Millions of patients can now register with a new GP at the touch of a button via the NHS App and online as part of a major health service drive to make care more convenient and free up staff time. New figures show the number of practices where patients can join online has more than doubled in the […]  ( 6 min )

The GPonline team discusses the key news stories affecting general practice.  ( 3 min )

Exclusive More than half of GPs have had to reduce their sessions due to the stresses of the job, a new Pulse survey has found. The results of a Pulse survey of over 700 GPs also found that work-related stress caused lack of sleep for 70% of GPs, while 15% said it led them to The post More than half of GPs reduced their sessions due to work-related stress appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

The NHS’s top cancer doctor has urged the public to check for changes in their body and cancer symptoms, as a new survey found people were nearly twice as likely to check the weather forecast or their bank balance regularly than check themselves for potential signs of cancer. A new NHS survey of 2,000 Brits […]  ( 7 min )

Continuing our series, GP respiratory specialist Dr Andrew Whittamore debunks some common myths about asthma – and explains some less well-known facts Myths 1. SABAs are harmless medicines Many studies have shown that overuse of short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs) in asthma is associated with increased risks of exacerbation and all-cause mortality.1,2 This effect is dose-dependent, with The post Myths and Facts: Asthma appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 11 min )

GPs are invited to a series of free virtual conferences, each worth five CPD hours, held by Pulse 365 this spring on the topics of oncology, dermatology, rare diseases and women’s health. The first event, on 24 April, is centred on oncology and dermatology and will include discussions on supporting primary care to deliver earlier The post Free Pulse virtual events to feature oncology, dermatology and women’s health appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The BMA has lost its High Court case against the GMC for ‘blurring the lines’ between physician associates (PAs) and doctors.  In a ruling published today, a High Court judge dismissed all three of the BMA’s claims, which concerned the GMC’s use of the term ‘medical professionals’ in its standards document Good Medical Practice.  The The post High Court sides with GMC on physician associate regulation case appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Measuring troponin levels alongside cholesterol significantly boosts the accuracy of cardiovascular risk prediction, a UK-funded study has found. The researchers modelled risk using conventional measures such as age, blood pressure and cholesterol, with or without troponin in more than 62,000 patients who had taken part in studies in Europe and the US. Adding troponin results The post Troponin measure needed to accurately predict cardiovascular risk, say researchers appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Exclusive NHS England has asked ICBs to use a new national dataset to compare GP practices in their area and ‘tackle unwarranted variation’ among them. Local commissioners have been told to use the ‘GP dashboard’ as a tool to ‘improve access’ to general practice, according to documents shared by Cheshire and Merseyside ICB. NHSE said The post ICBs told to mine new GP practice dataset for ‘unwarranted variation’ appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

Africa CDC and WHO have updated their joint Continental Response Plan for the mpox emergency as the disease continues to affect new areas. The revised strategy focuses on controlling outbreaks, while expanding vaccination coverage and transitioning toward a longer-term, sustainable response.  Mpox is a viral illness that spreads between people, mainly through close contact. It causes painful skin and mucosal lesions, often accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. The disease can be debilitating and disfiguring.  Historically a zoonotic disease transmitted from infected animals, mpox has increasingly shown a tendency to spread between people. In 2022, a variant of the virus, clade IIb, began spreading globally through sexual contact. Since…  ( 8 min )

Writing for GPonline, health minister Karin Smyth says the £80m advice and guidance DES can help GPs speed up care and keep 2m people a year off the NHS waiting list.  ( 2 min )

The BMA has hit out at a 'disappointing' High Court ruling in which a judge dismissed its case against the GMC for 'blurring the lines' between doctors and physician associates (PAs).  ( 2 min )

The government has reiterated plans to prevent 2m hospital referrals a year through advice and guidance as the £20-per-request DES rolls out for general practice this month - but official data show huge variation between ICBs in use of the scheme.  ( 3 min )

Peninsula Imaging Network (PenRAD) has gone live with Qure.ai’s AI for chest CT (qCT) to help detect lung cancer quicker.  ( 13 min )

Our coffee briefing covers AI diagnostics, "needle-free" blood testing and NHS Digital Academy's new cyber security apprenticeship.  ( 13 min )

