NHS chief warns over waiting lists
Constable Marcus Beale, who was the counter terrorism lead for West Midlands Police, has received a court summons under the Official Secrets Act. A force spokesman said he has now been suspended. THE family of Labour politician Carl Sargeant has released correspondence indicating he was facing allegations of “unwanted attention, inappropriate touching or groping” at the time of his death.
The family confirmed Mr Sargeant was unaware of the exact details of the allegations at the time of his death. Mr Sargeant is understood to have taken his own life four days after being sacked from his role as communities and children secretary in the Welsh Government. MAKING an audience laugh is “what makes life worth living”, said Sir Ken Dodd as he was honoured with a special lunch to mark his 90th birthday.
Sir Ken took time out from his legendary gruelling tour schedule to attend the ceremony as guest of honour in his home city of Liverpool.
Pupils from Knotty Ash Primary School treated him at Liverpool Town Hall to a rendition of his hit song Happiness while a special Doddy-themed afternoon tea was served, including sandwiches fresh from the “Jam Butty Mines” and “Diddy Pies”.
The Squire of Knotty Ash ONE in 10 people in England will be on the NHS waiting list in three years, the head of NHS England has said.
In a desperate plea for more cash, Simon Stevens warned that if no more money is allocated to the NHS then the number of patients waiting to be admitted to hospital in England to have surgery will rocket to five million by 2020/21.
He said under current funding levels, the NHS “can no longer do everything that is being asked of it”.
Mr Stevens told the NHS Providers conference in Birmingham that expansion plans for mental health and improvements in cancer care could stall.
He also indicated that controversial rationing policies adopted in some parts of the NHS could be rolled out nationally without more money.
Mr Stevens said he was bound by the health service’s duty of candour to set out the consequences of what would happen without more funds.
He drew on a new analysis by the Health Foundation, the King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust which calculated that the NHS needs £4billion more next year to was also presented with a giant birthday card filled with goodwill messages from people in his beloved Merseyside.
Sir Ken said: “The reception from all those little kids from Knotty Ash School was absolutely wonderful. Very, very emotional. It’s been a wonderful day so far and here prevent patient care from deteriorating. He called on Brexiteers to make good on the Vote Leave campaign pledge of £350million more each week to spend on the NHS.
Mr Stevens told conference delegates: “The budget for the NHS next year is well short of what is currently needed to properly look after our patients and their families in their time of greatest need.
“After seven years of understandable but unprecedented constraint, on the current budget outlook, the NHS can no longer do everything that is being asked of it.” I am in the town hall. Never thought I would make it, town hall Liverpool, me, Ken Dodd from Knotty Ash. By Jove.”
Last month the comedian vowed he would never retire from the stage and a career which has spanned more than seven decades and quipped he would be starring in “Brexit the musical” next year.
He added: “Our duty of candour requires us to explain the consequences of these decisions to help inform the difficult choices that will be made in the years ahead.
“It boils down to this – on the current budget, far from growing the number of nurses and other frontline staff, in many parts of the country next year, hospitals, community health services and GPs are more likely to be retrenching and retreating.
“Crucially, on current funding outlook, the NHS waiting list will grow to five million people by 2021. That’s an extra million on the waiting list. One in 10 of us waiting for an operation – the highest number ever.”
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who also spoke at the conference, said: “I think the scale of additional investment the NHS needs is high because in 10 years’ time we will have a million more over-75s to look after.
“The Prime Minister and the Chancellor are very aware of the financial pressures that people like the King’s Fund are talking about. What is much more challenging is the national financial context.”