Expert rapid response teams will be on hand within two hours to help support older people to remain well at home and avoid hospital admissions, under new plans outlined by the NHS today. Local health service and council teams will begin the roll out of Urgent Community Response teams from April, as part of the […]

Headache and migraine sufferers will benefit from better diagnosis and care as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve local health services, avoiding up to 16,500 emergency hospital admissions every year. Health chiefs and other experts believe that the greater use of ‘headache diaries’ and fast access to specialist advice for family doctors […]

Top doctors from the NHS and St John Ambulance have teamed up to urge revellers to stay safe during Guy Fawkes Night and Diwali celebrations, as new figures reveal thousands end up in hospital each year due to firework and bonfire injuries. According to figures from NHS Digital, there were almost 2,000 occasions of people […]

England’s top doctor has welcomed new polling showing that patients and the public support NHS proposals focussing on fast treatment for those who need it in A&E. A national survey commissioned by Healthwatch England found that an overwhelming majority of people placed a high priority on early initial assessment on arrival at A&E for everyone, […]

Action to help tens of thousands more people avoid lengthy spells in hospital is being rolled out nationwide as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS doctors, nurses and other staff are being encouraged to ask themselves ‘Why not home? Why not today?’ when planning care for patients recovering from an operation or illness, […]

NHS doctors and nurses are using Skype to help older people get faster care, reduce avoidable ambulance call-outs and help people stay out of hospital. The on-call Skype NHS team takes around 8,000 calls a year from wardens working in sheltered accommodation, care home staff and community teams looking for expert support for their residents. […]

The NHS 111 urgent care advice line has saved over 12 million unnecessary A&E visits, new figures from NHS England and Improvement have revealed. There were 80 million calls to 111 between its foundation in April 2011 and September 2018. Analysis of calls over that time shows that more than one in four people, 28%, would […]

DIY enthusiasts have been urged to take care this Easter as NHS figures show hundreds of admissions to hospital after an accident with a power tool. There were almost 4,800 admissions to hospital wards for injuries from drills and other power tools in just 12 months, according to the latest figures, as the NHS continues […]

NHS staff provided timely, high quality care to a record numbers of people in England this winter, according to official figures published today. The hard work of frontline staff combined with ongoing improvements to how the NHS provides care meant over 380,000 more patients were treated within four hours in Accident and Emergency (A&E) than […]

People who arrive at A&E experiencing a mental health crisis will receive emergency care within one hour under NHS pilot schemes aimed at improving care and saving more lives. The new standard, a significant step towards parity of esteem for mental health, is among a raft of proposed clinical improvements that aim to deliver rapid […]