The United Kingdom has a new government and therefore completely new politicians in charge of our public services. The baton for health has been passed to Wes Streeting, who has many challenges ahead, but there are some issues that are more pressing than others. The medical negligence solicitors at JMW, who work on behalf of patients who have been harmed after something has gone wrong with their healthcare, know this only too well. We regularly see the same issues being repeated and for us, it’s easy to identify what needs to change first to improve patient safety and reduce the scale of the poor care we see.

 In this blog I will discuss the top six areas that we would like to see prioritised, so that improvements can quickly be made to the health service, preventing patients from being avoidably injured and saving lives.

1. Overhauling maternity services

The current state of maternity services in the UK is alarming. Tragically, we continue to see a significant number of babies dying needlessly or suffering permanent injuries due to failures in care.

 According to statistics compiled by the Maternity Safety Alliance, overall stillbirth and neonatal death rates have increased in England over the last few years, with more maternity units failing to reach minimum standards, and the number of mothers dying during pregnancy or in the weeks following birth also on the rise. This represents a deeply troubling and unacceptable deterioration in the standard of maternity care.

 At JMW we also deal with many cases that involve lifelong injuries to children that were caused by appalling mistakes made during their birth. These children have frequently been left with disabilities, ranging from mild to very severe. They have been denied the opportunity to live independently, a fundamental right that most people take for granted.

 The crux of the problem is underfunding, which causes shortages of everything necessary to keep babies and mothers safe during birth. Hospital beds, midwives, doctors, equipment and training, are too often in short supply, ramping up the pressure on services and leaving them wide open to the possibility that a culture of poor care as the norm will be created.

Management of maternity services is another area of concern with the top dogs failing to ensure that safety guidelines are routinely followed, leading staff to cut corners, with often tragic outcomes.

 Numerous investigations have highlighted problems at individual hospital trusts, but I would say problems exist across the board and it is a lottery as to whether the maternity care provided anywhere will be safe.

 Overhauling maternity services must be an urgent priority for Wes Streeting and this needs to be done without delay.

2. Recruitment of highly trained doctors, nurses and midwives

It will never be possible to eradicate all mistakes from the health service, but a shortage of highly trained doctors, nurses and midwives is one sure fire way to raise the potential for them to occur.

Staff who are caring for too many patients are more likely to get things wrong, with sometimes catastrophic consequences. Being overstretched can push them to deviate from the safety guidelines in order to save time, but the guidelines are there for a reason and must be followed consistently.

 We need to increase the number of skilled doctors, nurses and midwives so the safety bar can be immediately raised. But we also need to be able to retain those staff by ensuring the conditions they work in are bearable and reduce the number of medical staff leaving the health service.

3. Addressing surgery waiting lists

The recent pandemic has exacerbated the already lengthy waiting lists for routine surgeries. Patients are often left in limbo, with their conditions deteriorating while they wait for their turn. In many cases, these delays have led to conditions worsening to the point where they become inoperable.

NHS England data released in October 2023 shows that NHS waiting lists are currently at a record high, with 7.75 million people waiting for NHS treatment at the end of August, up from 7.68 million in July. This is the highest number since records began in August 2007. JMW witnesses the consequences of these delays regularly, and it's clear that tackling this issue should be a top priority for the new health secretary.

4. Improving cancer care

One in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives and while numerous advancements have been made in cancer care, many patients are waiting too long for their diagnosis and for treatment to begin.

This is not an acceptable situation, and all cancer patients should receive care that is timely so that their chance of recovery is not affected by NHS delays.

The problem is only going to worsen and getting to grips with it should be a key target for Wes Streeting.

5 Tackling ambulance delays

Ambulance delays are a growing concern, affecting emergency care across the country. In some parts of the country, waiting times for ambulance services reached their worst ever level towards the end of 2022, with some people having to wait 12 hours or more.

According to analysis by The Health Foundation, there are a number of reasons why these delays have been getting progressively worse, including rising demand for ambulances, growing sickness absence among overworked paramedics, and handover delays that mean ambulances are having to wait longer with patients outside hospitals.

It's imperative that Mr Steeting addresses this issue head-on as health secretary, by implementing strategies to reduce wait times and improve the efficiency of ambulance services.

6. Improving care for spinal injury patients

Spinal injuries require specialised care, and JMW has represented hundreds of individuals with spinal cord injuries who are simply not receiving the quality of care that they need and deserve.

Angharad Hughes, a partner with JMW’s clinical negligence team, has observed a sharp deterioration in the standard of followup care for those with spinal injuries. Because the damage done by these injuries is often permanent, patients require immediate care to help them manage their new symptoms. Unfortunately, at the moment, many are struggling with a lack of basic referrals for followup services like urology, bowel care, rehabilitation, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. If such referrals do occur, it is often months after the initial surgery - much longer than it used to be.

Additionally, delays in referrals between hospitals and local specialist surgical centres are becoming increasingly common. This issue often stems from a lack of ambulance provision, which leads to delayed emergency surgeries. Addressing this bottleneck is crucial for improving outcomes for spinal injury patients and ensuring timely access to necessary medical interventions.

A time for action

The challenges facing the NHS are complex and multifaceted, but with focused attention and strategic action, significant improvements can be made. As health secretary, Wes Streeting has an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the UK's healthcare system. By prioritising these key areas, he can help ensure that all patients receive the timely, high-quality care they deserve.

JMW remains committed to advocating for patients' rights and will closely monitor the progress made in these critical areas.