NHS National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis said: “Over 100,000 patients with COVID have been admitted to hospital since the emergence of the Omicron variant – and today’s figures show that staff remain under pressure on various fronts as they continue to make inroads on the elective backlog. “With seasonal pressures and almost 60,000 staff […]

The NHS has today set out new ambitions for patients to have timely access to community mental healthcare, following a consultation on proposed new standards, as it faces record demand following the pandemic. Patients, clinicians, and the public have welcomed the proposed mental health access standards which include ensuring people in the community receive help […]

The NHS is today launching a new lifesaving campaign to encourage people to dial 999 when they are having early signs of a heart attack. Backed by celebrities including One Foot in the Grave actor Richard Wilson and Sky Sports presenter ‘Tubes’ – the campaign will tackle a number of common heart attack myths, after […]

NHS National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis said: “We still had around 70,000 NHS staff off sick each day last week, as the number of ambulances taking patients to A&E was up again on the previous seven days, making it the busiest week since the start of December. “Despite this, hardworking staff are doing everything […]

NHS National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis said: “While it is positive to see more NHS staff back at work, pressure on the NHS is still intense, having seen the busiest week for ambulances taking patients to A&E since the start of December – up almost 2,000 on the week before last – all while […]

NHS National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis said: “Even though the numbers are going in the right direction, NHS staff will have many tough months ahead as they continue to deliver patient care while managing competing demands. “While staff absences remain high and continue to increase in some parts of the country, it is good […]

NHS staff dealt with the highest ever number of life-threatening ambulance call outs last month, new figures show today. Ambulances responded to 82,000 category one calls in December, an average of one every 33 seconds and higher than any other month on record. In total, more than 66,000 NHS staff were off work each day […]

NHS National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis said: “Omicron means more patients to treat and fewer staff to treat them. In fact, around 10,000 more colleagues across the NHS were absent each day last week compared with the previous seven days and almost half of all absences are now down to COVID. “While we don’t […]

NHS staff answered the highest number of 999 calls for any November on record, an average of around one every three seconds, new figures revealed today. Last month was also the second busiest November on record for A&E with more than two million patients seen at emergency departments and urgent treatment centres. That was up […]

NHS 999 services had their busiest ever month in October as staff answered a record 1,012,143 calls, new figures have revealed today. Ambulance staff responded to more than 82,000 life threatening call-outs, an increase of more than 20,000 on the previous high for October in 2019 (61,561), as well as dealing with the surge in […]