What's New

MPs in Parliament have voted to back social care plans for England to stop council support payments counting towards a new, planned £86,000 cap on lifetime care costs.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has announced that all four UK health services have united to commit to net zero carbon emissions and will build climate resilience through the COP26 Health Programme.

Northern Ireland (NI) Health Minister Robin Swann has announced that a public consultation will be launched on making the Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for “new recruits” to the health and social care workforce in NI.

NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard has asked Dr Claire Fuller, GP and Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System (ICS) Senior Responsible Officer, to review the next steps for how Primary Care Networks (PCNs) will work within ICSs.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has accepted independent advice to extend the Covid-19 booster vaccine programme to people aged 40 and over, and offer a second dose to people aged 16 to 17.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be given new responsibilities as part of the Health and Care Bill relating to assurance that Local Authorities are meeting their Care Act 2014 duties, and oversight of the new statutory Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), and is calling for views about these new duties.

Data and market research company, Savanta, has produced a report, Black Lives Matter: Everywhere, which examines what consumers and employees from ethnic minorities expect from the brands they support and the institutions that they work for.

In September, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England published a consultation seeking views on whether or not to extend vaccination requirements to health and care settings for Covid-19 and also for flu.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has announced that frontline NHS England staff will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published its long-anticipated updated guideline for myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).