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UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt has framed the raft of tax cuts and measures announced in yesterday’s autumn statement – likely his last before the general election – as the “responsible” fiscal approach to take. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, Hunt’s plan actually amounts to a comprehensive cut in public spending: £19 billion, in real terms, over the next five years. While the NHS budget is protected, there’s no new money for healthcare, investment spending has been frozen and the service will face higher wage bills following the miminum wage rise.
All this comes at a time when, despite record levels of funding and staffing expansion, the picture is frankly bleak. Waiting times for GP and hospital appointments remain obstinately high. Half as many doctors have left the service as have joined it, thereby somewhat dulling the banner recruitment stats. Crucially, productivity across the board has dropped by 23%. Healthcare leadership expert Paresh Wankhade details the five primary challenges the service faces.
Each long predates the pandemic. None will be met, or resolved, with a return to austerity.
You can also read the reaction to the whole autumn statement by our panel of experts here.
And an IT ethicist breaks down what to think about before giving your child their first phone – and when.
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Dale Berning Sawa
Commissioning Editor, Cities + Society
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Mark Thomas|Alamy
Paresh Wankhade, Edge Hill University
The NHS, like many other health systems, is still dealing with the effects of COVID-19 but the challenges it faces predate the pandemic.
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UK chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, with his 2023 Autumn Statement.
Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street/Flickr
Alan Shipman, The Open University; Gavin Midgley, University of Surrey; Louise Overton, University of Birmingham; Phil Tomlinson, University of Bath; Shampa Roy-Mukherjee, University of East London
National insurance cuts and business investment were all included, as was the pensions triple lock. But our experts saw some omissions.
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Pressmaster/Shutterstock
Andy Phippen, Bournemouth University
Have conversations with your child about online safety – and reassure them you will help them with any problems they encounter online.
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Business + Economy
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Pauline McCallion, The Conversation
Live blog: all the announcements from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and instant reaction from experts.
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Arts + Culture
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Tania Sheikhan, UCL
A shorn haircut known as the coiffure à la victime, paid tribute to guillotined prisoners whose hair was loped off before execution.
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Cydney Thompson, Trinity College Dublin
Why this 1866 painting by French artist Auguste Toulmouche has become an online sensation.
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Ananya Jahanara Kabir, King's College London; Alison Donnell, University of East Anglia; Bethany Layne, De Montfort University; Leighan M Renaud, University of Bristol; Liam Harte, University of Manchester; Muireann O'Cinneide, University of Galway
From a longlist of 12, six novels have been shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize.
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Politics + Society
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Christoph Bluth, University of Bradford
Hamas rules Gaza with repression and violence and polls show that it does not have the support of ordinary Palestinians.
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Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham; Tetyana Malyarenko, National University Odesa Law Academy
After nearly two years of bloody battle, there are signs that both sides are nearing exhaustion and might be prepared, for now, to accept a stalemate and an end to the fighting.
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Adrian James, Liverpool John Moores University
The Casey review found the Met’s firearms teams had the worst behaviour.
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Ran Porat, Monash University
Despite mounting public anger, the veteran leader has proven time and again that it is not wise to bet against him.
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Science + Technology
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Fiona Carroll, Cardiff Metropolitan University
The padlock symbol simply means that the data being sent between the web server and the user’s computer is encrypted and cannot be read by others. But many people don’t know that.
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Natalia I. Kucirkova, The Open University
In the academic world, researchers are rewarded for publishing frequently. Not only is this affecting research quality but it is also hindering female scientists.
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Environment
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Gissell Huaccha, University of Leeds
Increasing energy costs pose a challenge for everyone, but the impact is most pronounced for those living in deprived areas.
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Health
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Lee Kellingray, Quadram Institute
Social media reports of people trying faecal transplants at home and curing their long-term illness are increasing. But the potential harms are considerable and rarely discussed.
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Jeremy Howick, University of Leicester
A lack of empathy can be fatal, for both doctors and patients.
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30 November 2023
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Birmingham
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6 December 2023
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Birmingham
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11 December 2023
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Manchester
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