British health system is collapsing, nurses strike and a cancer crisis

UK doctors warn of ‘biggest cancer crisis’

RT
Thu, 15 Dec 2022
Britain is in the midst of a major healthcare crisis as months-long delays in cancer treatment have become increasingly commonplace, leading to higher mortality, the National Health Service (NHS) has warned.
On Wednesday, several British media outlets cited recent NHS figures, which showed that nearly 40% of all cancer patients urgently referred by their GP in October had to wait two months before receiving treatment. This is said to be the second-worst performance on record and well short of the 15% target.
The Guardian quoted doctors as saying that a mere four-week delay in cancer treatment “increases mortality by between 6% and 13% for solid cancers, with further increases if the delay is longer.”
Continue reading at www.sott.net

‘We don’t want to strike but we want to save our NHS’

Dec 15, 2022
THE Royal College of Nursing (RCN) launched the biggest strike in its 106-year history today, warning that an NHS staff exodus is “costing patients their lives.”
Drivers showed support for thousands of striking hospital and health trust staff across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by beeping their horns and cheering from car windows, while members of the public brought chocolates to picket lines nationwide.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said the 24-hour walkout, set to be followed by a second next Tuesday, was a “tragic day for nursing and patients.”
But she stressed that the action, which is targeting non-emergency care, is unavoidable as this year’s massively below-inflation wage deal — worth 4.75 per cent for most workers — is exacerbating record high staffing vacancies and further endangering patient safety.
Continue reading at www.morningstaronline.co.uk

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