Scrutiny of operations ‘could impact on patients’ claims hospital boss

Scrutiny of operations ‘could impact on patients’ claims hospital boss The clampdown on some NHS operations could have “a considerable impact on patient experience”, according to the boss of Northampton General Hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Ambulances 'face long delays at A&E'

Ambulances 'face long delays at A&E' Some patients are facing long waits in ambulances outside A&E departments, with one case involving a delay of more than six hours, figures show. BBC News

See also

• NHS Winter BBC (search by postcode to check local winter pressures)
• Patients wait hours in ambulances because A&E staff are too busy The Guardian

NHS England rolls out new personal health budget sites

NHS England rolls out new personal health budget sites SEVEN new sites have been set up to look at rolling out personal health budgets to people who use mental health services.

Study questions role of vitamin D in disease

Study questions role of vitamin D in disease "Doubt cast on vitamin D's role against disease," reports BBC News. The news come from a study summarising a large body of evidence from the best kind of trials – randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Transforming healthcare: the role for the finance team

Transforming healthcare: the role for the finance team This briefing looks at how NHS finance practitioners can contribute to the transformation agenda. Healthcare Financial Management Association

• Briefing
• Summary briefing
• Slidepack 
• HFMA - publications

Meeting needs and reducing distress: guidance on the prevention and management of clinically related challenging behaviour in NHS settings

Meeting needs and reducing distress: guidance on the prevention and management of clinically related challenging behaviour in NHS settings This guidance is for the use of clinical and non-clinical NHS staff and managers and may also be of interest to patients and service users, carers and families. It aims to help staff prevent and manage clinically related challenging behaviour by minimising a patient’s distress, meeting their needs and delivering high quality personalised care, in an environment that is safe for staff, patients and visitors. NHS Protect

Middle-aged drink and drug abusers put strain on NHS

Middle-aged drink and drug abusers put strain on NHS Doctors say burden unsustainable as people in 40s lead surge in admissions, adding they risk cancer as result of drinking habits.

Half of GPs don't refer cancer patients urgently, first league tables show

Half of GPs don't refer cancer patients urgently, first league tables show Family doctors accused of failing cancer sufferers after first ever GP league tables found more than half not referring such patients to specialists quickly enough. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Cancer patients 'not referred by GP' BBC News
• Thousands of cancer referrals not quick enough, says report The Guardian

NHS weekend failings: Report shows patients 24% more likely to die if operation is on a Friday

NHS weekend failings: Report shows patients 24% more likely to die if operation is on a Friday

NHS patients having an operation on a Friday are 24 per cent more likely to die than if they had one earlier in the week, in a damning indictment for the standard of care provided at weekends. The Independent

Britain's poor 'will die before they retire' if pension reforms aren't matched by health improvements

Britain's poor 'will die before they retire' if pension reforms aren't matched by health improvements

Thousands of Britain’s poorest people “will be dead before they can retire” if sweeping pension reforms are not matched by urgent action on health inequalities between rich and poor, experts have said. The Independent