Health and care sector latest developments
We are pausing this latest developments page from Tuesday 10-Thursday 12 June for our annual NHS ConfedExpo conference. We will return on Friday 13 June.
NHS to be prioritised at Spending Review
The NHS is expected to be one of the prioritised areas at this week's Spending Review.
While there has been much speculation about the funding increase the health service would receive, the Financial Times is now reporting that a 2.8 per cent real-terms rise in annual spending has been agreed.
Although this number is higher than some had expected, chief executive of NHS Confederation Matthew Taylor explained: "It may prove not to be enough, especially when staff pay accounts for around 40 per cent of the budget and future pay deals are not yet known."
It has also been noted that the rise in funding is less than the long-term average increase throughout the NHS's history.
Government confirms NHS app expansion
The government has confirmed rumours that the NHS app is to be expanded.
Backed by £50 million of investment, patients will be able to use the app for appointment reminders, screening invitations, and test results.
Welcoming the changes, health secretary Wes Streeting said the government "is bringing our analogue health service into the digital age, so that being a patient in the NHS is as convenient as online banking or ordering a takeaway."
Nurses to vote on strike action
Nurses will vote on whether or not to accept the recent 3.6 per cent pay award.
The Telegraph reports that around 350,000 nurses will vote, which could lead to the NHS facing further strike action.
General secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Professor Nicola Ranger, said that it "is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6 per cent is enough."
Today's development comes as resident doctors continue to vote on whether to take strike action over a 5.4 per cent pay award.
Pharma warns the government over drugs pricing
The pharmaceutical industry has rejected an offer from the government to cut the cost of the voluntary scheme for branded medicines, pricing, access and growth (Vpag).
In a leaked letter from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), seen by The Times, the proposed changes to the scheme were described as 'falling significantly short'.
The ABPI expressed concerns that the government's pledge "to improve the overall environment for pharmaceutical companies in the United Kingdom" would not be delivered, with £2 billion of potential investment from the industry now at risk.
Health secretary Wes Streeting announced a consultation to reform Vpag in April, criticising approaches taken by previous governments.
Smyth delivers statement on NHS urgent and emergency care plan
Secondary care minister Karin Smyth has delivered a statement on the urgent and emergency care plan for 2025/26, laying out ambitions to ensure the next winter period reaches patient outcome targets.
Plans will 'ensure' that 78 per cent of A&E patients are seen within four hours, which would mean an 800,000-person increase in timely care delivered.
This will be supported by £450 million of capital investment, notably for same-day emergency care and Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, aiming to ensure patients can be discharged on the same day as being admitted.
Doctors urge MPs to vote down assisted dying bill
Leaders from the healthcare world, including 1,000 doctors, have written to MPs urging them to vote against the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill when it comes to division on 20 June.
While acknowledging that there must be a debate on the matter, Sky News reports, doctors have cautioned that the bill in its current form, “will widen inequalities, it provides inadequate safeguards and, in our collective view, is simply not safe'.
The bill would allow for terminally ill patients with less than six months’ life expectancy to end their lives 'on their own terms'.
Patients are at risk of coercive control, the letter suggests, with no ability for medics to properly identify those that may be under pressure from family or abusers.
NHS call for blood donations amid supply shortages
The NHS is urging one million people in England to register as blood donors to help stabilise blood supplies amid a growing shortfall.
NHS Blood and Transplant reports that over 200,000 additional donors are needed annually, with current donations relying on just 2 per cent of the population.
Daily demand exceeds 5,000 donations, with an urgent need for O-negative blood and blood types common among black communities, especially for treating sickle cell disease.
Hospital group director given chief executive role
A director at a large London hospital group trust has been given his first chief executive role.
Andrew Hines, who has been executive director for group development at Barts Health Trust since 2017, will take on the chief executive role at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust in the autumn.
At Barts, which runs several large hospitals in east London, he has led development of a group operating model. The Barts model was initially successful in improving management and performance, but a plan to extend it to neighbouring Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust was stopped last year.
Other responsibilities have included corporate development, digital, performance, and the North East London acute provider collaborative. Before this, Mr Hines was a regional director at the NHS Trust Development Authority and NHS Improvement, and earlier in his career he was a manager at SASH.
He replaces Angela Stevenson, who is retiring in August after 37 years in the NHS.
HSJ Top 50 chief executives 2025
The HSJ Top 50 was launched in 2014 and is judged by leading health service figures, which this year included NHS England executive director for urgent and emergency care Sarah-Jane Marsh, national director of patient safety Aidan Fowler, Health Services Safety Investigations Body chief executive Rosie Benneyworth, NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor, and former chief executive of Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust, Ann Marr (for the full list of judges see here).
The judges were asked to choose the top 50 based on three criteria: the performance of the organisation they lead, their contribution to the wider NHS, and the personal example they set. While their track record is considered, the judges were asked to focus on their likely impact in the next 12 months.
Although Glen Burley takes the number one spot for the first time, he is no stranger to the Top 50, having appeared in the rankings for the last seven years.
