Thursday 7 January 2016

Northamptonshire finance chief says £7.5m government cut is ‘biggest battle’ county council has ever faced

Northamptonshire finance chief says £7.5m government cut is ‘biggest battle’ county council has ever faced The finance chief at Northamptonshire County Council says a £7.5 million cut in its government funding shows Westminster “just doesn't understand the pressures” the authority is under. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Should patients pay to see the GP?

Should patients pay to see the GP? Copayments could raise much needed funds for the health system, thinks David Jones, but Nancy Loader worries about increased overall cost and harms to patients BMJ editorial (open access).

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Over 10,000 nursing vacancies in London

Over 10,000 nursing vacancies in London More than 10,000 vacancies for nursing posts in London were unfilled in 2015, new figures from the Royal College of Nursing show. BBC News

Obesity 'linked to cancer rise'

Obesity 'linked to cancer rise' Rising levels of obesity could be linked to an additional 670,000 cases of cancer in the next 20 years, a report by Cancer Research UK predicts. BBC News

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Scheme to cut bed blocking saw 69% rise

Scheme to cut bed blocking saw 69% rise A new health scheme designed to reduce the rate of hospital bed blocking instead seen figures soar by 69%. BBC News

NHS reorganisation causing GP retention crisis, study suggests

NHS reorganisation causing GP retention crisis, study suggests Many doctors are leaving general practice early because of rising bureaucracy and reduced time for patient care

The reorganisation of the NHS and increased workload pressures are causing a crisis in the retention of GPs, a study suggests.

Many doctors are leaving general practice early because of rising bureaucracy and reduced time for patient care. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Will 2016 push the NHS over the edge of chaos?

Will 2016 push the NHS over the edge of chaos? The health service could tumble into a zone where organisations do not innovate, but instead disintegrate.

Complexity theorists point to the importance of system environment on organisational performance – at one end of the spectrum there is a stable and low change setting, at the other an unstable and high change setting. Since 2010 the NHS has been anything but stable, and the NHS community must be desperate for a spell of stability in 2016. Unfortunately, it is likely to get the opposite – turbulence bordering on chaos.

First, there is the ongoing financial turbulence. The pledges of protection for the NHS budget during the 2015 general election have swiftly unravelled. The widely promised extra £8bn would have been delayed by the Treasury but for the calculated intervention of NHS England boss, Simon Stevens, who managed to get some frontloaded concessions. Even so, the settlements anticipated between 2018 and 2020 are historically low and the £22bn of efficiency savings are still expected to materialise. On top of this, public health spending is being cut, social care continues to be financially crucified and calls for transformation funding to ease the process of change are going unheeded. Meanwhile, patients and service users continue to turn up in their droves and carers quietly buckle under the strain of unsupported care. Continue reading... The Guardian

GP surgeries in UK reach 'breaking point' and close doors to new patients