Health Service Journal
10 December 2007
View all stories from this issue.
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£11 million a year to help Scottish smokers quit
The Scottish government has said health boards will get a share of £11 million a year to help smokers kick the habit. -
Children's strategy earmarks £18m for home safety
The government has announced it will publish a child health strategy this spring as part of a long-term plan to improve children's well-being. -
Doctors criticise rise in postgraduate fees
Doctors have slammed proposals from the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board that would see fees for some medics increase by nearly half.Under the plans, doctors would have to pay £1,850 for a certificate of eligibility that allows them to register as a specialist or GP. -
Doctors highlight postcode lottery for palliative care
Terminally ill patients' access to palliative care services is 'inadequate and inequitable', according to a report published today by the Royal College of Physicians. -
DoH is tackling bureaucracy, progress report claims
The Department of Health has published a progress report on efforts to reduce the burden of regulation on NHS and social care services. -
E.coli outbreak inquiry to start in February
Evidence on the second biggest outbreak of E.coli 0157 in the UK, which happened in Wales, will start to be heard in February, the Welsh Assembly has announced. -
Extended protection for Scottish health workers
The Scottish Emergency Workers Act is set to be extended to cover doctors, nurses and midwives working in the community after regulations are laid before the Scottish Parliament. -
Government stockpiles pandemic flu antivirals
The government is planning to double its stockpile of antivirals to cover at least half the population in the event of a flu pandemic, health minister Dawn Primarolo revealed in her answer to a parliamentary question. -
GPs unhappy with workload, survey shows
One in 10 GPs is dissatisfied with their job, according to research by Benenden Healthcare Society. -
Health policy lags behind NHS priorities, says report
Health policy is 'tackling yesterday's problems' and failing to keep up with key priorities such as improving treatment for people with long-term conditions, says a report published today. -
Hep C infections increase
The number of newly diagnosed cases of hepatitis C in England reached 8,346 in 2006 - 10 per cent higher than in 2005, latest figures released by the Health Protection Agency reveal. -
Inequality at birth still too great, figures show
The government is not on track to meet its targets for reducing inequalities at birth by 2010. -
Lords lead communicable diseases inquiry
A House of Lords select committee has launched an inquiry into intergovernmental action to control the spread of communicable diseases. -
NHS in 'financial balance', says NAO
The national picture for the NHS is one of 'financial balance', according to a report published today by the National Audit Office. -
NHS money to go on social care
People receiving social care are to be given control of their own budgets. NHS money will be allocated to councils to spend on social care services to keep people out of hospital.The programme, Putting People First, was set up with the support of six government departments and health and social care organisations. -
NHS spending hits £9.4bn in Scotland
Spending on the NHS in Scotland has increased to £9.4bn, with an overall underspend of £98m, according to an Audit Scotland report published today. -
OFT publishes medicines distribution study
The Office of Fair Trading has published its market study into medicines distribution in the UK.The study looks at new and proposed medicine distribution arrangements known as direct to pharmacy schemes. -
Patient choice progress slow, statistics show
Trusts have yet to make marked improvements in the number of patients getting a choice of care, new figures show. -
Regulate volunteer ambulance assistance, says Healthcare Commission
The Healthcare Commission has called for national guidelines for community first responder schemes, where volunteers attend life-threatening calls alongside ambulances.The commission said CFRs should be properly audited and managed. -
Respite cash for disabled children's families
An additional £53m has been announced to improve short break services and financial support for families with disabled children. -
Safety incidents go unreported, survey shows
There is 'widespread' under-reporting of safety incidents in NHS Scotland, a survey by Quality Improvement Scotland has found.Staff taking part in the survey also said there was a lack of feedback and action after an incident was reported and that a blame culture further fuelled secrecy. -
Scotland aims to improve dementia diagnosis
Targets for early diagnosis of dementia, guidance on supporting people with substance misuse and mental health problems, and a mental health collaborative to drive change around targets have been announced in Scotland. -
Scotland mulls direct elections to NHS boards
The Scottish government will consider proposals for direct elections to NHS boards under a new strategy for health and well-being launched yesterday. -
Stats show slow progress on patient choice
Trusts have yet to make marked improvements in the number of patients getting a choice of care, new figures show. -
Survey points to gap in gastrointestinal care
There is serious underprovision of out-of-hours services for patients with gastrointestinal emergencies in England, a survey carried out by the British Society of Gastroenterology has found. -
Welfare overhaul could put mental health at risk, says charity
Mental health charity Mind has voiced concerns that people with mental health problems will be forced back to work under the government's strategy to overhaul the welfare system over the next four years.
