A&Es get extra money as winter bites The government is expected to make an extra £150m available for A&E units in England as they gear up for what looks set to be a tough winter, the BBC understands. BBC News
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Analysing your staff survey results A useful analysis tool which can assess links between staff and patient experience. NHS Employers
Aspirin at bedtime 'cuts' morning heart attack risk “Take aspirin before bed to cut morning heart risk,” is the advice in The Daily Telegraph today. It’s prompted by a presentation that explained research that found a night-time aspirin helped thin the blood in the morning.
Dementia carers ‘close to breaking point’ Charities say better support will save costs in both short and long term. OnMedica
NHS doctors spend 10 hours a week on bureaucracy NHS doctors and nurses spend up to 10 hours a week on bureaucracy - a third of which is unneccesary, a Government review has found. The Daily Telegraph
Patient care and choice is at risk, say senior NHS figures The National Health Service is undergoing its biggest shake-up in decades, but its own directors and board members, as well as those across the health sector, are concerned that patient care is deteriorating, that the NHS is worse equipped to deliver value-for-money, and that patient choice and satisfaction is going to get worse. The Independent
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiry: government response These documents build on the government’s initial response: Patients First and Foremost, which was published in March 2013. They explain the changes that have been put in place since the initial response was published, and set out how the whole health and care system will prioritise and build on this. Volume 2 outlines the responses to each of the 290 recommendations made by the public inquiry.
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Hospital self-harm care 'lacking' Many hospitals in England are failing to provide adequate care for people who have self-harmed, despite a national drive to improve services, research suggests. BBC News
Challenging bureaucracy In February 2013, the Secretary of State for Health commissioned the NHS Confederation to complete a review of the bureaucratic burdens on providers of NHS care from national bodies. NHS Confederation
General practice funding at a nine-year low New figures published by the RCGP and the National Association for Patient Participation (NAPP) show funding for general practice at a nine-year low. Royal College of General Practitioners
The cost of our health: the role of charging in healthcare This report examines the funding of health and care and the role of user charging in healthcare. It argues that new charges could raise nearly £3 billion per year to fund NHS services.
Evidence submission: Health Select Committee's inquiry into public expenditure on health and social care This submission considers the financial pressures the NHS is currently under and will continue to face in the coming years. It analyses the progress being made in the attempt to meet the Nicholson Challenge target of making £20 billion of savings.
Hospitals to publish staffing levels Hospitals in England will be made to publish monthly details of whether they have enough nurses working on their wards, from next April. BBC News
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Call to raise prescriptions to £10 Prescription charges in England should be increased to £10 to fund cash-strapped NHS services, a centre-right think-tank says. BBC News
Care of brain injury victims 'poor' BBC Newsnight has been shown secretly-filmed footage that shows poor treatment of patients with brain injuries who need specialist rehabilitation. BBC News
VIDEO: How does the NHS plan for winter? Doctors have described life inside accident and emergency units as "always winter but never Christmas" and The College of Emergency Medicine has warned that this year could bring the "worst crisis on record". BBC News
A place for parity: health and wellbeing boards and mental health This report is the result of a study which reviewed 100 strategies and found that nine did not include mental health in their priorities at all. It looks at how much focus the boards have given to mental health in their strategies, which areas of mental health they focus on and what factors helped or hindered the agenda of mental health during the development of the strategies.
Seven day consultant present care: implementation considerations This report from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges argues that most patients in hospital over a bank holiday or a weekend would benefit from a daily review of their care led by a consultant. It also argues that for seven day care proposals to succeed, strong links between hospitals and community care need to be in place, particularly for frail, elderly and vulnerable patients.
