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Health landscape report: 29 September – 3 October

  • Latest news

This weekly report shares new data and policy information relating to general practice, with selected facts and figures highlighted.

This report is a flexible summary, with the aim of sharing and highlighting a wide range of data and policy information relating to London general practice published in a given week. Where we view information to be of significant interest it is reproduced directly below the links to make the key points quicker to digest.  

Please feel free to share any useful stats/links you think we could include in future reports.  

Official bodies    

NHS Digital 

Department of Health and Social Care 

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 

 BMA 

Policy, think tanks, charities, and representative bodies  

The Health Foundation 

  • Nurse ‘graduate guarantee’: supply solution or short-term fix? [1/10]. 
  • This blog critically examines the UK government’s “Graduate Guarantee” policy, which promises job opportunities for every newly qualified nurse and midwife in England. While the initiative aims to address immediate employment challenges caused by recruitment freezes and a surplus of graduates, it is a temporary fix with limited funding and no long-term commitment. 
  • The blog warns that without structured support and retention strategies; new nurses may struggle to integrate and face unemployment once the short-term posts end. It also highlights systemic issues in workforce planning, such as the disconnect between nurse education intake and job availability, and the NHS’s heavy reliance on international recruitment. The blog calls for a more strategic, long-term approach in the upcoming 10-Year Health Plan to sustainably grow and support the domestic nursing workforce. 

The King’s Fund 

  • Clinical leadership in transition: reflections on the 10 Year Health Plan [3/10].  
  • This blog reflects on clinical leadership in the context of the UK’s 10 Year Health Plan, highlighting both its bold ambitions and fragile foundations. Clinical leaders welcomed the plan’s shift toward community-based, preventive, and digitally enabled care but expressed concern over unrealistic expectations around AI reducing workforce needs and the lack of a clear delivery strategy. The concept of “guerrilla leadership”—adaptive, locally driven initiatives—emerged as a powerful metaphor for the kind of change needed. Leaders called for compassionate realism, equity in neighbourhood care, and workforce wellbeing to be treated as strategic priorities. Ultimately, the blog argues that meaningful reform must be co-created with frontline staff and communities, not dictated from Whitehall. 

Nuffield Trust 

  • What’s shaping public satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the NHS? [30/9]. 
  • This blog by Bea Taylor explores the sharp decline in public satisfaction with the NHS, as revealed by the 2024 British Social Attitudes survey, where only 21% of respondents expressed satisfaction. Using logistic regression analysis, the blog identifies key drivers of dissatisfaction—particularly poor experiences with A&E services, hospital waiting times, and perceived declines in care quality. Conversely, satisfaction is linked to positive views of GP services, A&E, hospital wait times, and NHS communication. The analysis suggests that improving hospital waiting times and maintaining quality care are crucial to rebuilding public trust. While access issues dominate public priorities, satisfaction is more influenced by personal experiences and human aspects of care, highlighting the need for targeted reforms beyond just performance metrics. 

YouGov 

  • Do Britons think paracetamol is safe for pregnant women, following Donald Trump’s claims? [3/10].  
  • Donald Trump claims a link between the use of painkiller Tylenol (a brand name for paracetamol) by pregnant women and an increased risk of autism in some children. The scientific consensus rejects the president’s view, and here in the UK the NHS reiterated its recommendation that paracetamol is safe for pregnant women to use. A YouGov study has investigated whether the British public question the safety of paracetamol. The results show that:  
    • 73% of Britons believe paracetamol to be safe for pregnant women, 
    • While 9% consider it unsafe, and 19% are unsure. 

Care Quality Commission 

London Trusts    

Barts Health NHS Trust 

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust