SMEs 'enthusiastic' for app directory

SMEs 'enthusiastic' for app directory: Healthcare app developers are excited about the NHS Commissioning Board's new online apps directory, which is now live.E-Health Insider

Updated staff engagement toolkit now available

Updated staff engagement toolkit now available: Our popular online toolkit Engaging your staff: the NHS staff engagement resource has been updated with ten new case study examples and revised text in key sections. NHS Employers

Spirituality and ageing: implications for the care and support of older people

Spirituality and ageing: implications for the care and support of older people: This report examines how person-centred care can be achieved by addressing the spiritual needs of older people. 

• Report
• IRISS - publications

Flu stretching hospitals in US

Flu stretching hospitals in US: Healthcare services and drug supplies are being stretched to the limit in the United States as the authorities warn this year's flu season is severe.Official figures indicate that influenza is now "widespread" in 41 states, with high numbers of cases reported in New York, where state governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a public health...  Healthcare Today

Going paperless 'would save NHS billions' - BBC News

Going paperless 'would save NHS billions' - BBC News:

BBC News

Going paperless 'would save NHS billions' BBC News ... long in the offing. It was Mr Hunt's predecessor Andrew Lansley who first pledged in 2010 to start an information revolution to ensure patients could use the web to report their experiences, rate NHS organisations and access their records so there ... Hunt: Paperless NHS in five yearsWalesOnline Jeremy Hunt attacks the NHS again. Why criticising the health service is both ...Telegraph.co.uk (blog) Hunt: NHS 'should go' paperless by 2018Health Service Journal The Guardian -TopNews United States -Daily Mail all 166 news articles »

NHS regulator rules out tax exemptions for private health firms

NHS regulator rules out tax exemptions for private health firms: Monitor responds to critics by confirming recommendations on tax exemption will not be part of NHS competition review.

Reform of system for approving NHS drugs taking too long, say MPs

Reform of system for approving NHS drugs taking too long, say MPs: Health committee criticises lack of progress two years after consultation document on subject was published.
Government proposals to change the system for approval of drugs that can be used in the NHS are still in a "nebulous" state and taking an unacceptably long time to be worked out, say MPs.

Why NHS funding needs a total rethink

Why NHS funding needs a total rethink: The health service no longer offers cradle to grave care, which is free at the point of use. It needs a new financial model.

NHS admits widespread restrictions on cataract surgery

NHS admits widespread restrictions on cataract surgery: Sight-saving cataract operations are being restricted across about half of England, the medical director of the NHS has admitted. The Daily Telegraph

Doctors are refusing to carry out 'pointless' tests for dementia, warns Jeremy Hunt

Doctors are refusing to carry out 'pointless' tests for dementia, warns Jeremy Hunt: Doctors are refusing to carry out tests for dementia as they believe it is pointless as there is no effective cure available, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.The Independent

HPA update on seasonal norovirus activity: 15 January 2013

HPA update on seasonal norovirus activity: 15 January 2013: Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show there have been 4,407 laboratory confirmed cases of norovirus this season (from week 27 to week 01 2013). The latest figures are 56 per cent higher than the number of cases reported at this point last year, when there were 2,828 cases.

Staff levels have never put patients at risk: NGH

Staff levels have never put patients at risk: NGH: The head of nursing at Northampton General Hospital has slammed claims that inspectors had labelled the trust “dangerously understaffed”. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NGH ‘needs to test everyone for HIV virus’

NGH ‘needs to test everyone for HIV virus’: A charity has called for HIV tests for everybody admitted to Northamptonshire hospitals to tackle levels of the virus, which are double the national average. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

BMA guide to contract changes

BMA guide to contract changes: This guide looks at what the government's proposals may mean for general practice.

