Consultation on the arrangements for consideration of proposals on the fluoridation of drinking water

Consultation on the arrangements for consideration of proposals on the fluoridation of drinking water:
The Department is consulting on the process local authorities will use to conduct consultations on fluoridation of drinking water. We are not consulting on the benefits or disadvantages of fluoridation.
This consultation is an opportunity for the Department to obtain the views of local authorities, NHS commissioners, public health professionals, service providers, equality representatives and all other interested parties on the future arrangements for consulting on proposals for fluoridation schemes.

Mixed reception to Hunt's new job

Mixed reception to Hunt's new job: Mixed reception over news of Jeremy Hunt taking over from Andrew Lansley as health secretary. BBC News

Religion or belief - new report published by Equality & Human Rights Commission

Religion or belief - new report published by Equality & Human Rights Commission: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a report on religion or belief. A range of organisations contributed to the research, including NHS Employers.

NHS Right Care publishes "Spend and Outcome Tool" aimed at identifying areas of improvement for each group

NHS Right Care publishes "Spend and Outcome Tool" aimed at identifying areas of improvement for each group: NHS Right Care has published a new "Spend and Outcome Tool" to help Clinical Commissioning Groups to identify what to improve. The Right Care CCG SPOT tool is a quadrant analysis tool that graphically illustrates where each group stands compared to other similar CCG populations. Clinical Commissioners can use the CCG SPOT tool, together with other tools, to identify priority programmes for improvement or innovation programmes.

Local pay, local growth: reforming pay setting in the public sector

Local pay, local growth: reforming pay setting in the public sector:
This report argues that rebalancing the pay and pensions of public
sector workers so that they are in line with that of equivalent workers
in the private sector would save the UK £6.3 billion a year in public
spending. It makes recommendations towards enabling local public sector
employers to choose systems of pay that reflect local living conditions
and vary pay awards by the performance of employees.

• Report
• Policy Exchange - publications

Nurses 'cleaning toilets'

Nurses 'cleaning toilets': The results of a survey by Nursing Times has shown a third of nurses had cleaned toilets or mopped floors in the past year.The survey of 1,000 health service nurses and health assistants found over 50% thought the cleaning provision for their wards was not adequate and 20% said hospital bosses had made cuts to the amount of cleaning done on wards.Rose Gallagher, the Royal College of Nursing's adviser o... Healthcare Today

Jeremy Hunt replaces Andrew Lansley as health secretary - BBC News

Jeremy Hunt replaces Andrew Lansley as health secretary - BBC News:

Daily Mail

Jeremy Hunt replaces Andrew Lansley as health secretary BBC News He is a rare example of a politician who has immersed himself for almost a decade in one policy area, as a shadow health secretary who progressed to the Whitehall department. His single-minded vision for NHS reform provoked a loud chorus of opposition ... Lansley faces axe over NHS reforms: Health Secretary likely to be shock ...Daily Mail Reshuffle sees Lansley lose health jobITV News Reshuffle: Jeremy Hunt up, Andrew Lansley downTelegraph.co.uk (blog) Channel 4 News -The Independent -Evening Standard all 202 news articles »

Transforming culture in failing hospitals is possible

Transforming culture in failing hospitals is possible:

Salford Royal shows that though a tall order in a cash-strapped NHS, it is possible to bring a hospital back from the brink.

'We're doing medicine in a really inefficient way,' says RCPCH leader

'We're doing medicine in a really inefficient way,' says RCPCH leader: Dr Hilary Cass, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, explains her vision for the future and why she thinks 'defocusing on hospitals' would improve care.

Beware of the cat: Britain's hidden toxoplasma problem

Beware of the cat: Britain's hidden toxoplasma problem:
A parasite spread by cats is infecting 1,000 new people every day in Britain – about 350,000 a year – according to an official assessment of the risks posed by toxoplasma, which can cause serious illness and has been tentatively linked with schizophrenia and other psychotic disturbances. The Independent

NHS 'still not getting basics right'

NHS 'still not getting basics right':
The former head of the Care Quality Commission warned yesterday that parts of the NHS were still delivering unacceptably poor standards of care. The Independent