Tag: Department of Health and Social Care

The High Court has ruled that the next nurses’ strike is unconstitutional

A High Court judge has ruled that the Royal College of Nursing‘s proposed strike action for next month would be illegal.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay announced last week that he will file a lawsuit against the suggested strikes.

Over the May bank holiday, RCN members who work in the NHS in England are getting ready to go on a 48-hour strike.

They plan to leave starting at 8 p.m. on April 30 (the start of the night shift) and remaining until 8 p.m. on May 3 (the start of the night shift).

The nurses appeared outside the High Court this morning (Picture: Getty)

However action on May 2 will now no longer go ahead.

The action will see nurses in emergency departments, intensive care and cancer wards down tools for the first time.

But the Government said the action on May 2 would be outside of the union’s mandate as its ballot closed at midday on November 2.

A High Court judge has now ruled the planned strike action on May 2 as ‘unlawful’ as it falls beyond its legal mandate.

Appearing before the High Court on Thursday lawyers acting for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) argued the upcoming strike by the RCN had no ‘democratic legitimacy’ and risked harming patients, carers and the public.

Andrew Burns KC, acting on behalf of the DHSC, said that Pat Cullen had not been honest with its members over the legitimacy of the nurse’s strike.

Nurses on strike outside of St Thomas’ Hospital earlier this month(Picture: Tejas Sandhu/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)

Mr Burns told the court: ‘The Secretary of State is very concerned that the RCN has not come clean with its members.

‘The Secretary of State is very worried that this position puts nurses in an invidious position.

‘The RCN has been incompetent in looking at its calendar’.

Steve Barclay wrote to Ms Cullen on Wednesday questioning why the union had decided not to send lawyers to the hearing.

Mr Burns said that the RCN’s decision not to appear came after several hours of silence yesterday and that it appeared they were in a state of ‘some internal paralysis.’

The Health Secretary took the RCN to the High Court for a ruling over the latest round of strike action (Picture: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)

He said the group was trying to ‘work out how to get themselves out of the hole they had got themselves in’.

He continued: ‘Industrial action must have the support of a democratic mandate.

‘As far as the Secretary of State is concerned this is an open and shut case.’

Addressing Ms Cullen’s witness statement provided to the court, Mr Burns said: ‘The strike is outside the democratic mandate by one day and Pat Cullen should accept that’.

In a letter sent to the court the union said its decision not to send representatives was ‘in no sense … intended to demonstrate any disrespect’ to the judge or the court.

The letter read: ‘The RCN has been a staunch critic of the ideologically driven changes introduced by the Trade Union Act 2016.

‘Given the existence of an overwhelming mandate from its members in support of the action, the fact that not a single employer has intimated a challenge to the planned action on 2 May 2023 and the steadfast public support for nurses taking action, the RCN does not wish to give credence to what it fervently believes to be an unnecessary and misguided application brought by the Secretary of State, and one which is exclusively based upon one of the very many amendments introduced by the Trade Union Act 2016.’

NHS bosses wrote to Health Secretary Steve Barclay asking him to check the legality of the strike action, before the mandate expires in May.

In a statement released on Twitter, Mr Barclay said he had ‘no choice but to proceed with legal action’ against the Royal College of Nursing.

He said: ‘Following a request from NHS Employers I am regretfully applying to the High Court to declare the Royal College of Nursing’s planned strike action on May 2 unlawful.

‘Despite attempts by my officials to resolve the situation with the RCN over the weekend, I have been left with no choice but to proceed with legal action.

‘I firmly support the right to take industrial action within the law – but the government cannot stand by and let unlawful strike action go ahead nor ignore the request of NHS Employers.

‘We must also protect nurses by ensuring they are not asked to take part in an unlawful strike.’

April 27, 2023
Prices of NHS prescription drugs to increase by 30p to £9.65 next month

The government has stated that the price of an NHS prescription would increase to £9.65 starting next month.

Patients in England will have to pay an additional 30p starting on April 1 in order to pick up their medication from a pharmacy.

After Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all eliminated the fees more than ten years ago, only England remains in the UK that charges for prescriptions.

Prescription charges were frozen at £9.35 last April in order to help ‘ease cost of living pressures,’ marking the first time prices had not increased in 12 years.

England is the only country in the UK to still have prescription charges (Picture: Getty)

But now the Department of Health and Social Care has announced prices will rise once again in line with inflation at a rate of 3.21 per cent.

The cost of prepayment certificates, prescription wigs and surgical bras will also be increased in line with the inflation rate.

