Health and care sector latest developments

Consultants vote in favour of strike action in England

The BMA has announced that consultants in England have voted in favour of strike action, with 76 per cent of those who took part backing industrial action.

PA Media reports that the BMA has urged the upcoming Prime Minister to prioritise resolving the dispute to avoid further disruption to NHS services.

Government to update guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions

The government said it will revise its statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions in response to consultation feedback.
It will work with the Department of Health and Social Care to clarify the respective responsibilities of schools and healthcare professionals before publishing the updated guidance.

Ministers also confirmed they will publish separate statutory guidance on allergy safety and seek legislation to extend the duty to support pupils with medical conditions to further education colleges, post-16 providers, non-maintained special schools and independent schools.

Government announces NHS AI expansion

The government has announced an accelerated rollout of AI across the NHS, backed by £10 billion over the next three years.

This includes an AI triage tool in the NHS App, wider use of AI powered clinical note taking, and new digital services.

Following pilots, the AI triage tool will be available to all NHS App users by April 2028, while AI notetaking technology will be rolled out nationally to cut clinicians' admin workload.

NHS England chief Sir Jim Mackey said the technology overhaul would "transform services" by helping patients reach "the best service for their needs first time".Health Secretary James Murray said the investment would "get patients to the right care faster", reduce "mountains of paperwork", and help "drive down waiting times".

Sir Ciarán Devane, responded to the investment stating, "it is good to see the commitment to invest in digital, data and AI being followed through.

“This will play a key role in plans to transform the NHS and improve productivity, with benefits including improved patient experience and less burdensome admin for staff.

“The key issue is how the £10 billion investment will translate into practical support and funding for NHS leaders to deliver and scale up these programmes locally.

“There should be a general principle of maximising the discretion of local leaders to invest in the technologies and solutions that make most sense for their local populations and communities. 

“Heath leaders need clarity too on which elements will be mandatory for adoption and what expectations will be placed on organisations.    
“It is vital that this funding is not whittled away as we have seen all-too-often in the past when the squeeze for savings has landed on NHS capital budgets.

“That would be a very damaging, false economy.”

NHS to rate English trusts on tackling violence and racism towards staff

The NHS will rate trusts according to how well they tackle racism, violence and sexual misconduct towards staff, the government has announced.

From July, all NHS acute, ambulance and mental health trusts in England will be judged and ranked in published league tables on six main measures of wellbeing, affecting more than 1.5 million staff.
All secondary care NHS bodies are affected by the announcement. Primary care, which includes GP practices, is excluded for now, but ministers hope to roll it out there in “future years”.

The new performance standards will rate hospitals and ambulance services on success in tackling racism, preventing violence, improving sexual safety, promoting flexible working, line management, and health and wellbeing support. They will receive a score of one to four for each measure, which will contribute to trusts’ overall ratings.

Rebecca Smith, director of staff experience and social partnership at NHS Employers, welcomed the new NHS staff standards, saying they will help create safer, fairer and more supportive workplaces. Smith said the framework will improve staff experience, retention and patient care by setting clear expectations for employers, strengthening protections against violence, harassment and racism, and promoting good management practices across the NHS. 

New GP leader seeks ‘collaborative approach’

The British Medical Association’s general practitioners committee for England has chosen a new chair.

Clare Bannon, a GP in Barnsley and former clinical commissioning group lead, will take over from Katie Bramall on Thursday.

Trust appoints substantive chief executive five weeks after hiring interim

A mental health trust has once again recruited its chief executive from its neighbouring provider.

North East London Foundation Trust has appointed Edwin Ndlovu as its new permanent chief executive. Mr Ndlovu is currently the chief operating officer and deputy chief executive of neighbouring mental health provider East London NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Ndlovu’s predecessor as the substantive NELFT chiec executive was Paul Calaminus, who moved from ELFT in 2023. Mr Calaminus was appointed chief executive of South London and Maudsley FT in March.

On 28 May, NELFT appointed Jan Ditheridge as interim chief executive. Ms Ditheridge has a reputation of taking on challenged organisations. She is due to join the trust this month and will stay on at NELFT to “ensure a smooth and seamless transition” when Mr Ndlovu takes on the role in the autumn.