Marker could help guide antibiotic RTI decision

A simple blood test could help GPs decide which patients with acute respiratory tract infection will benefit from antibiotics.

03 March 2010

Gardasil 95.7% effective; HIV drugs cut risk of transmission; Walnuts cut cholesterol

Our update on the latest research being presented at medical conferences.

03 March 2010

Darzi centre becomes first to agree pay cut

Exclusive: A Darzi centre in Suffolk has become the first in the country to agree to a reduction in the terms of its contract after the private firm running it accepted it was hugely overpaid for walk-in consultations.

03 March 2010

Rural GPs earning £9,000 more than urban colleagues

GP partners in rural areas of the UK earn around £9,000 more on average than those in urban areas, according to official new figures.

03 March 2010

‘Vested interest’ trusts may block admissions after community services transfer

The shake-up of community health demanded by the Department of Health means patients risk being denied admission to hospital because of secondary care providers’ ‘vested interest’, LMCs have warned.

03 March 2010

NHS competition funds wasted, report warns

The NHS has absorbed all the costs of competition without yet realising the benefits, according to a report by thinktank Civitas.

03 March 2010

Birmingham GPs spied on with secret surveillance in patient survey drive

Undercover patient checks, video surveillance and secret tape recordings are all being employed as part of a radical crackdown on practices to improve patient survey scores in the UK’s second biggest city.

02 March 2010

New assisted suicide guidelines ‘put GPs at greater risk of prosecution’

GPs risk the threat of prosecution under new rules on assisted suicide by simply providing information to patients on their medical records, legal experts have warned.

02 March 2010

PCTs squeeze LES funding as efficiency savings begin to bite

Exclusive: The future of enhanced services is under threat at many PCTs, with managers reviewing funding as part of plans to deliver millions of pounds in efficiency savings.

02 March 2010

Osteoporosis drug cuts risk of breast cancer

Women with osteoporosis treated with bisphosphonates have a lower risk of breast cancer than those who have never had the drug, according to a US population-based study.

02 March 2010