Monday 6 October 2014

Northampton General Hospital ‘will be able to cope’ with four-hour strike by midwives

Northampton General Hospital ‘will be able to cope’ with four-hour strike by midwives Northampton General Hospital has “well developed contingency plans” to cope with the planned four-hour strike by midwives later this month, a spokesman said. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

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NHS 'at breaking point', medics say

NHS 'at breaking point', medics say The NHS and social care services are "at breaking point", a group of leading medical groups and charities say in a letter addressed to politicians. BBC News

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Delivering better value in the NHS

Delivering better value in the NHS 2014/15 looks like being a watershed year in which the NHS moves decisively into deficit. Although the political parties have begun to debate the level of funding that will be needed, it is not clear by how much the NHS budget will increase. The impact of continuing financial constraints on patient care is also uncertain.

What is obvious is that the NHS is currently run on the basis that money follows targets. The government’s very public commitments on access have resulted in money being channelled to these areas – for example, the additional funding provided in 2014/15 to help hard-pressed providers deal with lengthening waiting times for elective care and treatment in A&E.

Services lacking high-profile targets – like mental health and primary care – have not benefited in the same way, and there is growing evidence that patient care is suffering.

Winter flu jab drive launched

Winter flu jab drive launched Four-year-olds in England are to be offered the flu vaccine for the first time as part of the annual drive to get people vaccinated before the winter. BBC News

E-referrals launch delayed

E-referrals launch delayed The go-live of the new NHS e-referral service has been pushed back from November to spring 2015 after testing revealed a number of defects that "may have remained unresolved" by the launch date. E-Health Insider

Mugged in our hospital beds: The NHS's hidden charges for everything from cold drinks and snacks to bedside TV sets and phones

Mugged in our hospital beds: The NHS's hidden charges for everything from cold drinks and snacks to bedside TV sets and phones Campaigners have hit out at the ‘insidious creep’ of private companies offering what either should be provided on the NHS, such as decent food, or services that used to be free, like communal TV. Daily Mail

Liberal Democrats pledge to spend extra £1bn a year on NHS

Liberal Democrats pledge to spend extra £1bn a year on NHS In attempt to outflank Tories, Lib Dem Treasury chief secretary speaks of need to fund the jewel in our country's crown

The Liberal Democrats will today move to outflank their Tory coalition partners by pledging to spend an extra £1bn a year on the NHS over and above the amount promised by David Cameron as the party tries to overcome dire poll ratings in the runup to the general election.

As the Lib Dem cabinet minister Ed Davey predicted in a Guardian interview that the Cleggmania of 2010 will be replaced by Clegg respect next year, the party announced that it would target a series of tax and pension reliefs for the well off to provide extra funding for the NHS from 2016. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Thousands of patients could have unapproved 'mix match' metal on metal hips say lawyers

Thousands of patients could have unapproved 'mix match' metal on metal hips say lawyers Exclusive: Thousands of hip replacement patients are at risk due to 'mixing and matching' of components as surgeons are warned to stop widespread practice. The Daily Telegraph

Quality of basic GP healthcare is plummeting, poll of medics finds

Quality of basic GP healthcare is plummeting, poll of medics finds A survey of more than 1,000 family doctors and practice staff found the proportion who believe care has deteriorated has risen rapidly. The Daily Telegraph

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