NHS backlog repair bill soars towards £14 billion
When The Lowdown first started in early 2019, the backlog maintenance bill for England’s NHS was estimated at £6 billion. By 2021, it had risen … Read more
hospitals
£1 billion Midland Metropolitan Hospital to open – 6 years late with less beds
The long-delayed Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) in Smethwick, West Birmingham, is now planned to open on October 6, six … Read more
Wes Streeting’s challenge – how to fix ‘broken’ NHS
Latest performance figures show further decline The latest NHS performance figures are a stark reminder of the scale of the task Keir … Read more
Labour manifesto pledge to build new hospitals
Almost casually, and with no real coverage in the mainstream national news media, the Labour Party has abandoned its previous … Read more
ICBs tight-lipped on deficits and consequences
Survey of Integrated Care Boards, Key points: (East of England, London, East Midlands, North East and Yorkshire and North West … Read more
Waiting lists “stable” despite claims of progress
Press reports of the wafer-thin reduction in the NHS waiting list in England were divided, with some reports buying the … Read more
Thousands of pests found at English hospitals
The Guardian reports that thousands of pests including rats, cockroaches and bedbugs have been found at NHS hospitals in England. Hospital … Read more
Where is the money for crumbling hospitals?
Last week’s budget gave the NHS’s capital budget, used for infrastructure, a boost of £3.4 billion, but there is a … Read more
A&E situation worsens as hospital beds fill up
The Urgent and Emergency Care Situation Reports (Sitreps) published by NHS England show that for the week 12-18 February the average daily acute … Read more
More confusion over new hospitals
Following on our recent Lowdown report on the chaos of the New Hospitals Programme (NHP), there are more signs that the organisation … Read more