nhs

Thousands harmed and 87 dead after NHS equipment failures in England

Spread the love

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/09/thousands-harmed-and-87-dead-after-nhs-equipment-failures-in-england

Labour has pledged to double the number of scanners in English hospitals over the course of the parliament. Photograph: wilpunt/Getty Images

‘Shocking statistics’ prompt calls for government funding to replace broken and obsolete medical devices

Almost 100 people have died and 4,000 have been harmed after equipment malfunctions in the NHS in the past three years, prompting calls for more government funding to upgrade broken and obsolete medical devices.

A defibrillator advising paramedics not to administer a shock, an emergency alarm system on a neonatal ward failing, and the camera on an intubation device going dark were just three failures after which patients died.

They are included in figures released for the first time by NHS England that show patients were harmed after 3,915 equipment malfunction incidents – with 87 being followed by a death – since 2022.

Paul Whiteing, the chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, said: “These are shocking statistics. Behind these numbers are real people who are needlessly harmed, the impact of which will be life-changing and traumatic.

“The scale of the harm and loss of life that has resulted from basic equipment failures and malfunctions shows in stark relief the scale of the tragedy that has resulted from years of underfunding in the NHS.”

…

Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “Modern, up-to-date equipment such as scanners, defibrillators and patient monitors are absolutely essential for hospitals to run safely and more productively. But due to more than a decade of being starved of capital investment, NHS staff have been left with no option but to extend the life of obsolete equipment, which, as this research shows, is putting patients at unnecessary risk and leading to tragic avoidable harm.

“While the additional investment the government has pledged has been a welcome start, without sufficient capital funding it will be hard for the NHS to maintain the standards patients rightly expect and to deliver the government’s ‘plan for change’ promise to cut waiting times.”

…

Original article is at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/09/thousands-harmed-and-87-dead-after-nhs-equipment-failures-in-england

Continue ReadingThousands harmed and 87 dead after NHS equipment failures in England

Morning Star Editorial: Having sold out on every working-class promise, Starmer finally stoops to migrant-bashing

Spread the love
Chasing racist votes Keir Starmer says that he can be just as racist and cnuty as Nigel Farage.
Chasing racist votes Keir Starmer says that he can be just as racist and cnuty as Nigel Farage.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/having-sold-out-every-working-class-promise-starmer-finally-stoops-migrant-bashing

…

By pandering to racist representations of immigration and failing to explain it as the inevitable consequence of colonialism, empire and the neoliberal global order, Starmer now shares an ideological position with Nigel Farage.

The plan to end licensed immigration by people contracted to work in the care sector will intensify the crisis in the NHS and make life miserable for people in care.

Care sector employers are upset because it hits their supply of cheap labour and thus their profits.

This illustrates a feature of 21st century immigration into capitalist countries that disrupts both Farage’s narrative and Labour’s imitation of the same.

A migration-enlarged labour force increases precisely those profits — the unpaid wages that employers retain — that would be diminished if they were compelled to train locals and pay them enough to attract a sufficient supply of labour.

A sensible strategy would be to attack Farage for his support for privatisation, his opposition to employment rights, his fawning over Trump and his works, his willingness to flog off the NHS to US corporations.

The most productive approach would be to stand up for what most Reform UK voters want and which they share with most people in our country — public ownership, higher taxes on the rich and an end to the privileges of the plutocracy.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/having-sold-out-every-working-class-promise-starmer-finally-stoops-migrant-bashing

Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Continue ReadingMorning Star Editorial: Having sold out on every working-class promise, Starmer finally stoops to migrant-bashing

Labour delivers ‘crushing blow to Britain’s fragile care sector’

Spread the love

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/labour-delivers-crushing-blow-britains-fragile-care-sector

 Home Secretary Yvette Cooper makes a speech at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit at Lancaster House in central London, March 31, 2025

Unions and campaigners condemn Home Secretary after government confirms scrapping of care worker visas

UNIONS and campaigners have condemned Labour’s immigration reforms after Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed that the government will scrap the care worker visa for overseas recruitment.

Announcing the policy ahead of Monday’s Immigration White Paper, Ms Cooper said the visa route would be closed to “prevent” international recruitment for care jobs, though companies may continue to employ people already in Britain on care visas whose sponsorship has subsequently been cancelled.

The White Paper will also change skilled visa thresholds to graduate-level and includes tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.The legislation aims to bring down net migration — the number of foreign nationals who arrive in Britain, minus the number of people who leave — which stood at 728,000 in 2024.

…

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The NHS and the care sector would have collapsed long ago without the thousands of workers who’ve come to the UK from overseas.

“Migrant health and care staff already here will now be understandably anxious about what’s to happen to them. “The government must reassure these overseas workers they’ll be allowed to stay and continue with their indispensable work.”

Ms McAnea, whose union represents NHS and care workers, said that care workers from around the world “no longer want” to come to Britain due to “hostile” policies, bans on bringing family members, and widespread exploitation by unscrupulous employers.

