More than half of patients (51 per cent) were aware of their legal right to choose a hospital or clinic for an outpatient appointment, and a similar proportion (53 per cent) referred for an outpatient appointment first had a discussion with their GP about where to receive treatment. Fewer than two fifths of patients, however, […]

Please note a number of technical amendments have been made to the Part 2 plan template that was released on 25 July. The new template is available here, and any old versions should be discarded. A macro is also available for download for areas who have already started their Part 2 plans to avoid having […]

Simon Stevens, NHS England Chief Executive, said: “The NHS has made huge progress over the past decade in slashing long waits, so the median wait for patients having an operation is now under 10 weeks. To lock-in that achievement – and go further in eliminating the longest waits – CCGs are now using earmarked extra […]

NHS England has asked Sir Stephen Bubb, the Chief Executive of charity leaders network ACEVO, to chair a steering group to develop recommendations for the development of a national framework for local commissioning of community based support for people with learning disabilities. This will specifically respond to the pledge set out in the Winterbourne View […]

Simon Stevens, NHS England’s Chief executive, today welcomed the announcement by David Cameron of the 100,000 Genome Project. The Prime Minister unveiled plans for a £300million investment into the project which involves ground-breaking genetic research into cancer and rare diseases, that will transform how diseases are diagnosed and treated The four year project will allow […]

The UK is set to become the world leader in ground-breaking genetic research into cancer and rare diseases, which will transform how diseases are diagnosed and treated, thanks to£300million of investment, the Prime Minister announced today (1 August). The four year project will allow scientists to do pioneering new research to decode 100,000 human genomes […]

The NHS Equality and Diversity Council today announced action to ensure employees from black and ethnic minority (BME) backgrounds have equal access to career opportunities and fair treatment in the workplace. The move follows recent reports which have highlighted disparities in the number of BME people in senior leadership positions across the NHS, as well as lower levels of wellbeing amongst the BME population. The Council has pledged its commitment, subject to consultation […]

A milestone 40 million patients now have a Summary Care Record and health professionals are using them to improve and speed up patient care every 30 seconds. NHS England is delighted by the achievement and is now focusing on rolling it out in A&E, NHS 111, and GP out-of-hours services. Usage of the SCR is […]

See the gov.uk website for the latest information and updates on the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Ebola update: Chief Medical Officer advice on UK screening International call for assistance to combat Ebola from the governments of Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom Sir Bruce Keogh and Dr Bob Winter send a personal message […]

NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group (SCOG) has announced a number of decisions made at its latest meeting. SCOG has operational oversight of specialised commissioning and now, as a result of recent governance changes, receives advice and recommendations from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG). The group has delegated authority to make decisions on the […]