 18-week community targets introduced this month. Ronny Cheung, officer for health services at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, told HSJ that proposing to “just focus on this group [adult musculoskeletal services] and ignore children – for all of the burden [that is on them] – is a bit of an admission of defeat and failing these children”. The NHS England guidance, which was published late last month, said: “Early progress in reducing 18-week waits is likely to be achieved through a focus on adult service lines, particularly the high-volume community musculoskeletal service line”. Meanwhile, it said the longest waits were “largely concentrated” in children and young people’s services, and “addressing these will require sustained, long-term effort”. But Dr Cheung said NHSE’s suggested approach rested on two misperceptions. “There’s a perception that children’s community waits are relatively speaking still quite small in comparison to the adult ones, and that’s not true,” he told HSJ. “The second slight misperception is that it is such an intractable problem that actually there’s no point in [services] focusing on that.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 23 April 2026 -
News Article
I'm on six different NHS waiting lists - it's taking over my life
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Amy-Jane Davies is on six NHS waiting lists and says constantly chasing for updates is taking over her life. She's waited 21 months for gynaecological surgery, which she said will likely result in her being referred for a more specialist operation - meaning another waiting list. Amy-Jane, who has endometriosis, is one of 43,120 on a gynaecology waiting list in Wales and one of 687,958 waiting for any type of treatment. She said her condition had affected her life in ways she "didn't imagine", from reducing her hours at work to deciding not to become a mother. With the Senedd election in Wales on 7 May, NHS waiting times are one of the challenges facing the next Welsh government. Amy-Jane, 30, from south Wales, was first diagnosed with endometriosis in 2018, a condition where cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body. Her symptoms range from abdominal cramping and severe bloating to migraines, fatigue, as well as bladder and bowel problems. "During Covid, the gynaecology waiting lists grew to eight to 10 years and at that point I knew there was just no way I could wait that long to get something done," she said. In 2021, Amy-Jane paid £4,000 for private surgery with help from her mum and nan. -
News Article
NHSE rows back on controversial target
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England has rowed back on what was widely understood to be a new target for the proportion of patients it wanted “diverted” away from waiting lists, after accusations it was rationing care. The controversy surrounds how NHS England plans to ramp up the “advice and guidance” (A&G) model, which allows GPs to seek pre-referral advice from specialist clinicians, and is designed in part to reduce referrals. NHSE guidance published just last month said it would roll out a new model involving a “single point of access” (SPoA), that would “contribute to a diversion rate of at least 25% by March 2027 for at least 10 high volume specialties” in each area. Diverted patients are those who, after the A&G process, are managed in primary or community care instead of being put on the waiting list for secondary care. The guidance was widely interpreted as a 25% diversion rate target for these cohorts of patients. This sparked concern and vocal opposition among GP leaders and patient groups, and accusations of care rationing. However, in a letter to primary care issued late on Wednesday, NHSE said: “There is no national target for specialists, trusts or general practice to divert a fixed proportion of referrals away from hospital care.” Read full story Source: HSJ, 22 April 2026 -
News ArticleAt the height of Covid, hundreds of cancer patients had mastectomies without the reconstruction that would normally accompany them. They would eventually get the surgery, they were told – but for many that promise feels more meaningless by the day Every time she lifts her arms to get dressed or hang out her washing, Julie Ford gets a painful reminder of one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. At 7am one day in April 2021, she had gone into hospital, alone and wearing a mask, to have her right breast and lymph nodes removed in a bid to stop breast cancer from spreading. Later that day, still groggy from the anaesthetic, in pain and with surgical drains hanging from both sides of her chest, she had staggered to the door with the help of two nurses. She was eased into a friend’s car and driven home to fend for herself. While Julie’s breast had been removed, it was not reconstructed. Usually, both procedures are carried out in the same operation. But as reconstruction using tissue from the patient’s abdomen is a complex, eight-hour procedure requiring a large surgical team, it was considered “non-essential” and paused by most NHS trusts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like hundreds of women with breast cancer who underwent urgent mastectomies without reconstruction in 2020 and 2021, Julie was assured she could have the procedure once Covid restrictions lifted. But