NHS would be in trouble without migrant workers December 10, 2014 The NHS would be “in dire straits” without migrant workers, one of the UK’s senior economists claimed yesterday. Office for Budget Responsibility board member Stephen Nickell told the Treasury Select Committee that 35 per cent of health professionals came from outside the UK. When asked whether immigration had a positive or negative impact on the [...]
Parkinson’s app uMotif is the first app to be prescribed on the NHS December 3, 2014 The NHS has just started prescribing its first app – from now on, patients with conditions such as diabetes, heart failure and Parkinsons can use uMotif, developed by a London-based startup, to monitor their health, The app works by monitoring patients' blood pressure, blood glucose – and even includes a pedometer. Using the data it [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: £2bn cash boost for NHS is not enough, says Labour November 30, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne announced a £2bn boost to NHS spending yesterday, ahead of formal plans which will be set out in the Autumn Statement. However, Labour hit back almost immediately, arguing that the extra cash is nowhere near enough to plug a hole in the healthcare budget. Speaking on the Andrew Marr show yesterday the [...]
NHS: George Osborne to promise an extra £2bn of funding November 30, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne is expected use his Autumn statement on Wednesday to announce an extra £2bn funding for frontline NHS services. It is anticipated that Osborne will pledge extra funding from April next year, according to the BBC. In a speech to parliament on Wednesday, when he will deliver exact details on its [...]
NHS and police phone lines down across England November 22, 2014 Police forces in England are reporting that the 101 non-emergency phone line is down thanks to system faults. Furthermore, the NHS 111 non-emergency number is also down in some areas. Scots have been advised to contact the number 08454 24 24 24. However, the police emergency number of 999 is still working as normal. Some [...]
Rehabilitating Blair: Politicians must revive the spirit of radical NHS reform November 20, 2014 WE NEED to have a serious talk. The topic may be painful. Being faced with the warts of a much-loved figure often is. But it is crueller by far to let it die the death of a thousand cuts, a thousand scandals, and tens of thousands of needless deaths. The NHS – the jewel in [...]
Watch: Rochester and Strood by-election fight gets dirty – from Tory attack ads to Ukip’s NHS fightback November 20, 2014 As voters in Rochester and Strood finally head to the polls to decide the fate of Ukip defector Mark Reckless, the local electorate will soon be spared the endless stream of leaflets and political door knockers. If the polls are right, Reckless is on course for a comfortable win, and the Tories are in for [...]
How should George Osborne spend the £1.1bn forex fine? 38 Degrees launches “Nurses vs Bankers” NHS petition November 14, 2014 We had a go at suggesting a few ways George Osborne could spend the £1.1bn windfall from the fine the Financial Conduct Authority slapped on five banks for the parts they played in the forex scandal, and now it's the turn of campaigning organisation 38 Degrees. But where our ideas could have sent us into [...]
NHS will face annual shortfall of £30bn without major services overhaul, health officials say October 23, 2014 The NHS needs extra cash and an overhaul of its services if it is to avoid a £30bn annual shortfall over the next five years, according to senior health officials. In a five year plan unveiled today, they said the next parliament would have to adopt measures such as introducing hospital services to GP [...]
The NHS’s monopoly is weakening – UK healthcare has a bright future October 22, 2014 Monday 7 July started out as any other day for me, but it quickly took a dramatic turn for the worse. Mid-morning, my aorta (the main artery from the heart) tore, and the rest of my life changed. Weeks spent in a hospital bed led me to contemplate the future of the NHS. Will it [...]