CEO Blogs
Budget 2025: Rhetoric, Reality, and the Workforce at the Heart of the NHS
A ProMedical Deep Dive into What the Chancellor’s Plans Really Mean for Healthcare Providers and the People Who Deliver Care The Chancellor’s 2025 Budget arrives at a moment of profound strain for the NHS. Staff are exhausted, providers are juggling financial fragility with rising demand, and patients continue to wait longer for essential care. The…
Read MoreInequalities that matter: a blueprint for closing gaps in access, completion and outcomes
Executive summary The signal: September Board reports confirm inequalities persist across autism waits, cervical screening, MMR coverage, and mental health discharge delays. Why this matters: Health inequalities are no longer a moral issue alone; they are now embedded in NHS oversight, finance, and productivity. What to do now: Build equity guardrails into commissioning,…
Read MoreMonth-4 finance: £30 million DSF withheld across five systems
NHS England has confirmed that around £30 million in Discharge Support Fund (DSF) allocations were withheld in Month 4 across several integrated care systems (ICSs) after concerns about underspend and data quality. The move forms part of a wider national effort to reinforce financial discipline and ensure discharge funding is tied directly to measurable outcomes.…
Read MoreGovernment to review ‘outdated’ GP funding formula
Lead paragraph Health Secretary Wes Streeting has ordered a review of the Carr-Hill formula, the mechanism underpinning how GP practices are funded in England, amid mounting evidence that it no longer reflects population need or modern service delivery models. The review will examine whether current weightings fairly resource practices serving high-demand or deprived communities.…
Read MoreFinance & productivity: the new rules of engagement for external partners
Executive summary The signal: September 2025 Board papers confirm ICSs are under sharper scrutiny on financial variance to plan, productivity, and reliance on premium staffing. Why this matters: The old model of offering volume capacity at premium cost is no longer viable. ICSs will demand proof of value, outcomes per £, productivity gains, and…
Read MoreNHS productivity slows despite ‘green shoots of recovery’
Latest analysis of activity and staffing data in England shows output-per-input growth in the acute sector has markedly decelerated, signalling that the widely reported “green shoots” of recovery may be less robust than portrayed. According to Health Foundation and the Strategy Unit, although the acute sector recorded approximately 2.7 % productivity growth in 2024/25, the…
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