Shades of Us’ Post

What are the implications of the Spring budget for the NHS? The Chancellor yesterday announced a £6bn boost for the NHS, which health leaders were quick to point out would 'scarcely touch the sides'. Context for such a statement is seen by looking at UK health spending relative to other comparable countries. OECD figures from 2023 showed the UK spending less on healthcare per person that all other advanced economies, bar Italy and Japan. In several cases the gap to other nations has widened in the last two years. Some may point out that spending on health has increased significantly over the years in the UK. However, this is the norm for advanced economies and the real question is - has spending increased by enough to account for population growth, ageing populations with complex healthcare needs, and the rising costs of treatments including drug prices? In the case of the UK, the answer to this question is a resounding 'no'. Analysis published by the BMA last year showed a cumulative underspend of £322bn in UK health since 2009/10. Against such a figure, you can understand why yesterday's £6bn announcement was seen as yet another sticking plaster. The economic impact of this is being seen in a range of areas, including the UK's growing proportion of sick and inactive workers. As pointed out in a recent post by my colleague James Kirkup, the burden of this is falling on employers and more pressure needs placed on the government to ensure the UK's shrinking workforce is active and able. With the NHS now the No.1 concern for the UK public - as per the latest Ipsos Issues Index - both Labour and the Conservatives will need to have a clear message ahead of the upcoming election on how to get the health service and the UK's workforce back on its feet. #NHS #politics #springbudget2024

Significant allocations towards employment and healthcare in the #UnionBudget2024 are expected to create more job opportunities and enhance public health infrastructure. As these measures take effect, a positive impact is anticipated in the coming months, leading to sustainable growth and development. #BudgetWithKhaitanCo #Budget2024 #KhaitanCo 

New report finds a 19% increase in workers at US local health departments, driven by COVID-19 needs. However, the rise might not last without ongoing support as temporary workers hired with emergency funding may not be sustainable in the long term. Collaboration between different government levels is crucial to maintain these essential positions. #PublicHealth #COVID19Response

Some insightful thoughts on the upcoming year in health and social care 💡 #healthandsocialcare #healthcaremanagement #healthcarerecruitment

What are the implications of the Spring budget for the NHS? The Chancellor yesterday announced a £6bn boost for the NHS, which health leaders were quick to point out would 'scarcely touch the sides'. Context for such a statement is seen by looking at UK health spending relative to other comparable countries. As shown here, the UK spends less per person on healthcare than almost all other advanced economies, excluding Japan and Italy. In several cases this gap has widened in the last two years, including relative to France and Germany against whom our spending did not look so out of step as recently as 2021. Some may point out that spending on health has increased significantly over the years in the UK. However, this is the norm for advanced economies and the real question is - has spending increased by enough to account for population growth, ageing populations with complex healthcare needs, and the rising costs of treatments including drug prices? In the case of the UK, the answer to this question is a resounding 'no'. Analysis published by the BMA last year showed a cumulative underspend of £322bn in UK health since 2009/10. Against such a figure, you can understand why yesterday's £6bn announcement was seen as yet another sticking plaster. The economic impact of this is being seen in a range of areas, including the UK's growing proportion of sick and inactive workers. As pointed out in a recent post by my colleague James Kirkup, the burden of this is falling on employers and more pressure needs placed on the government to ensure the UK's shrinking workforce is active and able. With the NHS now the No.1 concern for the UK public - as per the latest Ipsos Issues Index - both Labour and the Conservatives will need to have a clear message ahead of the upcoming election on how to get the health service and the UK's workforce back on its feet. #NHS #politics #springbudget2024

