NHS staff survey results – shocking but not surprising
The 2019 NHS staff survey results, released on Tuesday, revealed that 29% of NHS workers were bullied, harassed or abused in the past year and that 40% have felt unwell due to stress at work.
Given these stats, it is not surprising that NHS sickness absence is twice the level in the private sector, that there are huge vacancy rates (currently 40,000 nurses short) and that high numbers of staff intend to quit (35 per cent of GPs).
It’s hoped that the forthcoming NHS People Plan will help influence change across the healthcare system.
Read more on the King’s Fund website.
Paterson inquiry spurs the creation of a single dataset for planned hospital admissions
Following the inquiry into the rogue surgeon Ian Paterson, a consultation has been launched to consider the first steps to create a unified dataset for planned hospital admission in England to help improve patient safety.
The NHS Digital and Private Healthcare Information Networks consultation sets out a series of changes to how data is recorded and managed across the whole healthcare system, and outlines plans for the initial pilot projects.
The consultation aims to seek the views of private and NHS providers, clinicians, the public and other organisations with an interest in private healthcare and will be used to help shape the future changes.
Read more on the digitalhealth website.
First patient undergoes Luxturna gene therapy on NHS
The first NHS patient has been treated with Novartis’ Luxturna, a “revolutionary” new gene therapy that can restore eyesight in those born with an inherited retinal disorder – Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis.
The “life-changing” treatment for children and adults is the first in a new generation of gene therapies that can be directly administered to patients.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS medical director, said: “Once again, the NHS is at the forefront of the genomic revolution with patients in England among the first to benefit from this new form of treatment – a modern day miracle – as part of the Long Term Plan.”
Read more in the PharmaTimes.
It’s 100 days since Journalista joined the ZPB team!
In November last year, ZPB Associates acquired one of its long-standing commercial partners, Journalista, and it’s been a hive of activity ever since!
Our shared ambition of connecting the NHS, independent sector and life sciences industry and forming productive partnerships has fuelled our growth in services and pharma. And, we’ve also seen a surge of new digital health and tech activity with notable new clients such as Healthy.io and Visiba.
If you’d like to learn more about the increased range of services on offer, or how we can make your next campaign award-winning, please get in touch.
Quote of the week
In response to the Home Secretary’s announcement of the new points-based immigration policy, the chief economist of the Nuffield Trust, John Appleby said:
“Migration has been a crucial safety valve for crisis-stricken social care services, with workers from overseas filling vital roles helping people with basic tasks like washing, dressing and personal hygiene. Stopping migration for social care risks pushing a sector on which many vulnerable people depend over the edge.”
Read more on the Nuffield Trust website.