Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response

NHS response to the British Social Attitudes Survey results

Responding to the British Social Attitudes Survey results, an NHS spokesperson said: “While this survey reflects the public’s perceptions of the significant pressure on our services, it is clear the overwhelming majority still very firmly value the fundamental principles of the NHS – which is welcome as we head towards the NHS’ 75th birthday.   […]

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NHS’ top doctor warns emergency care will be prioritised during biggest strike disruption to date

Emergency, urgent and critical care will be prioritised by the NHS this week as strike action by junior doctors across England will see major disruption of services, with thousands of patients facing postponements to routine care. Industrial action by junior doctors part of the BMA and the HCSA is set to begin on Monday 13 […]

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NHS weekly winter operational update for the week ending 26 February 2023

Commenting on the NHS Weekly Winter Operational Update for the week ending 26 February 2023, NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “There are almost 5,000 more patients in NHS hospital beds every day compared to this time last year and the average number of patients in hospital who no longer meet the […]

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NHS weekly winter operational update for the week ending 19 February 2023

Commenting on the NHS performance figures published today, NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “Today’s figures show pressure on the NHS remains high with almost 5,000 more patients in hospitals than this time last year, while Covid cases continue to increase. “Despite this, NHS staff are working remarkably hard and we now have […]

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England’s top doctor thanks staff for reducing time lost to ambulance handover delays by over a third

Commenting on weekly NHS winter pressures data published this morning showing the time lost to ambulance handover delays reduced by over a third week-on-week. NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “Thanks to hardworking frontline staff and extra capacity including beds and virtual wards rolled out this winter, time lost to ambulance handover delays […]

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Ambulance response times improve in face of ongoing winter pressures

Patients received faster ambulance response times last month, despite new figures showing it was the busiest January on record for the most serious 999 call-outs, as winter pressures and industrial action continue to impact the NHS. Monthly performance figures published today show ambulances attended 72,861 Category 1 calls – for life-threatening cases – in January, […]

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Hundreds of thousands more patients to benefit from major NHS surgical capacity boost

Hundreds of thousands more patients will benefit from NHS treatment by next year thanks to dozens of new surgical spaces, the NHS announced today. As part of the biggest and most ambitious catch-up plan in NHS history, an estimated 780,000 additional surgeries and outpatient appointments will be provided at 37 new surgical hubs, 10 expanded […]

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England’s top doctor urges patients to access emergency care despite biggest strikes in NHS history next week

The NHS is asking patients to seek urgent care if they need it during industrial action next week and continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to rearrange. England’s top doctor has warned next week’s action could be the most disruptive yet as the NHS faces the biggest round of industrial action in its […]

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NHS weekly winter operational update for the week ending 29 January 2023

Responding to the NHS performance figures published today, NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “While there have been continued improvements in ambulance handovers and there are now fewer flu patients in hospital compared to the peak last month, today’s figures show that NHS staff remain under significant pressure. “Last week saw more people […]

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