Overview The National Health Service is carrying out planning for a “no deal” Brexit scenario, according to NHS England Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, as Civil Servants have warned of shortages of food, fuel and medicine within weeks if the UK leaves the European Union without a customs arrangement in place. The UK imports 37 million […]

Overview NHS England’s Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, has said that the NHS has “an enormous responsibility” to be financially responsible following the Government’s announcement of a 3.4 per cent annual funding increase for the Health Service over the next five years, breaking with the Government’s eight-year programme of austerity. It is important that the PCF […]

Overview This week the controversial EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which aims to transfer EU law into UK law once the UK leaves the EU, has been adopted by the UK Parliament. The Bill entered the so-called “ping pong” phase, where amendments to a Bill move back and forth between the House of Commons and the House […]

Overview PCF Chair Penny Dobson has been published in the Nursing Times (detailed below) in which she raises awareness of the children and young people with continence difficulties and the work the PCF does to address it. This week, the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, the Government’s flagship piece of Brexit legislation, returned to the House of […]

Overview This has been a tense week for the UK’s Brexit team as they published a position paper on the customs backstop (detailed below). Brexit Secretary, David Davis, had previously said he would resign if an end date was not put on and transition agreement but Prime Minister, Theresa May, has refused to commit to […]

Overview NHS Trusts in England have reported a combined £960 million deficit over the past financial year, nearly twice the figure anticipated by NHS bosses. Prominent health think-tank the Nuffield Trust said the figures are much worse than they appear on paper, given the deficit takes into account the additional financial support provided by the […]

Overview There has been much talk in the national press this week about Brexit and arrangements for a Customs Union, with splits in the Cabinet reportedly forming and Government aide, Andrea Jenkyns, leaving her role to ‘fight for Brexit’. Theresa May is also set to ask the EU for a second Brexit transition period to […]

Overview The BBC has reported on the Professional Standards Authority publishing its review into the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s handling of allegations of malpractice by nurses on its register in what has been dubbed the Morecambe Bay maternity scandal. The report ruled that avoidable deaths occurred at the hospital while regulators took too long to […]

Overview The Daily Mail has reported on NHS England’s decision to prohibit the prescription of medicines that can be bought over the counter and treat infrequent and not serious ailments, highlighting that it comes into effect at the end of the month. The title highlights specifically that laxatives “will no longer be available on NHS […]

Overview Local elections took place across the country this week. The top line analysis is that the three major parties benefitted from a significant collapse in the UKIP vote. UKIP lost 103 councillors, reducing the Party to just two councillors overall. Labour failed to win new councils in London and did not achieve the results […]