Good care needs to be a co-production

Good care needs to be a co-production The National Clinical Director for Long Term Conditions looks at what co-production means to the Long Term Conditions Unit and how it is essential to supporting person-centred care, addressing such difficult issues as personalised care and support planning, information-sharing and workforce skills. NHS England

Stocktake of access to general practice in England

Stocktake of access to general practice in England People’s experience of accessing general practice remains positive, with almost 9 in 10 patients reporting in 2014-15 that they could get an appointment. Patient satisfaction with access is, however, gradually and consistently declining, and a fifth of patients report opening hours are not convenient, according to today’s report from the National Audit Office.

See also:

• More patients having trouble contacting GP on phone, report shows The Guardian

Multiple-birth care 'postcode lottery'

Multiple-birth care 'postcode lottery' Women expecting twins or triplets are experiencing poor antenatal care in some areas of England, a report suggests. BBC News

See also:

• Postcode lottery of NHS maternity care for twins, triplets and higher multiples puts babies’ lives at risk across the country Twins and Multiple Births Association
• Tamba and NCT Maternity Services Report: Multiple births Twins and Multiple Births Association & NCT

A&E waiting times 'getting worse'

A&E waiting times 'getting worse' Waiting times in A&E departments across the UK are worsening as pressures grow in hospitals, figures suggest. BBC News

One in five children obese in Year 6

One in five children obese in Year 6 One in 10 children were obese when they started primary school in England last year and one in five were obese when they left, according to new figures. BBC News

HIV infections hit record level across Europe

HIV infections hit record level across Europe This increase is primarily attributed to heterosexual transmission in Eastern Europe. The Independent

Cautious optimism after nine hours of talks to resolve junior doctors dispute

Cautious optimism after nine hours of talks to resolve junior doctors dispute Both sides set to continue talks on Friday in an effort to avoid strike action over government’s threat to impose new working contracts

Both sides in the junior doctors dispute held nine hours of conciliatory talks on Thursday and will resume face to face discussions on Friday in a bid to prevent a planned a series of walkouts over the government’s threat to impose new working contracts.

Representatives of the British Medical Association, NHS Employers and the Department of Health met under the auspices of the independent Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) at un undisclosed London venue in an attempt to end the increasingly bitter dispute before the first strike due next Tuesday, 1 December. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS trusts told to ensure criminal record checks on staff up to date

NHS trusts told to ensure criminal record checks on staff up to date Many trusts are not carrying out regular reviews of personnel despite key recommendation in wake of Savile scandal

NHS trusts in England have been told to ensure that criminal records checks are up to date on their staff and, where necessary, on volunteers, after a survey of trusts revealed that many did not undertake three-yearly reviews.

The measure was a key recommendation of former barrister Kate Lampard’s report on improvements needed to protect patients in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. She raised concerns in February about lack of management and oversight over an estimated 78,000 volunteers, highlighting 14 areas where improvements were needed. Continue reading... The Guardian

Rules banning gay and bisexual men from giving blood to be reviewed

Rules banning gay and bisexual men from giving blood to be reviewed Government will ‘look again’ at year-long prohibition imposed on men who have sex with men, says public health minister

The government will conduct a review of the rules prohibiting gay and bisexual men from donating blood, the public health minister Jane Ellison has announced.

Under current legislation, men who have sex with men (MSM) are banned from giving blood for 12 months after having sexual intercourse. Continue reading... The Guardian

Hedge funder who pledged to cut cost of Aids pill sold with 5,000pc mark-up reneges on promise

Hedge funder who pledged to cut cost of Aids pill sold with 5,000pc mark-up reneges on promise Martin Shkreli, who once wrote that he grieves "every time a drug goes generic", has not cut the cost of the pills, as promised. The Daily Telegraph