Total practice appointments in England dropped in April amid unprecedented demand as the country emerged from the worst of the pandemic, according to new data. Appointment numbers slumped in April following a record March – leading to GP leaders to raise concerns about a new responsibility, for weight management, to be imposed on practices. The…

Practices providing care for care homes will be required to ensure staff are fully vaccinated against COVID, it has been announced. The government is considering requiring all NHS staff to be vaccinated against both COVID-19 and flu, it was announced yesterday. Medical leaders reacted cautiously to the latest proposal, which is to be subject to…

Millions of people are now living in “enhanced support” pandemic areas after the UK last night abandoned hopes of ending lockdown amid about growing pressure on services. The British government stated officially that it still hopes to end lockdown after four weeks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had delayed the ending of lockdown to…

Take-up for NHS Health Checks is low, with fewer than 17% of eligible people attending an appointment, according to analysis published today. The programme has had limited success in reaching adults at high risk, according to the new analysis. A study into the cardiovascular prevention programme between 2013 and 2017 found that women were more…

Burnout levels among practice staff have reached “emergency levels” following the pandemic, a top-level parliamentary report has warned. The Health and Social Care Select Committee report on workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care warns that only an overhaul of workforce planning can prevent further deterioration. The committee, chaired by former Health…

The controversial upload of GP practice data to a research database has been paused following threats of legal action and complaints about lack of public awareness, it has been announced. The upload is now due to take place on 1 September rather than 1 July, NHS Digital said. It had faced legal action from privacy…

Pressure was growing today for the government to intervene to stop an increasingly controversial upload of patient data from practices. Two leading GP organisations called for an “immediate delay” after campaigners launched legal action against NHS Digital. The Labour Party today also stepped in to call for a delay and public consultation on the proposals.…