NHS chief Simon Stevens has today announced that NHS England has struck a deal with MSD, endorsed by NICE, to make the lung cancer drug pembrolizumab available for routine use on the NHS. New trial results show pembrolizumab extends life for certain adults with lung cancer for more than a year. Pembrolizumab is the first […]
NHS chief Simon Stevens has today welcomed the High Court’s decisive rejection of a legal challenge by the British Homeopathic Association to overturn plans to no longer routinely fund homeopathy on the NHS. As part of action to clamp down on waste, over the last two years NHS England has taken action to curb prescriptions […]
Victims of sexual abuse will receive a lifetime of mental health care to help cope with the trauma, NHS England has announced. As part of a five year strategy delivering a new package of sexual abuse and assault care across England, the NHS has set out plans for better care, including Sexual Assault Referral Centres […]
NHS England has today published guidance to free up to almost £100 million for frontline care each year by curbing prescriptions for ‘over the counter’ medicines such as those for constipation and athletes foot. Curbing routine prescribing for minor, short-term conditions, many of which will cure themselves or cause no long term effect on health, […]
A new GP contract, agreed by NHS England, the Government and the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee, will take effect from 01 April 2018. It will see an investment of £256.3 million going into the contract for 2018/19, a 3.4% increase overall. This includes £60 million to be paid to GP practices to help […]
NHS England has today launched a public consultation on proposals to rein in prescriptions for some ‘over the counter’ products such as dandruff shampoo and drops for tired eyes, freeing-up up to £136 million to expand other treatments for major conditions such as cancer and mental health problems. Ending routine prescribing for minor, short-term conditions, […]
NHS England has today announced the results of the first of two prioritisation rounds to decide which new specialised commissioning treatments and services will be made available for patients for the 2018/19 financial year. An initial three new treatments and services were approved for funding including a treatment for HIV, a new specialised service for […]
NHS England has today set out plans to implement exacting new standards that will ensure patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) receive the best possible care. Hospitals that do not currently fulfil these standards, which have been developed by specialists and patients, must either show that they have a programme to do so and meet […]
NHS England has issued new guidance for community pharmacies wishing to claim payments this year under the Quality Payments Scheme. The scheme financially rewards community pharmacies for improving the quality of care for patients by meeting a number of criteria centred on themes of clinical effectiveness, patient safety and patient experience. These include: becoming accredited […]
The head of NHS England, Simon Stevens, will today (Tuesday 12 September) set out an ambitious vision for the National Health Service as it approaches its landmark 70th anniversary – calling on health and care leaders to unleash the game changing potential of innovation for both patients and taxpayers. Speaking at Expo conference in Manchester, […]