Search the hub

Following Lord Darzi’s investigation in 2024 and a ‘national conversation’ on how to fix our ‘broken’ NHS, a new 10 Year Health Plan charged with setting out government plans to deliver its three shifts – from hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention – will publish in the spring. The spending review, which will set out government spending plans for the next three years, and the publication of a revised long-term workforce plan, are also expected over the coming months. About the event This King's Fund conference will explore how implementation of the three shifts can deliver improved care, outcomes and experience for the public, while ensuring our health and care system is compassionate, equitable and sustainable. Our expert speakers will outline the actions and decisions needed to transform the health service into a prevention-focused service by 2035. Conference sessions will provide practical guidance on: how the 10 Year Health Plan can support the government’s overall health mission the impact of the comprehensive spending review and radical options for how funding is allocated and flows through the system how the plan can only be delivered successfully if there is similar attention and support for adult social care managing the trade-offs, including implementing the changes and shifts over the long term while prioritising resources on current pressures building on the approach in the development of the plan to work differently with people (patients, staff and communities) and ensure services are co-designed to meet needs and deliver care that is truly patient-centred how to achieve a managed shift in resources and power away from the acute sector towards primary, community and preventive services creating digitally enabled services that are inclusive and trusted by engaging with people and communities. Register

If you’ve been inspired by the Do With vision and want to work with others to shift the public sector away from its current ‘do to’ mindset and practices towards a ‘do with’ approach, please join this King's Fund online meeting. The event is free and open to anyone working in or with the public sector who wants to move towards a more humane, democratic and impactful way of working. Do With is not a new organisation or formal campaign. Instead, it hopes to be a grassroots movement for change led by the people who are part of it. As such, the event will be a space for attendees to share ideas on how they would like to deliver change and to connect people together who want to work on specific ideas. Those ideas could operate within public sector teams and organisations or within communities or both; and could operate at local, regional or national level. It is up to you and all those inspired by the Do With vision to take it forward. Register

The health and care system in England is undergoing significant change. With a new government setting its priorities, an ambitious 10-year health plan in development, and ongoing challenges such as workforce shortages and health inequalities, understanding these complexities is more important than ever. This is a two-day event led by The King’s Fund’s policy and leadership experts. Whether you’re navigating integrated care systems, grappling with social care reforms or seeking clarity on the pressures facing health and care, this event offers essential knowledge and balanced insights. Register

This session aims to bring together a range of Caldicott Guardians to learn, share and explore the growing role of a Caldicott Guardian in adult social care. CGs from both local authorities and care provider organisations are invited to join. The purpose is to provide support to all those across the care sector who have the Caldicott Guardian role as part of their jobs, offer a networking, sharing and learning space for them all as well as promote the role as best practice and the importance of having one/ access to one in social care services. To encourage and explore innovation in relation to the role and influence future ways of working. Principles of CG Networks & Collaboration Collaborate and cooperate, to strengthen the Caldicott Guardian's role in data governance across social care Be open. Communicate openly about concerns, issues, or opportunities relating to Caldicott Guardians and information governance in social care. Learn, develop, and seek to achieve full potential. Share information, experience, materials, and skills to learn from each other and develop effective collaboration. Adopt a positive outlook. Behave in a positive, proactive, and timely manner. Keep the group up to date on data governance developments to Caldicott Guardians in the sector, feeding back key information and potential of new approaches/ practice Who should attend? These sessions have been designed for Caldicott Guardians working in adult social care. This can include staff in care organisations who undertake the role of Caldicott Guardian or have a Caldicott function in their job role, for example: Owners Registered Managers Nurses Senior Care Staff Administrators IT Professionals Quality & Compliance Leads Register

The webinar will be covering: Busting the myths around DSCR’s Pitfalls, tips and tricks Guidance and support for moving suppliers Incorporate changing assured supplier list. Who should attend? These sessions have been designed for adult social care providers in England and are aimed at people who make decisions about the use of technology in care services. This might include: Owners Registered Managers Nurses Senior Care Staff Administrators IT Professionals Quality & Compliance Leads. Register

The health and care system continues to face profound challenges, whether it’s staff shortages, financial pressures, all-time low public satisfaction, or record high waiting times for elective care. At this free online event, our expert panel will provide insight and context into the wider health and care landscape, the challenges the sector is facing, and the big issues they want to see progress on in 2024. In the run-up to the anticipated general election, our panel will also explore how recent trends, political parties’ policy proposals and future developments could affect those working in the sector, as well as people, patients and communities. Join the discussion and share your comments and questions about the wider challenges and opportunities facing the health and care sector. Register

Constipation can be a life–threatening issue for people with a learning disability who are at heightened risk from complications if it is left untreated. This campaign has been developed by NHS England to support people with a learning disability, their carers and people who work in primary care to recognise the signs of constipation. Resources have been co–created with input from the Down’s Syndrome Association, Mencap and Pathways Associates to ensure that they are fit for purpose. The resources aim to: Drive awareness of the seriousness of constipation Help people recognise the signs of constipation at an early stage Empower people to take action and ensure that people with a learning disability experiencing constipation get the right health support straight away Raise awareness of the steps which can be taken to prevent constipation.