'Historic' breast cancer drug move

'Historic' breast cancer drug move: Women in England and Wales with a strong family history of breast cancer could be offered preventative medication on the NHS for the first time. BBC News

Uneven dementia care 'disgraceful'

Uneven dementia care 'disgraceful': There is a "disgraceful" variation in the number of people being diagnosed with dementia across the UK, according to the Alzheimer's Society. BBC News

Hepatitis C: a projection of the healthcare and economic burden in the UK

Hepatitis C: a projection of the healthcare and economic burden in the UK: This report assesses the healthcare and economic burden of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the UK. It used a cohort simulation model to estimate the prevalence of HCV infection, including the number of persons who live with HCV infection at different disease stages, and the number of deaths that can be attributed to HCV infection through to 2035. It also examines the healthcare and societal costs that are associated with HCV infection under different scenarios of diagnosis and treatment rates.

• Report
• RAND - publications

Lady Neuberger to investigate claims on care for dying patients

Lady Neuberger to investigate claims on care for dying patients: Care services minister, Norman Lamb, appoints peer to carry out review of Liverpool Care Pathway after months of denunciations.
The Liverpool Care Pathway for the dying must survive the current controversy because doctors need guidelines to help their patients at the end of life, but possibly stripped of its tainted name, said care services minister Norman Lamb.

How health and wellbeing boards will work

How health and wellbeing boards will work: As the healthcare sector gears up for April, the national director of health and wellbeing board implementation explains how he envisages the boards working.

Let's make dementia a word and not a sentence

Let's make dementia a word and not a sentence: Attitudes towards dementia need to change just as they have done towards cancer - but more swiftly, writes Jeremy Hunt. The Daily Telegraph

Liverpool Care Pathway needs name change, says Norman Lamb

Liverpool Care Pathway needs name change, says Norman Lamb: The Liverpool Care Pathway - the controversial set of clinical guidelines for those close to death - should undergo a name change, a minister has suggested.The Daily Telegraph

Widening choices for older people with high support needs

Widening choices for older people with high support needs:
Widening choices for older people with high support needs
Older people with high support needs want greater choice and control over their lives and a wider range of options. This study identifies the benefits and potential of options based on mutuality (people supporting each other) and / or reciprocity (people contributing to individual and group well-being).The study found that... read more The Joseph Rowntree Foundation

17 hospitals 'not safely staffed'

17 hospitals 'not safely staffed': Northampton General Hospital is ordered to take action after a watchdog finds it is failing to provide safe staffing levels. BBC News

See also:

• Hospital watchdog warns 17 have unsafe staffing levels The Guardian
• Seventeen NHS hospitals have dangerously low numbers of nurses The Daily Telegraph

MPs in combined hospital campaign

MPs in combined hospital campaign: Three Northamptonshire MPs put aside political differences for a joint campaign to protect services at Kettering General Hospital. BBC Northamptonshire

'Too many' referred to care homes

'Too many' referred to care homes: Too many people are sent to care homes through hospital referrals "far too early", says a county councillor. BBC Northamptonshire

VIDEO: 'NHS must learn lessons' after Savile

VIDEO: 'NHS must learn lessons' after Savile: The NHS "must learn lessons" from the Jimmy Savile scandal, according to the health secretary. BBC News

71 per cent of NHS 111 calls not handled by medical staff

71 per cent of NHS 111 calls not handled by medical staff: The vast majority of calls made to the non-emergency NHS 111 phone service are not being dealt with by medical professionals Public Service

America struggling in the fight against flu

America struggling in the fight against flu: 18 states across America have declared a flu epidemic, as the flu season causes hospital closures and widespread concern about the rate of infection across the country. NHS Employers

Why hospitals are doomed. Chris Mimnagh explains.

Why hospitals are doomed. Chris Mimnagh explains.: There is a change going on in the way we think about healthcare. The realisation that we can no longer afford to do what we’ve always done is looming large for all suppliers. Whether it’s expressed as the Nicholson Challenge or described eloquently as Hospitals on the edge, our existing systems have grown up with … Continue reading » NHS Voices

NHS safety thermometer 2013/14: CQUIN guidance

NHS safety thermometer 2013/14: CQUIN guidance: Developed for the NHS by the NHS as a point of care survey instrument, the NHS Safety Thermometer provides a ‘temperature check’ on harm that can be used alongside other measures of harm to measure local and system progress. This guidance explains how this tool can be used to achieve CQUIN goals for 2013/14. It outlines a step-by-step process to aid understanding data and how to use it to set improvement goals and measure improvement over time.

