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Week ending 24th October 2025

Surrey Heartlands coverage

• ICS: Local pharmacist and mum-to-be Niki rolls up her sleeve for flu protection
  Local pharmacist and mum-to-be Niki Amin receives her flu vaccine and encourages other pregnant women to do the same for protection.
  
  
• Channel 4: Watch Will AI Take My Job? Dispatches 
  Clinical Head of Primary Care at Surrey Heartlands explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of work.
  
  
• BBC: Surrey MP criticises NHS trust for autism and ADHD care
  Surrey MP Ben Spencer has criticised Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust over long waits for autism and ADHD assessments, urging a government investigation.
  
  
• Haslemere Herald: More formal complaints against NHS services in the Surrey heartlands
  In the year to March 2025, Surrey Heartlands NHS received 3,407 formal complaints, a 23% increase from the previous year.
  
  
• Farnham Herald: Dozens of people with learning disabilities and autism 'locked away' in hospital in the Surrey heartlands
  Dozens of people with learning disabilities and autism were "locked away" in hospital across the Surrey heartlands as of September, new figures show.
  
  
• BBC: Surrey-developed colour-changing label will prevent vaccine waste - BBC News
  A heat-sensitive label developed by the University of Surrey could reduce vaccine waste by changing colour if vials are exposed to excessive heat.
  
  
• Farnham Herald: The Royal Surrey County Hospital made more than £1 million from parking charges
  Royal Surrey County Hospital generated over £2 million in parking revenue during the 2024–2025 financial year, with £1.3 million from patients and visitors and £656,000 from staff.
  
  

Neighbouring area coverage

• BBC: Royal Berkshire Trust's boss Steve McManus to leave role in July 
  Steve McManus, chief executive of Royal Berkshire NHS Trust, will step down in July after nearly 40 years in the NHS.
  
  
• Daily Echo: Hampshire NHS chief slammed for not being at council meeting
  The Chief Executive of Hampshire NHS faced criticism for not attending a recent council meeting, leading to calls for greater accountability and transparency in local healthcare leadership.
  
  
• BBC: Donna Ockenden open to leading Sussex baby deaths review
  Senior midwife Donna Ockenden says it would be “an honour” to lead a review into maternity services at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, following calls from families affected by baby losses.
  
  
• Sussex World: Getting NHS help this half term isn’t hocus pocus
  The NHS in Sussex is encouraging families to "choose well" during the autumn half term by using the appropriate services for their healthcare needs.
  
  
• Wokingham.Today: NHS gears up for winter pressures
  NHS teams across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West are preparing for winter, ensuring hospitals, GP practices, and community services can provide safe care.
  
  
• HSJ: CQC prosecutes hospital over ‘avoidable harm’ 
  The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is prosecuting University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 for allegedly failing to provide safe care, thereby exposing a patient to a “significant risk of avoidable harm”.
  
  
• Bracknell News: Wokingham mum raises £10k for Royal Berkshire Hospital
  A mum-of-four from Wokingham, Dee Edwards, has raised over £10,000 for the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust’s charity after her own breast-cancer diagnosis, urging others not to skip routine screenings.
  
  
• Bordon Herald: Hampshire Hospitals Trust made more than £1 million from parking charges
  In the year leading up to March 2025, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust generated approximately £2.2 million in parking fees across its various sites.
  
  
• BBC: The debt advice service helping to reduce GP visits
  GP surgeries in south London are giving financial advice to help patients manage debt and handle benefits claims and the results are striking.
  
  
• Hampshire Chronicle: More than 109,000 vaccinated against Covid in Hampshire
  As of October 2025, over 109,000 people in Hampshire have received their COVID-19 vaccinations. This milestone is part of the ongoing efforts to protect the community during the autumn and winter months.

National headlines

• HSJ: Resident doctors to strike for five days next month
  Resident doctors in England will take industrial action from 7am on Friday 14 November to 7am on Wednesday 19 November, as part of the BMA’s ongoing pay campaign.
  
  
• The Independent: Wes Streeting blasts five-day doctors’ strike as ‘slap in the face’ for NHS
  Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the strike, calling it harmful to patients and claiming the government has already offered pay rises and improvements. This will be the 13th strike since March 2023.
  
  
• BBC: Neighbourhood health hubs at risk as community care under strain
  The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has warned that the government’s plan to shift care from hospitals to local health hubs is at risk because community services are under severe strain.
  
  
• HSJ: Joint NHSE-DHSC leadership team revealed
  A new joint leadership structure between NHS England (NHSE) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has been unveiled, aiming to enhance integration and streamline decision-making. The 17-strong "Joint Executive Team" (JET) will be co-chaired by NHSE CEO Sir Jim Mackey and DHSC Permanent Secretary Sam Jones.
  
  
• BBC: Reports of OCD among under 25s triple in 10 years
  BBC analysis of NHS data shows that OCD is now the second-most common mental health disorder for 16–24-year-olds in England. Young people report challenges accessing treatment due to staff shortages and long waits.
  
  
• BBC: NHS health checks to include questions about the menopause
  From next year, menopause screening will be officially included in NHS health checks for adults aged 40–74, offered every five years. 
  
  
• NHS England Podcast: Managing the perimenopause and menopause within primary care
  In this World Menopause Day episode, GPs and Women’s Health leaders discuss how primary care teams are supporting patients through perimenopause and menopause.

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