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved the use of eleven robotic surgery systems in the NHS.  ( 13 min )

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals has identified issues in the way recording of observations from sepsis patients are captured on its EPR.  ( 13 min )

Severity: Medium Security updates include remediation for two exploited zero-day vulnerabilities Security updates include remediation for two exploited zero-day vulnerabilities Updated: 17 Apr 2025

Severity: Medium CVE-2025-20236 could allow an attacker to achieve remote code execution CVE-2025-20236 could allow an attacker to achieve remote code execution Updated: 17 Apr 2025

Government confirms expansion of Advice and Guidance scheme, with more patients now receiving their care closer to home  ( 11 min )

Future collective action by GPs could focus on the interface with hospitals, after LMCs identified actions in this area as most likely to have an impact and to be supported by practices.  ( 2 min )

GPs in Northern Ireland will vote in a referendum on the contract offer for 2025/26 after talks between the BMA and the government stalled - as doctors' leaders warned practices will close without more funding.  ( 2 min )

Plans to integrate GP and dentistry services in areas piloting new operating models for general practice could benefit patients - but could also risk driving up GP workload, an LMC has warned.  ( 2 min )

GP leaders have backed a call for a major overhaul of NHS outpatient care after a report warned the current model is archaic and no longer fit for purpose.  ( 2 min )

GPs may be asked to join ‘peaceful protests’ organised by the BMA to highlight pressures in general practice, following a vote at the recent LMC conference. In March, local GP leaders attended a private special conference to debate escalated collective action following the tax hikes announced in the Autumn Budget as well as the Government’s The post LMCs instruct BMA to organise ‘peaceful’ GP protests appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 10 min )

Ahead of major contract reform, Dr Kamal Sidhu argues the case for the model that has made general practice ‘the jewel in the crown’ Last month’s announcement on the abolition of NHS England is a seismic shift for our health service which will have far-reaching consequences. It came at a critical juncture for general practice, The post In defence of the GP partnership model appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

Senior specialist doctors have demanded an overhaul of outpatients care, emphasising the need to work closely with GPs and shift resources to the community. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has today published a report calling on the Government to commit to reforming ‘archaic’ and ‘ineffective’ NHS outpatient services as part of the upcoming 10-year The post More outpatient care should shift to general practice, says hospital doctor leaders appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

GP contract negotiations in Northern Ireland ‘have stalled’ and cannot move forward without a ‘firm commitment’ from the Department of Health for ‘additional core funding’ for general practice, the BMA has said.    The union announced today that Northern Irish GPs will now be asked to vote in a referendum opening on May 1 on whether The post Northern Ireland GPs given contract offer vote as BMA negotiations stall appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Only a third of GPs report ‘confidence’ in GMC regulation while trust in fitness-to-practise processes is even lower, a new survey has shown. In its latest ‘perceptions’ survey, the GMC found that only a quarter (25%) of GPs trust the regulator to deal with FTP concerns fairly while taking into account context. The perceptions survey, The post Only a third of GPs have confidence in the GMC and even fewer in the FTP process appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

Royal College of Physicians - Outpatient care is the second most used NHS service in a patient's lifetime – in 2023/24, there were over 135 million outpatient appointments – yet it is associated with delays, poor communication and confusion caused by trying to navigate services. Following engagement with patients, health care professionals and NHS England, the Royal College of Physicians...

Patient Experience Library - This report aims to demonstrate what the warning signs of harmful cultures look like. It looks at ten years of avoidable harm inquiry reports, and the organisational and professional cultures that lie at the heart of harm. It then tries to find patterns of behaviour that crop up time and again in health care disasters through...

Institute for Public Policy Research - This report analyses the AI innovation landscape in the UK to determine which type of AI deployment is and is not currently taking place. It finds that health is the second largest sector for AI activity – with most specialised innovation focussed on diagnosis, drug improvement and treatment improvement. However, public health is a...

The Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) has announced the eighth cohort of its flagship US accelerator programme.  ( 12 min )

Digital health coaching service Holly Health will be available through the NHS App through a colloboration with Patients Know Best (PKB).  ( 12 min )

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust board has highlighted cyber security risks owing to a reduction in funding.  ( 13 min )

After more than three years of intensive negotiations, WHO Member States took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics, by forging a draft agreement for consideration at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May. The proposal aims to strengthen global collaboration on prevention, preparedness and response to future pandemic threats. In December 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO Member States established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB)to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument, under the WHO Constitution, to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Following 13 formal rounds of meetings, nine of which were extended, and many informal and intersessional negotiations on various …  ( 10 min )

An at-home saliva test that assesses genetic risk of prostate cancer is more accurate at detecting clinically significant disease than PSA level or MRI, UK researchers have reported. The test developed at the Institute for Cancer Research provides men with a polygenic risk score on the bases of 130 gene variants known to be associated The post Saliva test for prostate cancer risk is more accurate for screening, study suggests appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

In light of the recent welfare reforms, Dr Paul O’Reilly reflects on a former homeless patient that flips the Government’s script Nothing on God’s green earth quite grinds my gears as much as hearing my patients being depicted as feckless, idle scroungers by politicians who have never met them. Now, when the work and pensions The post The not-so-feckless-and-idle scroungers on welfare appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

An ICB has denied that its decision to replace a GP-led out-of-hours (OOH) provider with a private company was a ‘cost-cutting exercise’, despite its financial reports suggesting otherwise. Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (STW) ICB sought to address claims from local campaigners that it had awarded the private provider – Medvivo – a contract worth far The post ICB replacing GP-led OOH provider with private company denies ‘cost-cutting’ claims appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

A lack of care co-ordination across the health service for people with long-term conditions is causing harm to patients, a report has concluded. The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) said extreme difficulties navigating the system meant people were getting sicker, missing key appointments and having delayed care. Systems are not joined up with poor The post Poor co-ordination across NHS for long-term conditions ‘harming patients’ appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Department of Health and Social Care - The government has responded to the evidence received in relation to the commitment to consider a separate pay spine for nursing staff. This call for evidence was published by the previous government. Although the government will not be pursuing a separate pay spine for nursing staff, it acknowledges that several issues were raised...

Mental Health Foundation - This report presents evidence on the circumstances which asylum seekers and refugees in the UK can face, and how these experiences can harm their mental health and even lead to suicidal feelings and actions. Report Press release

NHS Providers - This briefing sets out the current state of the mental health sector and why there is a need to provide more clarity, coherence and alignment on what needs to be prioritised in the short to medium term to deliver high quality, sustainable mental health services in line with the government's three shifts (across treatment to prevention, hospital...

Department of Health and Social Care - This document sets out the terms of reference for the independent review of children’s hearing services in England, to be chaired by Dr Camilla Kingdon (a consultant neonatologist and former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health). The review will consider: NHS England’s response to the service failures in paediatric...

The King's Fund - Place-based partnerships in integrated care systems aim to tackle health inequalities and improve care. This report, commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care, explores the key factors for success, including accountability, collaborative leadership and resources. Report More detail

Department of Health and Social Care - This guidance sets out the arrangements under which the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care delegates responsibility to NHS England for certain public health services (known as section 7A services). The services currently commissioned in this way are: national immunisation programmes; national population screening programmes; child health information services (CHIS); public...

The government is seeking views on the benefits and challenges of a separate pay spine for nursing staff.  ( 4 min )

Guidance for adult social care providers to comply with information provisions under Section 277A of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.  ( 4 min )

Formal notice for adult social care providers, setting out the information required by the Secretary of State under section 277A of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.  ( 4 min )

NHS England has launched a ‘ping and book’ pilot project using the NHS App to invite participants to their breast screening appointments.  ( 12 min )

Today's coffee briefing covers Ezra's AI-powered full-body MRI scan, an immersive VR experience at NHS Lanarkshire, and progress for PocDoc.  ( 13 min )

Chief nursing information officers Hayley Grafton and Helen Balsdon are the first speakers to be announced for Summer Schools 2025.  ( 12 min )

West Middlesex University Hospital has gone live with a clinical decision support tool to help reduce prescribing errors for children.  ( 12 min )

A GP practice has been closed down and its owner declared bankrupt after failing to pay more than £75,000 into staff pensions.  ( 2 min )

The NHS and Royal Mail has secured a deal for an NHS-specific barcode on letters to ensure appointments and results are delivered on time, including at times of service disruption. Healthwatch England and the Patients Association are among the groups who came together to agree the changes. Once implemented, the barcode will replace manual extraction The post NHS-specific barcode to ensure prompt delivery of appointment letters appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

