Ambulance service is fined £3.5m

Ambulance service is fined £3.5m: East Midlands Ambulance Service is fined for failing to meet response time targets for a third year. BBC Northamptonshire

Closing the gate before the horse bolts: a new approach to patient safety

Closing the gate before the horse bolts: a new approach to patient safety: The time is now right to move to more actively designing and managing patient safety, says Elaine Maxwell. Health Foundation

Flu drug bill 'shocking waste'

Flu drug bill 'shocking waste': The government squandered taxpayers' money on a drug to treat flu, a public spending watchdog says. BBC News

See also:

• £74m wasted on flu drugs destroyed because of poor record keeping The Guardian
• 'Shocking example of incompetence' over stockpiled flu drug Tamiflu The Independent
• £74m of Tamiflu thrown away by NHS The Daily Telegraph
• Access to clinical trial information and the stockpiling of Tamiflu National Audit Office

NHS help in repairing genital mutilation

NHS help in repairing genital mutilation: NHS clinics help women damaged by female genital mutilation. BBC News

Hunt 'must recognise growing GP crisis', warns RCGP

Hunt 'must recognise growing GP crisis', warns RCGP: The RCGP has hit back at criticism of GPs ahead of a speech this week by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, warning against 'demoralising' talk of tougher regulation. GP Online

Paying for social care: beyond Dilnot

Paying for social care: beyond Dilnot: This report argues that the government reforms alone will not solve the challenge of funding adult social care. It argues that whilst the social care funding cap will provide welcome protection for those who will require long stays in residential care, more should be done to meet mounting financial pressures. It calls for a stronger focus on the challenge of eligibility - ensuring that more people are able to access the right level of support. It also raises concerns that unmet need, and its impact on carers, will place further pressure on an NHS already under significant strain, arguing that it is time to look beyond the Dilnot report at how to secure enough resources to meet current and future needs.

• Report
• Related blog from Richard Humphries
• The King's Fund - press release

Dying well at home: the case for integrated working

Dying well at home: the case for integrated working: This guide aims to enable people who want to die at home to do so and improving the quality of care they receive. It argues that whilst a good death at home may not be a feasible or desirable death for everyone, it could be a reality for many more people if there are services to support it.

• Guide
• Research evidence
• SCIE - publications

Sharing a bed with your baby ups risk of cot death

Sharing a bed with your baby ups risk of cot death: "Bed-sharing 'raises cot death risk fivefold'," BBC News reports. The news has featured in much of the media, with headlines based on a large analysis of previous studies into the risk of cot death, or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), associated with bed-sharing.

Are the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities being met?

Are the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities being met?: Christine Burke, Senior Development Manager talks about our new project with Kings College to explore how people with learning disabilities can more easily access talking therapies (IAPT) in a way that meets their needs. Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities 

NHS funding of private sector rose by £3bn in six years, report says

NHS funding of private sector rose by £3bn in six years, report says: Study shows role of non-NHS providers in delivering NHS-funded care in England has increased dramatically.
Spending on private services by the NHS reached a record £8.7bn last year, a jump of more than £3bn since 2006, according to research.

Casualty units must be reformed to meet demand, says Jeremy Hunt

Casualty units must be reformed to meet demand, says Jeremy Hunt: Accident and Emergency units are so overstretched that they cannot cope with bank-holiday pressures, the Health Secretary has warned. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• VIDEO: Hunt blames A&E crisis on Labour BBC News

Patients should email GP rather than visit them, says leading official

Patients should email GP rather than visit them, says leading official: Patients should email their GP instead of going to see them to free up health services, a leading official said yesterday. The Daily Telegraph

Sir David Nicholson quits: NHS chief steps down in wake of Mid Staffs scandal

Sir David Nicholson quits: NHS chief steps down in wake of Mid Staffs scandal:
The head of the NHS Sir David Nicholson is to step down from his role, it was announced today, following a sustained and sometimes virulent campaign to force his resignation over the Mid Staffordshire scandal. The Independent

See also:

• A £2m pension pot: NHS chief Sir David Nicholson's reward for failure The Daily Telegraph
• NHS chief to step down next year after criticism over Mid Staffs scandal The Guardian
• Nicholson to retire E-Health Insider
• Nicholson to retire from the NHS next year Public Service
• NHS boss set to retire next year BBC News
• Sir David Nicholson announces plan to retire from NHS NHS England

Hospitals freeze A&E targets - because they can’t hit them

Hospitals freeze A&E targets - because they can’t hit them:
Hospitals across Britain have been forced to suspend targets to see accident and emergency patients within four hours because they can no longer cope with demand, doctors and managers have warned. The Independent

See also:

• Overcrowded A&E departments drop four-hour waiting target The Daily Telegraph
• Senior NHS figure challenges Jeremy Hunt over causes of A&E crisis The Guardian