County’s NHS launches pilot to reduce pressure on A&E

County’s NHS launches pilot to reduce pressure on A&E A pilot scheme at accident and emergency services in Northamptonshire are being put in place to help alleviate pressures on the departments. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Press release: Equivalent of up to 3,000 extra doctors and nurses, and thousands more beds made available to support NHS

Press release: Equivalent of up to 3,000 extra doctors and nurses, and thousands more beds made available to support NHS Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced the plans today to make sure the NHS is better prepared for winter than ever before.

NHS told to get tough on smoking

NHS told to get tough on smoking The NHS must stop turning a "blind eye" to smoking and ban it in all hospital grounds in England, according to new guidance. BBC News

See also:

• Hospitals have a duty of care to help all patients who smoke to quit NICE

Boots recalls cough and cold remedies

Boots recalls cough and cold remedies Pharmacy giant Boots recalls tens of thousands of bottles of cough and cold medicines over fears that plastic might have got into the liquid. BBC News

Patient safety reporting overhaul

Patient safety reporting overhaul The NHS is developing the National Reporting and Learning System to become an integrated reporting route for patient safety incidents. E-Health Insider

Are private patients 'too posh to push'?

Are private patients 'too posh to push'? "Well-off mothers really are 'too posh to push'," the Mail Online reports after an Irish study found that mothers who use private healthcare services had twice the odds of having a planned caesarean section as women using state-funded care.

Self-harm: half of inpatient cases dealt with by hospitals involve existing mental health service users

Self-harm: half of inpatient cases dealt with by hospitals involve existing mental health service users A third of all service user cases involve intentional self-harm with prescription drugs. Health and Social Care Information Centre

Francis report: Jeremy Hunt has prioritised blame over support

Francis report: Jeremy Hunt has prioritised blame over support The government's response fits in with the wider political strategy of blaming individuals for shortcomings in the system.

More transparency needed in hospitals

More transparency needed in hospitals Jane Cummings, the chief nursing officer, says openness will help drive up standards for patients. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• “Absolute transparency is the key to driving improvements in standards of care” says Chief Nursing Officer NHS England

Bitter conditions linked to deaths of additional 31,000 people last winter - a rise of almost one third

Bitter conditions linked to deaths of additional 31,000 people last winter - a rise of almost one third

There was a 29 per cent increase in deaths linked to the cold weather last winter, new figures have revealed. The Independent

See also:

• Charities say rise in cold weather deaths is a scandal The Daily Telegraph
• Steep rise in winter deaths BBC News
• Government response: ONS Excess Winter Mortality in England and Wales statistics Department of Health