Health and care sector latest developments

Vaping to be banned in cars carrying children in new government crackdown

According to the Independent, vaping is set to be banned in cars transporting children under new government proposals.

The plan, currently subject to consultation, would also ban smoking, vaping and heated tobacco devices in children’s playgrounds and outside schools.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the move aims to expand smoke-free environments, protecting children and vulnerable individuals from second-hand smoke.

While smoking will be forbidden outside hospitals and other health facilities, vaping will remain permissible there to support those attempting to quit.

ECHR gender guidance upheld

BBC News has reported that the High Court has rejected the legal challenge brought by the Good Law Project against the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) over interim guidance issued following the Supreme Court’s judgment on the definition of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act. 

NHS deal with AI firm Palantir called into question after officials’ concerns revealed

Health officials fear Palantir’s reputation will hinder the delivery of a ‘vital’ £330 million NHS contract, according to briefings seen by the Guardian, sparking fresh calls for the deal to be scrapped.

In 2023, ministers selected Palantir, a US surveillance technology company that also works for the Israeli military and Donald Trump’s ICE operation, to build an AI-enabled data platform to connect disparate health information across the NHS.

Now it has emerged that after Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanded faster deployment, Whitehall officials privately warned that the public perception of Palantir would limit its rollout, meaning the contract would not offer value for money.

By last summer fewer than half of health authorities in England had started using the technology amid opposition from the public and doctors. The British Medical Association (BMA) has said its members could refuse to use parts of the system citing Palantir’s role in targeting ICE raids in the US.

Committees launch joint inquiry into youth mental health support

The Education and Health and Social Care Committees have opened a joint inquiry into mental health provision for under 25s, examining access across schools, communities and NHS services, including CAMHS and SEND support. 

Education Committee chair Helen Hayes said that “struggling with mental health should never obstruct a young person’s chance to learn and thrive”, questioning whether ministers are doing enough. 

Health Committee chair Layla Moran warned that services feel like a “spaghetti junction” and pledged to help “untangle the knotty problems” that are delaying early support.

Boots first to offer weight-loss jabs service on the high street

Weight-loss jabs will be available on the high street for the first time as Boots launches an in-store service aimed at people ‘popping out on their lunch break’.

This week the pharmacy began prescribing drugs including Wegovy and Mounjaro in-person to customers in a pilot scheme at 17 stores around Britain.

Patients will have a consultation with a pharmacist in a private room where their medical history will be taken and weight and height measured to determine if they are eligible.

About two million people in the UK already take weight-loss jabs – but until now almost all prescriptions have been issued remotely online, rather than with face-to-face check-ups.

Warning as major shortage of painkiller used by millions could last until summer

UK pharmacies are currently facing a significant shortage of certain strengths of the painkiller co-codamol, a disruption that could extend until at least the end of June.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents approximately 6,000 independent community pharmacies, has highlighted widespread difficulties in obtaining 30mg and 500mg tablets, leading to a knock-on effect on other dosages.

According to the NPA, some suppliers have indicated to pharmacists that these supply issues are unlikely to be resolved before late June. Olivier Picard, chair of the NPA, confirmed: "Pharmacies are telling us they have struggled to order in supplies of some strengths of co-codamol, with a number reporting that supply disruption will last at least until June."

Hospital group to enter failure regime

A hospital group with major finance and governance problems is about to be put into the new national failure regime for trusts.

The Health Service Journal understands that the Hull University Teaching Hospitals and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole trusts – which make up the Humber Health Partnership – are expected to formally enter the new ‘segment 5’ of NHS England’s national oversight framework in coming weeks.

They will be among a first group of trusts placed in NHS England’s new ‘provider improvement programme’, which is effectively a new regime for failing trusts, and will replace the current ‘recovery support programme’.

Last summer, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said the new regime could see trusts’ “leadership replaced”, or “the failing provider may be placed into administration and taken over by another provider”.

NHS England ‘worried’ about ‘rigour’ of management of neighbourhoods

NHS England’s chair Dr Penny Dash, said she is concerned about the ‘rigour’ of neighbourhood health management, warning that while good work is happening, stronger oversight is needed and that the service is still “struggling to create this impetus and momentum” behind the 10 Year Health Plan.

According to the Health Service Journal, she confirmed that NHS England is undertaking a major review of 120 million outpatient appointments to cut unnecessary follow ups and deliver significant reform.

Dash also highlighted wide cost variation in ADHD and autism assessments, saying prices do not reflect a proper “should cost” tariff and standards must be tightened.

Mental health trusts top new productivity metric

Mental health trusts have seen the largest surge in productivity so far this year in comparison to last year, according to new official data.

The NHS England dataset, which will now be published monthly, sets out each trust’s performance against the health service’s headline productivity measure.

The measure compares cost-weighted activity growth against real-terms resource growth to give a ‘productivity growth estimate’. It was used in the new ‘trust league table’ but initially only for acute providers.

The dataset also underpins how ministers are measuring the NHS against a commitment to improve productivity by the 2 per cent target year-on-year.

However, now the data, which think tanks have warned has fundamental limitations because it only had one year to compare performance against – will be published every month for every trust.

NHS England names hospitals boosting productivity fastest

NHS England has named the acute trusts with the largest productivity growth and falls in the first six months of the financial year, according to new calculations.

Across the whole acute sector, productivity growth over the same period last year was just under 3 per cent, compared to 3.5 per cent across all trust types. The largest year-on-year growth – more than 8 per cent – was seen in mental health providers, according to NHS England’s calculations.

Among acute trusts, figures range from 14 per cent for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust to minus 14 per cent for Croydon Health Services Trust.