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COVID-19 vaccines rolled out to people aged 70 years and over
19/01/2021
Millions of people aged 70 and over and those clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 will be invited to get their vaccinations from Monday 18...
One million over 80s invited to vaccination centres
19/01/2021
More than one million people aged 80 or over have been invited to book a coronavirus jab at a vaccination centre. Ten new large-scale centres,...
Plan for the largest vaccination programme in British history
13/01/2021
The UK COVID-19 vaccines delivery plan sets out how the government will work with the NHS, devolved administrations, local councils and the armed...
NHS staff morale improves but too many facing abuse
20/02/2020
NHS staff say they are now happier and more likely to recommend their organisation as a place to work than last year, but too many still experience unacceptable abuse from patients and the public. 569,000 NHS employees across 300 separate organisations responded to this year’s NHS staff survey,...
Patient leaflet: what is an online consultation?
10/02/2020
This two-page leaflet is aimed at helping patients understand what online consultations are and the benefits they have. Click the link to view the leaflet > https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/patient-leaflet-what-is-an-online-consultation/
Local partnerships and children’s mental health
06/02/2020
A report published by the Local Government Association sets out how councils and their partners can work most effectively together to support children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. Latest figures show that more than one in ten (11.2%) children between the ages of five...
Wanted: ideas for a greener NHS
06/02/2020
NHS England has put out a call for ideas how the NHS can become greener as part of a new campaign to raise awareness of the dangers to health posed by climate change. The deadline for submissions is 22 March. More....
Alcohol involved in 360,000 hospital admissions last year
06/02/2020
Drinking alcohol was the main reason for 358,000 admissions to hospital in 2018/19 according to new figures published by NHS Digital. More.....
The state of children’s mental health services
03/02/2020
A report from the children’s commissioner looks at the provision of children and young people’s mental health services for the hundreds of thousands of children who need help, support and treatment. It also looks ahead to assess whether current government plans go far enough to meet demand. It...
Pharmacy advice campaign gets underway
27/01/2020
Public Health England this week launched a campaign to encourage people to make better use of their local pharmacy. Pharmacists can treat minor concerns like coughs, colds, sore throats, itchy eyes and earaches, helping to reduce pressure on GPs and hospital emergency departments. The campaign asks...
Promoting physical activity to manage long-term conditions
24/01/2020
The latest edition of Public Health England’s Health Matters newsletter contains information for local authorities and healthcare professionals on promoting physical activity for the prevention and management of long-term conditions. More.....
Cervical Cancer Prevention Week
22/01/2020
It is important to remember that cervical screening is a screening test only. It gives a snapshot of cervical cells to identify whether there may be changes caused by high-risk HPV early. It will not give you a diagnosis of cancer. If you have an abnormal result, you may be invited to colonoscopy,...
Help NICE develop guidance on the management of multiple sclerosis in adults
21/01/2020
Help develop the NICE guideline on multiple sclerosis in adults The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produces guidance on the most effective ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease and ill health, and provide social care support. Our guidance is based on research...
Briefing on changes to oncology services
20/01/2020
Briefing on changes to oncology services – Scarborough Hospital, Bridlington Hospital, Scunthorpe General and Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital The purpose of this document is to outline the approach to communicating proposed changes to the delivery of oncology services affecting patients on the...
Mental health policy in England
16/01/2020
Around one in four people in the UK suffer from a mental health problem each year. The NHS has set out that it wants to achieve parity of esteem between mental and physical health, in terms of access to services, quality of care and allocation of resources. This briefing looks at the current mental...
Consultation on the NHS standard contract 2020/21
16/01/2020
NHS England is consulting on the NHS standard contract for 2020/21. Comments on the draft contract can be made by Friday 31 January 2020 either by using an online feedback form or by email to england.contractsengagement@nhs.net. NHS England also welcomes comments on the draft technical guidance.
New campaign urges public to speak up about the NHS
14/01/2020
Healthwatch England has launched the #SpeakUp2020 campaign, encouraging everybody to speak up about what would make health and social care services in their communities better. More....
Patients get same-day appointments with local pharmacists
13/01/2020
More than 100,000 patients have had appointments with expert pharmacists in the last 10 weeks, relieving pressure on GPs and A&E departments. The community pharmacist consultation service (CPCS) was introduced in October 2019. The service enables NHS 111 health advisers to refer patients with...
NHS Missed Appointments
09/01/2020
There are around 15 million missed appointments in the NHS every year. This wastes 216 million pounds of NHS money. This could pay for: 2325 full time GP’s 224 640 cataract operations 58 320 hip replacements 216 000 alzheimer’s treatment courses 8 424 full time community nurses Don't need it?...
£40 million investment to reduce NHS staff login times
08/01/2020
The government will provide £40 million to transform slow login times, one of the main technology frustrations facing NHS staff. NHS staff currently have to log in to multiple computer programmes when tending to a patient, with each programme requiring its own login details. Some staff need to log...
Number of NHS App users more than double in three months
08/01/2020
The number of patients using the NHS App has more than doubled since chief nurse Ruth May announced the NHS App Ambassadors scheme in early September. The number of NHS App registered users now stands at over 200,000 compared with 91,000 at the beginning of September. More people than ever before...
Unpaid carers in their 80s ‘save government £23 billion a year’
08/01/2020
New figures by Age UK show that an army of carers aged 80 and over provide 23m hours of unpaid care a week, saving the health and care system £23 billion a year. More....
Further warnings about effect of winter on hospitals
06/01/2020
Leaders of NHS trusts are warning that they are more concerned than ever before about the level of risk they will need to manage for patients and their staff this winter. A briefing from NHS Providers looks into the main areas of concern facing the NHS and the extensive planning done with local...
NHS support sees people lose the weight Of 43 ambulances
06/01/2020
People finishing the NHS diabetes prevention programme have lost the equivalent weight of 43 ambulances. Around four million people in the UK live with type two diabetes, with diabetes and its complications costing the NHS more than £10 billion to treat every year. 89,604 people have now finished...
Doctors’ registration fees to rise by maximum of £7
20/12/2019
In line with inflation, the General Medical Council’s (GMC) annual retention fees will rise by 1.7% from 1 April 2020. This represents a £7 increase for doctors registered with a licence to practise and £3 for newly qualified doctors. The decision, made by the GMC’s Council, is in keeping with the...
New guide explains what people can expect when visiting a pharmacy
16/12/2019
The General Pharmaceutical Council has produced a new online guide for patients and the public which explains what they can expect when visiting a pharmacy. The guide summarises the standards that registered pharmacies and pharmacy professionals have to meet, and what these standards mean for...
Dry January
12/12/2019
With the festive season upon us, the drinks will be flowing more than usual for some. But just round the corner is Dry January. Dry January is the annual movement through which millions of people give up alcohol for the month of January. It is run by the charity Alcohol Change UK and is an ideal...
‘Simply not enough GPs to meet demand’ – BMA
12/12/2019
Responding to analysis from the TUC, which shows GP numbers have fallen by almost 1,000 in the last four years, Dr Richard Vautrey, BMA GP committee chair, said: “As we’ve said time and time again, there are simply not enough GPs to meet demand and guarantee safe, quality care to patients. And as...
