Pathology industrial action will not jeopardise patient safety

Pathology industrial action will not jeopardise patient safety We were informed by Unite on 23rd June that a small number of our employees within the pathology service intended to undertake partial duties as part of their planned industrial action. This means they would be unlikely to undertake out-of-hours' work, be unable to meet current turnaround times for tests and potentially refuse to complete the required duties in their expected job role. Northampton General Hospital

See also:

• Union claims extra delays of four hours for blood results as Northampton General Hospital dispute continues Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Biomedical staff at Northampton General Hospital locked out of work for a fifth day Northampton Herald and Post

New flexible working request regime

New flexible working request regime A new flexible working request regime came into force on 30 June 2014. Read what this means for employers. NHS Employers

Meeting need or fuelling unnecessary demand?

Meeting need or fuelling unnecessary demand? This briefing studies the effects of demand for services of improved access to primary care. NHS England commissioned this briefing by the Nuffield Trust to ensure that the successful pilots from the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund were in a position to learn from past experience and research. It examines how far increased access to general practice and other primary care services will deal with unmet need, or whether these efforts may only serve to stimulate additional use of services that would not have otherwise occurred.

• Briefing
• Presentation

Local authority health scrutiny

Local authority health scrutiny Local authorities are responsible for scrutinising local health organisations to ensure they are providing effective, efficient services and encourage improvement. The guidance explains the health scrutiny regulations and provides local authorities with advice about how to implement them to ensure that existing health services are providing effectively for local communities. Department of Health

Midwives support strike action

Midwives support strike action Midwives in England say they are prepared to take industrial action over pay. BBC News

Enter the CCG on stats use and abuse

Enter the CCG on stats use and abuse Just as everybody thinks they are a better-than-average driver, so everbody seems to think that they too can 'do statistics'. So I'm going to be blunt. Statistics isn't for the amateur: it's potentially dangerous - like surgery. E-Health Insider

Blood test for breast cancer 'has potential'

Blood test for breast cancer 'has potential' "Blood test could give early warning of breast cancer," The Guardian reports. Researchers have identified a genetic signature that may be useful in predicting whether a woman is likely to develop non-inherited breast cancer.

Reliable blood tests for inherited (genetic) cases of breast cancer already exist. These tests look for mutations in the BRCA gene and may be used in women with a strong family history of breast cancer.

They can predict whether a woman is at risk of developing breast cancer with a high degree of accuracy. Such tests provide women with the opportunity to take preventative treatment, as was the case recently with the actress Angelina Jolie.

But only a very small proportion of all breast cancers are in people with BRCA mutations, described as being fewer than 1 in 10.

GPs criticise 'misguided' DH plan to name practices with low cancer referral rates

GPs criticise 'misguided' DH plan to name practices with low cancer referral rates GP leaders have criticised a 'simplistic and misguided' plan by the DH to 'name and shame' GP practices with low cancer referral rates, warning it could increase unnecessary referrals. GP Online

The NHS is probably the best system in the world, despite being given a kicking

The NHS is probably the best system in the world, despite being given a kicking Politicians, doctors and patients who rubbish the NHS should temper their remarks. Which country does healthcare better?

The NHS may be "palpably fraying at the edges" according to Dr Mark Porter, chairman of the British Medical Association, but as a jobbing GP, I'd say it's not unravelled yet.

Undoubtedly, too many people pitch up at A&E. And when asked to account for their actions, a quarter say it's because they can't get access to their GP. Often that's true. Sometimes it's not. Unpublished data from a local study of A&E attendances that I worked on three years ago showed no correlation between GP opening times, type of appointments (booked as opposed to walk-in surgeries), and size of practice. Access to GPs is a problem in some areas but some patients don't even try to get an appointment. Continue reading... The Guardian