Medsol Group’s Post

NHS Northern Ireland – SOS meltdown While the NHS in England, Scotland, and Wales has been under sustained pressure in recent years following the COVID-19 pandemic, underfunding, soaring waiting lists, and GP appointment chaos, the situation in Northern Ireland (NI) is even worse. Record-breaking waiting lists and emergency department times – the worst across the UK, healthcare staff at breaking point and leaving the region, GP practices closing due to financial issues, and a scheduled junior doctors' strike this week have seen the situation hit crisis point. #northernireland #nhs #healthpolicy #healthcare #crisismanagement WHO Regional Office for Europe World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA)

The NHS received widespread applause and support as a gesture of gratitude from the public during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Known as the ‘Clap for Our Carers’ campaign, this was a way for people to express appreciation for the dedicated efforts of healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and support staff, who were working tirelessly on the frontlines to care for those affected by the virus. Whilst the clapping initiative garnered widespread support, discussions need to take place regarding the need for tangible support for healthcare systems, including adequate funding, resources, and policies to address the long-term challenges which the NHS is currently facing (see our previous post for more information)

The ‘Clap for Our Carers’ campaign was not unique to the UK, as similar gestures of appreciation occurred in various countries around the world to honour healthcare workers during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. What are your thoughts on the initial campaign and the current NHS? #clap #clapforcarers #clapfornhs #covid #nhs #walkthetalkspeechandlanguagetherapy #slt

This really puts it all in to context. The NHS can’t cope with the level of demand it’s facing and it needs more doctors and nurses. The long term staffing plan aims to increase the workforce by 1m healthcare workers over the next 15 years but the NHS can’t wait that long and risk spiralling further. International recruitment is the only way to recruit quickly, at scale and without the cost of locums 💙

Start your week with this insightful and nuanced look at the state of play in the #nhs. A very powerful long read that refuses to just take the rose-tinted view of things were better before 2010, and roots the current problems and challenges in the context of both #delivery and of funding. https://lnkd.in/eT6J25wE It skewers the main problems we have with such an immense and complex beast like the NHS and whilst it thankfully doesn't attempt to provide a blueprint to fixing it presents the current challenges in the round. It concludes powerfully : "Running a health service over a population of 56 million is exceptionally rare for a reason. Yes, the model of the 2000s delivered 18 weeks, but it also delivered Mid Staffs and sowed the seeds of the level of staff disengagement we see today. If the next administration wants to heed the lessons of the past, they’ll understand that they’re very rarely in the best position to be the ones making the decisions at all. Questions such as how to make the NHS a fundamentally better place to work, or even the purpose of the NHS at all, can only be answered through a radically different model of #decisionmaking "

Yesterday I completed reading the book "No Rules Rules" by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer. The central concept that resonated with me was the cultivation of a high-talent density and the empowerment of experts and specialists with decision-making authority. This approach effectively shifts ownership to the right individuals, not just leaders and managers. The article below prompted me to consider organizations that are micromanaged by politicians and senior leaders, with all decision-making power concentrated at the top. This practice effectively removes ownership from those who are most directly involved working with the the processes, systems, and patients – the experts and specialists. They are the ones who deal with the inefficient processes and face the high workload on a daily basis. I agree that politicians should support NHS leaders in innovation and improving health and care. As a next step these leaders should take ownership about creating the environment where individuals have the time and freedom to think creatively, make decisions, and contribute suggestions for improvement. Experts and specialists possess a wealth of ideas on how to digitize and automate manual processes, design effective systems, and enhance efficiency in daily operations to reduce workload and patient waiting times. They are immersed in these aspects every day. #seamlessexperience #leadership #digital #automation #innovation

More than 2,000 NHS buildings in England older than NHS, figures show Lib Dems and health trusts say patient and staff safety being put at risk by poor state of ageing infrastructure ▶️ Millions of patients are being put at risk in crumbling hospitals that are unfit for purpose, MPs have said, as figures reveal more than 2,000 NHS buildings are older than the health service itself. #NHS #LiberalDemocrats’ https://lnkd.in/eG3sqz8g

Kingsgate has been helping the NHS to change and improve for around two decades now. During that time, we’ve seen a wide range of challenges across finances, ways of working and organisational culture. And while the circumstances always vary, we pride ourselves on being able to identify and fix the problem. Ultimately, it’s about enabling NHS Trusts and local systems to increase their productivity by being more efficient. When done well, this will improve healthcare and patient outcomes too – the definition of higher-value services. #NHS #productivity

NHS Leaders Facing “Drastic Measures” To Make Ends Meet Health leaders in England are calling on the next government to protect local NHS organisations from having to further cut staffing levels to make ends meet at a time when the needs of their patients are so high. In a survey of NHS leaders across trusts, integrated care boards (ICBs) and primary care in England, some local NHS organisations are already cutting or freezing posts to balance their books. They fear local services are trapped in a cycle of short-termism where immediate cuts to meet financial targets are having to be prioritised over long term plans to improve and transform local services. The survey was carried out during late April and early May – a time when the NHS has been coming to terms with the “flat” revenue settlement set in the Spring Budget. The NHS has been set an annual efficiency target of 2.2%, despite many organisations starting the financial year in a worse underlying state due to industrial action and other cost pressures. As the NHS Confederation survey shows, many local NHS organisations are facing much higher efficiency targets that will impact on their staffing levels. The rate of NHS productivity growth has averaged 0.9 per cent over the past 25 years, with the NHS often delivering higher productivity improvements than the wider economy. However, the NHS leaders responding to the survey said that they need, on average, to make efficiency savings of 6% in 2024/25, with local services facing targets ranging from 1.6% all the way up to 11%. Recently, the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that real-terms spending on the NHS had risen less quickly than was pledged at the last general election five years ago. This squeeze on NHS spending is likely to be compounded by the main political parties committing this week to no further tax increases, which the IFS say will further constrain spending on public services. In response to this, some health leaders are having to take “drastic measures” to balance the books, with cuts to agency spending, freezing vacancies and cuts to clinical and managerial and administrative staff the most effected. This is to cover what is estimated to be a larger projected deficit in the financial plans of local integrated care systems (ICS) than has been seen in recent years. This could lead to further cuts to capital and other budgets. Cuts to staff come at a time when the latest data shows there are over 100,000 vacancies across the NHS in England, including nearly 9,000 medical posts. This short-term risk to freeze or cut posts could be seen to go against the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan’s commitment to grow the NHS’s headcount so that it can meet the needs of patients and respond to rising demand. The main political parties appear to agree that the NHS must grow its workforce, yet without appropriate levels of funding locally that are matched to the efficiency asks of the NHS, many health leaders feel as though they have no…

One of the most important elements of our onboarding cycle☺️

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS). 🎉 The NHS has been the backbone of healthcare provision throughout the UK for a vast majority of citizens. On this special occasion, it's worth reflecting on how the NHS is currently performing and where it can be improved. Recently, the House of Lords Library published a research briefing which provided an insight into the current performance of the NHS. This briefing examined the overall expenditure of the NHS, the range of services provided, and the impact of COVID-19 on the NHS' capacity. For the 75th anniversary celebrations, the government has outlined plans to invest more than £5.5 billion into the NHS over the next year. We must all be mindful of the hard work NHS providers put in on a day-to-day basis to ensure our healthcare needs are taken care of. It's now more important than ever to invest in our healthcare systems to ensure it is fit to provide the best possible care for future generations. #NHS75Years #HealthcareProviders #InvestingInHealth