NHS finance, staff and strike latest The Health Service Journal has revealed that integrated care system plans for 2023-4 would lead to a deficit of £6 billion. The figure will fall as NHS England brokers spending deals with integrated care boards, but indicates the difficulty of balancing the books post-Covid. The latest NHS staff survey has registered a further fall in morale and confidence in the quality of care being delivered. Unsurprisingly, it also registers discontent with pay. The GMB, Unison and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy have joined the Royal College of Nursing in talks with the government in England (The Guardian). But the junior doctors strike is on for next week.

NHS England issues new GP contract  NHS England has issued a new contract for GPs that doesn’t have the approval of the BMA GP Committee. Pulse reported that the new contract puts a focus on access and says that GPs should be offered an “assessment of need” on first contact and an appointment within two weeks. Practices have also been told that they must offer automatic access to patient records through the NHS App. The BMA GPC is concerned that there is no extra money to support the changes and there has been no consultation with GPs about how they will impact their workload. A GP Recovery Plan is due this spring.

Climate crisis: Desflurane banned in Scotland; net zero building standards published in England Scotland has become the first part of the UK to stop using an anaesthetic gas because of it’s impact on global heating. The Scottish Government has said that removing Desflurane from surgery will save emissions equivalent to powering 1,700 homes every year (National Health Executive). NHS England is committed to phasing the anaesthetic out by 2024 (Healthcare Without Harm). NHS England has also published net zero building standards to reduce the emissions associated with constructing and running NHS facilities. The standards say the drive to create new, digital pathways will change the footprint of NHS buildings, while digital technology will help to manage them better.

NHS England ‘makes Spark DPS key route for virtual wards procurement’ NHS England has indicated that the Spark dynamic purchasing system, run by the Crown Commercial Service, is its preferred procurement route for commissioners and providers that want to buy technology to support virtual wards and remote monitoring programmes. Digitalhealth.net reported that a recent CSS webinar told integrated care systems and trusts that they might lose NHS England support if they fail to use the framework – although the website acknowledges that it is unclear what this might mean. The government has found £450 million to support a massive expansion of virtual ward spaces over the next two years.

Genomics England completes Sectra installation Genomics England has completed the installation of Sectra’s enterprise imaging system to support the world’s largest, multi-modal cancer research platform. The move means NHS imaging data can be incorporated into Genomics England’s cancer data programme, with the Image Exchange Portal enabling the transport of images from NHS trusts. The programme is about linking whole genome sequencing, pathology and radiology data to give scientists a better understanding of cancer and chance of developing new AI tools and treatments (Digitalhealth.net). Sectra UK and Ireland managing director Jane Rendall said it would make the most of decades of investment in digital radiology and pathology.

More AI news: DHSC announces latest AI awards and review of data and tech in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment The Department of Health and Social Care has announced that nine companies will receive £16 million in the latest round of AI in Health and Care Awards. A news release highlights work to detect cancer, diagnose rare disease, identify women at risk of premature birth, and support the treatment of dementia. The DHSC has also announced that Professor John Deanfield from University College London has been asked to explore how data and technology can be used to predict, prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, which leads to 250,000 hospital admissions and 140,000 deaths in England every year. Ideas from the review could be fed into other disease areas.