A GP practice in the West Midlands closed down after its manager deducted contributions from staff but ‘failed to pay’ more than £75,000 into their pension funds, a government agency has said. Sonia Simkins, 54, of Foxglove Way, Dudley, ran Hawes Lane Surgery in Rowley Regis as a sole trader, but the practice had to The post GP practice closed after manager ‘failed to pay’ over £75,000 into staff pensions appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Dr Gavin Jamie summarises the changes to QOF for this year and provides tips for practices on achieving maximum points and income Changes to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) have now become an annual tradition and this year is no exception. This year is a little unusual as most of the changes are about The post Tips to maximise income from QOF in 2025/26 appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

GPs should refuse shared care with ‘unregulated providers’ for prescribing all hormone medication to children with gender incongruence, NHS England has instructed. In new guidance circulated to GPs this month, NHS England emphasised that services not regulated by the CQC or Health Inspectorate Wales ‘pose a risk to patient safety’ as they are ‘not subject The post NHSE issues warning to GPs about transgender children shared care prescribing appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

NHS England said it is providing growing numbers of diagnostic tests, outpatient appointments and operations, which has led to further falls in the waiting list. The latest figures show the backlog is now 7.4 million – 26,000 less than the previous month. Data from February also shows the faster diagnostic cancer standard was met with The post NHS England hails progress on referral waiting times appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The King's Fund - The Lampard Inquiry is investigating the deaths of mental health inpatients in Essex between 2000 - 2023. The King's Fund delivered a seminar to support the inquiry on the context of mental health policy. Access the presentation

Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) - Sexual misconduct in the surgical profession is endemic. The Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS), supported by RCS England, has highlighted the scale of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in the surgical profession. The 2023 report, Breaking the silence: addressing sexual misconduct in healthcare, emphasised the urgent...

Information about NHS England's objectives and funding arrangements as it commissions public health services.  ( 3 min )

Dr Camilla Kingdon has been appointed by the Secretary of State to chair an independent review of children's hearing services.  ( 5 min )

Sets out the terms of reference for the independent review of children's hearing services in England.  ( 3 min )

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has integrated a clinical video management service with its Epic EPR.  ( 12 min )

The FDP Referral to Treatment clinical letters validation tool is live for testing at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS FT.  ( 12 min )

Nominations for the Digital Health Awards 2025, which shine a light on the outstanding digital leaders in the NHS, are now open.  ( 12 min )

Hospitals across England are subcontracting work to general practice via GP federations in six-figure contracts that could provide a blueprint to shift services to the community.  ( 2 min )

Patients with advanced skin cancer in England are set to be fast-tracked into trials of a new cancer vaccine, following the expansion of a world-leading NHS programme. The needle-free injection, which is given for up to 2 years, works by boosting the immune system’s response and helping it recognise, attack and ‘remember’ cancer cells, to […]  ( 8 min )

GPs should work with gender identity services ‘in the same way as any other specialist service’, including consideration of prescribing under a shared care arrangement, the RCGP has recommended. The college has published a new position statement on the role of GPs in transgender care in response to recent developments including the Cass Review. It The post RCGP clarifies GP role in providing transgender care in new position statement appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

