How the ‘continuing healthcare’ system is failing sick and elderly people | Letters

I empathise with Dr Michael Duxbury (Letters, 29 December), but no amount of empathy will increase the chances of his mother, or anyone else’s loved ones, becoming eligible for continuing healthcare (CHC). Excuse the flippant tone, but having worked in the health and social care sector for more than a decade, I had always hoped that a proper integration of health (NHS responsibility) and social care (local authority responsibility) would eradicate this ridiculous framework.CHC is a funding stream administered by local integrated care systems (ICSs), whereby people who have a primary need for healthcare (not social care) will have their entire package of care paid for by the NHS. Unlike social care, there is no assessed charge to the person for this care. CHC eligibility is subject to assessment and decision-makers consider four key components of the person’s needs: nature, intensity, complexity and unpredictability

Compassion fatigue in the NHS or burnout? | Letter

Your article raises key issues about the mental wellbeing of those working in the NHS (Seven in 10 GPs in UK suffer from compassion fatigue, survey finds, 2 January). But we should be cautious of terms like “compassion fatigue”. Our research showed that it is not staff compassion that is fatigued – they would love to offer better services – but that they are burnt out and angry. This is not caused by the suffering of their patients but the stress of working in poorly managed, poorly supported and overdemanding care systems. This is clarified towards the end of the article

Office-to-homes conversions: London blocks hold fresh allure since shift to home-working

On a busy high street in Balham, south London, stands a boxy, beige-fronted building. Built in the 1940s, for decades the four-storey office block was home to hundreds of civil servants until Department for Work and Pensions officials moved out in 2020.Now, Irene House boasts 77 one- and two-bedroom upmarket apartments with seven more homes inside a roof extension. It still has its art deco entrance and other features inspired by the building’s original interior, and represents a growing trend: to convert office blocks into homes.The project might appear an example of how to solve the housing crisis, in a post-pandemic era when increased working from home has made offices less appealing and demand for accommodation remains high, but the reality is much more complex

What is driving the winter flu crisis in England?

As figures reveal the number of people admitted to hospital in England with flu quadrupled last month, we take a look at what is driving the crisis, and whether the situation is likely to be repeated next winter.Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) suggests flu levels and hospital admissions are higher than this time last year.According to the most recent figures, the overall weekly hospital admission rate for influenza increased to 14.09 per 100,000 population in the week ending 29 December 2024, compared with 10.69 per 100,000 the previous week, and 8

Stephen Duckworth obituary

My father, Stephen Duckworth, who has died aged 85, dedicated much of his life to supporting the provision of social housing, economic justice and local community causes in North Kensington, London. He was a quiet, gentle man, described as “secretly brilliant” and a respected leader by colleagues and friends.Stephen was best known for his time as finance director of the National Housing Federation, from 1982 to 2002, playing a crucial role in guiding the introduction of private finance to the sector in the late 1980s.In 2014, he was presented with the Kensington and Chelsea mayor’s award for services to the community, which included his work on social housing. After the Grenfell fire disaster he was part of a successful attempt to persuade the borough to adopt a charter for resident engagement, so that marginalised voices could be heard

Antibiotic emergency ‘could claim 40 million lives in next 25 years’

Dame Sally Davies has a straightforward message about the coming year. We face a growing antibiotic emergency that could have devastating impacts on men, women and children across the globe, she says.Davies, a former chief medical officer for England, has become a leading advocate for global action to fight the scourge of superbugs.She told the Observer that there is a real danger that routine procedures – from surgery to childbirth – could carry widespread life-threatening risks because of the spread of bacteria that possess antimicrobial resistance (AMR). “About a million people die every year because of the spread of microbial resistance, and that figure will rise over the next 25 years,” she said