MEDICINE BALLS
Early Christmas present
THE threat of redundancy can be as bad for your health as redundancy itself, and senior managers at NHS England (NHSE) and the integrated care boards (ICBs) have been living with the threat since March.
The Treasury initially refused extra funding for the departures over the NHS’s current settlement, meaning the estimated £1bn redundancy costs would have had to be taken from money meant for services (Eyes passim). But it has now allowed the NHS to overspend this year and repay over subsequent years, which means NHSE managers can apply for voluntary redundancy before Christmas (though it won’t happen until March).
ICBs, meanwhile, have been ordered to cut overheads by 50 percent; but it is unclear if they are fully funded for redundancies this year, and which functions they are expected to keep or transfer elsewhere (though not back to NHS England, which will cease to exist). A further confusion is that voluntary redundancies are being offered before consultation on what services will need to be provided after restructuring. This makes no sense but is very NHS.
Cancer delays
BBC News analysed cancer waiting time statistics from NHS England, covering the 12 months from September 2024 to August 2025. The treatment targets in England are to diagnose or rule out cancer within 28 days for 75 percent of patients with an urgent referral; to start treatment within another 31 days for 96 percent of cases; and to ensure that in 85 percent of cases, the whole process takes no longer than 62 days.