Latest news with #NHSE
Medscape
15-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
MPs Slam NHS Reforms and Soaring Negligence Payouts
Plans to abolish NHS England (NHSE) and merge its functions with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have created 'great uncertainty for all involved,' a parliamentary report has warned. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised concerns in its inquiry into the DHSC's 2023-2024 accounts. The report questioned the impact of the proposed changes, particularly the significant staff cuts involved and the effect on patient care. Streeting: Reform Will Cut Waste and Costs Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended the plans when he gave evidence to the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee in April. He said having 'two head offices' led to 'duplication, waste, inefficiency, contradiction, and the system being pulled in different directions'. Streeting said the combined size of NHSE and the DHSC would shrink by around 50%. Integrated care boards (ICBs) would be expected to cut running costs by half, with savings diverted to patient care. Committee: No Clear Plan The PAC said the government had failed to explain how 'this major structural and operational change' would affect key services and targets. Committee chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP said in a press release that after 2 months, the government had yet to articulate 'a clear plan for what comes next'. The future for patients and staff 'remains hazy', he said. Key areas where the Government lacked clarity, according to the committee, included: How staff reductions would be achieved and costed. Where reductions would be made geographically. The scale of cuts to DHSC staff. How the plans align with the NHS's 10-year strategy. How savings would support frontline care. How institutional knowledge at NHSE would be retained. The report also criticised the DHSC for a lack of narrative in its accounts on social care, productivity, prevention, digital innovation, and end-of-life services. DHSC Accepts 'Serious Reform Needed' Asked to comment by Medscape News UK , a DHSC spokesperson said: 'Serious reform is needed to tackle the challenges facing the NHS.' Merging NHSE back into the department would eliminate wasteful duplication, free up money for frontline services, and 'keep patients safe by overhauling the overly complex bureaucracy of healthcare regulation and oversight'. Since the decision to abolish NHSE was taken, a joint board has been established, resources assessed, responsibilities mapped across affected organisations, and legislative planning begun. The spokesperson insisted that the current two-centre system 'frustrates staff' with 'too many checkers and not enough doers'. Health Security Programme Years Behind Schedule The PAC also flagged failings at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Its planned new high-containment labs had been 'poorly overseen', with the project at least 15 years behind schedule and costs ballooning from £530 million to an 'eye-watering' projected figure of £3.2 billion. So far, £400 million has been spent 'with little to show for it.' No final decision has been made about the site. The committee urged the UKHSA to set out how it will maintain lab capacity as current facilities reach the end of their lifespan. Clinical Negligence Payouts Reach £58 Billion The PAC also highlighted 'jaw-dropping' amounts being paid out on clinical negligence claims, with an 'astounding' £58.2 billion set aside for potential future claims. This is the second largest government liability after nuclear decommissioning, the report noted. Clifton-Brown said the figures 'should give our entire society pause'. He urged the government to prioritise reducing avoidable patient harm. Legal costs remain high, with £536 million – 19% of the £2.8 billion awarded to claimants in 2023-2024 – going to lawyers, on top of the fees charged by the government's legal team. The PAC called for a plan with 'clear actions to improve patient safety across the NHS, and in particular in maternity services'. Call for Bold Reform Dr Rob Hendry, chief member officer at the Medical Protection Society, said spiralling negligence costs divert vital resources from care and service improvements. 'The Public Accounts Committee is right to question whether such costs are sustainable for the NHS and whether such significant amounts of money should be spent on legal fees,' he told Medscape News UK . He noted that in lower value claims it was not unusual to see lawyers' costs exceed the compensation awarded to claimants. 'This is not right.' Hendry added that high costs also affect healthcare professionals not covered by a state-backed indemnity scheme – such as dentists and private practitioners – who bear the cost of protecting themselves against claims. He called for a balance between fair compensation and financial sustainability, urging the government to pursue bold reforms without delay.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health chiefs set to make 'difficult decisions' due to £350m NHS deficit
