Health and care sector latest developments

Employment rights bill introduces reforms to adult social care

The employment rights bill introduced some reforms regarding adult social care.

Clause 29, 30, 32 and 33 outline the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body, which should include officials of one or more trade unions and representatives of social care employers

Its remit relates to pay and terms and conditions, alongside provisions made by the Secretary of State. 

According to the explanatory notes, the clauses aim to address the ‘unsustainable recruitment and retention crisis in the adult social care sector’.

It does this by establishing a mechanism for the Secretary of State to implement improved terms and conditions for social care workers that have been agreed by representatives of the sector. 

Industry has responded positively to the reforms with Carers UK, noting it will ‘benefit many unpaid carers in the workplace’.

NHS performance figures 

According to the NHS statistics, ambulance response times had a sharp increase last month, alongside a worsening emergency care performance. 

Results found that in September, patients waiting for 12 or more hours had increased to their highest levels since May, and significantly surpassed figures from the same time last year. 

This comes at a time when the winter months are set to be a challenge for the NHS, with the executive director for the Royal College of Nursing urging the government to make more progress, stating, ‘the next 100 days will be defined by patients crammed into fire escapes, store cupboards and corridors.’

Dr Layla McCay responded to the figures stating: 

 “…ambulance response times rose and the waiting list for routine hospital treatments grew once again. The figures emphasise the significant challenge for the whole healthcare sector and are part of a wider crisis in emergency care that has been growing for nearly ten years. 

“Lord Darzi rightly highlighted the health service has been starved of capital while revenue funding has stagnated, leaving local services struggling to unlock further improvements in productivity despite delivering greater efficiencies.

“It is clear that despite the hard work of NHS leaders and their teams the health service is struggling to cope with what is demanded of it. This exposes the gap between what the NHS has been asked to do and what it has been funded to deliver. The Chancellor must use her upcoming budget to provide some immediate support to the NHS and social care ahead of winter or risk the service reaching crisis point."

Senior NHS figures concerned with plans to cut elective funding

Trust CEOs have shared concerns surrounding the speculation of ministers’ consideration of ‘capping’ the £3.2 billion elective recovery fund (ERF) this year, used to reward trusts that exceed specified activity thresholds. 

According to the HSJ, senior trust figures have argued that this would impede the government's mission to cut down waiting lists and cause further chaos in an already struggling NHS finance system. 

They have argued that capping the ERF would mean additional activity would not generate any extra income, therefore, any extra elective work would create a loss and therefore contribute to a further collapse in NHS England finances.

However, HSJ claimed that this is yet to be confirmed and the final announcement is anticipated to be revealed in the Budget on 30 October. 

The Department of Health and Social Care has yet to comment, however a spokesperson insisted that the government would fulfil its pledges, including tackling the waiting lists and adding an extra 40,000 operations, scans and appointments per week.

Physician associates must not treat patients not seen by GP, RCGP guidance says

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has issued guidance on the use of physician associates  (PAs) stating that PAs should only see patients once they have first been assessed by a GP.
 
The college’s official stance is that PAs should not be working in general practice, but it has drawn up guidance for working with them in light of NHS plans to expand their use.
 
The guidance also calls for increased transparency, saying that PAs should tell patients that they are not doctors and wear clear name badges.

Gynaecology waiting lists triple in ten years

New analysis from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation has revealed that gynaecology waiting lists have tripled over the past decade.
 
The waiting list grew by 223 per cent, from 185,000 in 2014 to 597,000 in 2024, a rate faster than the overall NHS list, which expanded from 3 million to 7.8 million.
 
The analysis highlighted significant disparities, with women, black patients and those in deprived areas facing the longest waits. Experts expressed concern over these inequalities in access and treatment delays across the NHS.

Assisted dying bill to have its second reading on 29 November

The House of Commons order paper is now listing the dates when private members' bills ‘have precedence over government business’. The first of these dates is 29 November.
 
Based on the fact that Kim Leadbeater was picked first in the ballot, and that she plans on introducing an assisted dying bill, it can now be expected that such a bill will have its second reading in the House of Commons on that date.

LGA calls for emergency funding in Budget to assist child protection investigations

The Local Government Association has warned that the number of investigations carried out by councils where a child is believed to be at risk of harm now stands at more than 600 a day. The LGA have stressed that it is vital the government provides emergency funding to councils at the Budget to address this.

Citing Department for Education data, the LGA notes that the number of child protection investigations has increased by 66 per day since 2019, when the current data started being collected.

The LGA has highlighted that English councils face a £2.3 billion funding gap in 2025/26, with rising social care costs a major factor in this. Key factors driving this rise in child support include mental health concerns and domestic abuse. The LGA added that an increase is schools making referrals to children’s social services had also contributed to this rise.

Teachers struggle to support growing mental health needs of students, survey finds

Teachers are increasingly taking on the role of supporting children’s mental health due to gaps in NHS services, a survey by YoungMinds has found.
 
The findings highlighted that 75 per cent of teachers prioritise students’ mental health over teaching the curriculum at least once a week, and 20 per cent do so daily.
 
Teachers reported that nearly a quarter of their students require mental health support, highlighting the growing mental health crisis among young people in schools.