As reported recently, the Scottish Healthcare Workers Coalition called upon the Scottish Government to reinstate 'universal masking' in health and social care settings.  In this statement written in support of their campaign, an occupational safety and health practitioner, David Osborn, explains the legal requirements for risk assessments that the Government ought to have undertaken before reaching such a decision that exposes healthcare staff to the life-changing consequences associated with repeat Covid-19 infections.  He also explains the legal duty of the Government to consult with workers before implementing changes that may affect their health and safety. Neither duty (risk assessment nor prior consultation with workers) appears to have been well met, putting the Scottish Government and Health Boards in breach of UK-wide health and safety law.  The decision by the Scottish Government to withdraw the coronavirus guidance for extended use of facemasks across health and social care is clearly a matter that has significant implications for the safety of health and social care workers. It is a legal requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 that employers (including Governments and their Health Boards) must do at least two things before implementing a change that may materially and substantially impact workers’ health and safety at work: They must conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the proposed actions; and They must consult with all employees or their elected representatives concerning the proposed change. 1. Risk assessment To be “suitable and sufficient” the risk assessment for the abandonment of universal masking should have considered several factors such as: The fact that variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to evolve which are becoming more immune resistant and subject to vaccine escape. The opportunity for viruses to mutate in this way depends upon the sheer number of viruses in circulation within the population. The greater the number, then statistically the more likely it is that a variant could evolve with potential to partially or wholly defeat our current vaccines and greatly impair the nation’s recovery from the pandemic. It just takes for one single virus to mutate in a certain catastrophic way for this to happen – as will have been the case in Wuhan in 2019. Any responsible Government and Health Board should take all reasonably practicable steps to reduce the number of viruses circulating in the population, particularly in health and social care premises. The Scottish Government appears blind to this simple but important duty that it owes to the Scottish people and its healthcare workers in particular. Evidence is emerging that cases of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and associated hospitalisations and deaths have increased in relative frequency as new Omicron lineages have emerged with enhanced transmissibility or immune escape characteristics. The evidence also suggests that the time interval between repeat infections is decreasing, particularly (and rather peculiarly) amongst individuals who have previously been infected with the Alpha (‘Kent’) variant which arose during the second wave (winter 2020-21). Many healthcare workers will have been infected during that period. The consequence is that these workers are (a) that these infections may recur more frequently and (b) are at greater risk from these repeat infections. It has long been established that each time a person is infected or reinfected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus they have a risk of developing Long Covid, which can have severe detrimental effect on their health and quality of life – sometimes causing debilitating, irreversible, long-term health conditions. The more times they become reinfected, the worse these conditions may be and the longer they may last. By law, the risk assessment must be recorded (on paper or electronically) and be made available to employees and their representatives immediately upon request. I therefore call upon the Scottish Government to confirm whether or not such a risk assessment was undertaken before the decision was taken to abandon universal masking. If one was done, then the Government and the Health Boards should publish it so that interested parties, such as the Coalition, can determine whether it has properly considered all relevant factors that have a direct bearing on the increased risk of healthcare worker infection and how they plan to mitigate that risk. If no such risk assessment was done, either by the Government centrally or by its Health Boards, then they have acted recklessly and unlawfully. 2. Consultation For clarity, the “consultation”, which is required by the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996, has a very clear meaning. It means: a) providing employees, or their safety representatives, with all relevant information relating to any proposed change in health and safety arrangements (including giving them sight of any risk assessments) before that change is implemented; b) allowing the employees and their representatives sufficient time to discuss amongst themselves and seek any further advice they may need to inform an opinion about the change; c) the employer must then take account any the feedback that it receives. These are serious matters. The UK Government and the devolved administrations, through inept planning for pandemics and the issue of seriously flawed guidance, failed to provide health and social care workers with the necessary PPE to prevent them inhaling airborne virus whilst they cared for highly infectious patients. It is quite understandable that our brave healthcare workers are now so aggrieved by the Government’s decision. These are the same people for whom we, the public, stood and clapped so proudly at our doorsteps during those dark days. The chaotic state of the UK’s planning and preparedness for pandemics has been laid bare at the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry. During future sessions, the Inquiry will receive evidence concerning the deception which was wrought upon healthcare workers that the flimsy paper masks they were given would keep them safe from the disease when health and safety law requires proper tested and certified respirators to be used (such as FFP3 and equivalent) when workers are exposed to dangerous microbiological hazards in their workplace. Current World Health Organization guidance still advocates that universal masking policies in health and social care premises do still have their place in Governments’ armoury of defence measures to keep healthcare workers safe. Given all that they have already been through, combined with the ongoing suffering that many of them are experiencing from the disease they have contracted whilst caring for us, surely it is now time for the Scottish Government to pay greater consideration and respect for their health and safety. Some commentators may view the abandonment of universal masking as the Government playing “Russian Roulette” with their health by "letting the virus rip" – as sadly it is likely to do as the autumn and winter seasons approach.