Read Jack Serle's latest HSJi Review, which discusses the shocking resignation of Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s respected national mental health director, and the worsening crisis in mental health services. Read the full article here.

Latest Investigations

Explained: The NHS’s new medtech Product Information Management System

NHS spends £10bn a year on medtech products. However, poor quality data about these products leads to inefficient procurement and use. The government is developing a product information management system to remedy the situation. The PIM will serve as a “single source of truth” for medtech products for the NHS and its suppliers. It will also integrate with and support three other major ongoing projects designed to enhance NHS procurement and operational efficiency.

 Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust is forecasting a breakeven position for 2025/26, underpinned by a challenging cost improvement programme, with more than half of the savings expected to come from reductions in agency and bank spending. To achieve this, the trust plans to increase permanent recruitment. TEWV is also prioritising clinical service redesign, corporate service transformation, and establishment reviews. TEWV continues to face difficulties with its newly implemented electronic patient record system. Having a centralised system lowers device redundancy and reduces ad-hoc spend, helping with procurement savings. Leadership instability remains a concern, with both the chief executive and chair stepping down within months of one another. The trust is also facing ongoing calls for a public inquiry into care failings. A project aimed at easing patient anxiety has been launched at Roseberry Park, where a virtual 3D tour of the Dalesway Unit allows patients to look inside before they visit. TEWV is focusing on improving the safety of inpatient facilities. TEWV is also implementing the community mental health transformation programme which has led to mental health practitioners being placed in GP practices to ease the burden on GPs, provide earlier assessment, and reduce inappropriate referrals.

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust faces pressing challenges around ADHD and autism waiting lists, prompting the submission of a £4.9m business case to the integrated care board for non-recurrent funding in 2025-26 to support autism and wider neurodivergence services, including ADHD. The trust is introducing system-wide and trust OPEL reporting for children and young people’s services and exploring the use of AI to reduce waiting times in talking therapies. It is also expected to become the lead mental health provider in the patch. Responsibility for community adult physical health services has transferred to University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, while the trust has recently launched its learning disability and autism (LDA) growth strategy. Financially, CWPT is required to deliver a small surplus this year, with a quarter of its £8m savings target to come from vacancy management. A further £1.2m is expected to be achieved by reducing the use of costly out-of-area placements at Mill Lodge, a community inpatient ward run by Leicestershire Partnership Trust but used by CWPT to meet local capacity shortfalls.

Data points

The following data points were updated this week:

• Sickness absence rate and Turnover rate for Scotland in 2024-2025.
• NHS Improvement oversight ratings for Acute, Sp, Com, MH, Amb in Q2 2025-26.
• 62 Day Cancer Target for Acute, Sp in Q1 2025-26.
• Cancer 62-day performance for ICS in Q1 2025-26.