The NHS Covid hangover became even clearer this week as the English waiting list exceeded five million for the first time, while concerns grow about a possible third wave of the virus. There were also calls to meet the $66bn bill to vaccinate the world.
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The Treasury must quickly resolve issues that have affected the NHS Pension Scheme and the other large public sector pensions, the Commons Public Accounts Committee said.
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Workforce planning must be led by future demand and capacity, and not how much funding is available, the Commons Health and Social Care Committee said.
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The government continued to focus on the success of the UK vaccination programme – fully vaccinating half the adult population in just six months. However other parts of its Covid-19 response remain under scrutiny.
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Proposals for a revised payment system would mean the whole NHS in England using the same approach, but even more radical changes could lie ahead.
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The week’s Covid-19 news was dominated by former adviser to the prime minister Dominic Cummings’ appearance at a Commons committee. In a dramatic seven-hour session, he launched a scathing attack on the government for its response to the pandemic, singling out both the prime minister and health and social care secretary for particular criticism.
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NHS bodies have welcomed the new Care Quality Commission (CQC) strategy, which places an emphasis on systems and tackling inequalities in health and care.
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As lockdown restrictions were eased across England, Wales and Scotland this week – and with changes due in Northern Ireland on Monday – all eyes were on the rising numbers of the B.1.617.2 variant of the Covid-19 virus. Further opening up of society is likely to be dependent on how easily the virus transmits and whether existing vaccines protect against infections and severe illness.
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The government must put the NHS and local government on a sound financial footing and tackle workforce pressures in health and social care to ensure services are better prepared for a future pandemic, the National Audit Office said.
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Prime minister Boris Johnson this week committed to a spring 2022 inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, while an independent panel, commissioned by the World Health Organization declared the global pandemic was preventable.
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