Health News

Telestroke service will save 40 lives and 7m a year, say Northern NHS trusts

Gill Hitchcock — 2012-05-28

Lancashire and Cumbria NHS trusts believe that having a managed telestroke is 'invaluable'.Lancashire and Cumbria cardiac and stroke network expects about 40 stroke victims each year to recover without a significant disability because of fast administration of clot-busting drugs, enabled by the telestroke service set up by local NHS trusts.Telestroke went live in July of last year after two to three years of preparation. It relies on a Virgin Media Business community of interest network, based on ...

New doctors need more support from consultants to end spike in fatalities

2012-05-28

More consultants should be on duty during the twice-yearly changeover of doctors which sees thousands of medical students arrive on wards and a spike in the number of patient deaths.

Illegal organ trade on the rise, say world health experts

2012-05-28

Thousands of black market transplant operations involving purchased organs are taking place every year with one every hour, the World Health Organisation has warned.

NHS told to do more for homeless

2012-05-28

NHS hospitals are being urged to do more to help homeless patients, in a report commissioned by the government.

NHS reforms risk data breach ''epidemic''

Public Service — 2012-05-25

Data protection experts have warned of new threats to the security of confidential patient data

'Friends and families' test to shame poor hospitals

2012-05-25

Patients in NHS hospitals will be asked whether they would want their friends or family to be treated there, with the results used to pressurise poorly-performing hospitals

Details of all 212 CCGs published

2012-05-24

Details of the areas covered by all 212 proposed clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England, as well as their budgets and constituent practices, have been released.

'Emergency plan' to beat polio

2012-05-24

Tackling polio has entered "emergency mode" according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative after "explosive" outbreaks in countries previously free of the disease.

Concerns over ageing GP workforce

2012-05-24

Urgent action needed as care moves out of hospitals

Cataracts surgery 'restricted across half of England'

2012-05-24

People whose cataracts are so bad they cannot drive are being denied operations by six out of ten health trusts as they impose spending cuts, research has found.

GPs call for work capability assessment to be scrapped

Amelia Gentleman — 2012-05-24

Doctors say method of determining who is eligible for sickness benefits should be replaced with more 'rigorous and safe system'GPs have voted unanimously in favour of scrapping the controversial work capability assessment (WCA), the test that determines who is eligible for sickness benefits, to prevent harming "some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society".At the annual GPs' conference, doctors backed a motion stating that the computer-based assessments were "inadequate" and "have little regard ...

NHS names new equality and diversity champions

2012-05-24

NHS Employers says this is not about political correctnessRelated items from OnMedicaNew GMC guidance on diversity publishedMarmot offers vision to cut health inequalityGPs must address inequalityHealth equality institute launchedThe healthcare equality challenge

King's Fund warns of challenges to new NHS information strategy

2012-05-24

has warned that implementation of the government's long-awaited NHS information strategy raises technical and financial challenges and will rely on the pace and scale of local take up. "While we welcome the ambition and direction ...

Controversial plans to change the way NHS spends its 100bn budget being considered

2012-05-23

Senior health service managers are considering controversial plans to change the way the NHS spends its ;100bn annual budget across different parts of England.

Freeze QOF for two years, say GP leaders

2012-05-23

QOF 'box-ticking' has become so arduous that it now interferes with GPs' ability to deliver traditional primary care and should be frozen for two years in light of commissioning reforms, LMCs have said.

Doctors refuse to pay for CQC registration

2012-05-23

From the BMA local medical committees conference

Vague NHS reforms put lives on line, warn MPs

2012-05-23

Reforms to a multi-billion pound NHS workforce training budget are so vague that they could put patients lives at risk, MPs warned on Wednesday.

Health agency says hospital staff must be trained to combat pneumonia

James Meikle — 2012-05-23

All hospitals recommended to publish their data on the use of antibiotic and anti-fungal medicines so as to cut unecessary useHospitals in England have been warned they must sharpen their training of ward staff on reducing pneumonia and lower respiratory tract infections in patients.Less sedation, more physiotherapy, more careful use of antacids and appropriate mouth hygiene should be encouraged to minimise the risks of the infection in severely ill patients, including those intubated for fluids ...

Health care assistants 'must be registered' say MPs

2012-05-23

Patients are being put at risk because health care assistants (HCAs) who make serious mistakes are not banned from the profession, MPs warn today.

NHS could 'run out of GPs' over pensions, claims BMA

2012-05-23

The NHS could "run out of GPs" because of widespread discontent over pensions and health reforms, a senior doctor has claimed.

Doctors could be struck off for refusing to give unmarried women contraceptives

2012-05-23

Doctors who refuse to give contraceptives to unmarried women or carry out sex change operations face being struck off under new guidelines.

Bowel cancer: 'Go private for tests', says advisor

2012-05-23

Patients should go private for bowel cancer tests, a Government advisor has said, after it emerged that half of local health authorities are failing to provide them fast enough despite millions of pounds of extra funding.

C.difficile cases 'unreported' claims survey

2012-05-23

Hospital cases of the 'superbug' C.difficile may be going unreported because of the threat of Government-imposed fines, it has been claimed.

'Emerging hospital bug' warning

2012-05-23

Rates of hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA are going down but figures suggest other bacteria are an emerging problem in England.

GP training plans lack crucial detail, MPs say

2012-05-23

DH plans to overhaul education and training of GPs and other health workers need greater detail and clarity, MPs have said.

PCTs fail to invest in extra cancer tests

2012-05-23

Half of PCTs are failing to invest in extra cancer tests despite long waiting times, putting plans to improve NHS cancer outcomes at risk.

Better bosses 'make NHS healthier' - The Press Association

2012-05-23

expressandstar.comBetter bosses 'make NHS healthier'The Press AssociationThe report by health charity The King's Fund says that organisations with engaged staff deliver a better patient experience and have fewer errors. It says financial management is stronger, staff morale and motivation higher and there is less ...More training needed for NHS managersPractice Businessall 185 news articles »

Chronic pain under-treated - NICE

2012-05-23

Many patients with advanced cancer and other debilitating conditions are being "under-treated" for their pain, according to new guidance.

NHS spending plan hits poorer areas, critics claim

Denis Campbell — 2012-05-23

Health secretary Andrew Lansley wants budget allocation to be reflect age of residents rather than level of deprivationMinisters are planning to switch billions of pounds of NHS spending from the north to the south of England in a move that will hit poorer areas that already have the highest rates of ill health, new research shows.Health secretary Andrew Lansley wants the age of residents to replace an area's level of deprivation as the main basis for how the NHS's ;104.2bn budget in England is ...

Diabetes timebomb: Only half of NHS patients receiving acceptable care

2012-05-23

Sweeping variations in standards of care for diabetic patients is costing thousands of lives and wasting tens of millions of pounds every year, the governments spending watchdog reveals.