five years later, Julie, now 62, is still waiting. A national shortage of specialist surgeons and theatre space, as well as the need to prioritise new cancer cases, means many women like her, who had breasts removed during lockdown, feel they have been abandoned. They live in daily physical discomfort and mental distress as they continue to await the reconstructions they were promised years ago. A 2024 study found at least 2,200 patients who have survived breast cancer, or who were at high risk of developing it, were waiting for surgery across 40 NHS centres in England, with an average wait of 2.5 years. And Wood fears there is little to encourage struggling hospitals to clear the backlog. Instead of investing resources into “expensive and lengthy” surgeries such as breast reconstructions, NHS trusts that want to reduce the size of their overall waiting list have an incentive to prioritise quick, simple operations where several patients can be ticked off the list in a short time, he says. “There are capacity issues, with growing demand and a shortage of theatre time and surgeons’ time, but to tackle it you need to have [NHS trust] management that is bothered to find a solution, not just sit on their hands.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 April 2026
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News Article
Child spent two months in A&E
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A child spent more than two months in A&E following a breakdown of a care placement, in what the trust described as “one of the longest waits we’ve seen”. Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust said the young person was at its Queen’s Hospital A&E for more than 70 days, while another was there for more than 30. They were both under the care of councils “outside our area”, and their care placements had broken down, the trust said. It has declined to say which councils. Both children had “complex behavioural needs” which meant they could not be moved on to children’s wards, the east London trust said. Speaking last week, it said the children had recently moved on to other placements. The trust has previously highlighted long waits for children under care at Queen’s A&E – including a wait of 44 days in 2024 – and said care placement breakdowns were the most common reason. Trust CEO Matthew Trainer said: “We’re seen as a place of safety for children and young people with mental health issues and/or challenging behavioural needs. This means several young people have experienced long waits for the right support in A&E. “It’s unacceptable and distressing for both patients and our staff, and something we’ve been discussing at our board meetings for several years, as well as working with mental health trusts and councils to see how we can reduce delays.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 9 April 2026 -
News Article
Public satisfaction with the NHS rises for first time since 2019
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Public satisfaction with the NHS has risen for the first time since 2019, but people remain deeply frustrated with stubbornly long waits to receive GP, A&E or hospital care according to the latest annual British Society Attitudes survey. The proportion of voters in Britain satisfied with the way the NHS runs has increased from the record low of 21% seen last year to 26%. At the same time dissatisfaction with the health service fell 8% – the biggest drop since 1998 – although it remains high at 51%. However, delays in accessing care continue to cause public unhappiness. Most people are dissatisfied with the time it takes to get seen in A&E (66%), receive hospital care (63%) and get a GP appointment (58%). Only 14% are satisfied with A&E waiting times. Mark Dayan, head of public affairs at the Nuffield Trust, said: “These are still numbers that you would have thought were catastrophic in the 2010s. They’re still worse than they were even during the 90s, a period when the public was widely perceived to be very unhappy about the NHS.” Wes Streeting hailed the findings as proof that the NHS, which he said was “broken” when Labour won power in July 2024, was now “on the road to recovery”. The health secretary will cite them as evidence of progress in a speech on Wednesday in which he will set out plans to improve care at five badly performing health trusts. Mark Dayan, head of public affairs at the Nuffield Trust, said: “These are still numbers that you would have thought were catastrophic in the 2010s. They’re still worse than they were even during the 90s, a period when the public was widely perceived to be very unhappy about the NHS.” The rise in satisfaction “is a glimmer on the horizon, but the public mood remains dark”, he added. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 25 March 2026 -
