Zoe Tidman

Top hospitals turn away pregnant women too scared to use ... Low care ratings at maternity wards across the country have put immense strain on a small number of units

NEW: At least five of England’s top-rated maternity units have been forced to turn pregnant women away because of “significant and unanticipated increases in demand", despite birth rates falling across the country.

@theobserveruk.bsky.social

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Poor ventilation leaves hospitals ‘not ready’ for another covid Just four years after the peak of the pandemic, four in five NHS acute trusts are concerned their ventilation systems may be inadequate, according to an investigation by HSJ.

🛑 'Just four years after the peak of the pandemic, four in five NHS acute trusts are concerned their ventilation systems may be inadequate, according to an investigation by @hsj.co.uk @zoetidman.bsky.social
www.hsj.co.uk/patient-safe...

The deadly toll on journalists in the Gaza war With foreign media barred, Palestinians have reported alone, facing the ‘most deliberate effort to kill and silence’ them ever

The Guardian has today printed the names, and where possible, images, of all the media workers killed in Gaza, as part of an international day of action involving more than 150 media organisations.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Exclusive: Major new biosecurity lab gets go-ahead from government after years of uncertainty

The new centre in Essex - now expected to cost over £3bn - to support research against future pandemics

www.hsj.co.uk/technology-a...

HSJ | Health Service Journal - for healthcare leaders Health Service Journal - subscribe to HSJ for the latest NHS news and jobs for healthcare leaders

On that note, there will be free access to hsj.co.uk until 11am on Friday, so make the most of it!

This marks 10-yr health plan and launch of our new AI search assistant ‘Ask HSJ’

hsj.co.uk/ask-hsj:

10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future Sets out the government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England.

And the 10-year health plan is out💥

I'll be digging into what this means for NHS infrastructure, & expect lots of other analysis from colleagues at @hsj.co.uk

www.gov.uk/government/p...

Cost of inquiry ‘threatens trust’s financial resilience’, says CEO An ongoing patient safety inquiry could threaten the financial resilience of a trust if a lack of funding continues, a chief executive has warned.

Costs of ongoing inquiry into patient deaths risks financial resilience of trust at centre, chief exec tells @hsj.co.uk

Essex Partnership gets no extra ££ for Lampard Inquiry - which cost it millions last year:

www.hsj.co.uk/essex-partne...

Ministers sign off capital boost for ‘high-performing’ systems Top-performing systems will be able to spend up to £25m above their usual capital allocations under an upcoming NHS England rewards scheme, HSJ can reveal.

💥NHS England confirms new rules to boost to capital spend - but only top performers will benefit

Story: www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-...

We unearthed new details of sewage leaks and ceiling collapses at NHS hospitals in the same investigation

Worrying indicator of how repair backlogs can impact care

www.hsj.co.uk/expert-brief...

Carbon Copy: Boiling, freezing, failing The ideas, policies and challenges at the heart of the NHS goal for net zero emissions, from HSJ sustainability correspondent Zoe Tidman

NHS England tracks how many times care is disrupted each year due to repair backlogs, but not the details

New investigation by @hsj.co.uk into over 500 incidents finds unsuitable temperatures is most common issue

Findings - and attempt at explaining why - here:

www.hsj.co.uk/expert-brief...

‘Overfunded’ ICBs offer better IVF access Three of the most "overfunded" integrated care boards are offering greater access to IVF than most of their peers, HSJ can reveal.

I've been looking into the IVF postcode lottery and how local NHS organisations are funded

And found a trend emerged:

www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-...

Mid & South Essex FT not expected to hit targets over cancer treatment waits, or year-long elective waits

Revealed in final draft of 25-26 annual plan:
www.hsj.co.uk/mid-and-sout...

Second tranche of major job cuts revealed by trust A large acute trust plans to cut more than 700 additional jobs and admits it will miss key performance targets this year due to its "unsustainable" deficit.

Over 700 job cuts planned at major NHS trust this year

Second year in a row that hundreds of posts will go at Mid & South Essex FT as it faces financial challenges

www.hsj.co.uk/mid-and-sout...

Anger rising - particularly from maternity services - around cut to ringfences across maternity, children and prevention.

Donna Ockenden said it was "unbelievable" she had to find out from our article that money to improve maternity services was among the slashed pots.

ICB points to lack of government support after teenager’s suicide Long waits for autism diagnosis and treatment - implicated in the suicide of a 17-year-old - will continue unless addressing them is given greater priority by government, an integrated care board has ...