• Guidance
• Supporting documents
• 'Harm Free' Care - news

NHS compensation system unsustainable, says insurer

NHS compensation system unsustainable, says insurer: Liabilities reached £16.7bn in 2011 under system requiring payouts to cover cost of private care for victims of negligence
Compensation settlements for medical negligence running into billions of pounds are placing an unsustainable burden on the NHS, according to an organisation that insures doctors.

Control room staff receiving bonuses for not sending ambulances to emergencies

Control room staff receiving bonuses for not sending ambulances to emergencies: Control room staff are receiving bonuses for not sending 999 ambulances to emergencies, it has emerged. The Daily Telegraph

NHS hospitals failing to feed patients

NHS hospitals failing to feed patients: A dozen NHS hospitals across England are failing to meet patients' basic nutritional needs, according to the health safety watchdog. The Daily Telegraph

Private NHS providers could be exempt from corporation tax

Private NHS providers could be exempt from corporation tax: Private health care firms performing NHS services may not have to pay corporation tax on their profits under draft proposals being considered as part of a government-commissioned review into NHS competition. The Daily Telegraph

Is this the loneliest generation?

Is this the loneliest generation?:
Government officials have been ordered to find out exactly how lonely Britain's population is, amid concerns that "the most isolated generation ever" will overwhelm the NHS. The Independent

The NHS Change Model Twitter Club

The NHS Change Model Twitter Club:

NHS Change Model

The NHS Change Model is a framework for change to help NHS commissioners and providers improve how they go about improvement and deliver NHS goals for quality and value through a common language for change. There is a video on the site that offers an introduction to the model.

The Twitter Club is a regular fortnightly conversation for anyone interested in the Change Model and will be used to help further develop it.

The Twitter Club operates on Wednesdays between 4 and 5 pm and uses the hashtag #NHSchange.

If you are unfamiliar with Twitter, the club page provides an overview on how to set up an account and get started, as well as how to join in the conversation. You can also take the Twitter Tour!

The next event is on Wednesday the 16th of January and the discussion will be on "How can we use and share information to drive change and transformation"

Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too!

Public consultation on future of hospital will start in spring

Public consultation on future of hospital will start in spring: The future of Kettering General Hospital will be discussed at a public consultation expected to start in late spring or early summer. Evening Telegraph

County to get £57 million grant over two years to improve public health

County to get £57 million grant over two years to improve public health: The Government has announced funding for public health budgets which for the first time will be given to local authorities rather than the NHS to improve health across local communities. Evening Telegraph

Fight against care home expansion continues

Fight against care home expansion continues: Opponents to a plan to significantly expand a rural care home are pledging to continue their fight, after wrongly believing their campaign had been a success. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Ambulance station plans ‘likely to change’ after delay

Ambulance station plans ‘likely to change’ after delay: The strength of opinion about plans to close ambulance stations in the East Midlands has forced a delay in the final decision. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Report casts doubt on benefits of joint commissioning

Report casts doubt on benefits of joint commissioning: The study, carried out by professors at the University of Birmingham for the National Institute of Health Research, warns that new financial pressures will make joint commissioning and joint working even harder in the future.

Hunt – we must expose NHS care failings

Hunt – we must expose NHS care failings: The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for the NHS to be inspected and rated Ofsted-style Public Service

Sickness absence: learning from the devolved nations

Sickness absence: learning from the devolved nations: The report, “Work as a health outcome in the devolved nations: How Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales tackle sickness-related worklessness” details schemes that are making progress on reducing sickness absence. NHS Employers

£5.45 billion budget for local public health services

£5.45 billion budget for local public health services:

Funding ring-fenced for two years Related items from OnMedica Formula aims to aid local authorities on public health services funding Public health fears escalate Doctors’ leaders call for more regulation on public health Hunt praises GPs for ‘extraordinary dedication’ Budget may lead to 'slash and burn' cuts for NHS

Developing supportive design for people with dementia

Developing supportive design for people with dementia: This publication marks the completion of 26 Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) schemes in 23 NHS acute, community and mental health hospitals in England to improve the environment of care for people with dementia. This publication seeks to provide practical, value-for-money examples to encourage and inspire staff and their organisations to provide an environment of care that better supports people with dementia.

