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Week ending 19th September 2025

Please find below a summary of media and social media activity across Surrey Heartlands and nationally over the last week. *HSJ articles can only be accessed by those with a subscription.

Surrey Heartlands coverage

• ICS: Residents across the east of Surrey set to benefit from care closer to home
  East Surrey and Surrey Downs have been chosen as one of the first areas in the country to launch the new National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, bringing more joined-up, accessible care directly into local communities.
  
  
• BBC: Banstead patient thanks Surrey hospital staff for 'second chance' 
  A Surrey mother-of-two has praised NHS staff after surviving weeks in intensive care with a rare immune-related neurological condition that left her unable to walk.
  
  
• Surrey Comet: Pharmacy leaders urge action on medicine hold-ups 
  Pharmacy leaders are calling for urgent legal reforms so pharmacists can substitute prescriptions when the exact medicine prescribed is out of stock, under current law they can’t.
  
  
• Health Tech News: 43 neighbourhood health services supported with £10m funding announced
  The UK government will roll out 43 “neighbourhood health” pilot sites from 9 September 2025, backed by £10 million, to bring joined-up healthcare closer to home, especially in areas with high deprivation and long waiting times.

Neighbouring area coverage

• BBC: Months in hospital leaves Hastings sepsis patient struggling 
  Mark Hayes, an East Sussex resident, remained in hospital for months after recovering from sepsis surgery because his Hastings flat was unsuitable for his wheelchair needs.
  
  
• Sky: Fourteen NHS trusts to be investigated over maternity 'failures' 
  Fourteen NHS trusts will be investigated in a rapid, independent national review of maternity and neonatal services in England. Widespread coverage includes The Argus and V2 Radio.
  
  
• BBC: Sussex migraine clinic hailed as 'revolutionary' by NHS
  A new specialist headache service at University Hospitals Sussex is giving migraine patients quicker access to treatments, including new oral drugs, infusions, injections, and botox.
  
  
• Basingstoke Gazette: Hampshire NHS Trust trust launches anti-racism plan
  Hampshire NHS Trust has launched an anti-racism plan aimed at tackling racial inequality within the trust, improving fairness in recruitment, progression, and treatment of staff and patients.
  
  
• Maidenhead Advertiser: NHS trusts covering East Berkshire ranked in reintroduced league tables
  NHS trusts serving East Berkshire have been ranked against other healthcare services across England in reintroduced league tables.
  
  

National headlines

• Sky: NHS medicines bill should rise to preserve UK drug industry, minister says 
  Science Minister Lord Vallance says the NHS must spend more on medicines to keep the UK attractive for pharmaceutical investment. He warned that current low spending and heavy rebates are driving drug companies away, threatening innovation and patient access.
  
  
• HSJ: First names in DHSC’s new top team revealed
  There will be 13 Director-Generals, plus 5 “national priority programme” leads, and 7 regional directors who will each have Director-General status. Several of these leaders will report jointly to Samantha Jones, the DHSC Permanent Secretary, and Jim Mackey, the CEO (with Permanent Secretary equivalent status) of the merged health/departmental structure.
  
  
• GOV: First group of Gazan children arrive for specialist NHS treatment
  A group of severely ill children from Gaza, along with their immediate families, have arrived safely in the UK to receive specialist medical treatment via NHS hospitals. 
  
  
• The Guardian: One in three GPs in England do not work in NHS, says BMJ study 
  About one in three GPs in England who are licensed are not working in NHS general practice (34% in 2024 vs 27% in 2015), equivalent to nearly 20,000 doctors being absent from NHS GP roles.
  
  
• The Independent: NHS staff now forced to work extra shifts to cover cost of Mounjaro
  Carly Stokes, a healthcare assistant, lost 6 stone in a year using the weight-loss jab Mounjaro, privately through Voy. She reversed her pre-diabetes and now feels much more confident. However, due to a manufacturer price increase from about £229 to £319/month, she says she’ll need to pick up extra shifts just to afford staying on the treatment.
  
  
• BBC: Labour accused of manipulating NHS waiting figures
  The Welsh government is facing criticism from opposition parties for publishing NHS waiting-time data earlier than usual, with claims it is “manipulating” figures ahead of next year’s Senedd election.
  
  
• HSJ: Care assessments should stay with ICBs, NHSE told 
  An NHS England expert group has recommended that continuing healthcare (CHC) responsibilities remain with integrated care boards, despite earlier proposals to shift them to providers.

Social media highlights