Labour say 32 hospitals 'at risk' of cuts and closures

Labour say 32 hospitals 'at risk' of cuts and closures Labour claim 32 hospital trusts 'at risk' of cuts and closures including Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital. The Daily Telegraph

Kettering General Hospital to spend £400,000 upgrading maternity services

Kettering General Hospital to spend £400,000 upgrading maternity services Kettering General Hospital has been granted almost £400,000 to improve its maternity services from national modernisation funds. Northamptonshire Telegraph

How to cause more hurt

How to cause more hurt This blog by Martin Bromiley looks at how complaints of poor care are managed in the NHS. The Health Foundation

Prescription charge rise in England

Prescription charge rise in England The price of NHS prescriptions is to rise by 20 pence in April and again next year. BBC News

See also:

• More children treated on adult wards BBC News

Statistics on children admitted to adult mental health wards released

Statistics on children admitted to adult mental health wards released Figures are released today on the number of under-18s recorded as being inpatients on adult mental health wards. Health & Social Care Information Centre

See also:

• More children treated on adult wards BBC News

Supporting recovering in mental health services: quality and outcomes

Supporting recovering in mental health services: quality and outcomes This publication aims to help organisations in the mental health sector develop clear, empirically-informed statements about what constitutes high-quality services, and how these will lead to key recovery outcomes for service users. It also includes a series of recommendations for health and social care providers and commissioners, and for NHS England and the government, that aim to support development of an evidence-based approach to commissioning mental health services. Centre for Mental Health

Difficult conversations with dying people and their families

Difficult conversations with dying people and their families This survey of over 1,000 GPs reveals that terminally ill people are not getting access to the right care when they need it. The report highlights issues surrounding round-the-clock care with families reporting having to chase after prescriptions, nurses waiting hours for vital drugs to arrive, and locums unable to prescribe. Marie Curie Cancer Care

Breast cancer care not always compliant with NICE standards

Breast cancer care not always compliant with NICE standards Charity calls for better monitoring of adherence OnMedica

Are expectations for integrating health and social care unrealistic?

Are expectations for integrating health and social care unrealistic? Better joint working between sectors is being seen as part of a shift to a preventive model of care, but there should be pragmatism about what can be achieved.

Breast cancer patients 'threatened by inadequate checks', says research charity

Breast cancer patients 'threatened by inadequate checks', says research charity NHS organisations are not being checked to see whether they are adhering to “best practice” guidance issued by health regulators, a charity has warned. The Independent