News Round-Up
26 July 2024
Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech
26 July 2024
by Toby Young
NHS England has finally told hospitals to differentiate between patients who are actually sick with Covid symptoms and those who test positive while being treated for something else in its daily flow of Covid data.
The number of people waiting to start hospital treatment in England has passed five million for the first time, while the number waiting for more than a year remains significantly higher than before lockdown began.
More than 28 million people booked appointments with their GP in March making it one of the busiest months ever, and practices expect to remain this busy for some time due to the patient backlog caused by lockdowns.
NHS dental surgery waiting lists have gotten so long that patients are being forced to wait three years to be seen. Some have turned to costly private care, while others have pulled out their own teeth due to the pain.
Research suggests that almost a quarter of healthcare workers are hesitant about taking a Covid vaccine. Key reasons include concern about the speed of vaccine development and a lack of trust in the Government.
Forcing health and social care staff to take a Covid vaccine would lead to "resentment and mistrust", says the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), which boasts a membership of over 50,000 GPs in the U.K..
GPs at sites that are only administering the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine have been told to cancel all appointments for pregnant women after the JCVI admitted that “more research is needed” on the vaccine.
Reports are emerging that many health service workers in England are refusing the vaccine, as the number of workers coming forward to receive a Covid jab is falling.
The Government has been accused of "cronyism", as it has emerged that the Health Secretary owns shares in an NHS contract-winning firm with which his sister is also heavily involved.
The number of people waiting to receive hospital treatment continues to rise, with 4.7 million people stuck on a waiting list by the end of February in England alone. This is the highest number since 2007.
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