Chief fears hospital now 'too small'

Chief fears hospital now 'too small' A hospital is now too small to cope with a growing population, a senior manager says. BBC Northamptonshire

New 300-space single-storey car park approved for Northampton General Hospital site

New 300-space single-storey car park approved for Northampton General Hospital site Planning permission has been granted by Northampton Borough Council for a new 300-space single-storey decked car park on the Northampton General Hospital site. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Putting care back into health care

Putting care back into health care When health care can deliver so much that could never have been imagined when the NHS was set up, have we lost sight of the basic principles of care? asks Jo Bibby. The Health Foundation

Community nursing safe staffing - have your say

Community nursing safe staffing - have your say Have your say on the current NICE consultation and call for evidence on safe staffing in community nursing care settings. NHS Employers

HIV home test kit goes on sale in UK

HIV home test kit goes on sale in UK The first HIV self-test kit that allows people to get a fast result at home has gone on sale in the UK. BBC News

See also:

• First DIY test for HIV goes on sale in UK: Self-testing equipment has a 99.7 per cent accuracy The Daily Mail
• First HIV self testing kits go on sale in UK The Daily Telegraph

Another nail in coffin of MMR-autism link

Another nail in coffin of MMR-autism link Even in children already at higher risk of autism, there’s no relative increase with MMR jab. OnMedica

Far more NHS contracts going to private firms than ministers admit, figures show

Far more NHS contracts going to private firms than ministers admit, figures show Figures detailing who is being awarded contracts to provide clinical services appear to undermine government’s claim 6% of NHS budget goes to private firms

Profit-driven firms have been winning far more NHS contracts than ministers admit and privatisation has increased significantly under the coalition government, the latest evidence shows.

Two new sets of figures, detailing who is being awarded contracts to provide NHS clinical services, both challenge the government’s claim that only 6% of the service’s budget goes to private firms. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Labour attacks NHS 'private care' BBC News
• Four out of 10 health contracts going to private firms, Labour claims The Independent

Diabetics' amputation risks increased as NHS foot checks missed

Diabetics' amputation risks increased as NHS foot checks missed Too many people with the disease are not receiving recommended annual test of the health of their feet, says Diabetes UK

More than 400,000 diabetics are at risk of having an amputation because they do not get what are meant to be annual NHS checks on their feet, campaigners are warning.

One in seven people with type 2 diabetes and almost three in 10 sufferers with type 1 are not receiving the recommended annual test of the health of their feet, claims Diabetes UK. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• More than 400,000 people with diabetes not getting their annual foot check  Diabetes UK

Rationing care is a fact of life for the NHS

Rationing care is a fact of life for the NHS It’s one of the toughest issues the health service has to face, but it should be debated openly, honestly and without political interference

This week’s survey by HSJ revealing that 39% of clinical commissioning groups it contacted wereconsidering rationing care to save money in the coming year highlights one of the murkier areas of health policy and raises a number of difficult questions.

Rationing is nothing new, of course. When waiting lists stretched to many months and even years, treatment was often rationed simply by the patient dying before they reach the operating table. Heart surgery was a striking example of this. The long waits in A&E departments acted as another form of rationing. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS hit by stealth cuts of £2bn as tariffs received for medical procedures are reduced

NHS hit by stealth cuts of £2bn as tariffs received for medical procedures are reduced Hospitals across England have suffered a “stealth cut” amounting to more than to £2bn since 2010, because of reductions in the amounts paid to fund standard medical procedures, according to new research. The Independent

Children suffering from mental health conditions put in prison cells for want of suitable hospital beds

Children suffering from mental health conditions put in prison cells for want of suitable hospital beds More than 200 children, some as young as 12, were held in police cells while suffering mental health crises last year, because of a lack of suitable hospital beds, figures obtained by The Independent on Sunday reveal.