• Report
• Enhancing the Healing Environment project
• The King's Fund - publications

Britain's stress levels rising

Britain's stress levels rising: A study by the Mental Health Foundation has highlighted the principal reasons behind rising stress levels in Britain as money and job worries.
Almost six out of 10 people who responded to the survey by the charity said their life had become more stressful in the past five years. Chief executive Andrew McCulloch said the findings suggested that many people were not managing their stress levels and treating it as a... Healthcrae Today

New strain blamed for record norovirus outbreak

New strain blamed for record norovirus outbreak: The emergence of a new Australian strain of norovirus – the 'winter vomiting bug' – has featured in most newspapers today. The Daily Telegraph reports that the new strain is to blame for the record number of cases of the virus seen this winter, which it terms a 'severe norovirus season'.

NHS transplantation 'safe from German-style scandal'

NHS transplantation 'safe from German-style scandal': Organ transplantation on the NHS is safe from the kind of scandal currently rocking Germany, one of the Britain's top transplant surgeons has said. The Daily Telegraph

Haemorrhagic fever carried by UK rats: scientists

Haemorrhagic fever carried by UK rats: scientists: The potentially deadly hantavirus has been found in rats in the UK for the first time, scientists have confirmed after a man was diagnosed with the disease. The Daily Telegraph

Flu activity update: 10 January 2013

Flu activity update: 10 January 2013: Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) up to 6 January 2013 show that flu activity remain at similar levels to those reported in the previous week based on a number of indicators, including GP consultation rates in England and the proportion of calls to NHS direct.

£120 million investment for research to improve NHS services

£120 million investment for research to improve NHS services: The Department of Health has announced funding of £120 million for an open competition to research ways of improving NHS services. Each research project will involve collaborative partnerships between a university and surrounding NHS organisations and will be overseen by the National Institute of Health Research.

Breast care services reviewed

Breast care services reviewed: The way concerns over a hospital's breast care services were managed after alleged botched operations by a surgeon, Ian Paterson, is reviewed. BBC News

Telehealth no longer a remote possibility for general practice

Telehealth no longer a remote possibility for general practice: Following its success across the UK, NHS Stoke on Trent CCG is running a clinical rollout of advice and interactive Messages (AIM) for health - the Florence SMS texting telehealth service, writes Professor Ruth Chambers. GP Online

3,500 NHS managers at risk of redundancy

3,500 NHS managers at risk of redundancy: HSJ has reported that some 3,500 NHS managers have been told that they are at risk of redundancy. And the journal has said that while there are 5-7,000 vacancies in the system, not all of those at risk of redundancy will get jobs with new organisations. Around 600 redundancies have already been made during 2012-13, with a worst case scenario of 4,000 lay-offs taking place this year. Of the 3,500 staff identified ... Healthcare Today

What healthcare managers can expect in 2013

What healthcare managers can expect in 2013: As the NHS prepares for restructuring, health service leaders will experience difficulty, uncertainty and instability.

CQC: Government's hospital inspectors criticised in damning report

CQC: Government's hospital inspectors criticised in damning report: CQC: The Government's heath watchdog has a "long way to travel" before it is fit for purpose, an MP has warned. The Daily Telegraph

Sydney 2012: a new strain of norovirus blamed for most winter vomiting cases

Sydney 2012: a new strain of norovirus blamed for most winter vomiting cases:
A new strain of norovirus has been responsible for the majority of recent cases of the winter vomiting bug, health experts said. The Independent

A guide to the NHS Commissioning Board’s Everyone Counts

A guide to the NHS Commissioning Board’s Everyone Counts: What was on your Christmas reading list? Bradley Wiggins’s autobiography? Fifty Shades of Grey? Or Everyone Counts?
Just before the Christmas break the NHS Commissioning Board issued its ‘planning guidance’ to the 211 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that are to take control of local budgets from April. Everyone Counts sets out the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of commissioning in the reformed NHS. It replaces the Operating Framework that, for the past few years, has set out what is expected of the NHS, including targets and other ‘vital signs’, as well as tariff prices to be paid to providers.