The European health workforce is in crisis⚠️ Not only did the OECD - OCDE conclude that there is a shortage of 2 million healthcare professionals 👨⚕️👩⚕️ across Europe, but the people that care for Europe’s patients also suffer from: 🧠 mental health struggles and burnout, with a staggering 52% of health workers reporting to have experienced burnout according to a Lancet study ⏰ longer working hours and increased overtime according to WHO reports 🔻 and insufficient resources as highlighted by the European Doctors (CPME) These issues and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis have left several European countries ill-equipped to deal with future #healthcrises. An estimated 11 million newly trained health and long-term care workers will be needed in the EU to meet the rising demand 📈 for healthcare workers between now and 2030. Addressing this challenge requires coordinated action at national as well as European levels. Under the leadership of the Belgian Presidency of the EU, Member States’ health ministers have been discussing: ➡️ EU funding instruments and regulatory frameworks that can help tackle workforce shortages and ensure the portability of skills across borders ➡️ The possibility of a comprehensive EU health workforce strategy focusing on planning, training, and regulatory improvements to meet the evolving needs of health systems How Europe will address the #WorkforceCrisis will also be determined by the outcome of the upcoming #EuropeanElections, with several parties – EPP, PES, and the Left – all discussing aspects of the crisis and how to solve it in their election manifestos. With the elections only a few weeks away ⏳, the time is now to make sure that our #HealthcareWorkforce is prepared enough for the road ahead!

My latest article in The Star focuses on the power the government holds when it comes to wages: Monopsony and how it creates unfavorable conditions and ways in which it can be broken. Innovation and advanced healthcare delivery can only be delivered by a motivated health workforce and fair wages is part of that cycle of motivation.

The Spring Budget’s key messages were around lowering taxes, increasing productivity and making work pay to grow the economy. Business for Health is disappointed there were no references or new measures announced to tackle poor health that is at the root of the current crisis of workforce inactivity and lacklustre productivity driving lower tax receipts and increased welfare costs creating a drag on economic growth. See B4H’s full response to the budget here https://buff.ly/3FZqQBt #HealthyBritain

Out-of-pocket payments for health care are low in France, but gaps persist for people with low incomes, new WHO report reveals France is more likely to protect people from financial hardship caused by out-of-pocket payments for health care than most other countries in the European Union, but gaps in coverage remain a challenge for households with low incomes, a new WHO/Europe report reveals. According to the report, "Can people afford to pay for health care? New evidence on financial protection in France", the country had one of the lowest levels of catastrophic health spending in the EU, affecting 2% of households in 2017, the latest year of data available. Reducing SHI co-payments by exempting people with low incomes and people with chronic conditions from all co-payments, setting an annual income-based cap on all co-payments for the whole population, limiting balance billing and phasing out retrospective reimbursement; replacing percentage co-payments with low, fixed co-payments; reducing the regressivity of CHI by removing financial and administrative barriers to free or subsidised CHI for people with low incomes and linking subsidies for CHI for employees to income; improving SHI coverage of dental care; and. https://lnkd.in/eXmZX4_h #PublicHealth #Europe #StayInformed #StayEmpowered

With just one week to go until polling day, much of the planning we've all been doing during this election will soon turn into action. Barring a meltdown of historic proportions, Sir Keir Starmer will stride into No 10 with a majority ranging from really big to really REALLY big. Beyond that brilliant bit of insight, if you're working in the health space, what should you expect from a new Labour Government? Labour hasn't given us a ton to go off of, but what's in their manifesto points to some potentially interesting shifts in the health space over the long term. Yes, there will be an almost overwhelming focus on bringing down wait lists, and rightly so. But hidden in the Labour manifesto—quite understated, as has been their MO this election—is a genuine shift in the way healthcare is delivered in the UK. All of health LinkedIn knows this, but what's needed is a change from health delivery in secondary care to a more community-oriented delivery of primary care and preventative services. If— and it's a big if—Labour can deliver on their manifesto promises (and we'll need a lot more detail), then we may finally begin to see this change actually occurring. Right now, it's just words on a page, but if Wes Streeting can lead DHSC to deliver on things like: 🩺 Expanding the role of pharmacy 👓 Empowering optometrists 🏥 Rolling out community care centres 🚭 Delivering the smoking ban 🥗 Encouraging healthier eating and drinking habits Then we may finally usher in an era of community-driven, preventative health. All eyes will be on their budgets, as this will give an indication of how committed they are to transforming health and delivering on their manifesto. 📄 For a breakdown of Labour's health-related manifesto pledges, as well as some insights into the Conservative and Lib Dem health plans, be sure to read Tendo's Manifesto Roundup - https://lnkd.in/eNgU62RY And as always, be sure to reach out if you're looking for any advice on how to approach the new Parliament!