NHS facing toughest winter for 30 years, according to report by Northampton General Hospital

NHS facing toughest winter for 30 years, according to report by Northampton General Hospital The concern was raised in a Maintaining Quality Over Winter Report published by the hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

SPECIAL REPORT: The challenge facing Northampton General Hospital to cope with winter

SPECIAL REPORT: The challenge facing Northampton General Hospital to cope with winter Northampton General Hospital has introduced a number of measures to reduce the pressures over winter...but will it be enough? Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS clampdown on staffing agencies saves millions of pounds

NHS clampdown on staffing agencies saves millions of pounds Figures released by the health regulator, NHS Improvement, show the amount hospitals spend on management consultants has fallen sharply over the last few months by £42 million. Spend has fallen from £145 million in July-September 2014 to £103 million in the same period in 2015.

The clampdown, part of a wider package of spending controls announced in June aimed at supporting hospitals to improve hospital finances, also targeted ‘rip off’ staffing agencies including limiting the amount hospitals could pay for agency staff.

Hospitals spent £3.3 billion on agency staff last year, following a move to increase staffing levels on wards in the wake of the Mid-Staffordshire scandal. The government is targeting those agencies making big profits from this, while also incentivising NHS trusts to employ permanent staff because they provide better continuity of care for patients.

NHS Improvement believes these measures will save up to £160 million by the end of the year, and remove £1 billion from the agency staffing bill by 2018. Department of Health

New alcohol intake limits drawn up

New alcohol intake limits drawn up Proposed new guidelines on how much people should limit their alcohol intake are to be issued following the first review of official advice in 20 years. BBC News

See also:

• Keep off the booze for two days a week, says health boss as she warns men should only have three HALVES a day The Daily Mail
• Older people drinking too much could create NHS ‘timebomb’, says doctor The Guardian
• No safe alcohol limit, new guidelines to say The Guardian
• Drinkers are going to be advised to cut back on alcohol for at least two days a week The Independent

VIDEO: E-cigarette laws to change across EU

VIDEO: E-cigarette laws to change across EU Laws on electronic cigarettes are to change across Europe, with new health warnings and controls on how they are sold. BBC News

See also:

• E-cigarettes to be available on NHS prescription for the first time The Daily Mail
• E-cigarettes win first approval as a 'medicine' opening way for prescription by the NHS The Daily Telegraph

NHS dentistry is 'Third World' and 'unfit for purpose', say hundreds of dentists

NHS dentistry is 'Third World' and 'unfit for purpose', say hundreds of dentists According to NHS figures, half of adults and a third of children in England have not been to a dentist for two years. The Independent

Government makes last-ditch offer to avert junior doctors strike

Government makes last-ditch offer to avert junior doctors strike As Monday deadline for strike decision looms, the Department of Health makes fresh attempt to avoid first doctors walkout in 40 years

A last-ditch offer will be made to junior doctors as talks aimed at finding a settlement in the protracted dispute reach a critical point.

Fresh proposals about pay and conditions will be put by NHS Employers and the Department of Health (DH) to leaders of England’s 45,000 junior doctors on Monday, the term used for all doctors below consultant level. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Up to 45,000 doctors to strike next week as hope of pay deal fades The Daily Mail
• Forty eight hours to avert doctors strike after last-minute talks The Daily Telegraph
• Junior doctors likely to strike as government talks falter The Guardian
• Junior doctors' strike could last the entire year, campaigners warn The Independent

Cuts to sexual health services will lead to STI 'explosion', warn experts

Cuts to sexual health services will lead to STI 'explosion', warn experts Labour analysis predicts £40m less will be spent on testing and treating infection in 2016 despite rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis soaring

Cuts to sexual health services will lead to more abortions, unplanned pregnancies and an “explosion” in sexually transmitted infections, medical experts warn.

Their warning comes as Labour claims that local councils in England will spend as much as £40m less than planned this year on services such as testing and treating infections such as herpes and syphilis as a result of George Osborne’s decision to cut £200m from the public health budget. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS hospital bosses given pay rises worth more than a nurse's annual salary

NHS hospital bosses given pay rises worth more than a nurse's annual salary Some hospital chief executives have been given pay rises of up to £35,000. The Daily Telegraph

GP records IT system delayed at 'huge cost' to the taxpayer

GP records IT system delayed at 'huge cost' to the taxpayer MPs on the Public Account Committee say that the cost of extracting GP records has risen from £14 million to £40 million after series of failings. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• 14th Report - General Practice Extraction Service House of Commons Public Accounts Committee