Rebecca Thomas

1 day ago | independent.co.uk | Rebecca Thomas |Alicja Hagopian

Committee warns that Department of Health ‘lacks a grip’ on the state of its finances as NHS pays out £12bn for clinical negligence claims in five yearsThe NHS must do more to reduce “tragic” incidents of patient harm and cut “jaw-dropping” payouts for poor care, MPs have warned as costs spiral to a record high. Compensation for clinical negligence claims cost £2.8bn in 2023-24 – up from £2.6bn the year before – with hundreds of millions paid out in legal fees.

2 days ago | independent.co.uk | Rebecca Thomas

The Government's plan to end the recruitment of overseas care workers is raising concerns about the future of social care services. Care providers warn that the policy, part of a larger immigration crackdown, could force more care homes to close due to staff shortages. The Government decision follows previous restrictions on the health and care worker visa, including limiting dependents, partly due to concerns about exploitation.

2 days ago | independent.co.uk | Rebecca Thomas

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced the closure of the care worker visa for overseas recruitment as part of the government's immigration reformsRebecca ThomasHealth Correspondent More social care services will be forced to close their doors as a result of Sir Keir Starmer’s immigration crackdown, providers have warned as they hit out at the government’s “whack-a-mole” approach to the sector.

5 days ago | independent.co.uk | Rebecca Thomas

NHS leaving elderly people in corridors for hours has become ‘normalised’, admits Sir Jim MackeyRebecca ThomasHealth Correspondent Poor care and long A&E trolley waits have become “normalised”, the NHS's new chief has warned. Sir Jim Mackey said unacceptable care was happening so often that staff had become” desensitised” to it as financial squeezes had made it more difficult to provide essential services.

6 days ago | independent.co.uk | Rebecca Thomas

Politicans will have to back hospitals forced to make ‘difficult’ decisions on maternity and A&ERebecca ThomasHealth Correspondent Hundreds of doctors and nurses' jobs could be scrapped and maternity and A&E services scaled back to meet the government's “eye watering” NHS savings, a new report has revealed.