What will 2013 have in store for healthcare?

What will 2013 have in store for healthcare?: Stephen Thornton discusses what he thinks will be the priorities for UK healthcare in 2013 and also what the Health Foundation's highlights will be. The Health Foundation

NHS end-of-life care 'shortage'

NHS end-of-life care 'shortage': There is a shortage of specialist end-of-life care in England, causing unnecessary suffering, experts say. BBC News

Health regulator problems 'persist'

Health regulator problems 'persist': The health and care regulator for England has yet to win the public's confidence, according to a highly critical report by a committee of MPs. BBC News

See also:

• Government's hospital inspectors criticised in damning report The Daily Telegraph

App shows how booze affects looks

App shows how booze affects looks: Smartphone app shows how booze affects your looks BBC News

2011 census data and the profile of the NHS workforce

2011 census data and the profile of the NHS workforce: This tool has been developed to help utilise census data in order to further analyse the NHS workforce at a local level. The tool enables workforce planners and diversity specialists to analyse workforce by age, disability, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation and religion or belief.

• Tool
• NHS Employers - news

Doctors attack 'scare tactics' used by private companies

Doctors attack 'scare tactics' used by private companies:
The chairman of the British Medical Association's GP committee has criticised the use of "scare tactics" by private screening companies in order to get people to spend money on their services.Laurence Buckman said: "I am very sceptical of the claims made by screening companies."Many companies which offer screening for health problems such as heart disease and colon cancer write directly... Healthcare Today

Is children's asthma made worse by inhalers?

Is children's asthma made worse by inhalers?: “Genetic tests could pave way to ‘personalised’ asthma drugs” the Guardian has reported, before warning that current treatments may make symptoms worse. The newspaper goes on to say that, “screening could help GPs tailor drugs to children as study confirms variations in response to asthma medications”.

The NHS needs to be more open with the people it belongs to | Jeremy Taylor

The NHS needs to be more open with the people it belongs to | Jeremy Taylor: The biggest challenge for the NHS in 2013 is to change its culture of secrecy, cover-up and authoritarian management

In-debt South London Healthcare NHS Trust 'should be broken up'

In-debt South London Healthcare NHS Trust 'should be broken up':
A debt-ridden NHS trust which was on the brink of bankruptcy should be dissolved, an official consultation has concluded. The Independent

Liverpool Care Pathway: A way of death worth fighting for?

Liverpool Care Pathway: A way of death worth fighting for?: 
It was developed as a measure to help ease the suffering of the dying. Instead it is alleged to have introduced “backdoor euthanasia” into the NHS, leading to the early deaths of tens of thousands of patients in return for millions of pounds in “bribes” for hospitals. The Independent

Hospital inspection results 'fail to reflect patients' assessments'

Hospital inspection results 'fail to reflect patients' assessments': A worrying "disconnect" between official inspection results and the real standards experienced by patients has undermined public confidence in hospitals and care homes, according to a scathing report by MPs. The Independent

HPA update on seasonal norovirus activity: 8 January 2013

HPA update on seasonal norovirus activity: 8 January 2013: Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show there have been 4,140 laboratory confirmed cases of norovirus this season (from week 27 to week 52 2012). The latest figures are 63 per cent higher than the number of cases reported at this point last year, when there were 2,535 cases.

Local GPs recommend free Health Check

Local GPs recommend free Health Check: This new year, local GPs are encouraging their patients to have a free health check as part of a new year campaign which encourages us to be more healthy. Patients aged between 40 and 74, who do... Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust News

Theft charge nurse is suspended

Theft charge nurse is suspended: A nurse accused of using a patient's bank card to steal £2,100 is suspended from practice for 18 months. BBC Northamptonshire

‘Be Food Smart’ campaign launches

‘Be Food Smart’ campaign launches: A new campaign from Change4Life exposing the ‘hidden nasties’ in everyday foods and helping people to be ‘food smart’ launches today.

