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Doubts over obligatory peer review scheme as GP referrals decline
NHS chief pledges ‘very substantial, medium-term GP indemnity solution’
16:15 Health think tank the King’s Fund has said it is ‘unclear’ whether funding for general practice in England is increasing in line with what was promised in the GP Forward View.
Policy fellow Beccy Baird said in her analysis that ‘financial investment in general practice is mind-bogglingly hard to track’, adding that although real-terms funding was up last year, it was ‘still unclear how much of this increased investment is actually reaching frontline services’.
She added: ‘This is particularly true for the money GPs receive outside their core contract.
‘For example, the overall increase shown in NHS Digital’s figures includes financial flows which don’t reach GP practices directly, particularly payments for information management and technology, which accounted for about 29% of the overall growth in investment.’
She added that this comes as NHS England has indicated future extra funding for general practice will have to come from local commissioners, which is not likely to happen ‘in the near future’.
12:15 The Department of Health has appointed a new deputy chief medical officer for England.
The DH said ‘internationally recognised’ flu, vaccine and respiratory expert Professor Jonathan Van-Tam will take on the role next week.
He will replace Professor John Watson, who is retiring after four years in the role.
CMO Professor Dame Sally Davies said: ‘I would like to congratulate Professor Van-Tam on his appointment. His track record speaks for itself; he will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the role and I look forward to working closely with him.’
09:40 Patients are left to die alone, and nurses are left crying at the end of their shifts, according to a Royal College of Nursing report.
The RCN surveyed 30,000 nurses to find that 36% said essential patient care was left unfinished because of time constraints.
Sky News reports that this includes staff unable to give medicines on time, not having time to manage patient pain or brush their teeth, and not enough time to give comfort or even complete records.
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