NHS England has struck a deal with pharmaceutical corporation Novartis to maintain GP access to inclisiran at the same price until the end of 2027. The commissioner confirmed this week that it has renegotiated access to the injectable cholesterol-lowering drug, which is used to treat patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. The new deal maintains The post NHS England strikes deal to maintain GP access to inclisiran until end of 2027 appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Editor-in-chief Jaimie Kaffash reflects on the dire state of GP premises, and how your voice can help push for the Government funding that is needed When I was researching workforce for our white paper on recruitment, the most surprising finding for me was around the state of GP premises. I knew they were bad. But I didn’t The post GP premises need state investment appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Researchers found no association between the use of antibiotics in primary care and hospital admission risk, and warned that better tools are needed to help GPs target antibiotic prescribing. An analysis of 15.7 million GP patient records of common infections by the University of Manchester suggested there is scope to prescribe far fewer antibiotics to The post GPs need better tools to target antibiotic prescribing, say researchers appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Exclusive Legal action associated with the regulation of physician associates (PAs) has costed the GMC more than £55,000 so far, Pulse can reveal. Freedom of Information (FOI) data obtained by Pulse showed that the regulator has spent £55,878 as of last month on legal cases associated with its regulation of PAs and anaesthesia associates (AA). The post GMC spent over £55,000 so far on legal action resulting from PA regulation appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Continuing our monthly series, Dr Nazeli Manukyan asks readers to suggest what is causing persistent heartburn in this female patient. Put your suggestions in the comments below. Answer to be revealed soon! Note that details of the case have been altered to protect individuals’ identities     A 39-year-old female initially presented to the GP practice The post Case of the month: What is causing this patient’s ongoing heartburn? appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Increased powers for NHS England to terminate GP contracts from this year could leave practices exposed after a surge in mergers in recent years, lawyers have warned.  ( 2 min )

A GP practice has been forced to raise £1.25m to build a new car park after nearby development plans that threatened to drive it out of business.  ( 2 min )

Thousands of GPs are facing permanent financial losses from delays to two types of pension statement - leaving some facing extra tax charges, missing out on opportunities to make tax-efficient pension contributions or unable to make use of pension savings without potential penalties, financial experts have warned.  ( 3 min )

Talking General Practice speaks to Professor Naomi Allen, professor of epidemiology at the University of Oxford and chief scientist at UK Biobank, about how UK Biobank works and how it could transform medicine in the future.  ( 2 min )

Proportion of payments made within 5 and 30 working days.  ( 6 min )

Sets out medicines that can be moved to Northern Ireland to meet patient need.  ( 34 min )

Peninsula Pathology Network has partnered with Exponential-e to implement a secure private cloud environment.  ( 12 min )

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has launched a digital health and care technology service to help residents stay safe and independent at home.  ( 13 min )

Our latest Movers and Shakers roundup features more change at NHS England and new interim chief executives at The Foundation Group.  ( 12 min )

Severity: Medium Fortinet has patched a novel persistence technique used by an attacker to maintain read-only access to FortiGate devices after exploiting historical vulnerabilities Fortinet has patched a novel persistence technique used by an attacker to maintain read-only access to FortiGate devices after exploiting historical vulnerabilities Updated: 11 Apr 2025

NHS England - This consultation paper describes the main, material changes NHS England are proposing in the contracts. The closing date for comments is 28 April 2025. Consultation paper NHS England - publications

Maternity Action - Maternity Action and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gyneacologists have published a clinician’s guide on NHS charging for obstetricians who treat women who may be chargeable for their maternity care under the NHS (Overseas Visitors Charging) Regulations 2015. It sets out the charging rules in relation to maternity care, the charging exemptions and how clinicians can...

Women with advanced breast cancer could soon have access to a new targeted treatment on the NHS, following a decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The tablet capivasertib, used alongside fulvestrant, has been approved for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that has progressed after earlier endocrine treatment. It […]  ( 3 min )

The World Health Organization (WHO) issues warning on health service disruptions reported in 70% of its surveyed country offices as a result of sudden suspensions and reductions in official development assistance (ODA) for health. The findings, based on rapid WHO assessment of the fast-evolving situation, raise concern for potentially deeper and prolonged effects on health systems and services across the world, especially in vulnerable and fragile settings. This requires urgent action and international response. The new rapid stock take conducted in March–April 2025 with 108 WHO country offices, primarily in low- and lower-middle-income countries, shows that many countries are working to increase or reallocate funding from domestic and alternative external sources to address gaps. However…  ( 9 min )

On the occasion of the World Health Day 2025 dedicated to the theme of Healthier beginnings, hopeful futures, over 100 global WHO offices have organized wide-ranging public advocacy actions in collaboration with Member States, communities, health workers, partner and donor agencies and civil society organizations.  ( 14 min )

The World Health Organization (WHO) has today published its first-ever global guidelines for meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care, aiming to speed up detection, ensure timely treatment, and improve long-term care for those affected. By bringing together the latest evidence-based recommendations, the guidelines provide a critical tool for reducing deaths and disability caused by the disease. Despite effective treatments and vaccines against some forms of meningitis, the disease remains a significant global health threat. Bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous form and can become fatal within 24 hours. Many pathogens can cause meningitis with an estimated 2.5 million cases reported globally in 2019. This includes 1.6 million cases of bacterial meningitis which resulted in approximate…  ( 8 min )