Content ArticleThe NHS has seen a 6 percentage point increase in public satisfaction, the first rise since 2019, according to the latest findings from the gold-standard survey of public attitudes to the NHS and social care, analysed by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund and surveyed by NatCen. Key findings Satisfaction with the NHS In 2025, 26% of British adults were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ satisfied with the way in which the NHS runs – a statistically significant 6 percentage point increase from 2024. Around half of respondents (51%) were dissatisfied with the NHS in 2025, a statistically significant fall of 8 percentage points compared to 2024 when it was 59%. This is the first increase in satisfaction since 2019, and the largest fall in dissatisfaction in more than 25 years. People under 35 (20%), supporters of Reform (20%) and people in Wales (18%) were significantly less satisfied with the NHS than the survey average. Despite the increase in satisfaction only 16% of respondents thought the standard of NHS care would improve in the next 5 years compared to 53% who said they expected care to get worse. Satisfaction with different NHS services Satisfaction with GP services was 35% and dissatisfaction was 45%. Neither was a statistically significant change on the previous year. Just over 1 in 5 respondents (22%) said they were satisfied with NHS dentistry, with 54% saying they were dissatisfied. These are similar results to the previous year. 22% of respondents said they were satisfied with A&E services. Dissatisfaction was 53%. In 2024, 19% said they were satisfied with A&E services, although the change is not statistically significant. 37% of respondents were satisfied with inpatient and outpatient hospital care, an increase of 5 percentage points since 2024, although not statistically significant. 29% were dissatisfied – no change on last year. Attitudes to NHS standards, access and staffing Half of respondents (50%) were satisfied with the quality of NHS care in 2025, and 28% were dissatisfied. There was no statistically significant change since 2024. Only a minority of respondents were satisfied with waiting times for GP appointments (27%), hospital appointments (16%) and in A&E (14%). There were no statistically significant changes compared to last year. Only 12% agreed that ‘there are enough staff in the NHS these days’. 71% disagreed. There was no significant change compared to 2024. Attitudes to NHS financing and efficiency 9% of respondents said that the government spent too much or far too much money on the NHS, 22% said that it spent about the right amount and 66% said that it spent too little or far too little. There were no statistically significant changes compared to 2024. Only 13% of respondents agreed that the NHS spends the money it has efficiently. 55% disagreed with this statement. There was no change compared to 2024. When asked about government choices on tax and spending on the NHS, the public remain closely divided between raising taxes and spending more on the NHS (45%) and keeping taxation and spending at the same level (43%). Only 8% would choose to cut taxes and spend less on the NHS. There was no statistically significant change since 2024. Supporters of the Green party (70%) and the Labour party (57%) were significantly more likely to support higher taxes and higher NHS spending than supporters of Reform (32%) and the Conservative party (30%). NHS priorities and principles On being asked what the top three most important priorities for the NHS should be, both making it easier to get a GP appointment and improving A&E waiting times were selected as top priorities by 46% of respondents, followed by 45% for waiting times for planned operations and 43% for increasing the number of NHS staff. People aged 18–64 were more likely than those aged 65 and over to prioritise A&E waiting times (48% vs 38%) and increasing NHS staff (46% vs 35%) whereas those aged 65 and over prioritised prevention and staying healthy (48% vs 36%). As in previous years, a large majority of respondents agreed that the founding principles of the NHS should ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ apply in 2025: that the NHS should be free of charge when you need to use it (89%), the NHS should primarily be funded through taxes (81%) and the NHS should be available to everyone (74%). There has been some decrease across the past five years in the proportion who think these principles should ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ apply since the questions were first asked in 2021. The greatest decrease over time has been support for the principle that ‘the NHS should be available to everyone’. Support for the principle that the NHS should be available to everyone varied significantly by supporters of different political parties, with 68% of Labour supporters agreeing this principle should ‘definitely’ apply compared to 45% of Conservative supporters and 30% of Reform supporters. Social care In 2025, 14% of respondents said they were satisfied with social care. 49% were dissatisfied with social care – a statistically significant decrease from 2024 when this figure was 53%. The top three priorities for social care were helping people stay independent at home for as long as possible (46%), making social care more affordable to those who need it (45%) and improving the quality of social care services (44%). When asked about government choices on tax and spending on social care, 51% said the government should keep taxes and spending on social care at the same level as now. 38% said the government should increase taxes and spend more on social care. 6% said the government should reduce taxes and spend less on social care. Support for increasing taxes and spending more on social care was lower than for the NHS – it was 45% for the NHS. The difference was statistically significant.