Fracture risk scheme could save £50,000 per practice

Fracture risk scheme could save £50,000 per practice: A project to prevent hip fractures by scanning GP practice lists to identify and treat high-risk patients aims to cut hospital costs by more than £50,000 per practice. GP Online

The code: standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives

The code: standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives: This code sets out a foundation for good nursing and midwifery practice, and will act as a key tool in safeguarding the health and
wellbeing of the public.

• Code of conduct 
• NMC - publications

Consultation on Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicators

Consultation on Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicators: Comments are being sought on 14 new potential QOF indicators across six domains: hypertension, dementia, coronary heart disease, diabetes, peripheral arterial disease and stroke. The consultation will close at 5.00pm on Monday 4th February 2013.

• Consultation document
• Consultation response form
• NICE - consultations

NHS reforms will fail unless GPs get behind them

NHS reforms will fail unless GPs get behind them: The Patient from Hell urges GPs to get involved in implementing the reforms as he considers what 2013 holds for healthcare.

NHS error leads to thousands having online medical record without knowledge

NHS error leads to thousands having online medical record without knowledge: NHS blunder leads to medical records of thousands of people being uploaded to a central database without their consent. The Daily Telegraph

Elderly are being 'betrayed' over care, says leading doctor

Elderly are being 'betrayed' over care, says leading doctor: The elderly are victims of an 'abominable betrayal' as the generation who set up the welfare state are now being told there is no money to look after them, Prof John Ashton has said. The Daily Telegraph

Over 150 Potentially Low-Value Health Care Practices: An Australian Study

Over 150 Potentially Low-Value Health Care Practices: An Australian Study: In this study, Commonwealth Fund Visiting Fellow Adam Elshaug and colleagues set out to establish a systematic, evidence-based, transparent strategy for identifying potential "low-value" clinical services that require closer review. The Commonwealth Fund

Cancer survival rates increasing in our county

Cancer survival rates increasing in our county: A woman who survived breast cancer and set up a charity which has raised more than £1m has welcomed a rise in survival rates in the county. Evening Telegraph

Northampton hospital drug trial could save UK £1bn

Northampton hospital drug trial could save UK £1bn: A succesful drug trial at a Northampton hospital could help wipe out a common disorder and save the country
£1 billion a year, health bosses have claimed. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

RCGP video on telehealth

RCGP video on telehealth: A new telehealth video from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) highlights some of the key reasons why clinicians are recommending telehealth for their patients.

Trust overpays staff £1m in error

Trust overpays staff £1m in error: A London NHS trust has overpaid its staff by a total of nearly £1m a year since 2010, documents reveal. BBC News

VIDEO: CQC care home inspection delays

VIDEO: CQC care home inspection delays: An investigation has discovered that despite increasing abuse allegations in care homes, the Care Quality Commission is behind on its inspections. BBC News

Guidance for sharing information

Guidance for sharing information: Guidance for employers in relation to the sharing of relevant information about the conduct or performance of a healthcare worker where there is an identified risk to public and/or patient safety. NHS Employers

Care in local communities: a new vision and model for district nursing

Care in local communities: a new vision and model for district nursing: This vision and service model builds on ‘Compassion in practice’, the national vision for nurses, midwives and care staff. It was developed by a strategic partnership of the Department of Health, NHS Commissioning Board Authority, The Queen’s Nursing Institute, alongside district nurse leaders and practitioners. It sets out the foundations of district nursing services, the developments and innovations that ensure services can meet current and future needs, and the district nurse-led
team contribution to providing care and support in the community, including peoples’ homes. It aims to be a resource for those designing and providing local community health services, including nurse leaders, health and wellbeing boards, clinical commissioning groups, and others with an interest in developing integrated care for older people.

