Review of the NHS equal pay toolkit - your views needed

Review of the NHS equal pay toolkit - your views needed:
We are running a short survey to find out whether the toolkit helped. The purpose of the survey is to establish the extent to which NHS organisations are conducting equal pay audits, and whether the toolkit is being used
effectively. The survey will take you five minutes to complete. Complete the survey now. NHS Networks

Use of personal budgets up by nearly 40 per cent

Use of personal budgets up by nearly 40 per cent:
This means that 52.8 per cent of people eligible for personal budgets are actually using them to arrange their care as at March 2012. According to Sarah Pickup, president of ADASS: “The number of people supported in the community as at March 31 this year was 818,700. This represents a 7.7 per cent fall on the previous year’s figure of 886,939 reflecting the increased use of enablement and other services designed to reduce the need for ongoing support.” NHS Networks

Games4Life aims to get the nation active this summer

Games4Life aims to get the nation active this summer:
The latest campaign from Change4Life, Games4Life, aims to inspire the nation to get active during this year’s summer of sport.
With more than 1,200 hours of sport on TV over the summer (which works out at 13 hours a day), Games4Life intends to build on the excitement and encourage millions of people to get involved and get active.
A new survey shows that 93% of us will be tuning into some of this coverage during the next 3 months and while we watch:

• over half of us will snack on crisps
• 4 in 10 adults will drink alcohol
• 1 in 5 will eat a takeaway

In a bid to get the nation up off the sofa, Games4Life will be encouraging everyone to fill out a simple activity check questionnaire in return for a tailored Games4Life activity pack to keep both adults and kids busy during the summer months.
The campaign will bring ideas and inspiration to the public’s fingertips via the Change4Life website, which is full of fun, easy and free ways for everyone to get moving.
And for families, a new mobile app – the Fun Generator – will equip them with more than 100 ideas on how to get active. Find out more on the Change4Life website Department of Health

Junior doctors must shadow jobs

Junior doctors must shadow jobs: Junior doctors will have to spend at least four days shadowing their first job in the NHS before starting work, the government has announced. BBC Health News

H5N1 human pandemic 'possible'

H5N1 human pandemic 'possible': Researchers say the H5N1 bird flu virus could mutate into a form that could be spread rapidly between humans.Kings Fund Health News

Telehealth cuts deaths but fails to save NHS costs, study finds

Telehealth cuts deaths but fails to save NHS costs, study finds: Telehealth can cut deaths and avoid hospital admissions but is unlikely to save the NHS ;1.2bn as claimed by ministers, the first study into a DH-backed telehealth trial shows. Kings Fund Health News

Careful planning for industrial action ensured patient safety remained a priority

Careful planning for industrial action ensured patient safety remained a priority: An update following Thursday’s industrial action by doctors. NHS Employers

Quality and outcomes framework frequently asked questions published

Quality and outcomes framework frequently asked questions published: NHS Employers and the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association have now published the updated set of joint QOF frequently asked questions (FAQs) for use by primary care organisations and general practice. NHS Employers

Bird flu pandemic just "three mutations" away, scientists show

Bird flu pandemic just "three mutations" away, scientists show: A bird flu pandemic may be close to being a real threat after scientists discovered the virus is already just "three mutations" away from evolving into a strain which would be able to pass from human to human.Telegraph