Category: NHS

UK Government and Health Unions Fail to Break Deadlock Over Ambulance Strike

Talks between the UK government and health unions have failed to break the deadlock ahead of a planned strike by paramedics and ambulance workers in England and Wales. Health Secretary Steve Barclay met union representatives on Tuesday afternoon but their attempt to avert the strike planned for Wednesday appears to have ended in failure. The…


British Troops to Cover for Striking Ambulance Drivers and Border Staff

Hundreds of British troops will be deployed to cover for ambulance drivers and border staff as ministers seek to mitigate disruptions caused by industrial action. Arrangements have been made for 1,200 members of the armed forces to plug staffing gaps in the health service and the Border Force during strikes over the Christmas and New…


UK Nurses Begin Biggest Strike in History as Government Rejects Pay Demand

Thousands of nurses in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have walked out in the biggest strike in nursing history after the UK government rejected their pay demand as not affordable. The industrial action, organised by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), is affecting around a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all trusts…


British Government Mulls Banning Strikes by Health Care Workers

Nurses working for the British National Health Service (NHS) could have their striking rights restricted as the government attempts to clamp down on the current wave of industrial action disrupting the UK. On Wednesday during Prime Minister’s Questions, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised “tough” measures to limit strike action, saying the government would not be…


Pharmacists Voice Concerns Over Reported Government Plan to Ease NHS Pressure

Pharmacists have said the sector is facing its own crisis after the UK government was reportedly considering enlisting their help during NHS strikes. They say pharmacists are more than capable of carrying out some diagnoses and prescriptions, but the sector is under the same crippling pressure as the NHS. Up to 100,000 NHS nurses in…


Health Secretary Says UK ‘Must Be Transparent Coming out of COVID Around Excess Deaths’

Health secretary Steve Barclay has acknowledged the issue of excess deaths as a resurfaced summer report indicates that the NHS has anticipated £1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) for COVID-19 compensation claims. On Monday in a speech at the Spectator Health Summit in London, Barclay said that “one shared point of understanding must be the scale of…


NHS Trust Boss Body Says It Will Put Anti-Racism on the Agenda Like ‘Never Before’

A major organsation that represents trusts in England said that is using its “unique position” to influence and implement anti-racism policies in the National Health Service (NHS). Ahead of its conference on Thursday, NHS Providers published its ambition to become an anti-racist organisation. NHS Providers represents every NHS hospital, mental health, community, and ambulance service in…


England’s NHS Waiting List Hits New Record High

Almost 7.1 million patients in England were waiting to start their hospital treatment in September, up from 7 million in August, the latest National Health Service (NHS) statistics show. Waiting times at the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) also hit a new record high, with 594,389 people waiting for longer than four hours before being…


NHS Nurses in Most UK Hospitals Vote to Strike

Nurses at a majority of National Health Service (NHS) trusts and health boards have voted to strike over pay, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said on Wednesday. It comes as the NHS is struggling with high levels of backlog following the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the biggest hospitals in England, all NHS employers in Northern…


Thousands Urge UK Government to Rehire Care Workers Sacked Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Tens of thousands of people have urged the UK government to apologise, reinstate, and compensate care workers who were forced out of their jobs by a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to campaign group Together. By Friday, more than 23,000 people had signed a petition published by the group on Monday, calling on Prime Minister Liz Truss and…