New meningitis B vaccine approved for UK use

New meningitis B vaccine approved for UK use:

Much of the media are reporting the news that a new meningitis B vaccine called Bexsero has been licensed by the European Commission. This means the vaccine should soon be available for use in the UK.

A fat lot of good that will do: minister loses health argument by stereotyping the poor

A fat lot of good that will do: minister loses health argument by stereotyping the poor:
Anna Soubry may have thought she was making an innocent observation about the nature of society when she declared that she could recognise the poor because they were fat. The Independent

See also:

• We used to describe poor children as 'skinny runts' - now it's the opposite: Minister says deprived families are more likely to be obese The Independent
• Are the poor kids really the fat ones? BBC News
• Poor kids 'more likely to be obese': BBC News

Private health contractor's staff told to cut 999 calls to meet targets

Private health contractor's staff told to cut 999 calls to meet targets:  Leaked email from Serco managers tells workers to manipulate computer system to 'stop the clock' on emergency calls
Call handlers staffing an out-of-hours GP service run by the private contractor Serco have been told to make new checks before calling 999 when they receive what appear to be emergency cases in order to cut down the number of referrals they make to the ambulance service.

NHS maternity units to share £25m fund to improve childbirth experience

NHS maternity units to share £25m fund to improve childbirth experience: More than 100 hospitals in England will share money to modernise maternity units in midst of ongoing baby boom.

NHS maternity units will get new birthing pools, more family rooms so dads can sleep over and extra midwife-led units after winning slices of a £25m fund to improve women's experiences of childbirth.
More than 100 hospitals in England will share the £25m, which will modernise maternity units and help the NHS cope with an ongoing decade-long baby boom during which births have been at their highest rate for 40 years.

Have NHS managers got the right skills?

Have NHS managers got the right skills?: With three CCGs recently warned, healthcare leaders must be able to engage staff and patients if they are to deliver change
Managers in both acute trusts and clinical commissioning groups have been scrutinised by the NHS leadership in the last few days and found wanting.

Homeopathy is 'rubbish', says chief medical officer

Homeopathy is 'rubbish', says chief medical officer: Homeopathic remedies are "rubbish" and do not serve as anything more than placebos, England's chief medical officer has claimed. The Daily Telegraph

Monday mornings see double the average number of A&E attendances in England

Monday mornings see double the average number of A&E attendances in England: January 23, 2013: English A&E departments see the most attendances on a Monday morning - dealing with double the hourly average - new figures suggest. NHS Information Centre

Gaining Ground: Care Management Programs to Reduce Hospital Admissions and Readmissions Among Chronically Ill and Vulnerable Patients

Gaining Ground: Care Management Programs to Reduce Hospital Admissions and Readmissions Among Chronically Ill and Vulnerable Patients: Preventable hospital admissions and readmissions are indicators of health system fragmentation associated with suboptimal patient outcomes and avoidable costs of care. This synthesis report looks at three case studies that illustrate the potential of care management programs to address this problem by improving care coordination and transitions among high-risk patients. The Commonwealth Fund

Health Inequalities & People with Learning Disabilities in the UK: 2012

Health Inequalities & People with Learning Disabilities in the UK: 2012: This annual report summarises the latest evidence about the extent, nature and determinants of health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities in the UK.  Each year the report includes a more detailed look at evidence related to particular groups of people with learning disabilities, this year the focus is on challenging behaviour. Learning Disabilities Observatory

MPs in call for ambulance review

MPs in call for ambulance review: The government has demanded an urgent review of Northamptonshire's NHS ambulance service after MPs highlighted long waiting times. BBC Northampton

Tool to measure diabetes outcomes and costs

Tool to measure diabetes outcomes and costs: The diabetes outcomes and expenditure tool allows users to compare expenditure on diabetes care with clinical outcomes for a selected CCG, other CCGs with similar populations and all other CCGs. Spending on diabetes care can be compared to a number of outcomes at CCG level. York & Humber Public Health Observatory 

67 new clinical commissioning groups given green light to take control of NHS budgets

67 new clinical commissioning groups given green light to take control of NHS budgets:
NHS Commissioning Board authorises second wave of clinical commissioning groups, taking total to 101, serving more than 28 million people.

Prostate cancer risk 'has trebled'

Prostate cancer risk 'has trebled': Prostate cancer risk has risen to such a degree that one in every seven boys will develop it, figures suggest. BBC News

CQC registration completed for 80% of GPs

CQC registration completed for 80% of GPs: Over 80% of GP practices in England have successfully completed CQC registration, but two face closure after being told their applications could be rejected. GP Online

Flu hits children and elderly in US

Flu hits children and elderly in US:

This season's influenza outbreak in the United States has resulted in more child deaths than in previous years, and resulted in more elderly people being hospitalised.While the rate of infection in some areas appears to have peaked, death rates and hospitalisation rates are still on the rise.According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all but two states have reported widespread ... Healthcare Today

Long-term aspirin use 'increases blindness risk'

Long-term aspirin use 'increases blindness risk': The Daily Telegraph reports that using aspirin regularly could triple the risk of developing one of the commonest forms of blindness; “wet” age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – which causes progressive loss of central vision.

Doctor and nurse shortages on wards 'behind thousands of deaths a year'

Doctor and nurse shortages on wards 'behind thousands of deaths a year': Shortages of doctors and nurses on hospital wards are likely to be responsible for thousands of deaths a year, a new study has suggested. The Daily Telegraph

Hospital faces fines because it is 'too popular'

Hospital faces fines because it is 'too popular': One of Britain's best hospitals is facing fines of more than £500,000 a month from April because it is too popular. The Independent

Cancer diagnosis delays 'kill 500 a year'

Cancer diagnosis delays 'kill 500 a year': Delays in diagnosing women with ovarian cancer are costing 500 lives a year, a charity claims today. The Independent

Suicide rates among men rise to ten-year high

Suicide rates among men rise to ten-year high: The number of suicides in the UK rose "significantly" in 2011, official figures revealed today, with the rate of men taking their own lives reaching its highest level for nearly a decade. The Independent

See also:

• Alarm at rise in UK suicide rate The Guardian
• 'Significant' rise in UK suicides BBC News