Health Service Journal
31 March 2008
View all stories from this issue.
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Adverse drug reactions cost £2bn a year, pressure group claims
Dealing with adverse reactions to prescribed drugs costs the NHS £1.9bn a year, the pressure group Compass has claimed. -
Department rapped over FOI failures
The Information Commissioner's Office is demanding improvements in the way the Department of Health handles requests under the Freedom of Information Act.The information commissioner has issued the DH with a formal practice recommendation following an audit of complaints. -
DH issues retinopathy statement
The Department of Health has released a diabetic retinopathy screening statement on its website. -
DH to host talks on Modernising Medical Careers
The Department of Health has written a letter about opportunities for doctors to attend discussions on Modernising Medical Careers. -
Enhanced protection for medical staff
Enhanced protections for NHS staff in Scotland will come into force this week. -
Equality commission awards £10m in grants
The Equality and Human Rights Commission's first grants programme has awarded more than £10m in funding to organisations across England, Scotland and Wales. -
Extended role for pharmacists 'sensible'
The NHS Alliance has described the government's announcement of an enhanced role for high street pharmacists as 'eminently sensible' and rejected criticisms that the policy will lead to pharmacists replacing GPs. -
Football and mental health webpage launched
The Football Association has launched a section on its website to raise awareness of good practice in football and mental health initiatives. -
Foundation trusts in breach of MRSA targets
Seven foundation trusts have been required by regulator Monitor to explain how they plan to improve their infection control performance. -
Free parking scheme kicks off in Wales
Free parking for patients, staff and visitors will be in place at most NHS hospitals in Wales starting today. -
Health and social care grants announced
Voluntary and community care organisations in England will share a £24m pot of government grants, care services minister Ivan Lewis announced today. -
Johnson announces vascular screening programme
Health secretary Alan Johnson has today announced a national programme of vascular checks that entitles everyone aged 40-74 to be screened for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.According to the Department of Health, the programme will prevent up to 9,500 heart attacks and strokes every year and save 2,000 lives. -
Junior doctors on understaffed rotas, says BMA
Three in 10 junior doctors are working on understaffed rotas, according to a survey by the British Medical Association. -
Local involvement networks officially established
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill has come into force, enabling the establishment of local involvement networks. -
Managers blamed for infection control failings
Eighty per cent of respondents to a survey carried out for healthcare group BUPA said they blame managers for superbug infections, while only 1 per cent blamed doctors.Respondents also said they were not prepared to travel more than 20 miles to go to a hospital they considered to be clean. -
Mental health charity warns of cannabis risk
Mental health charity SANE has called on the government to consider the long-term risks of cannabis in deciding whether to reclassify it as a class B drug.Chief executive Marjorie Wallace said: 'Although many can smoke a joint with no long-term effects, it is estimated that 10 per cent of people who regularly use the drug could be at risk of developing this serious condition, in which a person may hear voices and experience strange thoughts and paranoid delusions.' -
NHS improvement programmes merge
Three NHS improvement teams are integrating into one national team called 'NHS Improvement'. -
Proposals to change NHS structure in Wales
The Welsh Assembly has announced proposals to change the NHS's structure in Wales. -
Specialist cleaning inspectors to be deployed
Teams from the Healthcare Commission will check that hospitals are meeting cleanliness standards from April, health secretary Alan Johnson has announced. -
Unions agree plans for managing sickness absence
A new set of arrangements to help manage sickness absence and ill-health retirement in the NHS have been agreed by NHS Employers and NHS trade unions.
