A challenging winter ahead

Steve Barclay is back for his second stint as health secretary after a very short spell earlier this year. Meanwhile two recent health secretaries have announced they will not be standing for reelection.

At the same time, the NHS is facing unprecedented challenges, with record backlogs and staff shortages. This is expected to be the toughest winter on record for the NHS, with the threat of a “twindemic” and already freezing temperatures and large amounts of snow. Calls for a pay rise and concerns about patient safety have also led to the largest nurses strike in NHS history.

This issue of Health Business magazine has lots of information on how to prepare for and deal with the cold weather from a facilities management point of view, as well as informative articles on recruitment and how volunteers can contribute to the NHS.

We also have a look at medical equipment, how it can help tackle the backlog and the advancement in home testing. Finally, we look at the pros and cons of digital transformation and the cyberthreat to the NHS.


Polly Jones, editor