The recently introduced HRT PPC- which gives women a sizable discount on their annual HRT costs- will also rise to £19.30, up from £18.70.

There are some exemptions in place for patients in England, including for those aged 16-18 and in full-time education or patients once they turn 60.

Most contraception drugs will also remain free.

Patients receiving Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance are also still entitled to free prescriptions.

Others entitled to free prescriptions include pregnant women and those who have had a baby within 12 months, people with physical disabilities and people on war pensions who hold a valid certificate.

The news comes following a survey from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) last month which revealed that half of pharmacists had seen an increase in patients asking them which prescription they can ‘do without’ in the last six months due to the cost of living crisis.

One in two pharmacists said they had also seen a rise in people not collecting their prescription.

Meanwhile, two-thirds had reported seeing an increase in requests for cheaper, over-the-counter substitutes for the medicine they had been prescribed.

The last time prescription charges increased was in 2021, when they rose 20p from £9.15 to £9.35.

March 10, 2023
Two health institutions in UK award £10 million to fight non-communicable diseases in West Africa

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), United Kingdom (UK) and the Department of Health and Social Care, UK, have scaled up efforts to combat Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) with approximately £10 million in funding for NCD research in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger.

NIHR, an institution at the forefront of tackling health issues, will provide support for the establishment of a Global Health Research Centre for Non-Communicable Disease control in West Africa to address the scourge of NCDs over a five-year period.

The centre will also develop the skills of local researchers and clinicians and will run a PhD and master’s programme to provide formal training for students in all three countries.

The centre will comprise the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) as the co-lead institutions working in partnership with other institutions, namely Ashesi University, Ghana; Catholic University of West Africa (UCAO-UUB), Burkina Faso and Laboratoire d’Etudes et de Recherche sur les Dynamiques Sociales et le Développement Local (LASDEL), Niger.

Dr Sylvia Anie at National Institute for Health and Care Research, UK, commented, “NIHR Global Health Research Centres will provide a sustainable platform for high-quality applied health research in low-and low middle-income countries (LMIC) to address the burden of NCDs and improve health outcomes. It is time to shift the centre of gravity to LMIC-led research.”

NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, are not passed from person to person. They include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease.

Across the world, NCDs kill 41 million people yearly, equivalent to 74% of all deaths globally.

A report by WHO in April 2022 highlighted the alarming rate of deaths from NCDs in Africa, and the NCDs are increasingly becoming the main cause of mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, where the diseases were responsible for 37% of deaths in 2019, rising from 24% in 2000.

This project aims to improve the health and well-being of populations by developing the capacity for high-quality research to inform improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of inter-connected NCDs (hypertension, diabetes and co-existing stress, anxiety, and depression).

President of the International Union of Immunological Societies and Chair of the NIHR Global Health Research Centres Funding Committee, Professor Faith Osier, said “these new centres are truly ground-breaking – it’s the first time we’ve seen anything like this level of investment in non-communicable disease research in low and middle-income countries. The potential for this truly equitable partnership working between researchers in LMICs and in the UK is immense and we’re so excited to see the advances that the next five years will bring.”

On her part, the Director for NIHR Global Health Research Centres West Africa, Prof. Irene A. Agyepong welcomed the project and said the centre will make a difference in addressing challenges of non-communicable diseases.

“The fifteen countries of ECOWAS, like most LMICs, are increasingly challenged by rising illness and deaths related to NCDs.

“This is additional to their long-standing challenges from communicable diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Research is at the heart of the innovation needed to address these problems, and establishing the centre is a timely and welcome effort to make a difference”.

Co-Director for NIHR Global Health Research Centres West Africa, Professor Tolib Mirzoev said the project will go a long way to improve the control of non-communicable diseases.

“I am delighted to jointly lead the Stop-NCD programme together with Professor Agyepong from the GCPS. Our programme addresses an important and urgent need for high-quality research to improve the control of NCDs in West Africa.

“Through excellent science, comprehensive capacity strengthening and equitable partnerships involving research teams and key stakeholders, we will ensure the longer-term legacy of African-led research for improved policy and practice in NCD control.”

The official announcement and launch of the project was held in Accra, Ghana, on Wednesday, October 4 with the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu as the special guest of honour.

Also present were the representative of the Minister of Health for Niger, M. Sabo Hassane Adamou, Deputy Secretary General and the representative of the Minister of Health for Burkina Faso, Baperman Abdel Aziz Siri.

Scientists, researchers and officials in the health sector from the UK and various West African implementing countries were present in Accra to grace the occasion.

