East Northants and Corby people among the unhappiest in UK, according to study

East Northants and Corby people among the unhappiest in UK, according to study People in East Northamptonshire and Corby are among the unhappiest in the UK, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Policies could be costing lives claims former Northampton MP - as air pollution around North Gate bus station breaks legal limit

Policies could be costing lives claims former Northampton MP - as air pollution around North Gate bus station breaks legal limit A controversial series of policies could be seriously damaging the health of people in Northampton, a former MP claims after pollution figures revealed the area around the town’s bus station to be 25 per cent higher than legal limits. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

What if people had to pay £10 to see a GP?

What if people had to pay £10 to see a GP? The NHS if is a collection of essays that explores hypothetical scenarios and their impact on the future of health and care. Our aim is to encourage new thinking and debate about possible future scenarios that could fundamentally change health and care. This essay, by Professor John Appleby, explores the idea and implications of charging for GP appointments as a way of raising money to fund the NHS. The King's Fund

Plan to reduce health and care red tape burden

Plan to reduce health and care red tape burden Minister for Health Lord Prior is setting up the Burden Reduction Challenge Panel in partnership with NHS Providers, NHS Confederation and Care England.

The panel will look at evidence of both the burdens and benefits of current NHS and social care regulatory activity and will then challenge their use and necessity. Regulatory activity judged to be unnecessary by the panel and relevant officials will be amended or removed.

The organisations will engage health professionals to provide evidence that will feed into the panel. The panel’s first session will focus on data and information requests, at both national and local level. Department of Health

Making difficult decisions: commissioning healthcare in changing times

Making difficult decisions: commissioning healthcare in changing times This report aims to support CCGs in making difficult decisions about prioritisation of resources and changes to local services. It sets out factors that can enable CCGs to successfully command the confidence of the public, patients, local politicians and other key stakeholders when making changes. It draws on both academic research and practical insight from commissioners, patient groups and NHS England. NHS Clinical Comissioners

Improving efficiency and resource allocation in future cancer care

Improving efficiency and resource allocation in future cancer care This report, written in partnership with the Institute for Health Economics in Sweden, evaluates the current burden of cancer and identifies opportunities for increased efficiency in cancer care. The evidence focuses specifically on the health and cancer care landscape in nine European countries, including the UK. The report found that significant opportunity for improved efficiency exists in prevention activities and early diagnosis, for example targeting unhealthy behaviours such as high alcohol consumption and smoking, and the implementation of quality screening programmes. The report also highlights the potential to achieve greater efficiencies in the way new treatments are evaluated and how to enhance their uptake. Office of Health Economics

NHS negligence claims hit £1.4bn

NHS negligence claims hit £1.4bn NHS trusts in England paid out more than £1.4bn in medical negligence claims last year compared to £583m in 2008, analysis shows.

The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA), which handles claims on behalf of trusts, said it was trying to reduce the costs.

It blamed big rises in claims and legal costs from claimants.

Lawyers said the costs would not exist if the NHS had not been negligent and accused it of delaying claims. BBC News

Nursing homes 'closing each week'

Nursing homes 'closing each week' Nursing homes are closing at the rate of at least one per week in England, due mainly to a shortage of nurses, official figures suggest.

It means the number of nursing homes and nursing beds has fallen for the first time in five years.

A total of 73 homes cancelled their registration in the first six months of 2016, the Care Quality Commission said, partly due to recruiting problems. BBC News

'Shameful' pace of STP rollout risks financial meltdown, warns former NHS commissioning chief

'Shameful' pace of STP rollout risks financial meltdown, warns former NHS commissioning chief The timescale imposed by NHS England for developing sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) has been condemned as 'ridiculous' and 'shameful' by the former head of its commissioning policy unit. GP Online

Fifth of emergency bowel cancer cases had red flag symptoms

Fifth of emergency bowel cancer cases had red flag symptoms GPs are doing a good overall job of appropriately referring people suspected of having cancer but they need better access to tools to support timely diagnosis, warned GP leaders as UK research revealed that about a fifth of bowel cancer patients diagnosed as emergencies had had ‘red flag’ symptoms.

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer and funded by Cancer Research UK, found that – as might be expected – ‘red flag’ symptoms were much more common in patients who were diagnosed via non-emergency routes, and that patients diagnosed as an emergency often did not display these symptoms strongly associated with bowel cancer. OnMedica

BMA calls on health secretary to join public debate on healthcare delivery

BMA calls on health secretary to join public debate on healthcare delivery The BMA has invited the health secretary Jeremy Hunt to take part in a public debate on the quality and consistency of healthcare delivery across the week.

Healthcare leaders, practitioners, and representatives from patient organisations and professional bodies are all expected to attend the symposium, which the BMA is hoping to stage before the end of this year, ideally in November. OnMedica

Junior doctors fail in high court challenge of new contract's legality

Junior doctors fail in high court challenge of new contract's legality Judgement rejects argument that Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, exceeded powers over controversial contract

Junior doctors have lost a judicial review challenging the legality of a controversial new contract, which is now set to be introduced by Jeremy Hunt next week.

In a judgement published on Wednesday, Mr Justice Green rejected arguments presented at the high court by five junior doctors that the health secretary had exceeded his powers. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• BMA response to High Court judgment on junior doctor contract British Medical Association
• Response to the Justice for Health Judicial Review judgment NHS Employers
• Junior doctors lose High Court case BBC News
• Junior doctors legal road runs out - so what's the next step? BBC News
• High Court rules in favour of Jeremy Hunt stating junior doctors' contracts were NOT wrongly imposed The Daily Mail
• Junior doctors row: Jeremy Hunt wins High Court fight over new contract after legal challenge The Daily Telegraph
• Ruling against junior doctors is no victory for the government, warns BMA GP Online
• Junior doctors lose High Court case against health secretary Jeremy Hunt GP Online
• Junior doctors lose legal challenge against health secretary over contract OnMedica

Half of weekend 111 calls abandoned at scandal-hit ambulance trust

Half of weekend 111 calls abandoned at scandal-hit ambulance trust Nearly half of 111 calls have been abandoned at weekends at a scandal-hit ambulance trust which is to be put into special measures.

NHS watchdogs found patients across Sussex, Kent, Surrey and north-east Hampshire were put “at risk of harm” because there were not enough staff to respond to their calls, resulting in long delays and patients simply giving up on the service.

The investigation highlights a litany of failings at South East Coast Ambulance Service trust (Secamb), which has been rated inadequate. The Daily Telegraph