News

The i and the Metro today covered the story that 66,845 NHS patients in England waited for at least four hours in the first six months of the year - up 31 per cent on 2011.

There is widespread coverage today of the National early warning score, which is a new standardised system for recognising deteriorating patients. The project has been led by the RCN, the RCP, the National Outreach Forum and NHS Training for Innovation.

Learning disability nurses are transforming patient care despite cuts to services, an article in the Guardian reveals today.

Reports over the weekend suggest that NHS staff in the South West could face losing their jobs if they do not agree to new terms and conditions. This is due to a cartel being established by 20 trusts in the region at a cost of £200,000.

The Secretary of State has appointed a Special Trust Administrator to South London Healthcare Trust, after the Trust ran into financial difficulties.

A study by Imperial College London and the National Audit Office has indicated that stroke victims may die unnecessarily or become disabled because of a dip in the quality of hospital care at weekends.

A number of newspapers have reported that official figures show a surplus of around £1.6 billion from underspend on the NHS. The Treasury confirmed that around £1.4 billion had come back to it. The Labour Party has accused the Prime Minister of breaking an election pledge to increase spending on the National Health Service.

Patients are being let down by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) because of "failings at every level", according to a review by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE).

The Daily Telegraph has published a letter from Dr Peter Carter and the Michelle Mitchell, Director of Age UK, on social care funding. It warns that “unless decisions are made to establish a sustainable source of funding and reform a confusing system, much of the fallout from an inadequate social care system will land on the NHS.”