South Reading Patient Voice will have an online meeting at 6pm on Wednesday 20th April 2022. Topics to be discussed include bringing South Reading Patient Voice and the North and West Patient Voice group closer: also news from the local NHS and Patient Participation Groups.

South Reading Patient Voice will meet at 6pm on Wednesday 20th April 2022. Karen Hampshire - vice-chair of the North and West Reading Patient Voice will report on the views of the members of that group to forming a unified Reading Patient Voice There will also be news from local NHS trusts and local Patient Partiicipation Groups.

According to the Guardian newspaper, South Central Ambulance Service declared a critical incident in the early hours of Wednesday, 6th April after "extreme pressures" forced it to prioritise patients with life-threatening illnesses. According to the paper, this followed a huge volume of callouts on Tuesday and increased challenges in releasing some ambulances from busy acute hospitals. The ambulance trust has asked people only to call 999 in a life-threatening or serious emergency. Advice and help are available by calling 111 or your GP surgery, or visitng your community pharmacist.

We feel it is important to reach out to listen to people with an open agenda - so - just as a pilot survey - we are asking for views on unmet medical need. Please take our survey: Survey on Unmet Medical Need Thank you

According to Health Service Journal, internal draft guidance from NHS England to healthcare trusts advise: "Trusts should continue to actively explore and develop opportunities to grow their external (non-NHS) income Private patient services continue to be a significant source of material opportunity in the NHS." Demand for private treatment has risen during the pandemic with provider Spires reporting income up 80% since 2019. The NHS waiting list for treatment is currently at 6 million and may reach 14 million before it starts to come down.