NHS hospitals made £174m from car park charges this year

NHS hospitals made £174m from car park charges this year NHS hospitals made a record £174m from charging patients, visitors and staff to park in 2016/17, up 6% on the previous year.

Data from 111 hospital trusts across England shows that as many as two-thirds are making more than £1m a year. More than half of trusts now charge disabled people to park.

Some trusts defended the charges, saying they were essential to pay for patient care. But opposition parties and patient support groups were critical, with one group saying they were “cynical” but blaming the state of NHS finances rather than the trusts themselves. The Guardian

• Hospitals make a record £175m from car parking charges Daily Mail Online

Girls are facing a mental health crisis – and it’s not just because of Instagram | Katharine Sacks-Jones

Girls are facing a mental health crisis – and it’s not just because of Instagram | Katharine Sacks-Jones In 2017 there has been report after report of a growing gender divide in mental health, with rising rates of mental illness among girls and young women. There has been little action to tackle these. In 2018, we have an opportunity to get things right.

From the intervention of a senior judge in the case of Girl X to rising numbers of girls and young women undergoing mental health admissions, self harm and suicidal thoughts, there has been wide range of evidence over the last year showing that our girls are facing a mental health crisis.

The reasons given by commentators for the worrying deterioration in young women and girls’ mental health tend to be the same: pressures of social media, body image and school. These things are undoubtedly part of the picture. But they are not the full story. The Guardian

Why 2018 will be a very special year for the NHS - BBC News

Why 2018 will be a very special year for the NHS - BBC News This is a special year for the NHS - it marks its 70th birthday. So expect lots of anniversary events and stories celebrating the success of the health service over the past seven decades. There is much to celebrate. The NHS has played its part in eradicating diseases such as polio and diphtheria and pioneered new treatments including carrying out the first liver, heart and lung transplant.

And it is also the UK's largest employer with 1.5 million staff drawn from all over the world. But what else will the next 12 months hold? BBC News - Health

NHS cancer care has never been better with over two thousand more people surviving cancer every year

NHS cancer care has never been better with over two thousand more people surviving cancer every year Thanks to improved NHS cancer care, over two thousand more people are this year able to enjoy Christmas with their families. Survival rates have never been higher and the gap between the best and the worst areas is also closing.

Areas with historically lower survival rates are closing or have caught up with average survival, highlighting that work to improve cancer care is making a real difference to patients, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics.

New reports also show more people with lung and bowel cancer are having successful surgery and living longer. For men with prostate cancer, the news is also good, with less undergoing radical prostatectomy or receiving unnecessary treatment. NHS England

Keep your practice on the right side of the new data protection regulations

Keep your practice on the right side of the new data protection regulations All organisations need to be aware of the General Data Protection Regulations that come into force next May, though in reality organisations that already do a good job of complying with existing data protection rules have little to fear. NHS Networks

News story: Cold weather prompts further health warnings from PHE

News story: Cold weather prompts further health warnings from PHE  Arrival of cold weather across Yorkshire and the Humber, the North East and North West of England that is due to spread across the rest of the country has prompted further warnings from Public Health England to look out for others and to take extra care during the cold, snowy conditions. Public Health England

Ambulance service sets up emergency care unit for Northampton's New Year revelers

Ambulance service sets up emergency care unit for Northampton's New Year revelers An emergency care centre will be stationed in Northampton town centre on New Year's Eve to take pressure off ambulances. It comes after the East Midlands Ambulance service received over 1,000 calls in the first six hours of 2017.

And while the service says many revellers will always "overdo it", a third of all calls did not need further treatment in hospital.

They are now asking Northampton people to start 2018 safe and well and use the stationed Dedicated Emergency Care Centre (DECC) unit in the town centre. Northampton Chronicle and Echo