NHS England reveals gender pay gap
NHS England have revealed their gender pay gap – women have been found to be paid on approximately 23% less than their male counterparts. The average woman is paid £28,702, compared to men on £37,430. NHS Digital also explored the pay gap between doctors, finding men to received £67,788 in basic pay whilst women are on £57,569 as basic pay.
Read more on the BBC.
Paramedics to be given the power to issue prescriptions
In a bid to ease pressure on GPs hundreds of paramedics are to be given training to allow them to prescribe drugs. Approximately 750 advanced paramedics are currently eligible for this training which has come through a change in legislation that came into effect on 1 April. Paramedics will remain first responders, but this change can allow them to work in A&E departments, walk in centres or doing GP home visits.
Read more on The Independent.
‘One-stop shops’ for cancer testing to be trialled in 10 centres across England
Assessment centres which will give patients multiple tests for different cancers aim to provide quick and early diagnoses. Some patients will be able to receive a definitive diagnosis or an all-clear on the same day as their tests, others will have results within two weeks. The scheme is being piloted in:
North Middlesex University Hospital, London
University College London Hospital
Southend University Hospital
Queen’s Hospital, London
Royal Free Hospital, London
St James’s University Hospital, Leeds
Airedale General Hospital
University Hospital South Manchester
Royal Oldham Hospital
Churchill Hospital, Oxford
The scheme is being supported by NHS England, Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Read more on Sky News.
GP visits to nursing homes could reduce hospital visits by a third
Researchers from the Nuffield Trust have found that a dedicated GP service for nursing home residents could significantly cut hospital admissions. Four nursing homes in East London currently receive support from a single GP practice which has led to a 36% reduction in emergency hospital admissions and 53% fewer bed days. It is estimated that this could reduce healthcare costs for nursing home residents by up to £1000 per year.
Read more on GP Online.
Calls to give boys HPV vaccine as cancer rates rise
New figures to be released in the next few weeks will show that rates of head and neck cancers in men are now rising incredibly quickly, highlighting the need to extend the HPV vaccine to boys. Currently only girls are offering the vaccine, protecting against cervical cancer, despite the virus being known to cause head and neck cancer in men in later life. The previous arguments against extending the vaccine to boys are that it is not cost-effective.
Read more on The Guardian.
Quote of the week – Gaby Hinsliff on the NHS offering cancer screening and its funding following Andrew Lansley’s comments on bowel cancer screening:
“Screening and treating early, before cancer gets a chance to spread, has the capacity to save not just thousands of lives but millions of pounds, which in turn could be used to save more lives. But it’s downright dishonest to pretend all of that can be done for little or no upfront cost in a service that’s already struggling to cope with acute cases landing on its doorstep, never mind people who don’t actually realise yet that they are sick.”
Read more on The Guardian.