The best of times, the worst of times: a personal view from the CCG front line

The best of times, the worst of times: a personal view from the CCG front line With 2015 now upon us, at NHS Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group we look ahead confident of the groundwork we have put in, especially the relationships we have built with our partners. However the severe pressures over the holiday period are a painful reminder of the fact that the NHS is facing perhaps the greatest challenge in its history.

This year, the CCG will start to take a more active role in commissioning primary care, ensuring that services are not only safe, but fit to play their part in delivering our vision of ‘better care’, built around the integrated local teams across Southampton. This is a theme that is explored in The King's Fund's new report with the Nuffield Trust, Risk or reward? The changing role of CCGs in general practice. Doing this will be hard, but is of pivotal importance.

£10 million investment boost to expand general practice workforce

£10 million investment boost to expand general practice workforce Health leaders have today (Monday) announced a £10 million investment to kick start a new plan to expand the general practice workforce. The money will be used to recruit new GPs, retain those that are thinking of leaving the profession and encourage doctors to return to general practice to better meet the needs of patients now and for the future.

NHS England funding will be used to develop a range of initiatives in collaboration with Health Education England (HEE), the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the British Medical Association (BMA) to increase the number of GPs and develop the role of other primary care staff such as nurses and pharmacists.

CCG leaders complain they do not have time to fulfil their roles

CCG leaders complain they do not have time to fulfil their roles Half of CCG leaders say they do not have time to properly fulfil their roles, according to research by two leading healthcare thinktanks. GP Online

UK general election: Miliband and Cameron neck and neck in fight for voters' trust on NHS

UK general election: Miliband and Cameron neck and neck in fight for voters' trust on NHS The NHS will matter more to people than the economy when they decide how to vote in the general election 100 days from today, according to a poll for The Independent. The Independent

See also:

• Miliband to pledge longer care visits BBC News
• Labour, the NHS and social care BBC News
• Ed Miliband: the future of the NHS at stake in 2015 election The Guardian

A single hospital dealt with 1,500 cases of Female Genital Mutilation in just five years

A single hospital dealt with 1,500 cases of Female Genital Mutilation in just five years Around 15 new cases of FGM are reported to hospitals around the country every day -Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital has revealed it is dealing with six cases a week. The Daily Mail

Cervical cancer rates in under 35s soar 60% as the number having smear tests falls to an all-time low

Cervical cancer rates in under 35s soar 60% as the number having smear tests falls to an all-time low The charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust has launched a new social media campaign #smearforsmear to encourage more young women to ensure they have their regular smear tests. The Daily Mail

See also:

• #Smearforsmear campaign Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust

Choosing Wisely: A Growing International Campaign

Choosing Wisely: A Growing International Campaign  To combat a widespread problem, the American Board of Internal Medicine launched the “Choosing Wisely” campaign in 2012 to encourage physicians and patients to work together to make better health care choices. The Commonwealth Fund