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News Article
NHS App caused ‘confusion and anxiety’ over waiting times
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Waiting time information in the NHS App has been overhauled after causing “confusion, anxiety and mistrust” among patients, HSJ has learned. NHS England changed the app’s waiting information page – which initially showed a mean average time – after it led to many patients calling hospitals to ask why they were waiting longer. Alongside the mean average referral-to-treatment time for their trust, a new metric has now been added to the page, which shows “eight in 10 patients are seen within X weeks”. A design history document, published by NHSE this month, admitted the previous version – introduced more than two years ago – was causing patients to believe they were seeing a personalised wait time, updated in real time. This caused “confusion, anxiety and mistrust” when the average date passed, but they had not been contacted or had an appointment. Many users also believed the waiting time referred to their initial appointment, rather than treatment. NHSE said the initial information caused “increased call volumes and burden on frontline staff” as patients called hospitals for clarification. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 March 2026 -
News Article
NHS waiting times in Wales plunge to lowest in six years
Mark Hughes posted a news article in News
NHS waiting lists in Wales have fallen to the lowest level in almost six years. The latest waiting time figures, published on March 19, show the average waiting time for treatment is now around 18 weeks – down from 23 weeks in August 2024 and the lowest since the pandemic started. Around 557,900 individual patients are currently on treatment waiting lists in Wales, the NHS Activity and Performance Summary: January and February 2026 shows. At the same time targets are being missed on ambulance times, waits in accident and emergency departments and for cancer treatment, the document also shows. Read full article. Source: Wales Online, 19 March 2026 -
News ArticlePharmacies are running out of stock for the meningitis B vaccine as concern rises and demand soars. The spike comes after the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed it is now investigating 20 cases of meningitis in Kent during an “explosive” outbreak that has left two dead. Boots has implemented a queuing system for customers to enter the vaccination service page of its website, with a warning that demand for its menB jab is currently high. Superdrug has also created a waiting list for the vaccine, with a note on its website informing customers of a “national shortage” and adding “stock is limited”. It said it is “working with suppliers to secure more doses”. The high street pharmacy reported a 65-fold increase in demand compared to last week. Some pharmacies in Kent are also running out of supplies, according to Dr Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of the Independent Pharmacies Association. Read full story Source: The Independent, 18 March 2026
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News Article
NHSE expects to declare victory on number one target
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England bosses are predicting they will get close enough to hitting 65% against the 18-week standard by March to declare victory against their main performance objective for this year, HSJ has learned. This would mark a significant improvement, around 2.5 percentage points, from the 61.5% for December, the most recent official data. Performance has flatlined at around this mark for the past six months. Senior figures cautioned they still had a difficult task balancing activity and finances in the final weeks of 2025-26, but they are increasingly optimistic about success against the government’s priority NHS target. Official figures for January, to be published on Thursday, will give a first indication of the impact of a £120m “elective sprint” funded by NHS England at late notice, for the final months of the year. One senior national figure told HSJ it was “a tricky time with final sprints to the line on elective, urgent and emergency care, and the money. But the fact that we are still in the running for all three feels very positive and motivational”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 10 March 2026 -
Content ArticleWith financial constraints, record waiting lists and recent staff strikes, the role of being an NHS chief executive has arguably never been harder. But what impact is it having on those health service leaders? In recent months, Thea Stein has spoken to a number of NHS chief executives about the difficult choices they confront in their everyday work and the moral distress that may accompany those decisions. In this long read, Thea reveals what was said to her, and emphasises once more the importance of making the NHS a psychologically safe place to work.
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News Article
Almost a third of people in England use private dentists amid NHS dental crisis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Almost a third of people in England now use private dentistry, with a sharp rise in the number of poorer households forced to pay for fillings and extractions. The scarcity of NHS care means the proportion of people turning to private dental services jumped from 22% in 2023 to 32% late last year, the health service’s patient watchdog found. The reliance on paid-for treatment is so significant that dental care is becoming a costly “one tier” – private-only – service for more and more people, Healthwatch England is warning. It is concerned that the percentage of people who describe themselves as struggling financially that have used private dentistry has almost doubled in recent years from 14% to 27%. “Our findings are a warning that for some people there’s only one-tier dental care – private,” said Rebecca Curtayne, Healthwatch England’s acting head of policy, public affairs and research. “It’s the most vulnerable people in our society who bear the brunt of the ongoing shortage of NHS dental appointments. “Too many people on low income are being forced into private care they struggle to afford, or are going without treatment altogether. The system is failing those who need it most.” The big shift to private dental care showed NHS dentistry “exists in name only for many people”, the Patients Association said. “This report is yet further damning evidence on the state of NHS dentistry and this double penalty for people on low incomes demonstrates a systemic failure with real human consequences,” said Rachel Power, the association’s chief executive. “This isn’t just about the cost of dentistry. The lack of affordable dental care harms physical health, leaves people in ongoing, sometimes agonising, pain, and can take a heavy toll on mental and emotional wellbeing.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 March 2026 -