• Vision and model
• Compassion in practice
• Department of Health - news

Stafford Hospital: the scandal that shamed the NHS

Stafford Hospital: the scandal that shamed the NHS: Patients lying starving, soiled and in pain. Over-worked staff dogged by targets. Laura Donnelly tells how a culture of fear meant that ticking boxes trampled over the basic needs of the most vulnerable. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Stafford Hospital scandal: deaths force NHS reforms The Daily Telegraph
• NHS reforms urged after Stafford hospital report The Guardian
• NHS needs 'sweeping reforms' ITV News
• VIDEO: 'NHS changes' after Stafford report BBC News 

NHS to pay 100 private health care firms to treat patients

NHS to pay 100 private health care firms to treat patients: More than 100 private firms will be paid by the NHS to treat patients as part of the first major expansion of the private sector's role in the health service, it emerged last night. The Daily Telegraph

NHS accused of wasting £27m on uneaten hospital food

NHS accused of wasting £27m on uneaten hospital food:
The number of NHS hospital meals that were left uneaten rose above nine million in 2011-12, according to a survey. The wasted food cost the NHS £27m with the worst trusts reporting more than a quarter of meals returned. The Independent

Sack the managers of failing hospitals, says Hunt

Sack the managers of failing hospitals, says Hunt:
Hospital managers who preside over failings that lead to patient deaths should face dismissal, the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said today. The Independent

See also:

•  Failing NHS bosses will go - Hunt BBC News

Health experts reject 'friends and family' test

Health experts reject 'friends and family' test:
The "friends and family" test hailed by David Cameron last week as a means of ratcheting up standards of care in hospitals and GP surgeries had already been given the thumbs down by experts working for the NHS regulator, the Care Quality Commission. The Independent

Appeal for blood donors as supplies run short

Appeal for blood donors as supplies run short: The NHS has appealed for blood donors to come forward after revealing stocks have fallen. Evening Telegraph

Northamptonshire county councillor backs benefit cuts for obese

Northamptonshire county councillor backs benefit cuts for obese: A senior Northamptonshire councillor said he agrees “in principle” with the idea of councils cutting certain benefits from people who refuse to lose weight. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

What are the prospects for health and social care in 2013?

What are the prospects for health and social care in 2013?: ‘Ring out the old, ring in the new’ declared Tennyson in his New Year’s elegy, though 170 years later the lesser known line ‘ring out old shapes of foul disease’ may be more apposite to prospects for health and care in 2013.

NHS Improvement turns spotlight on stroke

NHS Improvement turns spotlight on stroke: The new publications include resources for continuing care, patient and public engagement and rapid response.

Patients to be asked to rate their doctors

Patients to be asked to rate their doctors: People are to be routinely asked to rate the quality of treatment they receive from their family doctor under an initiative to drive up care standards across the National Health Service. The Independent

See also:

• David Cameron: GPs should be subject to patient satisfaction tests The Guardian
• Nurses ordered to carry out hourly rounds under new plans to raise NHS standards to pass 'friends and family test' The Daily Mail
• Long way to go on NHS care - PM BBC News

Obese 'may face cut to benefits'

Obese 'may face cut to benefits': Overweight or unhealthy people who refuse to attend exercise sessions could have their benefits slashed, a Conservative council suggests. BBC News

See also:

• Obese people could lose some benefits Public Service
• Obese people may be forced to exercise or lose benefits The Daily Telegraph
• Refuse to exercise and we could cut your benefits, fat claimants are told The Daily Mail

Delivering Dilnot: paying for elderly care

Delivering Dilnot: paying for elderly care: This report includes comments from a wide range of contributors, including Paul Burstow, former Care Services Minister under the Coalition; Lord Sutherland, former chair of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care under Labour; as well as carers and elderly patients. It emphasises that tough political deceisions must be made to deliver reform, and proposes how this can be funded a way that is fair and sustainable. It also looks at the private sector contribution to delivering the necessary insurance products.

• Report
• Centre Forum - publications

Action on obesity: comprehensive care for all

Action on obesity: comprehensive care for all: This report outlines the issues around obesity in the UK, including the variations in treatment across the country, the related health issues, and the wider impact on public health. It sets out recommendations on how the NHS could adapt to meet the demands of an increasingly obese nation.

• Report
• Press release
• RCP - publications