Public health redundancies ‘to cost £500k’

Public health redundancies ‘to cost £500k’ Staff who could controversially be made redundant from Northamptonshire County Council’s public health team would get a pay-out totalling half a million pounds. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Loddington business to help NHS nurses deliver quality care

Loddington business to help NHS nurses deliver quality care A Northamptonshire business is playing a central role in a national pilot to improve education for the next generation of nurses. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Practical guidance on care for frail older people

Practical guidance on care for frail older people Frail older people are less likely to reach crisis, require urgent care support and experience harm if they are supported in living independently and understand how to manage their long-term conditions. The document summarises the evidence of the effects of an integrated pathway of care. It suggests how a pathway can be commissioned effectively using levers and incentives across providers. NHS England

Rare 'polio-like' disease reports

Rare 'polio-like' disease reports Five children have developed an illness similar to polio in California, doctors report. BBC News

NHS trusts with deficits rise to 39

NHS trusts with deficits rise to 39 A study of NHS foundation trusts in England finds the number of those in financial trouble has nearly doubled in a year from 21 to 39. BBC News

See also:

• Number of NHS trusts struggling financially doubles in just one year The Independent
• NHS trusts in financial difficulty double in number The Guardian

34m patients will fail to get appointment with a GP in 2014

34m patients will fail to get appointment with a GP in 2014 More than 34m patients in England will this year fail to get an appointment with their GP, when seeking treatment, because of the slump in the funding of general practice over the last decade, and rapidly growing demand.

The huge number of patients who will fail to secure a consultation with a GP or a practice nurse, this year, comes despite the fact that general practice now sees 40m more patients annually than was the case in 2008/09.

The startling prediction for the number of patients who will fail to secure an appointment is based on an analysis by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), of the latest GP Patient Survey, published in December, revealing that 10% of patients who sought a consultation with a GP or a practice nurse in 2012/13, failed to get one.

Flu jab "may cut" stroke risk by a quarter

Flu jab "may cut" stroke risk by a quarter  A recent report has revealed that people who have the seasonal flu jab are 24% less likely to suffer a stroke, according to The Daily Telegraph.

GP surgeries threatened by funding changes

GP surgeries threatened by funding changes BMA warns that end of practice income guarantees could see 98 surgeries close. OnMedica

The NHS plan to share our medical data can save lives – but must be done right | Ben Goldacre

The NHS plan to share our medical data can save lives – but must be done right | Ben Goldacre Care.data, the grand project to make the medical records of the UK population available for scientific and commercial use, is not inherently evil – far from it – but its execution has been badly bungled. Here's how the government can regain our trust.

Future of the health service: the era of community care has arrived

Future of the health service: the era of community care has arrived Quality for patients at home or in the community is becoming a reality, but success depends on investment in staff and services.

It is well known that there is growing pressure on the health and social care system. There is a rising and ageing population that, if our care system does not change, will require an additional 13,500 hospital beds to soak up demand.

There is already a tendency for patients to end up in hospital when they could be cared for elsewhere. The ambition to move care closer to home is not new – it has been our ultimate goal for many years – but major change is needed to achieve it.

A great deal rests on community services: they could transform chronic disease management, support reductions in the number of people admitted to hospital and how long they stay there, and help primary care meet a growing demand.

Worst hospitals cost NHS £300m

Worst hospitals cost NHS £300m Official figures show that scandal-hit hospitals have cost the NHS £300 million in damages over the last five years. The Daily Telegraph

'Hacking' may reveal personal health risks

'Hacking' may reveal personal health risks It is possible to work out the identities of anonymous people who participate in genetic-research studies by cross-referencing their data with publicly available information. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Hospital records of 47m NHS patients obtained by insurance society The Guardian
• Hospital records of all NHS patients sold to insurers The Daily Telegraph