News ArticleResponding to analysis from the Scottish Liberal Democrats, which suggested that there were 871 deaths in Emergency Departments (EDs) associated with a 12 or more hour wait for admission, Dr Fiona Hunter, Royal College of Emergency Medicine Vice President for Scotland, said: “These harrowing figures show that something must change in the approach to fixing the crisis in our EDs. “Heartbreaking doesn’t cover it. Each of these 871 people may have had families and friends who would have had to face the devastating reality that their loved one died not because they were too sick to treat, but because our hospitals don’t have the capacity to look after them properly. “Patients enduring these long waits are often the sickest or most injured, in need of further care on a ward. But a lack of beds, driven in large part by delayed discharges, meant they had to wait in A&E – and this can go on for hours and hours. “Almost 900 people may have paid the ultimate price for this complete breakdown in hospital flow. “Last year, RCEM published figures for 2024, which suggested there were 818 excess deaths associated with 12 hour waits in EDs. Today’s figures suggest that the problem is getting worse, not better. “Whoever forms the next government cannot ignore this problem. The numbers speak for themselves: more people will die, who otherwise would go home to their families, if overcrowding and long waits in ED aren’t fixed. “Addressing the ‘back door’ blockage of hospitals must be a priority for all political parties. Only then will the needless and agonising waits, and the avoidable deaths they cause, stop. “These are fixable issues and we encourage all political parties to make this a priority. Lives are at stake.” Read full story Source: Royal College of Emergency Medicine, 7 March 2026
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News Article
Health experts rubbish Wes Streeting’s claim ADHD is overdiagnosed in the UK
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Experts have disputed Wes Streeting’s claim that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is overdiagnosed in the UK, saying that if anything, the condition is actually likely to be underdiagnosed. In a paper published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, 32 experts including clinicians, academics, and patients warned the main challenge surrounding ADHD is that services “cannot adequately support”. “Alarmist” rhetoric around a fear of overdiagnosis of ADHD could work to “deny” people the care they need, the team said. It comes after health secretary Wes Streeting ordered a review into the diagnosis of mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions including ADHD. Mr Streeting reportedly tasked leading experts with investigating whether common human emotions have become “over-pathologised”. Professor Chris Hollis, co-author of the study from the University of Nottingham, said: “While the incidence of ADHD diagnosis has increased significantly since 2020—particularly in women and young adults—NHS administrative data in England shows no evidence of overdiagnosis with the rate of ADHD diagnosis remaining below the expected levels of ADHD in the population." He described the recent rise in ADHD diagnosis as a “catch-up” of “many years of under recognition and under diagnosis”. “Hence, rather than ‘overdiagnosis’ the real concern should be the unacceptably long waiting times, sometimes over years, that people experience in the NHS for diagnosis, support and treatment,” he continued. Read full story Source: The Independent, 6 March 2026 -
News Article
Dentists return £900m for not seeing NHS patients
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Dentists in England are returning hundreds of millions of pounds a year to the government for unfulfilled NHS care, the BBC has learnt. Over the last two years, more than £900m has been handed back - £1 out of every £7 they have been paid - as dentists instead prioritise private work. The findings help explain why despite record sums being set aside for NHS dentistry, so many patients are struggling to get one - more than a fifth of people report not being able to access care when they need it. The government said improvements were being made this year and any money returned was reinvested into services. Nikita Jenkins, 27, from Cornwall, is one of millions of people who has struggled to access NHS dental care. She has not seen one for 14 years and has been forced to pay privately for her two young daughters to get treatment as she was told waiting lists locally were seven years long. "I tried every dentist in and around my area, but it was near impossible. "We were waiting and, in the end, I felt like we had no choice but to take the jump and pay to go private, to ensure that our children had the right health care." "Dentistry feels like a luxury, not a necessity, because it's just so inaccessible, which shouldn't be the case - especially for children," she told the BBC. Read full story Source: BBC News, 5 March 2026 -
Content ArticleIncreasing the amount of advice and guidance – where hospital specialists provide advice to GPs so that they can manage the patient without a referral to hospital – is a key part of ambitions to bring down NHS waiting lists. Lucina Rolewicz, Stuti Bagri and Sarah Scobie look at whether the target to increase advice and guidance is likely to be met, and what it might mean for those hopes that it will reduce waiting lists.
