BREXIT
trials will continue to be open for UK patients. The Committee asked for further information in other areas including: l When will the Government contact suppliers of medicines and medical products to give them notice and guidance on rerouting their supplies?
l Is Public Health England planning to stockpile vaccines and other products used for urgent public health use?
l Is there a list of products other than vaccines that may need to be stockpiled for urgent public health use?
l Can more details be provided on agreements between the UK and the EU to continue organ exchange after Brexit?
l Has the Government assessed the impact on the UK of the EU’s policy position of clinical trials – namely that pan-EU trials must be based in the EU?
The Committee has also asked, again, for the minister to provide the cost of flying in medical products for a six-week period to be disclosed. The Committee has reiterated that withholding such figures prevents the Committee from fulfilling its democratic obligation to scrutinise the Government. The Committee does not consider an estimate of this figure to have adverse commercial implications, as the Government has stated. The ongoing uncertainty around the eventual Brexit outcome could also diminish the number of foreign workers in the NHS and the wider healthcare sector.
“A growing workforce gap means healthcare rotas are becoming harder to fill. Financial wellbeing perks could motivate workers to go that extra mile in covering additional shifts,” said James Herbert, CEO, Hastee Pay. “A strong workforce is the lifeblood of the healthcare sector. But when it comes to filling gaps in staff rotas to maintain the expected level of service, the sector could be in trouble. Staff shortages and a large percentage of existing workers edging closer to retirement age could leave substantial gaps which existing staff who are already working under pressure may not be inclined to cover.
“In 2018 Health Education England (HEE) reported that the NHS was short of 42,000 staff. More than 20,000 of those vacant positions are in its public health services. Nurses and midwives are also in short supply. Even more worryingly, ambulance services in England were found to be lacking almost 1000 frontline workers. “An ageing population needs good quality care, but the workforce that provides that care is ageing too. According to research by Manpower group, the average age of a UK nurse is 42 and almost a third of nurses are over 50 years old. Staff shortages could be exacerbated further when they reach retirement age. “The NHS Pay Review Body’s 2018 report warned that the NHS workforce gap could persist until 2027 unless action is taken to
increase staff numbers and productivity. The HEE predicts that to close the workforce gap by 2027, the NHS would need to employ 190,000 workers.”
A healthier attitude to going above and beyond
Filling the workforce gap will be no mean feat and it won’t happen quickly, but James Herbert believes by encouraging existing workers to take on additional shifts, the NHS could ease the pressure. “Efforts should also be made to retain existing workers as well as attract new workers who could potentially become overwhelmed by the demands of an organisation being stretched to its limits,” he said. “One NHS staff survey found that nearly two in five NHS staff said they had missed work due to work related stress. Staff shortages and an expectance to cover gaps in rotas which look likely to become more regular, can only add to that stress. “Hastee Pay’s own research found that external factors such as financial stress also impact attendance and workplace productivity. The 2018 Workplace Wellbeing Study found that financial stress has impacted 21% of the workforce and 25% of workers stated that they have suffered from a lack of concentration at work due to their financial troubles.
“What’s more, almost a third of workers said they have been missed work because they couldn’t afford the travel costs.
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