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** 5 January 2023
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** UK
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** Rishi Sunak: Hold me to account if NHS waiting lists don't fall (#1)
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** Crisis-hit NHS ‘can’t keep up’ with too few staff to treat patients safely, warn senior MPs (#2)
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** Wales: clever canine sniffs out illegal cigarettes, vapes and tobacco worth thousands (#3)
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** UK
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** Rishi Sunak: Hold me to account if NHS waiting lists don't fall

Reducing NHS waiting lists is one of five pledges set out in the prime minister's first major speech of 2023, with others covering the economy and small boat crossings.

Mr Sunak is facing challenges this winter including a wave of strike action, a cost-of-living crisis and huge pressure on the health service.

But the PM said he was "taking urgent action" and increasing NHS funding.
He said the government was also increasing bed capacity and the extra money would help ensure people who are ready to be discharged can be moved into social care or looked after in the community.

The speech came after senior doctors warned the NHS was on a knife edge, with some accident and emergency units in a "complete state of crisis".

A sharp rise in Covid and flu admissions in recent weeks has put pressure on hospitals, which are also dealing with a backlog of treatment that built up during the pandemic.

This has contributed to long waits for ambulances, emergency treatment and non-urgent care.

There are currently more than seven million people waiting for NHS care in England - one in eight of the population.

Source: BBC news, 5 January 2023
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** Crisis-hit NHS ‘can’t keep up’ with too few staff to treat patients safely, warn senior MPs

The crisis-hit NHS “can’t keep up” with “phenomenal demand” and has too few staff to treat patients safely, senior MPs warned on Wednesday.

Steve Brine, Conservative chairman of the Commons health and social care committee, told of the “terrifying situation” facing Britain that the health service will not be sustainable if far more is not done to prevent ill health in the country.

Brine added: “It has never had more public money. But if you put this much money into a system that delivers this poor an outcome then you have to continue to be honest about the problems and they are structural and they are about our ill health as a nation.

“If we don’t prevent ill health in this country better than we are, then the NHS in itself is not sustainable and that is a terrifying situation.”

Source: The Standard, 4 January 2023
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** Wales: clever canine sniffs out illegal cigarettes, vapes and tobacco worth thousands

A specially trained dog put his nose to good use across North Wales in the lead-up to Christmas and sniffed out thousands of illegal cigarettes, rolling tobacco and vapes. The clever canine stopped the potentially dangerous products from causing harm in communities in the region.

Raids were carried out in towns and cities including Flint, Connah's Quay, Bangor, Rhyl, Caernarfon, and Colwyn Bay. As a result of these checks, more than 250,000 illegal cigarettes and 20 kilos of rolling tobacco (enough for 20,000 roll-ups) were sniffed out.

Roger Mapleson, Lead Officer for Tobacco from Trading Standards Wales, said: “Smoking kills over 5000 people in Wales every year and half of all long term smokers will die as a direct consequence of their habit. Illegal tobacco is cigarettes or rolling tobacco that has been smuggled and where no duty has been paid.

"This means it can be sold for less than half the price of legitimate tobacco in the informal economy creating a significant problem in our communities. It makes it much easier for children to access tobacco and acquire a lifelong addiction and it makes it much harder for existing smokers to quit.

Source: The Daily Post, 4 January 2023
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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