Microsoft NHS Resource Centre: news round up
Welcome to the Microsoft NHS Resource Centre’s seven day round up of the latest news from the NHS and the healthcare IT sector.
Government publishes social care green paper
The government has published its long-awaited green paper on adult social care. The paper discusses how Britain will provide care for its ageing population and how this might be paid for in the future. It calls for more consistent needs assessments across the country and a National Care Service to deliver support. It also lays out a number of options for funding based on a ‘partnership’ model, in which the government would provide some money and people would have to pay a lump-sum or take out insurance to fund the rest of their care.
• The direct.gov website has a section devoted to the green paper and the Big Care Debate consultation that will follow it until 13 November
Think-tanks forecast colder funding climate
The NHS is facing an ‘unprecedentedly difficult’ funding climate from 2011-12, when its present settlement with the Treasury runs out, two prominent think-tanks have warned. The King’s Fund and the Institute for Fiscal Studies have calculated that, at best, the NHS will receive a real-terms increase of 2-3 per cent a year over the five years from 2011-12; and that it could see its funding frozen or cut. The think-tanks warn that even the best scenario will mean cuts to other departmental budgets or tax increases and that most of the money will be swallowed up by the ageing population.
• Read more on the E-Health Insider website
•Or visit the King’s Fund website and read the whole paper
Flu Line will go live this week
The interim National Pandemic Flu Service is to go live in England from the end of the week. The service will consist of a dedicated website and call centres. Patients will be able to contact the service if they suspect they have swine flu and receive an authorisation number that a ‘flu friend’ can use to pick up antiviral drugs. The Department of Health says it is particularly important for people with chronic lung, kidney or heart disease, under fives, over 65s and pregnant women to use the new service as soon as they have symptoms.
• Latest news, statements and progress reports about swine flu are being posted on a special section of the DH website
Lord Darzi quits government
Lord Darzi is to give up his role as a health minister, although he will continue to advise the government on public health and life sciences. As Sir Ara Darzi, Lord Darzi led a review of the NHS in London that called for a major-shake up, with primary care services focused on polyclinics. As Baron Darzi of Denham, he led the Next Stage Review of the NHS that culminated in the High Quality Care for All report last year. This recommended many new IT and information services for staff and patients. Lord Darzi said he wanted to focus on his work as a surgeon.
• Read more on the E-Health Insider website
Scotland dispenses e-prescription service
Scotland has announced that it has become the first country in the UK to deliver an electronic prescription service. Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced last week that the electronic Acute Medication Service (eAMS) is now enabled in 99 per cent of Scottish GP practices and pharmacies and that more than 90 per cent of prescriptions are now submitted electronically. The eAMS barcodes prescriptions, cutting the risk of errors between GPs and pharmacists.
• Read more on the E-Health Insider website