NHS Nene Clinical Commissioning group is being placed in a period of financial recovery

NHS Nene Clinical Commissioning group is being placed in a period of financial recovery Nene CCG has significantly reduced the shortfall however it is anticipated if the same number of patients continue using the system until the end of the financial year, the CCG will have a year-end gap of £8.6m. Northampton Herald and Post

Hospital procedures changed after death of teen

Hospital procedures changed after death of teen Kettering General Hospital says it has changed procedures for caring for post-operative patients after the death of a teenager last year following an appendectomy operation. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Teen died after blood loss surgery BBC Northamptonshire

Dementia: Five priorities for research

Dementia: Five priorities for research Research into the biggest care problem of a generation BBC News

One fifth of drips 'are dangerous'

One fifth of drips 'are dangerous' A fifth of patients on an intravenous drip develop complications because they are given the wrong levels of fluid, according to a review of guidance in England and Wales. BBC News

See also:

• Thousands of patients dying from incorrect use of IV drips, warns Nice The Guardian
• 'Staggering numbers' of patients at risk because medical staff aren't trained to use IV drips The Daily Telegraph
• Tens of thousands harmed in hospital by IV drip blunders The Independent
• Better education needed to stop errors in drip fluid care and prevent potential patient harm NICE

VIDEO: 'The paramedics put safety first'

VIDEO: 'The paramedics put safety first' Barbara Hakin, deputy chief executive of NHS England, has said it is "sometimes in the best interest of patients' safety that they remain in the ambulance after they have arrived at hospital". BBC News

NHS budget protected but tough times remain for health service

NHS budget protected but tough times remain for health service The health budget is to be protected from the level of cuts affecting other parts of the public sector until June 2016. NHS Confederation

See also:

• Austerity, healthcare and the Autumn Statement The Health Foundation

Test could give two-year warning for Alzheimer's

Test could give two-year warning for Alzheimer's "New test can give two years' warning of Alzheimer's," reports the Mail Online. The news comes from a small Canadian study that found that a specific change in brain activity seen on MRI testing, combined with certain memory difficulties, was 87.5% accurate at predicting the development of Alzheimer's disease.

'Safe' levels of air pollution could still be harmful

'Safe' levels of air pollution could still be harmful “EU air quality rules are still too lax to protect us from pollution,” The Independent reports. It says that air quality regulations may not be sufficient to protect people from harmful sooty particles in traffic and factory fumes.

GPs unfairly attacked for missing cancer cases

GPs unfairly attacked for missing cancer cases BMA questions claims that half of cancer cases are missed by GPs OnMedica

End postcode lottery of cancer care, say MPs

End postcode lottery of cancer care, say MPs Cancer care in the UK is a postcode lottery with regional divides leaving many people facing lengthy waits to be diagnosed and unable to access treatment, a new report has warned. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• The scandal of cancer's postcode lottery: Report uncovers huge differences in waiting times, access to treatment and drugs The Daily Mail

NHS job cuts harming patient care and safety, say staff

NHS job cuts harming patient care and safety, say staff

NHS job cuts have harmed hospital care and patient safety, according to more than half of UNISON union members working in the health service have reported. The Independent

Lack of effective policy on exercise 'is tantamount to mass child neglect'

Lack of effective policy on exercise 'is tantamount to mass child neglect' The failure of UK governments past and present to bring in effective policy to encourage British children into exercise is tantamount to mass “child neglect”, a group of experts has said. The Independent

Scrutiny of operations ‘could impact on patients’ claims hospital boss

Scrutiny of operations ‘could impact on patients’ claims hospital boss The clampdown on some NHS operations could have “a considerable impact on patient experience”, according to the boss of Northampton General Hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Ambulances 'face long delays at A&E'

Ambulances 'face long delays at A&E' Some patients are facing long waits in ambulances outside A&E departments, with one case involving a delay of more than six hours, figures show. BBC News

See also

• NHS Winter BBC (search by postcode to check local winter pressures)
• Patients wait hours in ambulances because A&E staff are too busy The Guardian

NHS England rolls out new personal health budget sites

NHS England rolls out new personal health budget sites SEVEN new sites have been set up to look at rolling out personal health budgets to people who use mental health services.

Study questions role of vitamin D in disease

Study questions role of vitamin D in disease "Doubt cast on vitamin D's role against disease," reports BBC News. The news come from a study summarising a large body of evidence from the best kind of trials – randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Transforming healthcare: the role for the finance team

Transforming healthcare: the role for the finance team This briefing looks at how NHS finance practitioners can contribute to the transformation agenda. Healthcare Financial Management Association

• Briefing
• Summary briefing
• Slidepack 
• HFMA - publications

Meeting needs and reducing distress: guidance on the prevention and management of clinically related challenging behaviour in NHS settings

Meeting needs and reducing distress: guidance on the prevention and management of clinically related challenging behaviour in NHS settings This guidance is for the use of clinical and non-clinical NHS staff and managers and may also be of interest to patients and service users, carers and families. It aims to help staff prevent and manage clinically related challenging behaviour by minimising a patient’s distress, meeting their needs and delivering high quality personalised care, in an environment that is safe for staff, patients and visitors. NHS Protect

Middle-aged drink and drug abusers put strain on NHS

Middle-aged drink and drug abusers put strain on NHS Doctors say burden unsustainable as people in 40s lead surge in admissions, adding they risk cancer as result of drinking habits.

Half of GPs don't refer cancer patients urgently, first league tables show

Half of GPs don't refer cancer patients urgently, first league tables show Family doctors accused of failing cancer sufferers after first ever GP league tables found more than half not referring such patients to specialists quickly enough. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Cancer patients 'not referred by GP' BBC News
• Thousands of cancer referrals not quick enough, says report The Guardian