Child health 'an election issue'

Child health 'an election issue' Measures to protect children's health should be put at the forefront of the general election, say doctors. BBC News

See also:

• Open consultation: Funding for 0 to 5 children’s services: 2016 to 2017 Department of Health
• Children’s healthcare must not suffer at the hands of politicians chasing the ‘grey vote’ | Letter: Dr Hilary Cass and 21 others The Guardian

Drug drivers targeted by new rules

Drug drivers targeted by new rules New regulations aimed at stamping out drug driving, including the first legal limits on cannabis and cocaine, come into force in England and Wales. BBC News

See also:

• Medication could put you over the new drug-drive limit: Motorists suffering from epilepsy, insomnia and anxiety advised to carry their prescriptions with them The Daily Mail

Start date for 'Devo Manc' NHS plan

Start date for 'Devo Manc' NHS plan Greater Manchester will begin taking control of its health budget from April after a devolution agreement is signed by the Chancellor George Osborne. BBC News

See also:

• 'Devo Manc' and the NHS BBC News
• Ministers sign £6bn Manchester health and social care devolution deal GP Online
• Viewpoint: Dr Kailash Chand: Detail needed on devolution of Manchester's £6bn NHS budget GP Online
• Manchester’s plan has implications for the whole NHS The Guardian
• Deal to devolve £6bn NHS and social care budget to Manchester is signed OnMedica

Prescribing rights of allied health professionals to be widened

Prescribing rights of allied health professionals to be widened Many patients having to see a GP just to get a medicine they need, NHS England says. OnMedica

See also:

• Independent and supplementary prescribing by allied health professionals consultation NHS England

500 new cases of female genital mutilation in one month are 'just the tip of the iceberg' warn campaigners

500 new cases of female genital mutilation in one month are 'just the tip of the iceberg' warn campaigners The campaign group Equality Now said figures showing 500 new cases of FGM in England in January are 'just the tip of the iceberg', warning figures will 'increase' as women access health services. The Daily Mail

GP crisis looming as half of family doctors plan to leave profession before 60

GP crisis looming as half of family doctors plan to leave profession before 60 A survey of 1,004 GPs across the UK, for the BBC's Inside Out programme, found that 56 per cent said they expect to retire or leave before they are 60. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• GP shortages put pressure on doctors BBC News
• 40% jump in GPs planing to start a new life abroad: Exodus means surgeries across England are in crisis The Daily Mail
• More than half of GPs expect to leave profession before 60, says survey The Guardian

Lib Dems veto Saatchi's medical innovation bill

Lib Dems veto Saatchi's medical innovation bill Health minister cites ‘risk of unintended consequences’ of law to allow doctors to use innovative treatments when other options are exhausted

The Liberal Democrats have vetoed a proposed law seeking to give doctors legal protection to use innovative treatments on patients when other options have been exhausted.

The Lib Dem health minister, Norman Lamb, said he wanted to avoid “the risk of unintended consequences” of Lord Saatchi’s medical innovation bill, which went unopposed in a third reading by the House of Lords and was set to go to the Commons. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Lord Saatchi's drugs bill has been let down by politics The Daily Telegraph

NHS chief: poor weekend care leaving vulnerable patients feeling unsafe

NHS chief: poor weekend care leaving vulnerable patients feeling unsafe Sir Bruce Keogh says problems of weekend care can only be solved by ending premium rates paid to staff for working weekends

Poor weekend care in NHS hospitals is leaving the most vulnerable patients feeling neglected and unsafe, and wasting money on operating theatres, laboratories and diagnostic equipment lying idle, Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of NHS England has said.

But he warned it can only be tackled by ending premium rates paid to staff for working weekends.

Everybody knows that it’s wrong to start winding down on a Friday afternoon and start cranking up again on a Monday. Continue reading... The Guardian

What does the future hold for the Cancer Drugs Fund?

What does the future hold for the Cancer Drugs Fund? Since 2010, the fund has had £200m a year to spend on drugs and has treated 60,000 patients, but many feel it has outstayed its welcome

When the government created the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) in 2010 to pay for cancer drugs rejected by the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (Nice), it was intended as a short-term stopgap until a longer-term solution to the problem of evaluating and funding cancer drugs for terminally ill patients could be developed.

The fund, which was given £200m a year to spend on drugs, was set up in a context of media stories about cancer patients being denied life-extending drugs. Since then, 60,000 patients have received drug treatments funded by the CDF. Although initially welcomed by cancer charities, many feel it has outstayed its welcome. Continue reading... The Guardian

Morecambe Bay Trust inquiry: Families braced for delayed report into maternity deaths

Morecambe Bay Trust inquiry: Families braced for delayed report into maternity deaths As many as 80 bereaved families are bringing legal negligence claims in an NHS scandal that is expected to provoke a political storm this week, when an inquiry into failings at three hospitals is published. The Independent