United Kingdom: National Health Service (NHS) news

I saw this reported in another article recently. I don't know all the details and certainly don't have any interest in defending the government but it didn't seem quite as shocking as the headline would suggest.

An Amazon source said the 'health data' amounted to what was freely available on the NHS website, just very general guidance on a variety of common diseases/illness. To me this is quite different to how some reports are trying to frame it as an invasion of privacy or rights...

 

A very frightening link on the future of the NHS from the BMJ :

A new public health body for the UK

A commentary on the BMJ article can be found here :

NHS: ‘Centralised and secretive’ medical industrial complex being constructed

And the references in that article to Centene are very relevant to many people in some parts of the UK - and we can expect to hear more about them in future :

Centene: Undemocratic takeover of GP services

Centene – the toxic firm that’s rapidly expanding into our NHS

 

Very concerning.

 

NHS Expert Patients Programme

Had not heard of this before although it appears to have been around since 2002(?); it seems to be available across the NHS:

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/epp/

I haven't looked fully into this but it appears that in 2018 there was a change

"With the NHS no longer holding a national licence for the range of self-management programmes that formed The NHS Expert Patients Programme (NHS EPP), this discussion paper looks at why these programmes are as relevant today as they were when first launched over 15 years ago.
The NHS EPP was launched in 2002 and was arguably one of the largest peer led programmes in any health care system to date with over 100,000 patients having experienced the programme by 2012. The result of a forward thinking white paper by the UK Government “Saving Lives Our Healthier Nation” it put forward the concept of the Expert Patient and that people can be equal partners in their own care If they have the confidence, knowledge and skills.
The NHS EPP was a way to provide people with those skills."

https://www.talkinghealth.org/downloads/What-Is-Self-Management.pdf

BBC radio4 discussion (2005) on the subject when it was first proposed (includes transcript):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/expertpatient.shtml

seems the project started off with good intentions. Not sure if what they ended up with (ie the 6 week course) is really how they meant it to be.

 

The Health and Care Bill 2021

England .

There has not been much coverage by MSM but there are key adverts of this bill that will affect those with chronic illness .

This twitter thread provides an overview

Contacting MPs to raise concerns needs to be prioritised ( bill goes before HoC next week)

https://twitter.com/user/status/1461865342322589702

 

There are two parliamentary petitions regarding the NHS in the twitter thread:

Link to the petition-

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598732

And

Link to that petition -

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/592557

 

https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/learn-from-patient-safety-events-service/

(there is a short video that explains how the system will work)

I've not been able to access the patient eform so I don't know what information they ask for.

 

Merged thread

"The NHS CHECK study is led by Professor Sir Simon Wessely and is a large collaborative project across a number of institutions and NHS trusts."

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/research-analysis/covid-health-wellbeing-nhs-staff

 

So no doubt the newspaper headlines have already been written

 

But he already made available a powerful piece of novel technology that meets the absolute highest levels of evidence in psychosocial evidence-based medicine: "it can be of benefit to some". This is basically the BPS equivalent of 17 sigma in physics.

The problem is clearly solved. The mindfulness apps will be increased until morale appears to improve on biased questionnaires. This is the highest standard of care in biopsychosocial land, it's considered equivalent to 100% effectiveness and directness.

At least the overpaid MBA consultants make quirky recommendations like ping-pong tables and Hawaiian shirt Fridays. It's the lowest of bars but that's still better than this BS.

 

Moved posts

Simon Wessely appointed as one of three new NHS England Non Exec Directors

'NHS England appoints leading clinicians to board'

'NHS England has added a wealth of clinical expertise and experience to its board with the appointment of three new non-executive directors.

Baroness Mary Watkins, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Sir Mark Walport are renowned leaders in their respective fields of nursing, mental health, and life sciences and research. They will take up their positions on the NHS England Board from 27th January.

.... Professor Sir Simon Wessely is Regius Professor of Psychiatry at King’s College London and has worked as a clinical psychiatrist, specialising in general hospital psychiatry, for the past 35 years. He has held a number of leadership roles and was President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists prior to being the first psychiatrist to be elected President of the Royal Society of Medicine. Professor Wessely has served on numerous national governmental committees connected with military health, emergency response, population health and mental health.....'


.... Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “As the NHS begins its 75th year, I am delighted to welcome Baroness Mary Watkins, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Sir Mark Walport to the NHS England Board.

“As we deal with record demand for our services, continue to make progress on recovery following the pandemic, and strive to transform care for the future, I know their extensive clinical knowledge, skills and experience will help us improve services for patients across the country, and I look forward to working with them over the coming months.”


https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/01/nhs-england-appoints-leading-clinicians-to-board/

 

Worrying not so much because NEDs can change much at the front line, but more because pf what it says about the people involved in the selection process which resulted in this appointment.

 

I couldn't find the appropriate thread to post that, but knew it would be moved to a better one.

I would think the overt justification for appointing Wessely would be for mental health services/guidance, as he was Chair of the Review of the Mental Health Act etc.

I had zero hopes for NHS England appropriately/safely responding to ME and LC. Now I have minus zero hopes.

 

Oh God.

that is bad, really really bad

I feel sick

 

Insane. An insult to everyone who has suffered and died because of Wessleys handling of ME. Bodes very ill for the future of me and LC in the UK

 

It might be galling to see Wessely ascending the greasiest of poles in the NHS but I'm not sure it has much material impact - there was always going to be a psych put on Board and Wessely fits the bill with all his acquired honours - it's just how things in the UK operate. The Board has a fairly limited role and unless it is co-opted by the Government to support some major politically sensitive intiative then it'll just roll on as a rather dull bureaucratic juggernaut:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/nhs-england-board/

"The Board is the senior decision-making structure for NHS England. It has reserved key decisions and matters for their own decision, including strategic direction, overseeing delivery of the agreed strategy, the approach to risk, and establishing the culture and values of the organisation.

Key responsibilities to support the Board’s strategic leadership to the organisation include:

• Approving the business plan and monitoring performance against it.
• Holding the organisation to account for performance and the proper running of the organisation (including operating in accordance with legal and governance requirements).
• Determining which decisions it will make and which it will delegate to the Executive via the Scheme of Delegation.
• Ensuring high standards of corporate governance and personal conduct.
• Providing effective financial stewardship.
• Promoting effective dialogue between NHS England, government departments, other arms length bodies (ALBs), partners, integrated care systems, their constituent organisations and the communities they serve."

 

I wish that were true, but I think the indirect impact will be massive. In terms of cementing his influence, in terms of the overall direction of services, and mostly in terms of governance's beliefs about/attitudes towards PwME/LC, which filters down into the whole of the NHS.

It was bad enough before, but with him there it gives all his arguments more weight. I honestly feel sick thinking about what he can do, indirectly, from that position.
Sorry i think this is a major blow to progress.

Edited:I hope i am being an inappropriate voice of doom, in which case i'm sorry, but I'm basing my thoughts/feelings on what the history of SW + ME/CFS tells me

 

Literally omitting his claims to infamy, including the one that got him a knighthood. Safe to say there is no pretense of a meritocracy here. Even the records are scrubbed for political effect. I don't think it's true that his specialty is "general psychiatry", he's always been mostly interested in somatization, psychosomatics and the like, especially "mass hysteria".

The textbook says: first, do no harm
Actual reality: reward the max harm dude, he has so much to teach us