Monitor takes action at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Monitor takes action at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Monitor has found Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in significant breach due to its persistent failure to meet its A&E four hour target and concerns about its Board governance and financial performance. Monitor

See also:

• Hospital in Northamptonshire ordered to take action after ‘failing its A&E patients’ Northampton Chornicle and Echo
• KGH in ‘special measures’ over A&E target failures Evening Telegraph
• Hospital trust 'failing patients BBC Northamptonshire
• Watchdog acts on Kettering General Hospital patient breaches The Independent

Paramedic slams 'superhub' plan

Paramedic slams 'superhub' plan: A paramedic says the idea of closing dozens of ambulance stations across the East Midlands will mean slower response times for rural communities. BBC Northamptonshire

Concerns over care home ratings

Concerns over care home ratings: Some care homes awarded five-star ratings, which earn them extra payments, are not meeting essential standards set by the care regulator. BBC News

Fresh fears for care home victims

Fresh fears for care home victims: There are fresh fears for the safety of some of the vulnerable patients moved from a Bristol care home which closed down after a BBC investigation.

See also: VIDEO: Fresh concerns for Winterbourne patients

NHS 111 fails to deliver benefits

NHS 111 fails to deliver benefits: NHS 111 has not improved efficiency in the NHS and has a low probability of cost savings to the emergency and urgent care system, an independent evaluation report says. E-Health Insider

Ten years of maternity claims: an analysis of NHS Litigation Authority data

Ten years of maternity claims: an analysis of NHS Litigation Authority data: This report analyses maternity claims reported to the NHS Litigation Authority and finds that on the whole, NHS maternity care is safe but more training could reduce the risk of accidental injuries. It is designed to help NHS health professionals responsible for the care of women and their babies to improve safety by learning lessons from the claims that have been made.

• Report
• NHS Litigation Authority - press release

Cold weather plan for England 2012

Cold weather plan for England 2012: This plan aims to prepare for the effects of winter weather on people’s health. It provides advice for individuals, communities and agencies on how to prepare for and respond to severe cold weather as part of wider winter planning.

• Cold weather plan
• Supporting the case
• Equality analysis 
• Letter
• Further information and supporting documents

NHS lost track of 1.8m patient records in a year with sensitive information found in public bus and for sale on the internet

NHS lost track of 1.8m patient records in a year with sensitive information found in public bus and for sale on the internet: The worst cases include details of terminally ill patients being faxed to the wrong number, and patient records being stolen and posted on to the internet. Daily Mail

Biting the NHS procurement bullet

Biting the NHS procurement bullet: A procurement makeover at County Durham and Darlington NHS foundation trust could provide a model for the whole NHS
Millions of pounds are too often wasted in the way the NHS purchases products and services, from swabs to stationery. Until the health sector bites the bullet and gets its procurement house in order the financial impact of health reforms will achieve only partial success.

Junior staff are 'missing complications' during birth leading to billions of pounds worth of claims

Junior staff are 'missing complications' during birth leading to billions of pounds worth of claims: Junior doctors and midwives are missing serious complications in women giving birth leading to 'staggering' litigation costs of £3.1bn over the last ten years, report warns. The Daily Telegraph

NHS patient data shared with industry

NHS patient data shared with industry: Thousands of English NHS patient records have been shared with 18 of Britain's biggest pharmaceutical firms since the launch of a new clinical research scheme earlier this year. The Daily Telegraph

How European working rules have created a generation of "clocking off" doctors

How European working rules have created a generation of "clocking off" doctors: Here, a consultant surgeon speaks anonymously out how European working rules have created a breed of doctors who are all too ready to "clock off". He was talking to Adele Waters. The Daily Telegraph

268,000 pledge to quit smoking for 'Stoptober'

268,000 pledge to quit smoking for 'Stoptober':
More than a quarter of a million people pledged to stub out their last cigarette during the "Stoptober" anti-smoking campaign, the Government said today. The Independent

Smoking will 'kill up to a billion people worldwide this century'

Smoking will 'kill up to a billion people worldwide this century': 
It is described as the biggest public health disaster in the history of the world, with its perpetrators likened to terrorists. Smoking will kill up to a billion people worldwide this century, unless governments across the world stamp down on the half-trillion-dollar tobacco industry. The Independent