Alastair McLellan

I am the editor of HSJ, the No1 source of news on the NHS, and have reported on UK health policy for over 20 years. Subscribe for our unmatched coverage.

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

Hello @sib313 Please see email/DM

[𒊓𒅂𒁓𒐗𒐕𒐗 Steve the skeptic @sib313]

Looks like the US election polls were as bad as many republicans predicted. But in favour of democrats who seem to have outperformed polls by about 5 points (dems swing is +15%; polls thought maybe 9%). WOOT!

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

No one cares about the NHS anymore… and that’s OK https://t.co/XKNb5smpLH (thanks to @Benpagelondon )

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@mellycatslave healthcare staff have always gossiped about famous patients - just easier for them to be caught now

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

BREAKING: Exclusive: Investigation launched after NHS staff access care record of man killed by tiger https://t.co/UunYmm1AcA

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@mellycatslave Because a) tech makes it easy b) trusts are checking more carefully

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@SEENinHealth @HSJnews Hi. We saw - and had a look - but felt it had been well covered elsewhere. If there any angles that have been missed, then we'd be keen to know. Thanks

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

Beware the 'chat over lunch' with a journalist (especially when they're taking notes). NHS England chair Penny Dash tells @SarahNev that NHS reforms are “causing quite a lot of squealing” from staff https://t.co/gAw3sIeAtN

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@DRROBERTROYCE Yep

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

The ever rising NHS maintenance backlog figure is both shocking and useless. It shows how bad the estate is, but equally, no government is ever going to invest £bns in something as unsexy replacing boilers. We need a better measure that might link to meaningful action

[zoetidman @zoetidman]

Repair backlog for NHS buildings has now risen to £17bn...

The rate of growth may have slowed down, but still a huge barrier to care provided by the NHS

https://t.co/rVHbyJUDqO

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@DRROBERTROYCE Because it suggests that they might (which they won't) and stops us thinking about alternatives

[𒊓𒅂𒁓𒐗𒐕𒐗 Steve the skeptic @sib313]

@rcsloggett The drugs are excessively expensive and barely work, if at all. The experts are calling for virtue signalling, not effective action and should be ignored.

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

As one trust CEO said to me recently, the best way to reduce your maintenance backlog is to demolish a few buildings. Which is all well and good if an alternative way has been found to provide services - but a bit alarming if not

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

The ever rising NHS maintenance backlog figure is both shocking and useless. It shows how bad the estate is, but equally, no government is ever going to invest £bns in something as unsexy replacing boilers. We need a better measure that might link to meaningful action

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@SimonSimply @LoudBonnet Thanks Simon. We wait until the end of ETs before reporting them, but our SE correspondent @AliJaneMoore will be on the case

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

The NHS is on course to hit the government's hospital waiting list pledge by 'the end of the parliamentary term'. The only problem is that it's the NEXT parliament, not this one (ie 2034, not 2029) https://t.co/rcLFJCQ6kE

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@Benpagelondon Very interesting. Thanks Ben

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

Compare this performance with the comments made by @wesstreeting as he quit as health sec in April and made his bid for PM. Worst piece of political mis-selling on the NHS since Bojo's '40 new hospitals' pledge

[James Illman @Jamesillman]

BREAKING: NHS waiting list rises, waiting times worsen, while no. of year-plus waiters rise for fifth month in a row, latest NHSE data shows
* Total list up 7.33m to 7.37m
* Long waiters over 52 weeks up - 111,379 to 113,339
* No. >65 weeks: up from 9,095 to 10,782 (+18.6%)

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@Benpagelondon I remember our 2019 conversation about 'the vast gorilla' https://t.co/A9WCM4xnzJ He seems to be pretty disinterested at present.

[Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor]

@Benpagelondon I reckon it will be No5 after defence soon. Can't remember it ever being so low.