Exclusive: GP practices are facing losses of thousands of pounds through the patient survey this year because most will not qualify for relaxed thresholds on access indicators and survey scores have slumped since the swine flu outbreak.
Exclusive: Efforts to reduce the prescribing of NSAIDs are being threatened by the rise in sales of over-the-counter diclofenac, a Pulse investigation shows.
GPs have faced an extraordinary battle to agree local plans for vaccination of children under five against swine flu, with concessions on access made by PCTs repeatedly overruled by senior NHS managers.
The number of patients attending hospital for minor ailments and non-emergencies has leapt by a third since GPs opted out of out-of-hours responsibility, a new study suggests.
Local enhanced services in sexual health may be ‘perversely worsening’ the provision of care and creating inequalities in access, according to Health Protection Agency researchers.
Patients in snowbound rural areas have been forced to travel miles in dangerous weather conditions to use their nearest pharmacy, after local pharmacies closed and the Department of Health refused to relax dispensing rules for GP practices.