Pictures show new £12 million building to reduce waiting times at Northampton's A&E

Pictures show new £12 million building to reduce waiting times at Northampton's A&E A new assessment unit will open next week to relieve pressure off the NGH A&E department and allow medics to assess patients quickly in a different facility without needing to admit them as in-patients.

The Nye Bevan Building Emergency Assessment Unit, named in honour of the architect of the NHS, is a £12 million investment by NGH providing 60 beds, a mix of small wards and individual rooms including dedicated rooms for vulnerable patients who might need end-of-life care or who are suffering from infection. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The impact of integrated care teams on hospital use in North East Hampshire and Farnham

The impact of integrated care teams on hospital use in North East Hampshire and Farnham This briefing examines the early effects on hospital use of introducing multidisciplinary integrated care teams in North East Hampshire and Farnham. It presents the findings of an evaluation conducted by the Improvement Analytics Unit, a partnership between NHS England and the Health Foundation

CQC inspection regime having an impact but there is room for improvement, landmark report finds

CQC inspection regime having an impact but there is room for improvement, landmark report finds Care Quality Commission (CQC)’s ‘Ofsted-style’ inspection and rating regime is a significant improvement on the system it replaced, but it could be made more effective, according to the first major evaluation of the approach introduced in 2013. The King's Fund

Lord Carter's review into unwarranted variation in NHS ambulance trusts

Lord Carter's review into unwarranted variation in NHS ambulance trusts Lord Carter’s review identifies unwarranted variation in the delivery of ambulance services, as well as the potential savings of £500 million that could be made in efficiencies by 2020/21. NHS Improvement

See also:

• Ambulances not an A&E taxi service, NHS warned BBC News
• 'An ambulance is NOT a taxi to A&E', report says The Daily Mail
• Ambulances ‘being used as taxis’ heaping needless pressures on A&E, watchdog warns The Daily Telegraph

Shropshire baby deaths review expanded to cover decades

Shropshire baby deaths review expanded to cover decades An NHS trust at the centre of concerns over its maternity services has been asked to hand over hundreds of records to regulators, BBC News has learned.

The Shrewsbury and Telford trust will have to provide details over almost two decades of all stillbirths, maternal and neonatal deaths and significant harm in maternity services.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said "all potential cases" should be looked at.

The trust has always said it would cooperate fully with a review. BBC News

See also:

• Scores of cases of alleged poor care on Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust maternity unit to be reviewed The Independent

Government apologises 'unreservedly' to victims of contaminated blood scandal

Government apologises 'unreservedly' to victims of contaminated blood scandal The government has said sorry for the infected blood scandal at the inquiry into the treatment of thousands of people given products containing hepatitis and HIV.

But the son of one of the victims said that the apology does not “feel genuine”.

The government told the inquiry on Wednesday the treatment of information surrounding the use of contaminated blood products has been “at worst, a cover-up, at best a lack of candour about past events”.

Eleanor Gray QC made the comments to the Infected Blood Inquiry on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care. The Independent

Are we really on the brink of a cure for Alzheimer’s?

Are we really on the brink of a cure for Alzheimer’s? A new study has inspired headlines claiming a cure for Alzheimer’s disease could be available within six years – but are we genuinely on the verge of an effective treatment? The Guardian

Separating fact from hype in the study of cancer and obesity

Separating fact from hype in the study of cancer and obesity Findings of a report from Cancer Research UK about cancer in women are challenged by David Steinsaltz. The Guardian

Air pollution kills six million people every year: it's time for us to wake up to this grave threat

Air pollution kills six million people every year: it's time for us to wake up to this grave threat The government was applauded for its draft Clean Air Strategy, published in May, when it recognised that air pollution is now the leading environmental risk to human health in the UK and for setting out policies to reduce that harm.

It is currently estimated that air pollution will make 2.4 million ill in England between now and 2035. And the health and social care costs of air pollution could reach £18.6 billion by 2035.

However, critics have expressed concern that key policy areas, such as road transport, are not fully addressed in the strategy – potentially limiting the health benefits that could be realised. The Daily Telegraph