NHS 111 line 'dangerously understaffed'

NHS 111 line 'dangerously understaffed' A woman who worked at an NHS non-emergency call centre serving Northamptonshire says it is "dangerously understaffed" with 75% of calls unanswered. BBC Derby

Should we be worried about CCG conflicts of interest?

Should we be worried about CCG conflicts of interest? Anxiety about conflicts of interest hangs over clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) now as it did GP fund-holders in the past. Worries about the propriety of giving GPs public money to purchase care – potentially from themselves – were raised several times as the Health and Social Care Bill worked its way through parliament four years ago. The King's Fund

New consensus on early treatment for relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

New consensus on early treatment for relapsing Multiple Sclerosis A new scientific consensus has been reached that changes the way relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) should be treated.

The evidence now tells us that, rather than waiting to see whether more relapses occur, disease modifying therapies (DMTs) should be offered as close as possible to diagnosis. Multiple Sclerosis Society

See also:

• Time to Act – 2015 a consensus on early treatment Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Earlier MS treatment urged by charity BBC News

Prison smoking ban to begin in 2016

Prison smoking ban to begin in 2016 Smoking will be banned in all prisons in Wales and four in south-west England from next year, ahead of a wider roll-out, the government says. BBC News

See also:

• Prisoners to be banned from smoking behind bars The Daily Telegraph

Medical devices attract hackers

Medical devices attract hackers Researchers have found evidence that thousands of critical medical machines, such as MRI scanners, are available to access online. BBC News

See also:

• Thousands of 'directly hackable' hospital devices exposed online The Register

Junior doctors contract row: an explainer

Junior doctors contract row: an explainer The health secretary and the British Medical Association are at loggerheads over contract changes and strike action is being threatened – how did it come to this?Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• What is the junior doctors row about? BBC News
• Junior doctors' strike receives overwhelming support, poll shows The Guardian
• Junior doctors protest outside Downing Street over "unsafe and unfair" contract changes The Independent
• Anger at cancelled junior doctors’ meetings OnMedica

Police will turn 'blind eye' to new smoking ban in cars

Police will turn 'blind eye' to new smoking ban in cars From 1st October it will be illegal for a motorist to smoke with someone under the age of 18 in their car, but few drivers are expected to be prosecuted. The Daily Telegraph

NHS drug shortages: why are we running out of some treatments in the UK?

NHS drug shortages: why are we running out of some treatments in the UK? The NHS is facing shortages of some important drugs used to relieve pain and treat cancer. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Why is the NHS short of some key drugs? BBC News

Healthcare workers hit out at executive's payoff as doctors face pay cut

Healthcare workers hit out at executive's payoff as doctors face pay cut David Flory received £410,000 alongside his £235,000 salary after stepping down as chief executive of the TDA. The Independent

See also:

• NHS exec given 'disgraceful' £410,000 pay-off The Daily Telegraph
• Health unions condemn 'disgraceful' £410,000 payoff to NHS executive The Guardian

People with mental health issues should run their own services more, says NHS head

People with mental health issues should run their own services more, says NHS head Helen Birtwhistle said service users were best placed to tell health service bosses where improvements needed to be made. The Independent

Northamptonshire’s Hospital and Outreach team wins BMA award

Northamptonshire’s Hospital and Outreach team wins BMA award A member of Northamptonshire’s Hospital and Outreach Education team has won a national award for her work on an information pack about the impact of cancer on children’s learning. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Responsible, safe and sustainable general practice

Responsible, safe and sustainable general practice A new vision for sustainable, modern and flexible general practice has been published by the British Medical Association (BMA).

Too soon for 'aspirin doubles cancer survival' claim

Too soon for 'aspirin doubles cancer survival' claim "Aspirin could almost double your chance of surviving cancer," the Daily Mail reports, with most of the newspapers featuring similar claims.

According to the Mail: "Three quarters of people with bowel, stomach or throat cancer were still alive five years later, and aspirin is the 'magic bullet' that should be prescribed as soon as someone is diagnosed."

Unfortunately the claims appearing in the media are based solely on a press release and abstract of research being presented at a scientific conference. This means the results and conclusions won’t have been verified by independent experts and we don’t have all the information to appraise such research. For these reasons we need to be cautious about this finding. NHS Choices

Hunt to meet doctors in contract row

Hunt to meet doctors in contract row Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has agreed to meet junior doctors' leaders after the decision to ballot medics on industrial action over a new contract. BBC News

See also:

• Junior doctor contract negotiations NHS Employers
• Health secretary to meet junior doctors' leader over contract row The Guardian
• ‘I can’t sacrifice my family for the NHS’: the junior doctors forced out of jobs they love The Guardian

Public Health England defends NHS Health Checks

Public Health England defends NHS Health Checks Public Health England (PHE) is refuting claims made in a peer review journal, that NHS Health Checks are a waste of time and money. OnMedica

The tragic cost of NHS out-of-hours hotline's descent into meltdown: Two babies died after parents were given wrong advice - as investigation finds ONE nurse on duty for 2 million people

The tragic cost of NHS out-of-hours hotline's descent into meltdown: Two babies died after parents were given wrong advice - as investigation finds ONE nurse on duty for 2 million people The NHS out-of-hours hotline is in meltdown in parts of Britain with chronic staff shortages meaning staff with just three weeks' training are being overwhelmed. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS 111 whistleblower Irsah Tahir speaks out about her training  The Daily Mail

More than 100 patients die after their surgery is cancelled as record number of NHS operations are postponed

More than 100 patients die after their surgery is cancelled as record number of NHS operations are postponed  Heart surgery patients were among the 104 people who died, with some having had their NHS surgery cancelled twice. Hospital chiefs claim it's impossible to say if it contributed to their deaths. The Daily Mail

Almost half of seven-day trial surgeries have cut hours after lack of demand

Almost half of seven-day trial surgeries have cut hours after lack of demand Small number of patients at eight of the 18 pilot schemes raises doubts about viability of David Cameron’s 8am to 8pm GP services pledge

Almost half of the GP surgeries that began opening in evenings and at weekends to fulfil David Cameron’s pledge of 8am to 8pm seven-day access have cut their hours because so few patients came.

Pulse, the magazine for GPs, has learned that eight of the 18 pilot areas in England given money last year to roll out the scheme have scaled back the hours they operate or stopped offering appointments outside normal working hours altogether. Continue reading... The Guardian

It's stupid to believe that the NHS is still 'the best in the world'

It's stupid to believe that the NHS is still 'the best in the world' Instead of treating the NHS as a sacred cow, and holding on to outdated notions about how good it is, we urgently need to fix it, says Alex Proud. The Daily Telegraph

Health watchdog wants your view on East Midlands 999 service ahead of inspection

Health watchdog wants your view on East Midlands 999 service ahead of inspection A health watchdog is calling on people living in Northamptonshire to give their views on East Midlands Ambulance Service. Northampton Chronicle and Echo