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News ArticleNearly all NHS trusts across England are failing to meet a crucial cancer treatment target, with some of the poorest performing trusts only managing to treat around half of their patients within the stipulated timeframe. New data reveals significant disparities between trusts, with some individuals enduring waits exceeding 104 days. The long-established NHS benchmark mandates that 85 per cent of cancer patients should commence treatment within 62 days of their referral. However, this national target has not been achieved since 2014. In response to the ongoing challenges, the government has set an interim goal for this figure to reach 75 per cent by March 2026. The new analysis of NHS England figures shows just three of 119 acute trusts with comparable data hit or surpassed the 85% target last year, while only around a quarter made it above 75%. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 25 February 2026
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News Article
Long A&E waits worst on record
Mark Hughes posted a news article in News
Long A&E waits last month hit their highest level since public records began, as NHS England warns it’s battling its “busiest winter on record”. There were 192,168 accident and emergency department attendees who waited more than 12 hours from time of arrival, around 13 per cent of all attendances. Both the number and proportion of 12-hour waits were the highest recorded since NHSE began routinely publishing this data in February 2023. Read full article (paywalled). Source: Health Service Journal, 12 February 2026 -
Content Article
Top picks: 15 resources on eating disorders
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Eating disorders
Eating Disorders Awareness Week takes place 23 February - 1 March 2026 Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that affect an estimated 1.25 million people in the UK. There are many unhelpful myths about who eating disorders affect, what the symptoms are and how to support people in recovery. Alongside a current lack of appropriately trained staff and capacity in mental health services, this can make it challenging for people with eating disorders to access the help and support they need. Patient Safety Learning has pulled together 15 useful resources shared on the hub to help healthcare professionals, friends and family support people with eating disorders. They include awareness-raising blogs, practical tips for patients and their loved ones, and clinical guidance for primary, secondary and mental health providers. 1 Hope Virgo: What needs to happen to stop people with eating disorders being failed by the healthcare system? In this blog, Hope Virgo, author and Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eating Disorders, examines the crisis that continues in eating disorder services in the UK and the devastating impact this is having on patients and their families. She highlights how failures in services lead to avoidable deaths. Hope shares the key recommendations from a new report by the APPG and calls for adequate funding and attention to ensure people with eating disorders receive the help they need to recover. 2 Beyond stereotypes: A lived experience guide to navigating support for disordered eating Disordered eating can affect anyone, but it can be confusing to understand and recognise it in our own personal experiences. This guide, published by East London NHS Foundation Trust, is a snapshot of how adults in East London have navigated those experiences of uncertainty while seeking support for disordered eating. For many of the contributors, preconceptions about what an eating disorder is (or isn’t) have previously acted as a barrier to seeking or receiving support. It also contains advice on how to seek support for disordered eating. 3 ARFID: A brief evidence review Avoidant/restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a severe feeding and eating disorder marked by food avoidance and/or restricted food intake. Individuals with ARFID can restrict the amount of food eaten, and therefore do not get enough calories, or they can restrict the range of foods eaten and therefore do not get all the nutrients needed for maintaining health. The charity Beat has produced an evidence review on ARFID. 4 Leaflet - Seeking treatment for an eating disorder If someone suspects they may have an eating disorder, their first step in getting treatment is often a visit to their GP. This leaflet contains guidance for people who have, or suspect they may have, an eating disorder, as well as information for GPs and other people who may be supporting them. It’s based on the guideline on eating disorders from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which GPs should use when making decisions about patients’ healthcare. 5 Feeding or eating disorders hub (NHS England) The NHS England MindEd all-age eating disorders hub is aimed at all professionals, from universal to specialist. It contains key trusted evidence-based learning, curated and approved by an expert panel. You can find information on NHS policy guidance, professional bodies' guidance, professional associations' reports, charities, NHS learning and good practice, legislation and reports, and key and influential texts. 6 People with eating disorders should not face stigma in the health system and barriers to accessing support - a blog by Hope Virgo People with eating disorders often find it difficult to get help and treatment from the health system because of pervasive stigma, misinformation and stereotypes around eating disorders. This blog by eating disorder survivor and mental health campaigner, Hope Virgo, looks at the barriers people face when they try to access support for eating disorders in the UK. She talks about her own experience of being told she was ‘not thin enough for support’ and calls for long-overdue action on funding, training and awareness of eating disorders within the NHS. 7 Medical emergencies in eating disorders (MEED): Guidance on recognition and management To tackle the serious harms, up to and including death, associated with eating disorders it is crucial that more is done to identify them at the earliest stage possible so that the appropriate care and treatment can be provided. This guidance by the Royal College of Psychiatrists provides a comprehensive overview of the latest evidence associated with eating disorders, including highlighting the importance and role of healthcare professionals from right across the spectrum recognising their responsibilities in this area. 8 I survived diabulimia, the world’s most dangerous eating disorder Sarah Rainey talks about her experience of type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE), which is thought to affect up to 40% of women and 15% of men with type 1 diabetes. People with T1DE, sometimes also called diabulimia, limit their insulin intake to control their weight, which can have life-threatening consequences. Olivia describes how the stress of living with type 1 contributed to her developing T1DE, and how when she finally received treatment and support in her 30s, she was able to deal with her disordered eating and see her health and wellbeing improve. 