Kettering Hospital misses waiting time target in A&E

Kettering Hospital misses waiting time target in A&E Kettering Hospital is missing national waiting time targets in A&E, because of huge pressure on its services over the winter. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS England publishes Health Visiting Service Specification 2015-16

NHS England publishes Health Visiting Service Specification 2015-16 NHS England has published the new health visiting (HV) service specification for 2015-16. NHS Employers

The rich picture: people with cancer

The rich picture: people with cancer This document is a collation of the key available evidence about the numbers, needs and experiences of people affected by cancer. It finds that 2.5 million people today are living with cancer in the UK, an increase of over half a million over the past five years. It argues that this increase puts huge pressure on the NHS, which will have difficulty coping unless urgent action is taken by all political parties. Macmillan Cancer Support

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Cameron defends NHS as A&E units record worst-ever performance

Cameron defends NHS as A&E units record worst-ever performance PM criticises scaremongering as eight more hospitals declare they underwent a major or significant incident this winter

David Cameron has been forced to defend the performance of the embattled health service as official figures showed accident and emergency units in England recording their worst-ever performance.

The prime minister’s intervention coincided with eight more hospitals declaring they had undergone a major or significant incident, taking the total reported so far this winter to 15, as the early stages of the election campaign headed into territory traditionally favourable to Labour. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Government response: NHS accident and emergency figures Department of Health
• Winter NHS services – where the extra funding is going NHS England
• RCN responds to winter A&E figures Royal College of Nursing
• Labour urges summit to find A&E 'fix' BBC News
• VIDEO: Why are hospital A&Es struggling? BBC News
• VIDEO: Emergency care system 'confusing' BBC News
• A&E: Does missing the target matter? BBC News
• VIDEO: Hunt responds to patients' A&E woes BBC News
• 9th hospital declares 'major incident' in NHS A&E crisis as another issues plea to off-duty nurses The Daily Mail
• Political point-scoring will not help the NHS The Daily Telegraph
• NHS waiting times: Which of the 15 promises have been broken under the Coalition? The Daily Telegraph
• A&E crisis: hospitals tweet pleas for off-duty staff to report for duty The Daily Telegraph
• GPs under pressure as A&E waits worst for a decade GP Online
• Hospitals crisis: what the experts think The Guardian
• Hospital A&E waiting times hit worst level on record The Guardian
• NHS four-hour wait time target in A&E met in 90% of cases Jeremy Hunt The Guardian
• A&E consultant: 'The system is at its limit' video The Guardian
• How did your NHS trust perform over the worst week for waiting times? The Guardian
• NHS in critical condition as A&E waiting times are worst in a decade The Independent
• System changes needed as A&E pressures hit new high OnMedica

Ebola drug trial starts in Liberia

Ebola drug trial starts in Liberia A trial of a potential drug to treat Ebola has started at a Medecins Sans Frontieres centre in Liberia. BBC News

Stevens calls for digital NHS front door

Stevens calls for digital NHS front door NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens has called for the creation of a digital urgent care 'front door' for the health service, as the performance of A&E has become an early general election issue. E-Health Insider

Why common cold may thrive at low temperatures

Why common cold may thrive at low temperatures The “common cold 'prefers cold noses',” reports BBC News today, while The Independent recommends that you “heed your mother’s warning: cover up or you’ll catch a cold”.

While these headlines might make you think this study is proof of a link between colder temperatures outside and catching a cold, this isn’t quite what the researchers looked at.

Our nasal passages are naturally a few degrees colder than the core of our body. It has long been known that rhinovirus – the most common cause of the human cold – grows much better at these lower temperatures.

The current study has looked at why this might be. It found that mouse airway cells were less able to mount immune defences against the cold virus at the lower temperature seen in the human nose than at the higher temperature seen at the core of the body.

While this study may suggest a possible explanation for the known effect of temperature on cold viruses, it is very early stage research, testing just one strain of rhinovirus in mouse cells. The experiments will need to be repeated with different strains and ideally with human airway cells.

Also, while the authors speculate about whether this could explain beliefs around the impact of cold environmental temperatures on catching a cold, and wrapping up warm to prevent a cold, this study didn't actually assess this.

Exclusive: NHS to increase PR spend in 2014/15 by up to 38%

Exclusive: NHS to increase PR spend in 2014/15 by up to 38% NHS organisations are on course to increase spending on public relations and communications staff by up to 38% in 2014/15, according to analysis by GP. GP Online

31% GP trainee pay cut could deepen recruitment crisis

31% GP trainee pay cut could deepen recruitment crisis The government's plans to significantly cut GP trainee pay could 'exacerbate existing workforce shortages' and make general practice an impossible career option for some trainees, the BMA has warned. GP Online

Teaching unions warn of self-harm epidemic among students

Teaching unions warn of self-harm epidemic among students An epidemic of self-harm is blighting the lives of students across the country, with schools unable to offer assistance due to a shortage of support services, teaching unions have warned. The Independent