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** 29 July 2021
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** UK
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** Amanda Pritchard appointed as NHS England chief executive (#1)
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** Vectura deal in government’s sights amid concerns over public interest (#2)
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** Yorkshire hospital introduces a smokefree road ban (#3)
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** BAT reports soaring demand for cigarette alternatives (#4)
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** UK
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**
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** Amanda Pritchard, a health service insider for almost 25 years, has been appointed the next NHS England chief executive.
Pritchard will become the first female chief executive of the NHS in England after being appointed to replace Sir Simon Stevens. She is currently the organisation’s chief operating officer, a post she has held for two years. Pritchard, whose appointment was approved by Boris Johnson, the prime minister, had always been seen as a leading contender for the top job after impressing the NHS England board during her two years as Stevens’ de facto deputy.
In a statement welcoming her appointment, health secretary Sajid Javid said staff would “value her operational experience and [a] steady hand.” Johnson said the NHS was at “a critical moment” as it continued to care for Covid patients while tackling treatment backlogs caused by the pandemic. But he added: “Amanda’s experience and expertise mean she is perfectly placed to address these issues and more, and I look forward to working closely with her.”
Pritchard will face a formidable in-tray. Waiting lists for non-urgent hospital treatment now stand at 5.3 million, the highest since records began in 2007. The service, which faces an acute workforce crisis, is desperately trying to clear a backlog of care accumulated during the pandemic, a task made harder by infection control measures that have reduced hospital capacity. The incoming chief executive must also reckon with new legislation that will curb some of the powers Stevens enjoyed, giving the secretary of state the authority to veto some senior NHS appointments and step in earlier over decisions about hospital closures, for example.
Speaking on a podcast for NHS Providers in February, in a relatively rare public outing, Pritchard singled out tackling health inequalities as the service’s post-pandemic priority. “It’s a new number one when we think about our legacy of Covid and what, therefore, the health service needs to orientate around as we think about recovery,” she said.
Source: Financial Times, 28 July 2021
See also: HSJ – Amanda Pritchard appointed as NHS England chief executive ([link removed])
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** The government is looking into whether the takeover of Vectura, a respiratory drugs business, by Philip Morris International, the tobacco company, raises public interest concerns, the business secretary has confirmed. Kwasi Kwarteng gave the reassurance in response to a letter from Labour shadow ministers that had urged the government to consider blocking the £927 million deal.
Kwarteng said he had powers to intervene in mergers on public interest grounds under the Enterprise Act 2002 and that the government continued “to monitor the situation closely.” Responding to the letter, Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said that the government “must take their responsibilities seriously and reassure the public that a company like Philip Morris won’t be able to profit from health conditions caused by the very products they manufacture.”
Kwarteng’s letter came as further details of the takeover, which has been recommended to shareholders by Vectura’s board, was issued to investors yesterday. A shareholder vote on the deal has been scheduled for August 24. The acquisition has been structured as a scheme of arrangement, which means that at least 75% of the value of shares must vote in favour of the deal.
Source: The Times, 29 July 2021
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** Barnsley Hospital has become the first hospital site in the country to introduce a smokefree road ban to help make smoking “invisible” in the town. As part of the scheme, eye-catching signage is displayed across Pogmoor Road and Gawber Road that surround Barnsley hospitals and on the pavement.
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Barnsley Council made the move to help the long-term aim to make smoking invisible in the town and “denormalise” the act, particularly around children, so they are less likely to start smoking.
The smokefree roads initiative is part of a wider scheme in Barnsley, which has already introduced smoke-free play areas in local parks and a smoke-free zone in Barnsley Pals Centenary Square in recent years.
Councillor Jim Andrews, Barnsley Council’s Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health, said: “We hope people will show consideration for others by not smoking in this new smoke-free area. Children and young people are influenced by adult behaviour and are less likely to start smoking if they do not view it as a normal part of everyday life. By making smoking invisible to children, we hope to vastly reduce the number of children and young people picking up the habit and inspire a smoke-free generation.”
Source: Yorkshire Post, 28 July 2021
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** E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products now account for more than a tenth of sales at British American Tobacco (BAT) after smokers shifted to the company’s new products.
The maker of Lucky Strike and Dunhill cigarettes said on Wednesday (28 July) that non-combustible products such as its vaping brand Vuse and heated tobacco line Glo make up 11.8% of group revenue, “up from about zero six years ago.”
The number of consumers using BAT’s “new categories” increased by 2.6 million to 16.1 million in the first half of 2021, 80% of the customer acquisition in 2020. Although cigarette sales have continued to flag in developed nations, the company has partly offset volume declines with price increases and said emerging markets such as Vietnam, Brazil and South Africa had recovered well following the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns last year. Total cigarette volumes rose 1.8% in the first half of 2021, compared with the same period in 2020. Revenues increased 8.1% to £12.2 billion while operating profit increased 5.4% to £5.2 billion. Pre-tax income fell 4.5% to £4.4 billion.
Source: Financial Times, 28 July 2021
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