9 London Assembly Health Committee: Eating Disorders in London In June 2023, the London Assembly Health Committee launched an investigation into eating disorders in London, following reports that referrals for eating disorder services have increased in recent years and performance against waiting time standards dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this investigation was to understand what is driving the increase in referrals, how services are responding to this additional demand and to explore people’s access to, experiences of, and outcomes from treatment services. The report makes 12 recommendations for change. 10 SAPHNA - Eating disorder toolkit This toolkit was co-produced by the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) with school nursing services, mental health campaigners, eating disorder experts, education colleagues and young people with lived-experience of eating disorders. It provides information and guidance for school nurses on how to identify and support students with eating disorders and their families, addressing issues such as consent, confidentiality and referral to specialist services. 11 Tips poster: First signs of symptoms of an eating disorder When someone has an eating disorder, getting early support and treatment can make a huge difference to their recovery. That’s why it's important that everyone can spot the first signs and symptoms of an eating disorder. This poster by the charity Beat Eating Disorders offers tips to help you spot the very first signs of an eating disorder. 12 Eating disorders: a guide for friends and family This booklet from Beat Eating Disorders is for anyone supporting someone with an eating disorder. It covers information about eating disorders and treatment, and offers guidance on how you might approach the subject if you’re worried about someone you know and how to support them after diagnosis, as well as looking after yourself. 13 Medical emergencies in eating disorders: Guidance on recognition and management People with eating disorders can reach a crisis point where their condition becomes a medical emergency resulting in serious harm or even death. This guidance from the Royal College of Psychiatrists makes a series of recommendations for primary care, secondary care and mental health services that aim to make preventable deaths due to eating disorders a thing of the past. There are specific recommendations focused on the needs of children with eating disorders, recognising the physiological differences between adults and children. 14 In conversation with Hope Virgo: “The withdrawal of treatment from people with eating disorders is a national crisis that’s being ignored.” A growing number of patients with eating disorders are reporting having treatment withdrawn by services, often without notice and without their consent. We spoke to eating disorder campaigner Hope Virgo about how pressures on services, enduring stigma around eating disorders and dangerous new narratives are leading to the practice of treatment withdrawal. Hope explains how this is affecting vulnerable patients and highlights that as the number of people developing eating disorders increases, the risks to patient safety will only get worse. 15 National Audit of Eating Disorders Service Mapping Report 2025 The National Audit of Eating Disorders (NAED) is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and funded by NHS England as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme. In 2025 the NAED team conducted a comprehensive mapping of eating disorder service provision across England. This report provides an in-depth overview of NHS-funded and independent sector services for children, young people, and adults. Have your say Are you a healthcare professional who works with people with eating disorders? We would love to hear your insights and share resources you have developed. Perhaps you have received treatment for an eating disorder—what was your experience of healthcare services? We would love to hear from you! Comment below (register for free first) Get in touch with us directly to share your insights -
News Article
A&Es to open dedicated areas for ‘extended stay’ patients
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
“Extended emergency medicine” areas will be opened in hospitals for A&E patients whose care can’t be turned around within the four-hour target, according to new national guidance. NHS England has released new guidance on a “model emergency department” to provide a blueprint for A&Es to meet national targets. The guidance – delayed since last year amid internal concerns about its usefulness – recommends the use of new “extended emergency medicine ambulatory care areas” (EEMACs). They are intended for patients who are expected to be sent home following investigation and treatment, rather than admitted, but would likely be in A&E for more than four hours. It is a similar approach to the “same day emergency care” units now running in many hospitals. However, SDECs are primarily run by specialists, rather than A&E staff, whereas EEMACs are for patients needing more general emergency attention. If a patient is moved to an EEMAC within four hours, they will count as having met the headline waiting target, NHSE confirmed to HSJ. However, if they reach 12 hours, they will be counted as a breach against the 12 hours in the department measure. The same approach applies to SDEC. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 9 February 2026
