The NHS could be set to pay doctors' pension tax bills in a move the BMA says could ease pressure on the health service ahead of a winter predicted to be its worse on record. Doctors' leaders and accountants have been warning for months that the government's failure to address the impact of tax penalties on pension contributions on the NHS workforce would severely undermine capacity - and the BMA believes the health service is now heading for its most difficult winter ever. A damning report published earlier this month showed that NHS organisations across the UK were struggling to maintain services as doctors across multiple specialities reduced working hours or refused extra shifts to avoid heavy tax penalties.
With the general election in December, the BMA have just published their manifesto for health where they set out their priorities for any incoming government reform. The main headliners are:
- reform the punitive pension tax system for doctors
- pay doctors fairly and address historic underpayments
- legislate for safe staffing
- increase spending on the NHS by 4%
- give the public the say on any final Brexit deal
For further details, please click on the link to the right:-
Last December (2018), North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) introduced a new framework for supporting healthcare professional (HCP) requests for urgent or emergency ambulance transport to hospital or between hospital sites. This framework is now the national standard adopted by all ambulance services across the country. The introduction of the new framework included a dedicated telephone number and a new cohort of NWAS call handlers and clinicians assigned to answering these calls. The number is: 0345 140 0144.
As we approach the busy winter months, we'd like to help HCP colleagues by recapping the process for requesting ambulance transport. Our shared aim is to ensure all patients receive the right care in a timely manner.
The Public Accounts Committee have just published their report which concludes that NHSPS 'was set up to fail', and that DHSC are not setting a course of action to address the issues. The report finds that 70% of tenants do not have leases in place and urges DHSC to move towards a more transparent and equitable charging model with adequate funding in place. In response, a full press statement has been issued, stating: "The PAC Report into NHS Property Services highlights what the BMA has been saying for some time - that the current model is not fit for purpose. Extortionate service charges are proving an impossible barrier to many agreeing new leases with the current system actively threatening the future of GP services in some parts of the country.
To read the full report, please click on the link below:
NHSX, the technology unit formed by the Department of Health and Social Care has published an overview of the current state of play of data-driven technologies within the health and care system. The report explains how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used and the policy work that needs to be done to keep AI safe and ethical. To read the full report, please click on the link below:
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