More than 1,300 Northamptonshire women smoke while pregnant each year, latest statistics show

More than 1,300 Northamptonshire women smoke while pregnant each year, latest statistics show The proportion of women in Northamptonshire who still hadn't given up smoking when they gave birth is 16 per cent, according to latest figures. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The great health debate – is there more consensus between the left and right than we’d assume?

The great health debate – is there more consensus between the left and right than we’d assume? At a pre-election debate on health care featuring panellists from across the political spectrum, was the amount of consensus on some issues surprising, asks Emma Spencelayh. The Health Foundation

New Agenda for Change pay circulars published

New Agenda for Change pay circulars published Download the new Agenda for Change pay circulars following the trade unions' acceptance of the Government pay offer. NHS Employers

Raising the bar: The Shape of Care review report

Raising the bar: The Shape of Care review report This report makes 34 recommendations for the future education and training of registered nurses and care assistants. It covers themes such as enhancing co-production and the voice of the patient, assuring flexibility in nursing and funding and commissioning levers. Health Education England

See also:

• Shape of Caring Review Twitter Chat: 23 March 2015 Health Education England
• Interview with Lord Willis, chair of the review (video) Health Education England
• Shape of Caring report is an opportunity to bridge the gap between care assistants and nurses NHS Employers
• Shape of Caring review publishes final recommendations Nursing and Midwifery Council
• RCN responds to Shape of Caring Review Royal College of Nursing

NHS governance review 2015: unchartered waters

NHS governance review 2015: unchartered waters This review considers current governance-related challenges and opportunities facing the NHS, especially in the context of the recently published ‘NHS Five Year Forward View’ report. It concludes that as the NHS enters uncharted waters, its governance and risk management arrangements need to be more agile. Grant Thornton

Whole in one: achieving equality of status, access and resources for people with depression

Whole in one: achieving equality of status, access and resources for people with depression This report focuses on depression in adults, with particular emphasis on access to NHS services and treatment, the funding of services, depression in the workplace, and the role of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 2020Health

Best hospitals 'now struggling'

Best hospitals 'now struggling' Pressures in the NHS are so great that even the best hospitals in England are seeing patients wait longer for key services, an analysis shows. BBC News

The NHS - a powerhouse for new medicines?

The NHS - a powerhouse for new medicines? Could the NHS pioneer digital healthcare? BBC News

Ultrasound 'breakthrough' in treating Alzheimer's - in mice

Ultrasound 'breakthrough' in treating Alzheimer's - in mice "Alzheimer's breakthrough as ultrasound successfully treats disease in mice," The Guardian reports.

New research found high-energy sound waves helped remove abnormal clumps of proteins from the brains of mice, and also improved their memory.

The mice used in this study were genetically engineered to produce amyloid plaques – abnormal clumps of protein fragment amyloid-β typically found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

There was a 50% reduction in plaques in mice whose brains were exposed to ultrasound once a week for five to seven weeks.

Memory also improved to the extent that the mice were able to negotiate a maze as well as healthy mice after the treatment. They were also better able to avoid a section of a spinning wheel that would give them an electric shock.

While the treated mice appeared to be unharmed, with no obvious tissue damage, human brains are much more complex. Ultrasound could damage brain function in ways that we cannot predict.

Prescription charge to rise to £8.20

Prescription charge to rise to £8.20 New NHS charges to help with doubled spend on medicines since 2000. OnMedica

Melanoma drug is first to be fast tracked under NHS early access scheme

Melanoma drug is first to be fast tracked under NHS early access scheme Previously unlicensed drug would only have been available to patients in clinical trials. OnMedica

'Chronic underfunding' of social care increases burden on NHS, say GPs

'Chronic underfunding' of social care increases burden on NHS, say GPs A new poll of 830 doctors in England suggests service reduction sends desperate patients to A&E or keeps them in hospital longer than necessary

Nine out of 10 GPs believe deep cuts to social care under the coalition have added to the growing overcrowding at both their own surgeries and hospital A&E units.

In a poll of 830 family doctors in England, 92% did not think that enough social care is available to stop patients ending up in emergency departments or to avoid them having to stay in hospital despite being medically fit to leave. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• The coalition government’s record on social care The King's Fund
• Misguided to think cuts to one sector do not impact on others, says RCGP Chair Royal College of General Practitioners

Ebola: Infected British military health worker arrives in London

Ebola: Infected British military health worker arrives in London A British military healthcare worker who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital in London, after being evacuated from the country by RAF jet. The Independent