Monthly Archives: April 2012

NHS prescription fee rise to £7.65 comes in to effect

1 April 2012 Last updated at 10:03

An increase in NHS prescription charges in England of 25p to £7.65 has come into effect.

Health Minister Simon Burns outlined the changes earlier this year, and the government says exemptions mean 90% of prescription items are dispensed free.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society campaigned for a freeze and says the rises are completely unacceptable.

Making sure your online doctor will always have time to see you

Last month, the care minister Paul Burstow claimed that within five years 3m patients could be consulting their doctor and managing their health conditions online.

Last year’s Government study of 6,000 patients with conditions such as diabetes showed that telehealth reduced deaths by 45pc

9:42PM BST 31 Mar 2012

After a Government-funded study last year found that so-called “telehealth” or “telemedicine” could dramatically cut deaths and emergency admissions, politicians are aiming to save lives – and money – by ensuring patients suffering from illnesses such as heart or lung conditions can monitor their illness at home.

Accelerated adoption of telehealth should prove beneficial for the likes of Tunstall, a Yorkshire-based business that provides telemedicine technology and services. Many other mid-sized businesses could also flourish in this area, as the NHS looks to the private sector for solutions.

Westminster council underspends adult care budget by £4.4m

Westminster has reduced home care hours for disabled residents.

Westminster city council has underspent its adult social care budget by £4.4m so far this financial year, according to a report on the council’s financial performance. The figure is part of a total underspend of £10.4m, which also includes a £0.8m underspend on children‘s services and £2.3m on housing.

Paul Dimoldenberg, leader of the Labour group on Westminster council, told the Guardian’s social care network that the “significant underspend” was a result of the Conservative-controlled council introducing cuts, which should have been phased in over two years, more quickly.