Monthly Archives: March 2012
NHS bill: Lords and MPs debating healthcare shake-up
Controversial plans to overhaul the way the NHS is run in England are again being debated in the Lords, as Labour says the bill can still be stopped.
Peers are examining the Health and Social Care Bill and there will be a Labour-led NHS debate in the Commons.
Labour says it will support a motion by rebel Lib Dem MPs calling for the bill to be dropped.
But health minister Simon Burns told the BBC he was “very confident” it would become law by the spring.
The legislation is now coming to the end of its report stage in the Lords and is expected to become law within weeks.
Shake-up for meals on wheels in Norwich
Volunteers could be drafted in to stop vulnerable elderly residents feeling lonely and isolated when a council-run service ends within weeks.
by Dan Grimmer and Richard Wheeler Tuesday, March 13, 2012
11.14 AM
Norfolk County Council is to stop directly providing meals-on-wheels in Norwich next month.
It is feared this could lead to older people receiving fewer visitors and losing vital contact with others, plus paying more for their food.
Talks between Age UK Norwich and the council are continuing to see if a replacement service, which could involve more volunteers delivering meals, can be developed.
Doctors could face GMC action for ignoring poor care
Doctors could face disciplinary action if they “walk by” and ignore poor patient care by other doctors or health professionals, under new General Medical Council guidelines coming into force today.
The new rules mean they may be held to account for failing to raise concerns about sub-standard treatment even if they are not involved. Doctors will be seen as responsible for the “entire welfare” of patients.
Chief executive Niall Dickson said it followed examples such as the scandal at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, where up to 1,200 “excess deaths” occurred due to poor care.
