Rise in mortality in England and Wales in first seven weeks of 2018

Abstract

Health chiefs are failing to investigate a clear pattern of worsening health outcomes

70 years of NHS funding: how do we know how much is enough?

“…Process measures that may indicate excess demand, such as breaches in mixed sex wards and waiting times (in emergency departments and for planned surgery) have recently worsened, particularly since 2013-14 22. Some outcome indicators, including life expectancy and infant mortality, are showing signs of worsening, although many factors contribute to these trends 23. Brexit is likely to cause further resource constraints, particularly in terms of staff.…”

Stalling life expectancy in the UK

“…Longevity is the ultimate measure of health, and the flatlining of life expectancy after decades of steady improvement has unsurprisingly led to calls for action 2. The Department of Health and Social Care has belatedly commissioned a review by Public Health England (PHE).…”

Rise in mortality—when will the government take note?

“…In March, we raised concerns in The BMJ that more than 10 000 extra deaths had occurred in the first seven weeks of 2018, compared with the average of the past five years 1. As mentioned in our previous rapid response,2 Jeremy Hunt was asked on 20 March 2018 in the House of Commons: “During the first seven weeks of 2018, 10 375 more people died in hospital than in the same weeks in the previous five years.…”