Long waits for autism diagnosis and treatment – implicated in the suicide of a 17-year-old – will continue unless addressing them is given greater priority by government, an integrated care board has said.
www.hsj.co.uk/hertfordshir...

More than £5m has been spent on an inquiry into mental health deaths in Essex so far, @hsj.co.uk can reveal

Families have been waiting for answers since one was first launched in 2021, with hearings still ongoing

New story: www.hsj.co.uk/mental-healt...

Upcoming hearings - The Lampard Inquiry - investigating mental health deaths in Essex Warning – Potentially distressing content. Please be aware that the hearings may contain descriptions of death and suicide, from the start and throughout, which some viewers may find distressing. Due ...

Hearings for the Lampard Inquiry into at least 2,000 mental health deaths in Essex restart next week

Final sessions will be late next year - nearly six years after Essex MH inquiry was launched

lampardinquiry.org.uk/upcoming-hea...

ICB spend will be reduced to an average of around £19 per population head, with some flexibility between ICBs.

The target - which must be hit at a regional level - represents first firm details on how 50% overall cut to ICBs will be implemented.

www.hsj.co.uk/integrated-c...

Trusts must cover ‘new hospital’ redundancy costs Trusts must cover their own redundancy costs caused by delays to projects in the New Hospital Programme, despite hopes they would be covered centrally, HSJ has learned.

Project teams for the most delayed 40 'new hospitals' are now being stood down

@hsj.co.uk understands NHS trusts must front redundancy costs themselves - which could run into millions nationally

Story: www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-...

NHS landlord agrees £1.6bn takeover by KKR consortium London-listed group Assura rejects rival offer that would have kept it in the public markets

Assura has sold itself to a private consortium including US corporate giant KKR for £1.6bn. Assura owns hundreds of GP surgeries and health centres, according to the FT. www.ft.com/content/3993...

‘Hasty’ hospital closure plan criticised by ICB-commissioned report A panel set up by an integrated care board to review its plans for closing a hospital has called the proposals "hasty" and "utterly inadequate".

A panel set up by an integrated care board to review its plans for closing a hospital has called the proposals “hasty” and “utterly inadequate”.
www.hsj.co.uk/mid-and-sout...

£150m ‘wasted’ planning for ‘paused’ new hospitals More than £150m spent planning "new hospital" projects which are now in the long grass may need to be written off, according to estimates seen by HSJ.

Millions of ££ have been spent on 'new hospitals' now placed in long grass

The outcome? Around £150m may need to be written off, acc early figures seen by @hsj.co.uk

New story: www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-...

Cancer patients missed chance for treatment due to 100-day waits, trust admits Lung cancer patients at a major trust were on a waiting list for so long that their disease progressed to a stage where it was no longer treatable.

Lung cancer patients at a major trust were on waiting lists for so long that their disease progressed to a stage where it was no longer treatable.
www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-...

Scores of English councils could go bankrupt when hidden Send debt reappears Deficits of £5.2bn have been put aside for seven years in accounting fix that ends on 31 March 2026

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Does seem to be confusion with some sticking by 32-34 estimated start given to all in plan (below)

But interesting to see funding staggered too

www.gov.uk/government/p...

When will promised 'new hospitals' be built?

I've seen letters to trusts (via FOI) that give slightly different dates than announced for wave two schemes

Looks like Watford & Leicester are front of queue

Excl: Row as NHS commissioners refuse to pay for weightloss drugs that a company is "intensively" marketing to patients. (£)

High cost and large numbers of eligible patients mean issue is a "ticking timebomb" for NHS, says one boss

www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-...

CEO: Staff suffering ‘moral injury’ from poor estates Staff are suffering "moral injury" as deteriorating estates disrupt their ability to provide care, a chief executive whose hospital rebuild has been delayed has warned.

Deteriorating hospital estate is causing 'moral injury' to staff whose ability to provide care is impacted, boss of delayed Essex rebuild says

Interesting to see NHS leaders speaking up about this

New interview: www.hsj.co.uk/the-princess...

Welcome to Sidmouth, where over-90s are having the time of their lives The Devon town has only 842 residents under 30 — and 1,100 over 80 — and yet somehow it works, thanks to a strong sense of community and plenty of willing volunteers

Sidmouth, in east Devon, has 1,100 residents over the age of 80 compared with just 842 under 30s – yet somehow, it works

An absolute delight of a read from @yennahsmart.bsky.social, one of the rising stars on the Times data team www.thetimes.com/article/9c8a...

Important findings about medicine shortages from new @nuffieldtrust.bsky.social research covered by the Guardian today 👇