This report is a flexible summary, with the aim of sharing and highlighting a wide range of data and policy information relating to London general practice published in a given week. Where we view information to be of significant interest it is reproduced directly below the links to make the key points quicker to digest.
Please feel free to share any useful stats/links you think we could include in future reports.
Official bodies
NHS Digital
- All recent data releases can be seen here.
- Policy or strategy:10-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce (2024–2034) [14/5].
- Guidance: Urgent and emergency care recovery plan year 2: building on learning from 2023/24 [16/5].
Department of Health and Social Care
- Press release: 350 extra medical school places allocated in NHS training boost [13/5].
- The government has funded 350 additional medical school places in England for the academic year 2025 to 2026 in latest step to deliver NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
- Press release: Government to make medicines dispensing more efficient [13/5].
- Press release:Patients to benefit from largest expansion of choice in a decade [15/5].
- Patients requiring treatment outside of hospitals will be able to choose between multiple providers across the NHS and independent sector.
- Press release:Government explores mediation with junior doctors committee [15/5].
- Press release: £85 million pledged to tackle antibiotic emergency [16/5].
- Funding of £85 million will be announced at a global event to support the international community in tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
UK Health Security Agency
- Guidance:Rotavirus vaccination programme: advice for health professionals[14/5].
- Guidance: Scabies: management advice for health professionals [16/5].
BMA
- Article: BMA responds to funding of 350 additional medical school places [13/5].
- Article: Junior doctors and Government enter mediated talks to make progress on pay dispute [15/5].
- Article: SAS doctors in England to vote on improved pay offer [16/5].
- Article: GPs leaders in England vote to launch a ballot for collective action [16/5].
Policy, think tanks, charities and representative bodies
The Health Foundation
- Public want government to prioritise primary care over hospitals [16/5].
- Full report here.
- If the NHS budget is not increased, 60% of people polled in England think the government should prioritise the NHS budget on improving access to community-based services like general practice and dentistry, twice those who would prioritise access to hospitals (29%)
- Participants also largely supported a greater focus on primary and community care to reduce demand on hospitals. E.g. earlier diagnosis and better management of conditions.
Nuffield Trust
The Kings Fund
- Three questions to ask about health inequalities statistics [16/5].
- Are mental health wards discharging patients too quickly? [13/5].
- The rate of patients being admitted and discharged from hospitals is under increased stress, as the number of patients continues to rise, and bed managers are seen as the ‘gatekeepers’ to access services.
- When people are discharged into the community without support, they feel the system is unempathetic to their struggles.
- Recently, discharged patients are at higher risk of suicide in the days and weeks after leaving hospital.
London Trusts
Barts Health NHS Trust
- Article: Vital signs data is to be digitised across the trust and will mean deteriorating patients will be able to be detected quicker [15/5].
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust