Health and care sector latest developments
Maternity signal system rolled out on NHS
A new safety signal system is being rolled out across NHS maternity services.
The Maternity Outcomes Signal System (MOSS) will analyse data recorded by maternity teams on wards, seeking to identify potential emerging safety issues which need attention.
Maternity units will be required to carry out a critical safety check within eight working days of a signal being generated.
Chief nursing officer Duncan Burton said the system will ‘help to avert safety incidents and prevent tragedies.’
‘Advanced FT’ benefits unclear, national director admits
It is ‘hard to see’ how the NHS can provide real benefits for providers with ‘advanced foundation trust’ status, NHS England’s interim chief financial officer has admitted.
Elizabeth O’Mahony told the Healthcare Financial Management Association annual conference on Friday that national officials were still looking at how to create more of a ‘benefit of the climb’ from becoming an advanced FT.
But she said: “It’s quite hard to see what that could be at the minute just because of the nature of where we are and the fiscal outlook.”
Chief execs to quit grouping trusts
The chief executives of two ambulance trusts due to form a group have both said they won’t be applying for the joint post.
Simon Weldon, of South East Coast Ambulance Foundation Trust, and David Eltringham, of South Central Ambulance Service FT, will both leave in the next few months.
The two trusts are forming the first ambulance trust ‘group’, with a joint CEO and chair expected to be in post by the spring.
A joint statement from SCAS and SECAmb chairs Sir Keith Willett and Michael Whitehouse said: “Both [the CEOs] remain wholly committed to guiding their organisations through the winter period and supporting a smooth, well-managed transition as the new group model evolves.”
NHS hospital referrals lost in ‘black hole’ leaving patients in limbo
A study by Healthwatch England reveals that one-in-seven NHS patient referrals, equating to 14 per cent, are lost, rejected or never dispatched.
Seven out of ten affected patients only discover their referral status after personally contacting NHS teams, highlighting significant communication failures.
While 62 per cent of patients expressed satisfaction with the referral process, 23 per cent reported dissatisfaction, despite an improvement from 21 per cent of referrals being lost or rejected in 2023.
Healthwatch England urges healthcare leaders to address these ‘referral black holes’ to improve patient safety and outcomes, citing cases like a retired NHS worker left ‘stuck in limbo’ awaiting specialist care.
The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the issue as ‘not acceptable’ but stated improvements are being made, including a £1.1 billion investment in general practice and increased doctor recruitment.
Over 1,000 patients bed blocking in hospital
More than 1,000 patients across Kent, Sussex and Surrey are occupying hospital beds despite being medically fit to leave, according to the latest NHS figures.
On 30 November, NHS data showed 462 patients in Kent and Medway, 118 in Surrey and 614 in Sussex were ready for discharge.
The NHS said patients who wait longer to leave often have ‘complex’ health and care needs. Kent and Sussex branches said they work with trusts and partners to find the right support.
Patients can be delayed for a range of reasons, including shortages of social care staff to provide home care and a lack of beds in nursing or residential homes.
Device to help stop falls 'could save NHS billions'
A new device to help prevent frail people from falling could save the NHS billions of pounds, according to its Kent creators.
Falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year and are a major cause of accident-related hospital admissions.
The Shuffler allows safe, pain-free lower limb movement from a chair or the side of a bed, for people who find traditional exercises difficult or painful.
Lee Trainor, the co-inventor of device, said his disabilities caused him to fall two to three times a week, but he had ‘not now had a fall for 26 months’.
Mr Trainor suffers with spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal that most commonly affects older people.
“I ended up coming up with the idea of moving my legs whilst sitting there watching the TV,” he said.
Ex-health secretary buys NHS data firm
A former health secretary’s company has bought health data firm Dr Foster, with plans to return to its practice of highlighting poor quality care in the NHS.
Stephen Dorrell’s firm Dorson purchased Dr Foster from Telstra, customers were told late last week.
Dr Foster was founded in the 2000s, when it attracted a high profile and some controversy. It published the first trust-level mortality figures, and other information on the quality of care at different hospitals and trusts.
Mr Dorrell, a former MP who was Conservative health secretary from 1995-1997, said he planned to revive the Dr Foster brand – which was dropped by Telstra in 2021 – and to return to publishing data highlighting variation in care quality.
Government promises 50,000 new apprenticeships under youth employment push
The government has stated that around 50,000 people are set to benefit from its plans to expand apprenticeship opportunities as part of work to address youth unemployment.
BBC News reports that the PM is expected to speak today about a new pilot scheme run by the DWP to allow local mayors to connect young people with a range of job opportunities, including apprenticeships. It comes as data continues to highlight the number of people aged 16-24 that are out of education or full-time work.
One policy the government will focus on is offering training and work experience for young people in the construction, hospitality, and health sectors. The Independent reports that others will also be offered ‘intensive support’ to help them find jobs.
The range of programmes, which come as part of several hundreds of millions of pounds announced at the Budget, does not come without caveats. The Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden, told the BBC that young people will be stripped of their right to claim benefits if they refuse a taxpayer-funded job after 18 months without a job.
The government’s work on apprenticeships comes amid the ongoing passage of the employment rights bill, with The Times reporting that the legislation will see companies legally obliged to tell staff about their right to join a union. This has prompted backlash from the Conservatives, who claimed it amounted to ‘government-dictated propaganda’.
Key Labour body canvasses members on Starmer’s replacement
Labour Together has sent a survey to local Labour parties asking for their preferred candidates to replace the Prime Minister.
The Times reports the influential think tank named eight senior Labour politicians, including Wes Streeting, Shabana Mahmood, Bridget Phillipson, Ed Miliband, and Darren Jones, as standing ‘the best chance of leading Labour to electoral victory’.
Yet Starmer himself has shown no sign of quitting his post. The BBC cites his interview with The Observer this weekend, in which he said he remained ‘really sad’ about Angela Rayner's departure and that she would return to the Cabinet.
