Latest news with #WesStreeting
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
GP reform is vital to fixing the NHS
Gordon Brown's attempt to introduce polyclinics following the Darzi review ended in quiet failure. Decades before, Nye Bevan, the founder of the NHS, was forced to concede that GPs would remain independent contractors. As family doctors threaten winter strikes over his plans to introduce 'community hubs' alongside a new funding agreement, Wes Streeting might take comfort in the observation that he is not the first Labour politician to clash with GPs over their contractual terms. The first contract between GPs and the health service was based on a principle of 'capitation', with roughly half the income of family doctors derived from the number of patients on their books rather than the amount of work performed. Today, most GPs still receive around half their income based on the 'global sum allocation formula', which pays out according to the demographic characteristics of a practice's books, with some added payments to reflect regional costs, rather than on actual services. The result is a system which lacks proper incentives to actually treat patients, and which gatekeeps specialist care behind appointments which are almost impossible to book. Recent analysis from the House of Commons Library showed millions of GP appointments taking place 28 days or longer after their booking. That over 80 per cent of fully qualified permanent GPs now work part-time is surely a contributing factor. Mr Streeting may or may not have a viable solution to this problem, but he is surely right to conclude, as have many patients, that the status quo is untenable. The hope must now be that he has greater success than his predecessors.
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Royal Berkshire NHS Trust boss apologies after doctor strikes
A hospital boss has apologised after it was revealed more than 500 appointments and procedures were postponed as a result of a nationwide total, 479 outpatient appointments and 33 procedures had to be rescheduled at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading as a result of the five-day walkout by resident executive of Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust Steve McManus apologised, adding that, for some patients, the rescheduling of their appointments had the potential to cause "real harm".On Wednesday, the British Medical Association (BMA) and Health Secretary Wes Streeting agreed to resume talks. "My door is open to the BMA leadership to resume the talks we were having last week, before they walked out," the health secretary said."After a 28.9% pay rise over the last three years, we simply cannot go further on pay this year, but there are real improvements to resident doctors working lives we can work hand in hand to make - from training positions to career progression and beyond." 'Significant inconvenience' The postponed appointments and procedures accounted for about 6% of the hospital's activity during the five-day walkout, Mr McManus said."At the very least there's a significant level of inconvenience, through to the potential for real harm, given the fact that some of those patients, their referral will have been on a cancer pathway," he said."We've already started the process of getting patients rebooked, but of course there's a knock on effect... it's not just about keeping our hospital services safe during that period."He thanked staff who had "tried really hard" to ensure as many appointments were kept as possible."It's really good to hear that the BMA are coming back to the table with government, with a hope that we will avoid further disruption and the impact it has," he BBC has approached the BMA and NHS England for comment, but the union previously said it had no choice but to call the strike, accusing the government of refusing to negotiate on pay. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Spectator
14 hours ago
- Health
- Spectator
Will the junior doctors regret picking a fight with Wes?
The dispute between the British Medical Association (BMA) – a trade union for doctors – and the government continues, following the five-day strike by junior doctors. Doctors argue that pay is still far below relative levels from almost two decades ago, combined with the cost of study, the cost of living and housing crises, as well as challenging conditions within the NHS. Nevertheless, with an average pay rise of 5.4% for resident doctors this year, support for the strikes appears to be falling – both with the public at large, and within the BMA. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has hit back at the BMA and said they 'will not win a war with this government'. Tim Shipman and Lucy Dunn join Natasha Feroze to discuss whether the junior doctors are wise to pick a fight with Wes. First though they talk about the fallout from Keir Starmer's announcement of that the UK could recognise Palestinian statehood in September. Given the recognition is conditional, is Starmer's position the worst of both worlds? Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Natasha Feroze.
Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Why GPs fear they are losing control under Wes Streeting
Wes Streeting has a plan to save the NHS. Unfortunately, it may put him on a collision course with the workforce he needs to deliver it. In poll after poll, long waits accessing GP care come high on the list. Public satisfaction with GPs is at an all-time low; though in recent weeks there have been small signs of improvement, at least in the numbers struggling to contact their practice in the first place. The Health Secretary knows that if the NHS relies too heavily on the existing GP model, it may be hard to make radical improvements. And so, he has drawn up a 10 Year Health Plan, which sets out a vision of 'neighbourhood health' with a health centre in every area; a 'one-stop shop' open six days a week which brings GPs and other services together. It's an echo of an idea Labour previously tried under Gordon Brown; promising a network of 'polyclinics'. That was opposed by the British Medical Association (BMA) and as a result failed to get off the ground. And now the BMA is agitating again; with the threat of a fresh dispute this winter, unless GPs are put in charge of the new model. The plan published by the Government does not actually dictate who has ultimate responsibility for hubs. But in the run up to its launch, Mr Streeting suggested a variety of options were on the table, including allowing hospitals to take over more neighbourhood health. For the Government, allowing different models to compete – with more family doctors deployed as staff, rather than being self-employed contractors – could stop GPs holding all the cards. While GPs complain about their workloads, the profession is very reluctant to give up any duties which come with funding attached. GP partners have average earnings of £110,000, with most opting for part-time hours. The complex GP contract which pays doctors for every patient on their books, and for fulfilling a series of targets means that change can be costly. New models of care could provide the Government with a workaround – and give those running centres more freedom to find the workforce they want to deploy. Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, the chair of the BMA's GP committee, believes the plans threaten the existence of 'the traditional NHS partnership model of general practice'. 'The current trajectory threatens the survival of the independent contractor model and, with it, NHS general practice and the trusted family doctor relationship our patients rely on and want to protect,' she told ministers recently. This week she said GPs will re-enter an official dispute with the Government in September if six key demands are not met. These cover pay, contract funding, and how much extra money they will be allocated to run new health hubs, as well as clarification on whether they will be the ones to run them. And so a winter of discontent looms. Junior doctors – now called resident doctors – have just completed their first strike under a Labour government since 1979. On Thursday, nurses rejected their pay award threatening a strike ballot unless the Royal College of Nursing's demands are met. GPs – who embarked on 'work to rule' measures last winter, without the public noticing much – will now have to contemplate their next move.
South Wales Argus
15 hours ago
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Tesco brings back free fruit for kids and Clubcard changes
From August 4 until August 17, children shopping with their families in Tesco stores will be able to pick up free fruit at checkout. This continues the work of Tesco's Stronger Starts Fruit & Veg for Schools programme, and the supermarket expects to give away over 3.5 million apples over two weeks. Millions of customers will also be offered the chance to earn extra Clubcard points and vouchers by choosing to buy more fruit and vegetables. These can then be converted into bonus points and vouchers. The campaign, developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation and backed by Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP, also includes: Free fruit for kids in Tesco stores from 4–17 August Millions of customers be able to earn extra points through new Clubcard Challenges on frozen fruit and veg, beans and pulses. New Clubcard Prices and offers across the summer on fruit, veg and healthy lunchbox snacks, on top of weekly Fresh 5 offers on five-a-day basics. A revamped 5-a-day hub on the Tesco Real Food website to provide recipe ideas and inspiration. The campaign will run across Tesco stores and online to help incentivise customers to make healthier choices through offers and recipe inspiration. Ashwin Prasad, UK CEO, Tesco, said: 'We understand that for many, there are barriers that make healthy eating feel hard. We want to help our customers make small changes that amount to big health benefits for themselves and their families. "That's why we're setting out to make healthy choices easier every day, starting with new offers and support for families in store this summer. Recommended reading: "We're bringing customers new ways to earn Clubcard points and vouchers as a fun and engaging way to help them towards their five-a-day, on top of new and existing great value offers on healthy staples.' Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, added: 'Obesity has doubled since the 1990s and costs our NHS £11 billion a year. Unless we curb the rising tide of cost and demand, the NHS risks becoming unsustainable. But we can't do this alone. "The declining health of the nation requires a national mission, working with all parts of our society – from industry to influencers – to reverse the decline and make sure that kids today grow up to be part of the healthiest generation ever."
