What is happening to NHS waiting times?

What is happening to NHS waiting times? On 11 February NHS England published its Combined performance summary, which provided data on a number of key waiting times commitments. Here we take a closer look at the statistics on 18-weeks, diagnostics and A&E. What does the data tell us? The King's Fund

Information as Therapy

Information as Therapy This paper sets out sets out a 5 point plan for healthcare providers focusing on ensuring high quality health information is integrated into healthcare delivery. The paper positions good health information and the health care professional’s ability to support this as central to the two pillars of the House of Care. It highlights evidence showing that information and support improve outcomes and patient experience, and argues that not providing such ‘therapy’ must be considered sub-standard care. Captive Health

Press release: Be Clear on Cancer: ‘blood in pee’ campaign returns

Press release: Be Clear on Cancer: ‘blood in pee’ campaign returns Public Health England launches a nationwide ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign with the aim of raising awareness of a key symptom for both bladder and kidney cancers – blood in pee.

Don’t feel alone in championing person-centred care – Dr David Paynton

Don’t feel alone in championing person-centred care – Dr David Paynton NHS England is working with the Royal College of GPs to build a Network of Champions to promote person-centred care and support local organisations to implement it.

Britain Imbalanced: Why now is the time to tackle obesity in Britain

Britain Imbalanced: Why now is the time to tackle obesity in Britain This report looks at the scale and cost of obesity (economic and human) and makes a number of recommendations for tackling the problem. Policy Exchange 

'Shocking' sugar levels in hot drinks

'Shocking' sugar levels in hot drinks There are "shocking" amounts of sugar in some hot drinks sold in High Street cafe chains, a campaign group warns. BBC News

WHO backs GM mosquito trials over Zika

WHO backs GM mosquito trials over Zika The World Health Organization backs trials of genetically-modified mosquitoes that could be used in the fight against the Zika virus. BBC News

Lack of co-ordination between services undermining patient care, GPs warn

Lack of co-ordination between services undermining patient care, GPs warn Four out of five UK GPs say care for one of their patients has been undermined in the past month because of a lack of co-ordination between health and care providers, a report has warned. GP Online

See also:

• Under Pressure: What the Commonwealth Fund’s 2015 international survey of general practitioners means for the UK  The Health Foundation
• RCGP response to Health Foundation report on pressures facing UK general practice Royal College of General Practitioners

New visa rules mean foreign doctors will leave the health service, says BMA

New visa rules mean foreign doctors will leave the health service, says BMA NHS already facing risk of a workforce crisis as junior doctors in England consider the new contract imposed on them. The Independent

NHS hospitals reject financial targets and set up clash with regulators

NHS hospitals reject financial targets and set up clash with regulators Hospitals were told they would have to eliminate soaring budget deficits by the end of the next financial year. The Independent

One GP covers out of hours for 900,000 patients in Cambridgeshire

One GP covers out of hours for 900,000 patients in Cambridgeshire Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk, called for an urgent investigation by the health watchdog after a whistleblower told him one care firm had no GPs on call at night in some areas. The Daily Mail

How do we pay for the NHS we want?

How do we pay for the NHS we want? The NHS is under pressure like never before with junior doctors united against the introduction of a new contract. At a Guardian Live event, the Guardian’s deputy editor Paul Johnson asked an expert panel how the NHS can continue to strive for and deliver quality care

NHS England boss Simon Stevens is expected to make £20 billion in efficiency savings by 2020 and the UK is falling behind Finland and Slovenia in terms of health care spend. John Appleby of the Kings Fund warned that Britain’s status as an increasingly “low spender” might mean the NHS cannot deliver improvements in quality of care patients want.

On top of this, the aging population and a creaking social care system reeling from local council cuts are putting even more pressure on NHS resources and frontline staff. Is it time for radical rethink of how we pay for the care we expect? At a Guardian Live event in London, a panel of experts debated their vision for the future. Continue reading... The Guardian

The NHS’s future is digital – but not if we simply replicate poor paper processes

The NHS’s future is digital – but not if we simply replicate poor paper processes Unlocking the potential of IT to transform healthcare requires using technology to reimagine how we work and designing it to make people’s job easier

Information technology often makes things worse, rather than better, is the view held by many senior doctors. If the previous government throwing £10bn at the problem under the National Programme for IT hasn’t solved it, they argue, what would?

Having completed a substantial piece of research on the subject, which is published today, I am convinced the future of healthcare is digital, but it requires sophisticated clinical, technical and change-management expertise to realise the potential benefits. Continue reading... The Guardian

Elderly hospital patients given eviction warnings

Elderly hospital patients given eviction warnings Amid soaring levels of 'bed blocking' in the NHS, elderly hospital patients are being warned that they could face eviction if relatives cannot find a care home within three weeks. The Daily Telegraph

Health watchdog launches inspection of scandal-hit NHS 111 helpline

Health watchdog launches inspection of scandal-hit NHS 111 helpline Teenagers without adequate medical training are said to have been drafted in to answer urgent calls. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NHS 111 probed over claims 'teenagers answered urgent calls' and 'exhausted medics pictured asleep on job' The Independent