COUNCILLORS are next week due to get an update on a Cumbrian integrated care board (ICB) which is described as 'one of the most financially challenged systems in the NHS'. Members of Cumberland Council's health overview and scrutiny committee are due to meet at Carlisle's Civic Centre on Thursday (May 22) to hear the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB update. The report states: 'Without support funding in 2024/25, the end of year system deficit would have been approximately £350 million. 'The ICB's annual budget for 2025/26 is approximately £5.4 billion and immediate action is required to reduce spending. 'The challenge heading into 2025/26 is considerable and will result in the need to plan service provision and work with partners in a different way. 'Despite the challenging financial position, the ICB has set out plans to reduce waste and duplication and reconfigure services. 'This will improve experience and outcomes for people living in Lancashire and South Cumbria and make services fit for the future. 'Working with Cumberland Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is crucial because it ensures that the ICB services align with the needs and priorities of the population and enhancing the quality of care we provide to the residents of South Cumbria.' According to the report the ICB has entered into a National Recovery Support Programme and in 2024/25, Lancashire and South Cumbria was one of several systems subjected to an 'investigation and intervention process'. It adds: 'Despite support from NHS England North West, and the hard work of colleagues across our system, we were not able to make the progress we had hoped to with our spending. 'As a result, NHS England (NHSE) recommended four organisations were placed into NHS Oversight Framework (NOF) Segment Four and for each organisation to receive intensive support from the national Recovery Support Programme (RSP).' The affected organisations are: NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB; Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust; Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The report states: 'The main concerns from NHSE centre around our system's difficulty in managing financial deficits and meeting financial recovery plans. 'We recognise the severity of the situation that we are in – as such we welcome this additional support from NHS England for the ICB and our trusts.' According to the report The RSP comprises of five strands: The diagnostic (stocktake to identify the drivers); Oversight and challenge: appointment of an NHS England employed improvement director; and regular board to board meetings; Financial support to drive the improvement plan; Targeted support for delivery (access to subject matter experts); and Continuous review of the plan (review and monitoring meetings). The report highlights a number 'difficult decisions' and it states: 'Our financial position means we will have to make some difficult decisions over the next few months. 'As a consequence, there will be some services that we are not able to make available, even if they are being rolled out across the country. 'Other examples may include ward closures where we are not providing value for money or working in the most efficient way, or delivering services in a different way to how they're currently provided. 'These decisions will require careful management, may not be quick to implement and, in some instances, will require engagement and consultation as per the NHSE service change process. 'Any proposed changes will be clinically led, subject to the necessary impact assessments, and we will commit to undertake the appropriate level of engagement with patients, members of the pubic, our staff and wider stakeholders. 'Despite significant financial challenges faced in the system, there are excellent services, positive examples of collaboration and passionate and dedicated staff to build upon to achieve the system's vision for improving health and care. 'There are opportunities to reduce waste, duplication and reconfigure services to outcomes for the population of Lancashire and South Cumbria and make services fit for the future.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Attacks families 'gagged' over watchdog report
The mother of one of the three people stabbed to death in Nottingham says the families have been "gagged" by the police watchdog over findings of a report into the contact officers had with killer Valdo Calocane. Emma Webber, mum of Barnaby Webber, said she, alongside the families of Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, had been forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The NDA concerns a probe into the way Leicestershire Police officers dealt with alleged assaults by Calocane weeks before the attacks. The watchdog said an agreement was "needed" in order to share the report with the victims' families at the earliest opportunity. It added the NDA would remain in place until the findings and outcomes of the investigation were published, which it anticipated would happen "in the coming weeks". Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024 after admitting three counts of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder. The IOPC previously said three Leicestershire Police officers - two constables and a sergeant - were told they were being investigated over how inquiries were progressed. It has been claimed Calocane assaulted two colleagues at an industrial estate in Kegworth in May 2023. Mr Webber, Ms O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Mr Coates, 65, were killed by Calocane on 13 June 2023. NHS England (NHSE) published a full report into the mental health care received by Calocane prior to the attacks, after initially intending to only publish a summary. Mrs Webber said: "We were forced to sign NDAs by NHSE to promise that we would not disclose their investigation into Calocane's care. "Under pressure from us, they were forced to U-turn and disclose the report in full themselves. "As [Health Secretary] Wes Streeting himself said, sunlight is the best disinfectant - the same principle applies to the IOPC investigations into the numerous police failings in our case." Mrs Webber added: "Like the NHS, the IOPC have also sought to gag us from speaking publicly and have forced us to sign NDAs saying we will not reveal their reports and findings. "I now call on the IOPC to do the right thing like the NHS did and disclose their reports to the public so that full scrutiny can take place. "It is the only way that real lessons are going to be learned and lasting change put in place so that no other family should have to endure the torture that we are." Radd Seiger, an adviser to the victims' families, said: "It is inexcusable for any watchdog to seek to gag families of victims of serious crimes in this manner. "That practice must be stopped." Derrick Campbell, director at the IOPC, added: "We completed an investigation into Leicestershire Police contact with Valdo Calocane prior to the killings and in particular the actions and decisions of officers investigating alleged assaults by him. "In order to share our report and underlying evidence with the families of his victims at the earliest opportunity, a confidentiality agreement was needed. "It remains in place until an appropriate time when the investigation findings and outcomes can be published, which we anticipate being able to do in coming weeks." The IOPC is also investigating the prior contact Nottinghamshire Police had with Calocane before the killings. The force previously admitted it should have done more to arrest him sooner, revealing that an arrest warrant was issued in September 2022, over the alleged assault of a police officer in 2021. The warrant was issued one day before Calocane was discharged to his GP. On Thursday, Mrs Webber also appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour alongside Ms O'Malley-Kumar's mother, Sinead O'Malley-Kumar. The pair talked about the close bond they had formed since their children were killed and explained why they continue to campaign for major reform in the wake of the attacks. Mrs O'Malley-Kumar said: "I've read criticism in the papers about 'these campaigning parents who do nothing but go on breakfast TV, bang their drum' and it's so insulting. "Because all we're doing is, it's for Barney and Grace, what else? We've got nothing else left." Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. We owe an apology to killer's family, NHS boss says NHS review into killer's care finds major failings As it happened: Families condemn triple killer's NHS care NHS England Leicestershire Police Independent Office for Police Conduct
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Attacks families 'gagged' over watchdog report
The mother of one of the three people stabbed to death in Nottingham says the families have been "gagged" by the police watchdog over findings of a report into the contact officers had with killer Valdo Calocane. Emma Webber, mum of Barnaby Webber, said she, alongside the families of Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, had been forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The NDA concerns a probe into the way Leicestershire Police officers dealt with alleged assaults by Calocane weeks before the attacks. The watchdog said an agreement was "needed" in order to share the report with the victims' families at the earliest opportunity. It added the NDA would remain in place until the findings and outcomes of the investigation are published, which it anticipates will happen "in the coming weeks". Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting three counts of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder. The IOPC previously said three Leicestershire Police officers - two constables and a sergeant - were told they were being investigated over how inquiries were progressed. It has been claimed Calocane assaulted two colleagues at an industrial estate in Kegworth in May 2023. Mr Webber, Miss O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, were killed by Calocane on 13 June 2023. NHS England (NHSE) published a full report into the mental health care received by Calocane prior to the attacks, after initially intending to only publish a summary. Mrs Webber said: "We were forced to sign NDAs by NHSE to promise that we would not disclose their investigation into Calocane's care. "Under pressure from us, they were forced to U-turn and disclose the report in full themselves. "As [Health Secretary] Wes Streeting himself said, sunlight is the best disinfectant - the same principle applies to the IOPC investigations into the numerous police failings in our case." Mrs Webber added: "Like the NHS, the IOPC have also sought to gag us from speaking publicly and have forced us to sign NDAs saying we will not reveal their reports and findings. "I now call on the IOPC to do the right thing like the NHS did and disclose