October 6, 2022
Young cancer patients ‘in a desperate situation’ due to risisng cost of living

Young cancer patients facing rising living expenses are in a “desperate” situation, charities are warning.

According to Macmillan Cancer Support and Young Lives vs. Cancer, the number of persons requesting emergency funds has dramatically increased.

Research suggests tens of thousands of 18 to 39-year-olds with cancer are struggling to pay basic living costs.

Shell Rowe was among those who told BBC Newsbeat they’re worried about becoming financially independent.

She was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 20 in 2019, just as she was about to study film in California for her third year of university.

“I turned to the mirror and it was like a tennis ball in my throat,” she says.

“One minute you’re about to go on this adventure of a lifetime and then you’re sat in a hospital room – you’re bald, you’re looking really skinny and frail.”

More than half of the 18 to 39-year-olds with cancer surveyed by Macmillan and Virgin Money said they needed more financial support to manage the rising cost of living.

One in four young people are getting further into debt or have fallen behind paying rent and energy bills because of increased living costs, according to the survey of 2,000 people across all age groups.

That’s compared with 13% of people with cancer in their 40s and 50s, and 6% of those aged over 60.

The research found almost three-quarters (74%) of younger people with cancer were worried about the cost of food over the next 12 months.

Shell is one of them.

“Prices have skyrocketed. I haven’t been able to work and haven’t been able to save and get a job,” she says.

“How am I ever going to be able to be financially independent? It really scares me.”

IMAGE SOURCE,KAMUI OSHINO Image caption, Kamui Oshino, whose weight has dropped significantly as a result of treatment, is struggling with food price increases

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Kamui Oshino, 20, is studying journalism at the University of the West of England in Bristol. They were diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 2021.

“When you go through chemo, a lot of people start off very underweight. I was 40kg so I had to buy new clothes,” Kamui says.

“And then being on steroids, I had to eat absolutely all the time. Obviously the price of food is going up. I couldn’t afford that.”

More than a tenth (11%) of those surveyed say they’ve had to delay or cancel medical appointments due to the rising cost of petrol.

Many people have to travel long distances for treatment, often in their own cars or a taxi because the risk of infection rules out taking public transport.

Image caption, Tyler Hale was diagnosed with testicular cancer in hospital

Tyler Hale, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2021, had to swap from driving his car to taking the bus, which takes an hour each way.

“I’ve had to pay a lot of travel costs to go from Weston-super-Mare to Bristol for treatment. With the costs of that going up, it’s ridiculous,” he says.

A third of young people surveyed also say their mental health has deteriorated with the financial worry.

‘Never been as bad as this’

People with cancer already face significant extra costs of nearly £900 when they get diagnosed, such as buying extra clothes, food or using more heating to stay warm, Macmillan’s data shows.

Now inflation has driven those costs up and the charity says they’ve seen a surge in demand for their means-tested financial grant to help cancer patients with costs, including energy bills.

“In July we saw a 292% increase in grant applications versus the same month last year. It is really worrying to see so many people worried about food,” says Chris Jones from Macmillan.

Macmillan is not the only charity seeing an increase in young cancer patients needing support.

“It’s never been as bad as this. Young people with cancer are in really desperate circumstances, because of the cost-of-living crisis,” says Rachel Kirby, chief executive of Young Lives vs Cancer.

The UK charity supports cancer patients under 24 and has given 1,319 people up to £372,825 in financial help since launching its Winter Emergency Grant in 2021 to help with rising costs.

“No young cancer patient should have to think about the choice of putting fuel in the car to get to treatment, or whether they can heat their homes. But those are the kinds of situations they’re facing,” Rachel says.

UK

Macmillan and Young Lives vs Cancer are calling on the government to give more financial help to cancer patients.

“We are calling for the government to really step up and support families with the cost of cancer. Because this situation is only going to get worse as we move into a cost of living crisis over the next six months,” Rachel says.

“There’s an average of a 20-week wait to claim a disability allowance that could help young people with travel and heating costs. We are asking the government to take urgent steps to reduce the delays,” Chris adds.

The Department of Health and Social Care said Prime Minister Liz Truss had announced new measures to help people with energy bills, such as the recent energy price guarantee and £400 discount for all households.

A spokesperson added: “We are streamlining cancer diagnostic services to get people diagnosed faster, backed by £325m.

“The NHS continued to prioritise cancer treatment throughout the Covid pandemic. Overall cancer treatment was maintained at 100% of pre-pandemic levels, and 94% of people starting treatment have done so within a month.”

October 3, 2022