Markus Andrews

The NHS is to use AI to analyse hospital data and sound the alarm on potential patient safety scandals early, in what will be a world-first. Patterns of deaths, serious injuries, abuse or other incidents that go otherwise undetected will be identified. The move, part of a new 10-year plan for the health service, follows a series of scandals in the NHS. These include Mid Staffs, where an estimated up to 1,200 patients died as a result of poor care, and the Countess of Chester Hospital, for which nurse Lucy Letby is serving 15 whole life orders after she was convicted of killing seven babies and attempting to murder seven more. The waiting list for treatment at NHS hospitals in England has fallen to its lowest level in two years (William Barton/Alamy)Earlier this month, health secretary Wes Streeting announced a national investigation into “systemic” failures in maternity care, after families were “gaslit” in their search for the truth.Mr Streeting said the AI plan would make it easier to spot danger signs earlier.A new maternity AI system will launch across NHS trusts from November, using “near real-time data” to flag higher-than-expected rates of death, stillbirth and brain injury.Mr Streeting said: “While most treatments in the NHS are safe, even a single lapse that puts a patient at risk is one too many.”Behind every safety breach is a person, a life altered, a family devastated, sometimes by heartbreaking loss.”By embracing AI and introducing world-first early warning systems, we’ll spot dangerous signs sooner and launch rapid inspections before harm occurs.”This technology will save lives, catching unsafe care before it becomes a tragedy.”It’s a vital part of our commitment to move the NHS from analogue to digital, delivering better, safer care for everyone.”Health secretary Wes Streeting (Lucy North/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer has demanded the BBC explain how “appalling” chants of “death to the IDF” were broadcast as part of its coverage of Glastonbury. Police are assessing footage of sets by Bob Vylan, who led crowds in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” (the Israeli Defence Force), and Irish rap trio Kneecap, who suggested fans “start a riot” outside one of the band member’s upcoming court appearance.The prime minister said: “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech… The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.” His comments come after politicians and former BBC staff lined up to say the broadcaster and the festival both had questions to answer.The Independent understands the row is expected to be discussed when MPs on the Commons culture committee meet on Tuesday, raising the spectre that BBC bosses, such as the director general Tim Davie, could be called to give evidence to parliament.Bob Vylan performing at Glastonbury More

Wes Streeting has told the Israeli government to get its “own house in order” and take violence against Palestinians more seriously following outrage over chants at Glastonbury.Police are assessing videos of sets by Bob Vylan, who led crowds to shout “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF”, the Israeli Defence Force, and Irish rap trio Kneecap, who suggested fans “start a riot” outside one of the band’s upcoming court appearance.Sir Keir Starmer has demanded the BBC explain how “appalling” chants against the IDF were broadcast. Health Secretary Wes Streeting (Lucy North/PA) More

Keir Starmer has made the most inept start of any prime minister in a century, a leading historian has warned.Sir Anthony Seldon even suggested that Liz Truss, who lasted just six weeks in office before she was ousted by her own MPs, has done a better job than the Labour leader. “Not in 100 years has anyone made such an inept start coming into the (role) with so little idea about what he is doing (and) why he is doing it,” he told Sky News. Sir Keir Starmer said fixing the ‘broken’ system must be done in a ‘Labour way’ (Screengrab/Welsh Labour TV/PA) More

Serbia’s president announced Sunday more arrests of anti-government protesters following clashes with police at a massive rally demanding an early parliamentary election. Dozens have already been detained.Aleksandar Vucic, at a press conference, accused organizers of Saturday’s student-led protest in the capital, Belgrade, of inciting violence and attacks on police, urging legal prosecution. He also criticized “terrorists and those who tried to bring down the state,” singling out University of Belgrade’s head dean, Vladan Djokic, who was among the protesters. Tens of thousands of people attended the rally held after nearly eight months of persistent dissent, which has rattled Vucic’s firm grip on power in the Balkan country. Protesters also declared the current populist government “illegitimate” and laid the responsibility for any violence on the government. Clashes with riot police erupted after the official part of the rally ended. Police used pepper spray, batons and shields while protesters threw rocks, bottles and other objects. Police said on Sunday that 48 officers were injured while 22 protesters sought medical help. Out of 77 people detained, 38 remain in custody, most of whom are facing criminal charges, said Interior Minister Ivica Dacic. “There will be more arrests,” Vucic said. “Identification of all individuals is underway.”The protests started after a renovated rail station canopy collapsed in November, killing 16 people. Many in Serbia blamed the tragedy in the northern city of Novi Sad on corruption-fueled negligence in state infrastructure projects.Vucic has repeatedly rejected an immediate snap vote instead of the one planned for 2027.“Serbia won. You cannot destroy Serbia with violence,” Vucic said Sunday. “They consciously wanted to spur bloodshed. The time of accountability is coming.”Critics say Vucic has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power over a decade ago, stifling democratic freedoms while allowing corruption and organized crime to flourish. He has denied this.Serbia is formally seeking European Union entry, but Vucic’s government has nourished its relations with both Russia and China. More

