Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he is 'ashamed' that patients are treated in corridors in Britain, according to a named source. Crack teams will be sent to overhaul problem hospitals with the worst rates of corridor care, and 40 new and expanded centres have been named across England to ease pressure on A&E departments. Streeting has been given the power to override the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (Nice) judgment on drug cost-effectiveness thresholds, a move that 31 MPs have opposed in a House of Commons motion.
The power was part of the government's drug-pricing deal with the Trump administration, according to a named source. Streeting also declared the NHS is 'failing women' and unveiled measures to address women's health, including a new standard of care ensuring women are offered pain relief for invasive procedures like fitting contraceptive coils and hysteroscopies. Women's feedback will be directly linked to provider funding through a new trial.
I cannot imagine for myself or someone that I love in my own family being on a corridor being remotely dignified. It is certainly undignified, it is certainly less safe, and that's why we've got to get rid of it.
Streeting suggested cutting welfare spending to boost the UK's defence budget, according to a named source. 5% of GDP from April next year, and 3% in the next parliament. 6% of GDP.
GPs in England are being ordered to stop issuing sick notes and instead send patients to job coaches or the gym, according to a named source. The WorkWell scheme rollout will come into force from November, according to a named source. GPs now issue fit notes 11 million times a year, up from around five million a decade ago, according to a named source.
I've said I want to get rid of this by the end of the Parliament, but if I can do it sooner, I absolutely will and we are keeping a real focus on this.
A coalition of 43 organisations accused the Government of dangerous delay in publishing a bone health strategy. Around half of NHS trusts lack fracture liaison services (FLS), according to the coalition. Since Labour came to office, delays have led to 17,000 preventable fractures, over 7,000 hip fractures, and £150 million in costs, according to the coalition.
Every year the plan is delayed, an estimated 2,000 people die following hip fractures that early diagnosis could have stopped, according to experts. Streeting announced the roll-out of 20 new Dexa bone scanners. 5 million Brits have osteoporosis, and half of women over 50 will suffer fragility fractures because of osteoporosis, according to experts.
I've been around this hospital on some of its worst days, looking people in the eye, both the patients in the beds, but also their loved ones who are waiting in the corridor, and it just makes you feel ashamed. I wouldn't want someone I love to be in that situation. And that for me is the ultimate test.
Two-thirds of people with osteoporosis miss out on medication because of a postcode lottery for diagnostic clinics, according to a named source. Since Labour came to power, an estimated 4,000 people have died following hip fractures that FLS could have prevented, according to a named source. Streeting said the Department of Health and Social Care will be 'taking the lead' in regulating the funeral industry, according to a named source.
Undertaker Robert Bush admitted hoarding 30 bodies, half a tonne of human ashes and fraudulently running his business.
A piece of paper that closes doors is no substitute for a proper plan. That's why we are moving away from a system that just treats illness, but also tackles the factors that stop people living fuller, healthier lives at their root. Through our WorkWell initiative, which has just been extended nationwide, people who receive a fit note are being linked up with real, practical support – including physiotherapy, mental health services and advice on workplace adjustments. Alongside this, our Health and Growth Accelerators are bringing together NHS teams, occupational therapists and employment advisers in areas with the highest levels of health-related economic inactivity, to help prevent people falling out of work in the first place and reduce pressure on GPs.
Well, yeah. We want to reduce the welfare budget.
Women have for so long been let down by a healthcare system that too often gaslights women, treating their pain as an inconvenience and their symptoms as an overreaction. Whether it's being passed from one appointment to another for conditions like endometriosis and fibroids, or a lack of proper pain relief during invasive procedures, through to having to navigate symptoms for years before receiving a diagnosis, it's clear the system is failing women. Women's voices must be central to delivering effective, respectful and empathetic care. Today's renewed strategy will tackle the issues women face every day and ensure no woman is left fighting to be heard.
Too many women are suffering painful, preventable fractures because osteoporosis is diagnosed too late. That has to change. These new scanners will help thousands of patients get tested sooner, start treatment earlier and avoid the trauma of life-changing breaks. We are cutting waiting times and modernising the NHS so it works for patients – preventing illness where we can, and delivering care faster for those that need it most. I'm grateful to campaigners and to the Sunday Express for championing this issue and supporting action to improve bone health services.
The experience that your city in particular has seen underscores why this is such an important issue.
We will be taking a lead in the Department of Health and Social Care of working across government to make sure we've got effective funeral legislation in place.