News about Robert Francis

EXCLUSIVE: In an attempt to reduce the demand for overburdened ambulance services and A&Es, Brits have been encouraged to use the free service this winter. The extraordinary crisis has left ambulances taking longer than ever to respond to 999 calls (top right chart) and has caused severe casualty delays for 1,800 patients a day after more than 24 hours to be treated (bottom right graph). However, workers and customers complain that the 111 service, which functions as a basic triaging device, is unnecessaryly giving out ambulances and directing patients to A&E for illnesses that are minor and not in need of immediate care. According to NHS reports, around 116,000 111 callers in England were sent ambulances in December, up by a fifth in a month and the first since July.

Nurses will go on strike on February 6 and 7, according to the Royal College of Nursing, with more NHS trusts participating than during two days of strikes in December. Nurses at 55 NHS trusts in England are already scheduled to cause mayhem by walking out on Wednesday and Thursday, but the February move will be bigger and cover 73 trusts. The two days of strikes in Wales will also see 12 health boards and organisations. Last Wednesday, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said that he does not'retrospectively' look back to April to review the new salary award for NHS workers.

For the first time, the Royal College of Nursing has said that if progress is not made in talks by the end of January, the next round of strikes would include all eligible members in England for the first time. Ministers are pushing for new legislation that mandates minimum service on strike days, which is expected to take about six months to pass through Parliament. On Wednesday and Thursday, nurses from more than 55 NHS trusts in England are set to go on strike. 'The nurse shortage costs lives,' says Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen (bottom right) and "Sunak cannot put a price on a healthy NHS.'