their reports to the public so that full scrutiny can take place. "It is the only way that real lessons are going to be learned and lasting change put in place so that no other family should have to endure the torture that we are." Radd Seiger, an adviser to the victims' families, said the IOPC's decision to impose an NDA was "inexcusable". He said: "It is inexcusable for any watchdog to seek to gag families of victims of serious crimes in this manner. "That practice must be stopped." The watchdog said it anticipated being able to publish the findings and outcomes of the investigation "in the coming weeks". Derrick Campbell, director at the IOPC, added: "We completed an investigation into Leicestershire Police contact with Valdo Calocane prior to the killings and in particular the actions and decisions of officers investigating alleged assaults by him. "In order to share our report and underlying evidence with the families of his victims at the earliest opportunity, a confidentiality agreement was needed. "It remains in place until an appropriate time when the investigation findings and outcomes can be published, which we anticipate being able to do in coming weeks." The IOPC is also investigating the prior contact Nottinghamshire Police had with Calocane before the killings. The force previously admitted it should have done more to arrest him sooner, revealing that an arrest warrant was issued in September 2022, over the alleged assault of a police officer in 2021. Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. We owe an apology to killer's family, NHS boss says NHS review into killer's care finds major failings As it happened: Families condemn triple killer's NHS care NHS England Leicestershire Police Independent Office for Police Conduct
BBC News
06-02-2025
- BBC News
Nottingham attacks: Victims' families 'gagged' over watchdog report
The mother of one of the three people stabbed to death in Nottingham says the families have been "gagged" by the police watchdog over findings of a report into the contact officers had with killer Valdo Webber, mum of Barnaby Webber, said she, alongside the families of Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, had been forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).The NDA concerns a probe into the way Leicestershire Police officers dealt with alleged assaults by Calocane weeks before the watchdog said an agreement was "needed" in order to share the report with the victims' families at the earliest opportunity. It added it anticipated being able to publish the findings and outcomes of the investigation "in the coming weeks". Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting three counts of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted IOPC previously said three Leicestershire Police officers - two constables and a sergeant - were told they were being investigated over how inquiries were has been claimed Calocane assaulted two colleagues at an industrial estate in Kegworth in May Webber, Miss O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, were killed by Calocane on 13 June England (NHSE) published a full report into the mental health care received by Calocane prior to the attacks, after initially intending to only publish a Webber said: "We were forced to sign NDAs by NHSE to promise that we would not disclose their investigation into Calocane's care."Under pressure from us, they were forced to U-turn and disclose the report in full themselves."As [Health Secretary] Wes Streeting himself said, sunlight is the best disinfectant - the same principle applies to the IOPC investigations into the numerous police failings in our case." Mrs Webber added: "Like the NHS, the IOPC have also sought to gag us from speaking publicly and have forced us to sign NDAs saying we will not reveal their reports and findings."I now call on the IOPC to do the right thing like the NHS did and disclose their reports to the public so that full scrutiny can take place."It is the only way that real lessons are going to be learned and lasting change put in place so that no other family should have to endure the torture that we are."Radd Seiger, an adviser to the victims' families, said the IOPC's decision to impose an NDA was "inexcusable".He said: "It is inexcusable for any watchdog to seek to gag families of victims of serious crimes in this manner."That practice must be stopped."The watchdog said it anticipated being able to publish the findings and outcomes of the investigation "in the coming weeks".Derrick Campbell, director at the IOPC, added: "We completed an investigation into Leicestershire Police contact with Valdo Calocane prior to the killings and in particular the actions and decisions of officers investigating alleged assaults by him."In order to share our report and underlying evidence with the families of his victims at the earliest opportunity, a confidentiality agreement was needed."It remains in place until an appropriate time when the investigation findings and outcomes can be published, which we anticipate being able to do in coming weeks."The IOPC is also investigating the prior contact Nottinghamshire Police had with Calocane before the force previously admitted it should have done more to arrest him sooner, revealing that an arrest warrant was issued in September 2022, over the alleged assault of a police officer in 2021.
