Health and care sector latest developments

NHS Confederation responds to new poll on public's top NHS priorities 

Latest polling from the Health Foundation and Ipsos has revealed that making it easier to get a GP appointment continues to be the biggest priority for the public where the NHS is concerned – that was the case for 39 per cent of survey respondents. 

Improving A&E waiting times (34 per cent) was the next highest priority, while addressing NHS staff retention (29 per cent) was third. The government’s focus on cutting waiting times for routine hospital services ranks only fifth in public priorities. 

Confidence in the government’s handling of NHS remains low, with only 16 per cent of the public in agreement that the government has the right policies in place for the NHS. This figure is unchanged since November 2024, although it is still higher than the 8 per cent that was recorded before the 2024 election. 

Support for the NHS’s founding principles remains high, with 86 per cent of respondents saying they believe it should be free at the point of delivery, 85 per cent saying it should provide a comprehensive service for all and 83 per cent saying it should remain primarily funded through taxation.

Responding to the polling, primary care director and neighbourhood lead at the NHS Confederation, Ruth Rankine said that it “shows just how important GP access and A&E waits are to the public, who are often left frustrated when they cannot access the care they need” and she welcomed that “the public’s faith in the NHS model as a service for everyone that is free at the point of delivery and primarily funded by taxation remains strong.” 

NHS England director resigns, claiming politicians wanted ‘change at the top’

NHS England’s national mental health director for the last nine years, Claire Murdoch has resigned with immediate effect.

In her resignation letter to Sir Jim Mackey, Ms Murdoch said it had become “common knowledge that change at the top is wanted” and that she “could no long lead the sector when the political leadership don’t want to engage with me”. 

Ms Murdoch wrote in her letter that since it was “apparently widely already known” that ministers wanted change that. “I cannot continue to do the job in the way it deserves to be done and it’s best you quickly find someone that you and the political leadership can have confidence in.” 

The Department of Health and Social Care hit back at Ms Murdoch’s letter in a response which stated: “There hasn’t been as much progress on mental health outcomes for patients in the past year as we’d have liked, despite a big funding increase. We are determined to change that. We thank Claire for her service and wish her well.” 

Streeting seeks to reopen pharma talks

Health secretary Wes Streeting is seeking to resume discussions on drug pricing and market access with the pharmaceutical industry.

The decision by Merck, known as MSD in Europe, to scrap plans for a new research centre in London has pitted officials in the Department of Health and Social Care against other departments, with Treasury ‘bean counting’ being blamed for driving investment away.

Wes Streeting is now apparently keen to reopen talks and is pressing the Chancellor for a more generous settlement.

A spokesperson from the Treasury pushed back against claims of a dispute, arguing that they “put forward a generous and unprecedented offer” to the pharma industry, which was rejected.

Meanwhile, another government official said it was “spin” to blame Merck's decision on the Treasury, instead claiming that pressure from President Trump to increase US investment is to blame.

This narrative has been rejected by the chief executive of the ABPI, Richard Torbett, who said the drop off in spending in the UK predates the current situation with the US. 

Children detained under Mental Health Act held for hours in A&E departments 

Children as young as nine detained under the Mental Health Act are spending hours in A&E departments under police control rather than in specialist mental health assessment suites. 

The detention under the act of children in England and Wales in police cells was banned in 2017, but a lack of suitable options has led to the use of A&E departments. 

Research to be presented at a British Sociological Association conference at Northumbria University on Friday found that 187 nine-to-18-year-olds were detained under the act in a single constituency in the north of England between 2017 and 2021. Three-quarters were taken to A&E, where legally they could wait for up to 24 hours, accompanied by police officers, until they were assessed. 

It was mainly children aged 16 and over who were able to access adult facilities who were taken to specialist suites under the care of trained mental health staff. 

Warning after cancer patients died following delays in getting life-saving emergency drugs 

At least five cancer patients have died after NHS doctors failed to get them the life-saving emergency medication they needed. 

Another three were admitted to intensive care after they were unable to get a drug called rasburicase, which treats a condition called tumour lysis syndrome that can develop as a complication of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, hormone treatment and immunotherapies. 

An NHS review found that drug shortages and a lack of awareness from doctors that the medication must be given quickly has fuelled delays that put patients at risk. 

According to a national patient safety alert published on Thursday, there were 82 safety incidents linked to delays or omissions for patients needing the medication in 2021, and a further 41 incidents in 2024.

DHSC PPS team confirmed

The full set of health parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs) has been confirmed, with Rosie Wrighting MP, Joe Morris MP and Steve Race MP confirmed for the Department of Health and Social Care.

PPSs are assistants to ministers, acting as their ‘eyes and ears’ in the House of Commons by keeping them informed of backbench opinion and maintaining communication with other MPs.