NHS serial killer scandal
Nurse Lucy Letby killed seven babies by force-feeding them with milk or injecting them with air or insulin, and seriously damaged six others who she tried to murder. Dr Stephen Brearey, the lead consultant on the unit where Letby worked, first raised the alarm in October 2015. The first five murders happened between June and October 2015, and - despite months of warnings - the final two were in June 2016. Dr Brearey said senior managerial hospital staff were worried about reputational damage to the organisation. Instead of acting on his warnings, he and his colleagues’ lives were made very difficult. There is ‘no apparent accountability’ for what NHS managers do in trusts. There will now be an inquiry into the magnitude of the event and the questions raised: should NHS managers be regulated in the same way as doctors, and should they be held to account?
Fewer students taking RS A-level
The number of students choosing Religious Studies in A-level has fallen, following warnings of a lack of teachers. More than a quarter of pupils have been given either an A or A* - down by 9% compared with 2022. The fall follows a campaign to recruit a new generation of RE teachers, with the Religious Education Council warning that due to shortages in specialist teachers some schools in the Midlands and northeast are struggling to offer the A-level subject. For two decades, A-level RS has had growing numbers of entries and impressive results, opening a world of opportunity, particularly for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing access to top universities and careers in law, journalism and teaching. That legacy is now threatened. A teacher training bursary scheme and a fair allocation of resources to the subject would help to reverse this trend.
God Loves You tour
Less than half of the population across England and Wales call themselves Christian. In a largely secular society, where more than one-third claim no religion at all, Franklin Graham is sharing the hope of Jesus Christ in the God Loves You tour on 26 August in London. This is the culmination of months of prayer, planning, and training to equip the local churches. The event is free to attend and will be held at the ExCel London. With over 900 churches partnering in this outreach, more than 125 buses will bring thousands to London, some coming from several hours away. The Lord has placed a burden on Franklin’s heart to proclaim Jesus Christ across the UK, and that sense of purpose and evangelistic passion has continued to grow over the years.
NHS: staffing crisis
NHS staff shortages include nurses, midwives, GPs, hospital doctors and mental health workers. Staff leave because of low pay, stress and reduced job satisfaction. Recruitment and retention is a growing problem in this major staffing crisis. In July the government published a long-term workforce plan. Many are sceptical about whether it will lead to a sufficient increase in staff numbers. If it is successful, there will be 300,000 extra doctors, nurses and health professionals by 2037 by training, retention and reform. Criticisms of the plan include shortening medical degree courses from 5-6 years to four years and the general vagueness around who will train the expansion in medical students. There is also uncertainty over funding after the first five years of the 14-year plan. The total absence of any mention of pay and its importance in retention is the elephant in the room.
