Seven days in medicine: 29 Apr to 5 May 2020
BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1823 (Published 07 May 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m1823
Workforce
Free visa extensions for NHS staff are confirmed
The UK home secretary, Priti Patel, confirmed that any NHS doctor, nurse, or paramedic who is subject to immigration control and whose visa will expire before 1 October 2020 will have their visa extended for a year free of charge.1 The offer also applies to midwives, social workers, and medical radiographers. Patel said that her department was working with NHS trusts to identify people who needed visa extensions. Any dependants of NHS staff who died of covid-19 would be granted immediate indefinite leave to remain, without a requirement to pay a fee, she added.
BMA: death in service benefit may not be enough
The BMA warned that the £60 000 (€68 600; $74 100) lump sum payment that the government has announced for NHS workers who die from coronavirus in the course of their work could leave families bereft of longer term financial security. The scheme will cover full time, part time, and locum NHS and public health workers, including GPs, dentists, retired staff, and second and final year students. But the BMA said that, without full details of the scheme, it was not reassured that this would go far enough to assist families, and it plans to examine the details of the offer. (Full story doi:10.1136/bmj.m1713)
Ongoing services
Cancer mortality could rise by at least 20%
At least 6270 additional deaths could occur in England over the next 12 months in patients with new cancer diagnoses—a 20% increase—as a …
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