The support on offer for patients at their GP practice is expanding, thanks to thousands more healthcare staff working in local communities and the new GP access recovery plan. More than 31,000 additional staff have been recruited into healthcare roles at general practices across the country since 2019 – meaning an expanded team of health […]

The NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are raising awareness of urinary tract infections (UTIs), as new data shows they have led to more than 800,000 admissions to hospitals across the country over the past five years. While UTIs are a year-round concern, ahead of what is expected to be another busy winter in […]

A post-pandemic drive to help people stay well, greater use of technology to put power into the hands of patients and treating people closer to home should be at the heart of NHS plans, an independent report said today. The NHS Assembly, an independent advisory group established in 2019, consulted staff, patient groups, carers, charities, […]

More than 40 healthcare ‘traffic control centres’ are now live across England, helping to get patients into beds as quickly as possible. The pioneering centres use data to respond to emerging challenges and can divert ambulances to another nearby hospital with more capacity, or identify hospitals that need extra support. The move is part of […]

Tens of thousands of cancers could be detected sooner each year thanks to a national roll out of fast-track testing, NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard will announce today. NHS England is expanding direct access to diagnostic scans across all GP practices, helping cut waiting times and speeding up a cancer diagnosis or all-clear for patients. […]

Rapid response teams to help people who have fallen at home and 24/7 ‘care traffic control centres’ are among new NHS plans to prepare for winter, being set out today. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the additional measures would build on the extensive work already underway to prepare for what will be a “very […]

Dedicated mental health staff to help children and young people in GP practices, and blood pressure checks in betting shops, are among initiatives devised and delivered by new integrated care systems that come fully into force today. Boosting health checks in the community to find people with health problems before they become seriously unwell is […]

Patients are being offered faster treatment in different parts of the country as part of an NHS ‘final push’ to virtually eliminate the number waiting two years or more. The NHS Elective Recovery Plan, published earlier this year, set out how the health service would address COVID-19 backlogs in treatment, initially focusing on the longest […]

Neighbourhood teams must be central to improving access to primary care for patients, a new review has said today. The teams, evolving from Primary Care Networks, should bring together general practice with other parts of the health and care system to improve access and offer regular support to those with complex needs such as elderly […]

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 […]