Seven days in medicine: 30 Nov to 6 Dec 2022
BMJ 2022; 379 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o2933 (Published 08 December 2022) Cite this as: BMJ 2022;379:o2933
Workforce
Government is “nowhere close” to easing crisis
NHS vacancy data showed 133 446 unfilled posts in secondary care in England as of September.1 Latifa Patel, chair of the BMA’s representative body, said that the ongoing increase in unfilled posts was “a clear sign that the government is nowhere close to getting a grip on the NHS workforce crisis.” She added, “It’s well within the government’s power to address by paying staff fairly, improving retention, and investing in proper workforce planning.”
Ambulance workers plan to strike before Christmas
More than 10 000 ambulance workers in England and Wales voted to strike over the government’s imposed 4% pay award, which they described as another massive real terms pay cut. The GMB union is now meeting representatives to discuss potential strike dates before Christmas. Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said, “Ambulance workers—like other NHS workers—are on their knees. No one in the NHS takes strike action lightly: today shows just how desperate they are. This is as much about unsafe staffing levels and patient safety as it is about pay.”
Digital NHS
Rollout of patient access to records is halted
NHS England instructed the IT system suppliers EMIS and TPP not to switch on automatic patient access to GP records at any practices that have requested more time, after talks with the BMA. The Accelerating Citizen Access to GP Data programme was …
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