All News articles – Page 1303

  • News

    20,000 on GP site

    2007-02-21T00:00:00Z

    More than 20,000 patients have used a national NHS website to compare their GP's performance with others, according to the Information Centre for health and social care website. It allows patients to compare GP practices using the quality and outcomes framework. The top three locations searched are London, Manchester and ...

  • News

    Value to patients should determine drug price

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    NHS drugs spend should be linked to patient value and value for money, according to a report by the Office of Fair Trading.The report recommends that the current scheme where companies can set their own prices should be replaced by one in which prices are set according to therapeutic benefit ...

  • News

    Don't rush into new contracts, warns MiP

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Union Managers in Partnership has warned members in strategic health authorities and primary care trusts not to rush into agreeing extensions of employment.Under Commissioning a Patient led NHS: human resources framework for SHAs and PCTs, beyond-employment guarantee dates of 31 March (SHAs) and 30 June (PCTs) are in place but ...

  • News

    No single cause for NHS deficits, says government

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Causes for NHS deficits are numerous, have arisen over a number of years and cannot be attributed to one isolated factor, according to the government.The claims came in a response to an earlier Commons health select committee report on deficits in the NHS.Read the report here

  • News

    Witnesses called to PPI evidence sessions

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Health minister Rosie Winterton is among those who have been called to give evidence into patient and public involvement in the NHS before the Commons health select committee.Other witnesses include NHS South East Coast chief executive Candy Morris, NHS Confederation director of policy Nigel Edwards, NHS Confederation PCT Network chair ...

  • News

    DoH predicts break-even by next financial year

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Figures for the third quarter of the financial year show that the NHS is in line to break even and will be well placed for the start of the next financial year, according to Department of Health figures.Strategic health authorities are due to make £450m of savings from central budgets.Read ...

  • News

    New penalties for attacks on ambulance workers

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Ambulance workers are among groups set to be covered by new Home Office penalties on those who obstruct the work of emergency workers.People transporting blood, organs or equipment for the NHS will also be covered by the new legislation, which will mean fines of up to £5,000 for those prosecuted.Read ...

  • News

    iSoft target of takeover talks

    2007-02-19T00:00:00Z

    Shares in iSoft, the troubled provider to the national IT programme, rose almost 10 per cent on Friday amid speculation over its future.An Australian health information company called IBA Health revealed it is considering a bid for the UK software developer. Earlier last week, it was reported that talks between ...

  • News

    Oxford University given infant bleeding research funds

    2007-02-19T00:00:00Z

    WellBeing of Women, a UK charity which funds research and raises awareness of reproductive health, has awarded a grant of over £22,500 to Dr Jennifer Kurinczuk at the Oxford University to research infant bleeding caused by fetomaternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.FMAIT is the most common cause of severe neonatal thrombocytopenia (a decrease ...

  • News

    Still a long way to go, say Mental Health Bill campaigners

    2007-02-19T00:00:00Z

    The Mental Health Bill, which enters report stage in the House of Lords today with some concessions from government, is in need of much more amendment, the Mental Health Alliance has said.Alliance chair Andy Bell said the bill 'contains too many new powers to detain people and use compulsion outside ...

  • News

    Thirteen areas make 18-week target pledge

    2007-02-19T00:00:00Z

    Thirteen local health communities today pledged to meet the government's 18-week treatment target a full year before the rest of the NHS.The government has said that by the end of 2008, patients can expect a maximum wait of 18 weeks from referral to the start of treatment. Eighteen weeks is ...

  • News

    Minister launches coding strategy

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Health minister Lord Hunt has launched a strategy document on using auto identification data capture technologies.Coding for success - simple technology for safer patient care encourages the NHS and medical industry to use a standard coding system to help prevent medical error, increase efficiency and save money.Read the press release ...

  • News

    DoH Publishes prescription charges consultation

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    The Department of Health has published a consultation document on changes to the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005 to enable primary care trusts in England to charge chemists for NHS pharmaceutical applications.If chemists are not on a PCT list they cannot dispense NHS prescriptions or provide NHS pharmaceutical services. The ...

  • News

    Milton Keynes PCT names preferred bidder

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Milton Keynes primary care trust has appointed Guildhouse as its preferred bidder to build health and care premises over the next 25 years, starting with the Wolverton Health Centre later this year.The 3,000sq m supersurgery will be part of the South East Midlands local improvement finance trust and will house ...

  • News

    Death rates warning for deprived areas

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Death rates in deprived areas of Scotland are falling more slowly than in affluent areas, according to research from the Medical Research Council.Its analysis of death records between 1980 and 2002 shows that the age standardised mortality rate fell by 30 per cent for men and 25 per cent for ...

  • News

    Death rates warning for deprived areas

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Death rates in deprived areas of Scotland are falling more slowly than in affluent areas, according to research from the Medical Research Council.Its analysis of death records between 1980 and 2002 shows that the age standardised mortality rate fell by 30 per cent for men and 25 per cent for ...

  • News

    Acute and PCT indicators extended

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and the Department of Health want to extend the current 13 quarterly Better Care, Better Value indicators for primary care trusts and acute trusts to 30 from the start of the next financial year.DoH commissioning director Duncan Selbie and NHS Institute chief executive ...

  • News

    A&E attendances down 1.2 per cent

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Attendances at accident and emergency departments fell year on year by 1.2 per cent in the third quarter, but admissions through A&E rose by 2.4 per cent to more than 750,000.Figures from the Department of Health published today show that in the three months to the end of December 2006 ...

  • News

    Nurses' skill 'inadequate'

    2007-02-15T00:00:00Z

    Trusts could be asked to ringfence some vacant posts for newly qualified workers, under plans being considered by NHS Employers.

  • News

    Trusts poach sexual health funding

    2007-02-15T00:00:00Z

    Funds which should have gone to sexual health have been diverted elsewhere in almost two-thirds of primary care trusts, according to a survey by the Terrence Higgins Trust.