Immigration cap is to be relaxed for nurses and doctors
The Home Office has announced that it will be relaxing the immigration rules for non-EU doctors and nurses. The cap on non-EU skilled workers, which was introduced by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary, will now no longer apply to doctors and nurses. Much of the reaction has been positive, with NHS bosses saying it represents a ‘huge relief’ to trusts after warning in April that current immigration rules were impeding their ability to recruit workers.
Read more on the BBC.
The number of patients waiting over 18 weeks for NHS treatment hits half-a-million.
Statistics for NHS England’s ‘referral to treatment’ (RTT) show that in April 500,068 patients waited longer than the recommended 18 weeks for planned NHS hospital treatment, the highest number in over a decade. The figures mean that 87.5% of patients were seen within the 18-week timeframe, below the government’s target of 92%, which has now not been met since February 2016. The Royal College of Surgeons called the figures ‘disappointing’, and noted that it was unclear how the NHS would now catch up with its backlog from winter.
Read more on The Guardian.
Social media firms ‘must share child mental health costs’
NHS England’s Chief Executive has used his keynote address at this year’s NHS Confederation to echo calls for social media firms to do more to safeguard the mental health of its child users. Simon Stevens claimed that questions need to be asked of social media companies, and stated that there is ‘more unmet need for young people’s mental health services than probably any other part of the health service’.
Read more in The Telegraph.
More GP trainees have been recruited this year than ever before, Health Education England announces
During this week’s NHS Confederation, the chief executive of Health Education England Professor Ian Cumming announced some good news for the health service – more GP trainees have been recruited this year than ever before. Health Education England had set the target of 3,250 GPs to start training this year; and this is now expected to be reached. Cummings stated that these figures show that half of all doctors who train in England are going into general practice.
Read more in Pulse.
Long-term NHS plan likely won’t include social care, Jeremy Hunt acknowledges
In his keynote address to this year’s NHS Confederation, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care warned that whilst the long-term plans for the NHS and social care will both happen, it will not be at the same time. What this suggests is that, despite the pleads and campaigns from various organisations, the long-term funding plan for the NHS will not include social care provisions.
Also in his address, Hunt underlined his support for the Prime Minister, arguing that she has talked more about the social care sector than any of her predecessors, as well prioritising it in last year’s budget.
Read more on the National Health Executive.
Quote of the week –
Our quote of the week is from the ‘state of the nation’ report researched and released by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), in which the organisation warns that some councils in England ‘cannot go on’ without a long-term funding package to pay for care.
“The overall picture is of a sector struggling to meet need and maintain quality in the context of rising costs, increasingly complex care needs, a fragile provider market and pressures from an NHS which itself is in critical need of more funding.”
Read more on The Guardian.