BBC/Brijesh Patel Roy Pollitt thought his late wife was being treated by a doctor rather than a physician associate A man whose wife died after a drain was mistakenly left in her abdomen for 21 hours has condemned the increased use of physician associates (PAs) within the National Health Service. Susan Pollitt’s inquest concluded her … Read more
PA Failing hospitals will be revealed in league tables and NHS managers sacked if they do not turn things around, the health secretary will tell health leaders at a conference in Liverpool. Wes Streeting is promising a “no-holds-barred, sweeping review” of NHS performance in England. Hospitals can expect to be ranked on indicators such as … Read more
The NHS will start offering an “improved” stop smoking pill to tens of thousands of people in England who want to quit cigarettes. Varenicline, a daily tablet given over a few months, is as effective as vapes and more effective than nicotine replacement gum or patches, NHS England says. The drug, which fights cravings, was … Read more
Covid inquiry Boris Johnson’s government blocked a request to fund another 10,000 hospital beds at the height of the Covid pandemic, the chief executive of NHS England has said. Amanda Pritchard told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry the decision, made by the Treasury in July 2020, had been “very disappointing”. Extra beds and staff would have … Read more
People in clinically at-risk groups are being urged to get their free Covid-19 and flu vaccinations this winter. NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said only 27% of those eligible for the Covid vaccine, and 35% of those eligible for a flu vaccine in the two areas – plus Royston, in Hertfordshire – had come forward. More … Read more
BBC Susan McGowan died two weeks after taking tirzepatide – brand name Mounjaro The death of a nurse from North Lanarkshire has been linked to the use of a weight-loss drug recently approved for use on the NHS. Susan McGowan, 58, took two low-dose injections of tirzepatide, known under the brand name Mounjaro, over the … Read more
Covid inquiry Prof Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, was giving evidence to the Covid inquiry in west London. The most senior doctor in NHS England has said he was “personally terrified” that hospitals could have been overwhelmed in the early stages of the pandemic. Prof Sir Stephen Powis told the Covid … Read more
Getty Images NHS England has attacked senior doctors for charging “rip off” rates for overtime, after a BBC investigation found pressure to cut waiting lists is allowing some consultants to make more than £200,000 a year for additional work. That is nearly double the average basic pay for a full-time consultant in England. Many of … Read more
BBC Sir Chris Hoy says cancer diagnosis “was the biggest shock of my life” The NHS will review whether to change its advice on testing for prostate cancer in light of Sir Chris Hoy’s “powerful” call for more younger men to be checked, the health secretary has said. Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris, 48, has … Read more
Getty Images Senior doctors are charging the NHS premium rates for overtime, as pressure to cut waiting lists is allowing some to make more than £200,000 a year from additional work, a BBC News investigation has found. That is nearly double the average basic pay for a full-time consultant in England. Many of the consultants … Read more