…

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/labour-delivers-crushing-blow-britains-fragile-care-sector

dizzy: This appears a very stupid, short-sighted step but then that is this Fascist Labour party. What do they hope to achieve? To look tough on migration by stopping foreign workers willing to be paid a pittance for wiping UK asses and exploited by their UK employers in other ways? Migrant agricultural workers too?

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Continue ReadingLabour delivers ‘crushing blow to Britain’s fragile care sector’

NHS plans cuts to jobs and services to avoid £6.6bn deficit

Spread the love

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/nhs-plans-cuts-jobs-and-services-avoid-ps66bn-deficit

NHS emblem
NHS emblem

NHS trusts have been asked to make drastic cuts as the service faces a predicted shortfall of nearly £7 billion, health leaders warned today.

In a survey for NHS Providers, 47 per cent of trust leaders warned they are rolling back services to balance the books, while another 43 per cent are considering doing so.

Rehabilitation centres, talking therapies and diabetes services for young people are among services at risk.Eighty-six per cent of respondents said their organisation is having to cut jobs in non-clinical teams, while 37 per cent plan to cut clinical posts. A number of trusts are aiming to cut 500 jobs or more, with one planning as many as 1,000.NHS union Unison’s head of health Helga Pile said: “Ministers shouldn’t be insisting trusts balance their books while ignoring the damaging consequences for patient care and a demoralised workforce. “The NHS needs more staff — not fewer workers — if delays and waits for patients are to end.”It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told a Medical Journalists Association event in London the service had “maxed out on what is affordable.” He said that the NHS was likely to have a £6.6bn deficit this year, despite a budget of around £200bn. 

Though he has demanded unprecedented savings, he slammed the “normalisation” of poor care, saying that, 10 years ago, “we would have never accepted old ladies being on corridors next to an [A&E] department for hours on end.”We Own It founder and director Cat Hobbs said: “Back in 2012, the NHS was rated as the best healthcare service in the world. “That was before the legislation that deliberately opened up our whole NHS to profiteering. “Sir Jim Mackey is absolutely right to say that patients being treated in corridors and car parks is unacceptable. If he wants to stop this scandal while saving money, he must end privatisation as quickly as possible.

…

Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/nhs-plans-cuts-jobs-and-services-avoid-ps66bn-deficit

Image of George Osborne asking where is the money to be made in the NHS
George Osborne and NHS nurses. This image is not one of mine, I need to search again for the source. later: I searched for the author and found it attributed to one person. Unless it’s done deliberately to look amateur (which it could be), I doubt that it’s him & not signed it anyway so probably doesn’t want attribution.
Continue ReadingNHS plans cuts to jobs and services to avoid £6.6bn deficit

I want you to understand this Dr. Carole Buckley issue so that there is no doubt

Spread the love

Dr. Carole Buckley hypnotised me and probably many others against my will and without my consent.

The only justification for this is if there is a danger to a vulnerable group – children or women.

What she does is set her little video camera up on it’s tripod and while you’re hypnotised gets you to make a false confession that you attack one of these vulnerable groups. You’re hypnotised, she says “I want you to say this …”.

She does this so that she’s not prosecuted for whatever crime hypnotising someone without their consent and against their will is. Would that be assault?

We need an investigation to look into how many people she has done this to. She was casual and measured so that I would expect it to be many people. If nurses and admin staff come across these false confessions, they should be recognised as false confessions by an evil bitch.

8/5/25 update

I’ve reported this to the Quality Care Commission and as a crime to my local police. It occurred to me later that the police probably know, that the doctor would probably have sent them a copy of the false confession at the time. “Oh, look at me, I’m so clever – I’ve found a paedophile for you. He confessed to me so I filmed it and asked him to repeat it. You’re also probably aware that he’s also one of those left-wing Socialists but – I’m sure that you’ll agree – that’s not a crime unfortunately.”

I don’t hold much hope. The police keep to the notion that I’m an anarchist despite me being registered to vote and voting at every opportunity I can. They regard me as an anarchist so that it’s easier to refuse my rights – “He’s an anarchist but now he needs it he wants the law to protect him …” I’ve been a motorcyclist and now I’m a cyclist getting arrested for defending myself and my property. I’ve not heard about that yet. I told them that I wanted the car driver prosecuted but there seems little chance of that – he’s got twice as many wheels as me. I don’t expect to hear about it, looks like everyone is able to treat me like shit without consequence.

8/5/25 I received a prompt initial response from the local police so I’m glad to say that I was proved wrong on that count.

8/5/25 9.20pm BST. I extend an apology to my local police for being quick to criticise. I can understand what happened in the cycling incident, arriving without understanding what had happened before, I appreciate that their job is sometimes very demanding and that they probably get little thanks for doing it. I’ve probably been a bit stressed lately too.

Continue ReadingI want you to understand this Dr. Carole Buckley issue so that there is no doubt