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 […]

GPs and pharmacists have helped cut opioid prescriptions in England by 450,000 in under four years, latest data shows, as the NHS today unveils a new action plan to crack down on the overuse of potentially-addictive medicines. The new framework for local health and care providers aims to further reduce inappropriate prescribing of high-strength painkillers […]

The NHS has stopped thousands of people from getting type 2 diabetes, thanks to the world leading NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, new research shows today. Analysis by University of Manchester researchers shows the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was one fifth lower in people with raised blood sugars referred to the programme, compared to […]

Just one in five people aged 18-40 would visit their local pharmacy first for expert advice with a minor illness, new polling has found. The NHS has today launched a new campaign to highlight how high-street pharmacies can support patients with non-urgent health advice for minor conditions including coughs, aches and colds. ‘Movie-inspired’ Help Us […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) that predicts likely missed appointments and offers back-up bookings will be piloted by the NHS in a bid to maximise resources and potentially save billions. Through algorithms and anonymised data, the technology breaks down the reasons why someone may not attend an appointment – using a range of external insights including the […]

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 […]

NHS staff across England have reduced the number of patients waiting more than a year and a half by over a quarter in just one month, despite the busiest winter ever. The total number waiting more than 18 months has fallen by 27% from 54,382 on 15 January to 39,903 as of 12 February. Over […]

The NHS workforce is more diverse than at any other point in its history, according to an annual report into race equality across the health service. Published today, the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard shows Black and minority ethnic (BME) staff make up almost a quarter of the workforce overall (24.2% or 383,706 staff) – […]

The burns and scalds page is viewed once every 16 seconds as the nation gets cooking. Visits to the NHS website’s advice on burns and scalds nearly doubles on Pancake Day, latest figures show. The number of page views for help with burns injuries jumps from a daily average of 3,200 to 5,300 on Pancake […]

NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “As we have seen with previous industrial action, disruption is inevitable, however, it is vital that people do not put off seeking care and dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency and come forward for treatment using 111 online for non-life threatening care, as well as local pharmacies […]