County’s NHS launches pilot to reduce pressure on A&E

County’s NHS launches pilot to reduce pressure on A&E A pilot scheme at accident and emergency services in Northamptonshire are being put in place to help alleviate pressures on the departments. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Press release: Equivalent of up to 3,000 extra doctors and nurses, and thousands more beds made available to support NHS

Press release: Equivalent of up to 3,000 extra doctors and nurses, and thousands more beds made available to support NHS Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced the plans today to make sure the NHS is better prepared for winter than ever before.

NHS told to get tough on smoking

NHS told to get tough on smoking The NHS must stop turning a "blind eye" to smoking and ban it in all hospital grounds in England, according to new guidance. BBC News

See also:

• Hospitals have a duty of care to help all patients who smoke to quit NICE

Boots recalls cough and cold remedies

Boots recalls cough and cold remedies Pharmacy giant Boots recalls tens of thousands of bottles of cough and cold medicines over fears that plastic might have got into the liquid. BBC News

Patient safety reporting overhaul

Patient safety reporting overhaul The NHS is developing the National Reporting and Learning System to become an integrated reporting route for patient safety incidents. E-Health Insider

Are private patients 'too posh to push'?

Are private patients 'too posh to push'? "Well-off mothers really are 'too posh to push'," the Mail Online reports after an Irish study found that mothers who use private healthcare services had twice the odds of having a planned caesarean section as women using state-funded care.

Self-harm: half of inpatient cases dealt with by hospitals involve existing mental health service users

Self-harm: half of inpatient cases dealt with by hospitals involve existing mental health service users A third of all service user cases involve intentional self-harm with prescription drugs. Health and Social Care Information Centre

Francis report: Jeremy Hunt has prioritised blame over support

Francis report: Jeremy Hunt has prioritised blame over support The government's response fits in with the wider political strategy of blaming individuals for shortcomings in the system.

More transparency needed in hospitals

More transparency needed in hospitals Jane Cummings, the chief nursing officer, says openness will help drive up standards for patients. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• “Absolute transparency is the key to driving improvements in standards of care” says Chief Nursing Officer NHS England

Bitter conditions linked to deaths of additional 31,000 people last winter - a rise of almost one third

Bitter conditions linked to deaths of additional 31,000 people last winter - a rise of almost one third

There was a 29 per cent increase in deaths linked to the cold weather last winter, new figures have revealed. The Independent

See also:

• Charities say rise in cold weather deaths is a scandal The Daily Telegraph
• Steep rise in winter deaths BBC News
• Government response: ONS Excess Winter Mortality in England and Wales statistics Department of Health

Invitation to talk health in Corby

Invitation to talk health in Corby Healthwatch Northamptonshire is inviting people to a meeting about health and social care at the Corby Cube on Thursday, December 5. Northamptonshire Telegraph

The Third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles

The Third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles Results published across six papers in The Lancet give the most detailed picture yet of the British population’s sex lives over the last 10 years, as part of the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles survey (Natsal).

See also:

• Let's talk about sex... BBC News
• Modern life 'turning people off sex' BBC News 

Child-on-child abuse 'shocking'

Child-on-child abuse 'shocking' "Shocking" sexual violence is being carried out by children against other children as young as 11, according to an official report. BBC News

Solving a game of hospital Tetris

Solving a game of hospital Tetris Can tracking technology help fill hospital beds? BBC News

AUDIO: Carers 'paid less than minimum wage'

AUDIO: Carers 'paid less than minimum wage' Some care workers are being paid less than the minimum wage, a report has found. BBC News

Tough decisions needed on NHS pay says Dean Royles

Tough decisions needed on NHS pay says Dean Royles It is the same every year. The annual planning cycle means that each September, we submit our written evidence to the NHS Pay review bodies – independent bodies that recommend pay awards for NHS staff. They will decide in spring 2014 whether or not to accept our recommendations. The review body asked us for evidence …NHS Voices 

Waiting times for GPs predicted to worsen this winter, as result of emerging £10.2bn funding black hole

Waiting times for GPs predicted to worsen this winter, as result of emerging £10.2bn funding black hole According to new research by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), funding has drifted away from primary care towards hospitals over the last eight years – with the result that general practice now receives £2.4bn less a year than if funding had kept pace with secondary care.

Steroid use in premature babies linked to ADHD

Steroid use in premature babies linked to ADHD "Steroid injections for premature babies could raise ADHD risk," reports The Daily Telegraph after a Finnish study found a link between steroid use (corticosteroids) in premature babies and developmental conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Still ignoring the risks? An interim review of health and wellbeing boards

Still ignoring the risks? An interim review of health and wellbeing boards Earlier this year, the Campaign to End Loneliness published Ignoring the health risks?, which tracked whether the newly established health and wellbeing boards across England had prioritised the public health issues of loneliness and isolation within their strategies. This review updates the research and finds that more than half of boards  have included some reference to loneliness or isolation in their strategies.

• Report
• Campaign to End Loneliness - press release

Improve access to support for domestic abuse, BMA demands

Improve access to support for domestic abuse, BMA demands GPs have key role in spotting signs of abuse, but often lack confidence in how best to handle it. OnMedica