Thursday 3 October 2013

GP services 'face cuts catastrophe'

GP services 'face cuts catastrophe' The GP system in England is facing a "catastrophe" because of cuts in funding that represent a £400m drop in real terms, doctors' leaders warn. BBC News

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Tight belts are unlikely to give you throat cancer

Tight belts are unlikely to give you throat cancer "Wearing your belt too tight can raise your risk of getting throat cancer…as it increases your chance of suffering acid reflux," is the unnecessarily alarmist headline in The Daily Telegraph.

Could exercise be as effective as medication?

Could exercise be as effective as medication? “Exercise can be as good a medicine as pills for people with conditions such as heart disease,” BBC News reports, while The Times urges doctors “to prescribe exercise rather than drugs”.
Both headlines are prompted by research comparing the relative benefits of exercise and drugs for people who have serious conditions such as heart failure. But while exercise can certainly help prevent many diseases, some of the headlines have overstated the evidence.

Delivering better services for people with long-term conditions

Delivering better services for people with long-term conditions This paper describes a co-ordinated service delivery model – the ‘house of care’ – that aims to deliver proactive, holistic and patient-centred care for people with long-term conditions. It incorporates learning from a number of sites in England that are working to achieve these goals, and makes recommendations on how key stakeholders can work together to improve care for people with long-term conditions.
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Care Bill: Carers UK analysis of main provisions for carers

Care Bill: Carers UK analysis of main provisions for carers This policy briefing finds that the Care Bill currently going through Parliament represents the biggest change to social care in the last 60 years by consolidating over 30 pieces of statute and numerous pieces of guidance, regulations and directions. It outlines measures to improve carers’ rights in some areas and finds that new rights to assessment mean that adults caring for adults should find it easier to have their needs for support considered.

Rise in bystander CPR linked to fall in deaths

Rise in bystander CPR linked to fall in deaths Denmark sees tripling of cardiac arrest survival as rate of CPR attempts doubles OnMedica

Who will get the top job at the NHS?

Who will get the top job at the NHS? Tories say the health service is 'safe in their hands', but finding the right person to run it is fraught with difficulty.
The job spec is probably the most daunting in the public sector for years. Wanted: "an inspirational and transformational leader" who is "an incredibly skilled communicator, [and] can operate across a wide and complex set of stakeholders and draw others into our vision".

Tests to predict violent crime by psychopaths are 'useless', according to new report

Tests to predict violent crime by psychopaths are 'useless', according to new report Parole boards may be releasing violent psychopathic criminals from prison too early because tests which try to predict whether they will reoffend are less accurate than flipping a coin, new research has shown.The Daily Telegraph

Ministers wage war on 'antiquated and unfair' NHS pay rise system

Ministers wage war on 'antiquated and unfair' NHS pay rise system Ministers are waging war on an NHS pay system which allowed thousands of doctors to enjoy pay rises of up to nine per cent last year, despite public pledges to constrain spending.The Daily Telegraph