Wes Streeting has hit out at “appalling” and “revolting” chants of “death to the IDF” at Glastonbury and said that the BBC and festival both have questions to answer.The health secretary also told the Israeli government to get its “own house in order” and take violence against Palestinians more seriously. Police are assessing videos of sets by Bob Vylan, who led crowds in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF”, and Irish rap trio Kneecap, who suggested fans “start a riot” outside one of the band’s upcoming court appearance.Bob Vylan also displayed pro-Palestinian images (Yui Mok/PA) More

Supermarkets and takeaways could be fined if they do not sell healthier food, under new government plans to tackle the obesity epidemic. All large businesses will report their sales of healthy food under the policy, part of a 10-year plan for the NHS unveiled next week. Targets will then be set to increase the amount sold, with penalties used as a last resort for companies who refuse to work with ministers to reduce the crisis. Initially developed by innovation agency Nesta, the policy introduces mandatory health targets for retailers while giving them flexibility in how to meet them, such as by tweaking recipes, running price promotions on healthier items, or redesigning store layouts.Supermarkets will be required to report sales data and those that fail to hit targets could face financial penalties, Nesta suggested.Healthy food (Alamy/PA)Cutting out just 50 calories a day could lift 340,000 children and two million adults out of obesity. Health secretary, Wes Streeting, said that when it comes to obesity “unless we curb the rising tide of cost and demand, the NHS risks becoming unsustainable. “Through our new healthy food standard, we will make the healthy choice the easy choice, because prevention is better than cure.” Anna Taylor, the executive director of the Food Foundation charity, said: “The introduction of mandatory reporting by all large food companies, including takeaway chains, on the healthiness of their food sales is a game changer…The data will also clearly reveal to consumers which businesses are on their side and making healthy choices easy, and which are making it actively harder for them to eat well. The faster this is introduced, the better.” Sue Davies from consumer group Which? said: “Mandatory food targets will help to incentivise retailers to use the range of tactics available to them to make small but significant changes – making it easier for people to eat a balanced diet and lead healthier lives.” Ministers argue a healthier nation will put less strain on the NHS, helping to drive down pressure on sky-high waiting lists. As part of the move, retailers including supermarkets will work to make the average shopping basket slightly healthier. Under the scheme, they will have the freedom to do this however they wish, but ideas include changing recipes, rearranging shop layouts, offering discounts on healthy foods or the use of loyalty schemes. The Department of Health said that if all those who were overweight cut down on what they ate by 216 calories, the equivalent of one fizzy drink, the UK’s obesity crisis could be halved. Richard Holden, Tory shadow paymaster general, said:“Making it harder to find crisps is not a substitute for proper reform. Labour ministers too scared to face up to the fundamental changes our NHS needs.“In government, the Conservatives made real progress on obesity, stabilising adult rates and cutting child obesity to its lowest since 2000. But we’ve always believed the best results come when people are trusted to take responsibility for their own health.“Rearranging meal deals will make little difference, this is the worst type of nanny state nonsense there is – shallow, distracting, and completely unserious.”Britain has the third highest rate of adult obesity in Europe, costing the NHS £11.4 billion a year, three times the budget for ambulance services. An upcoming report by the Chief Medical Officer will show that more than 1 in 5 children are obese by the time they leave primary school, rising to almost 1 in 3 in areas of poverty and deprivation. Colette Marshall, the chief executive at Diabetes UK, said: “The introduction of mandatory reporting and targets on healthy food sales is crucial to improving transparency within the food industry and ensuring businesses can be held to account.“Public health policies like this and the junk food marketing ban, have the power to shift the dial from sickness to prevention. The government must build on these commitments in order to stem the alarming rise in type 2 diabetes and its life-altering complications.” More

Sir Keir Starmer has admitted his focus was on matters involving Nato and the Middle East while a rebellion over welfare cuts took hold of his party at home.The prime minister has faced a growing backbench rebellion over proposed disability benefits cuts. Some 126 Labour backbenchers have signed an amendment that would halt the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill in its tracks when it faces its first Commons hurdle on 1 July.Responding to questions about what went wrong during the difficult week, Sir Keir claimed full responsibility for the welfare U-turn. “All these decisions are my decisions and I take ownership of them,” he told The Sunday Times. “My rule of leadership is, when things go well you get the plaudits; when things don’t go well you carry the can. I take responsibility for all the decisions made by this government. I do not talk about staff and I’d much prefer it if everybody else didn’t.”He continued that this was due to his heavy concentration on foreign affairs instead of domestic matters, first at the G7 meeting in Canada and then a Nato summit in the Netherlands. He also had to deal with the US’s strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.“I’m putting this as context rather than excuse: I was heavily focused on what was happening with Nato and the Middle East all weekend,” he said. “I turned my attention fully to it [the welfare bill] when I got back from Nato on Wednesday night. Obviously in the course of the early part of this week we were busy trying to make sure Nato was a success.”The prime minister had G7 and Nato summits to contend with this week, while Labour MPs were rebelling against welfare cuts More