UK public health officials have warned of worrying rises in infectious diseases since the pandemic, including those that can be prevented with vaccination. Measles, tuberculosis (TB), whooping cough, and sexually transmitted infections all saw notable increases in the year 2023/24, the first annual infectious diseases report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found. It The post UKHSA warns of worrying rises in infectious diseases since Covid pandemic appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

A GP practice in Kent has decided to introduce car parking charges for its patients to ensure it remains viable. Whitstable Medical Practice, which runs three medical centres, said it had ‘no choice’ but to take the ‘difficult and regrettable’ decision to charge patients £1 per visit to all its sites to fund a new The post GP practice introduces car parking charges to remain viable appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Continuing our series on conditions that GPs might rarely encounter, neurology consultant Dr Clare Bolton provides an overview of narcolepsy What is narcolepsy? Narcolepsy is a condition causing patients to experience excessive sleepiness during the day and sleep disruption overnight. Dream sleep (Rapid Eye Movement sleep or REM sleep) phenomena occur at odd times. There The post Once in a lifetime: Narcolepsy appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 10 min )

The BMA is aiming to agree a totally new contract for general practice by the end of next year, its GP committee for England has revealed.  During a webinar on the 2025/26 contract changes yesterday night, the committee laid out their future plans for negotiations with the Government, with a ‘target date’ to agree the The post BMA wants wholesale new GP contract to be agreed ‘by end of 2026’ appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Babies and children aged between three months and 11 years of age with pneumonia should be offered a three-day course of antibiotics rather than five days, NICE has recommended. In draft guidance out for consultation, NICE said that the shorter course should be given in babies and children with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia without complications or The post Children and babies with pneumonia should have antibiotics for three days only, says NICE appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Department of Health and Social Care - This guidance is for regional and sub-regional partnerships that deliver the international recruitment regional fund. It sets out the aims of the fund and the conditions for partnerships to access the grant. It aims to support the government priority of tackling unethical international recruitment employment practices in the adult social care sector. Guidance...

NHS England - This guidance supports NHS trusts to develop and refine their nursing bank offer as one measure to reduce nurse agency use. It sets out the core elements they should consider in ensuring their bank provides high quality temporary staffing solutions in a timely fashion to support safe, effective care, and identifies resources to help them do so....

Health Services Safety Investigations Body - This report finds that a lack of co-ordination of care for people with long-term health conditions is taking a toll on patients and carers, leading to burnout, distress and harm. It also outlines the impact of being unable to navigate the health and care system. A focus of the investigation was on the role...

National AIDS Trust - This report, which surveyed 142 Black-heritage people living with HIV in London, identified distinct barriers to receiving adequate care. It finds that these communities have lower levels of engagement in HIV care, poorer health outcomes and higher rates of HIV-related morbidity and mortality. Report National AIDS Trust - publications

The King's Fund - Children in the UK experience some of the worst health outcomes in Europe. What steps should the government take to address this? Read the briefing

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has selected Wellola’s Portasana platform to power its digital patient engagement portal.  ( 12 min )

Today's coffee briefing covers a remote monitoring initiative in Wales and Royal Oldham Hospital's new automated laboratory system, FlexLab X.  ( 13 min )

The NHS risks missing out on the full benefits of EPRs unless a national strategy is put in place, warns think tank.  ( 13 min )

Wes Streeting, health secretary, has announced the launch of a qualification to teach care leaders the skills to use and deploy technology.  ( 12 min )

Call for evidence seeking views from individuals, professionals and organisations to inform the development of the government’s national cancer plan for England.  ( 4 min )

Statistics from survey responses collected from almost 5,000 adult social care settings in England.  ( 3 min )

A company that owns hundreds of GP practice premises across the UK looks set be sold to US private equity investors in a deal worth more than £1.6bn, after its directors confirmed agreement with the buyers.  ( 2 min )

Two in five PCNs across England did not recruit a single GP through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) in 2024/25, analysis by GPonline suggests.  ( 2 min )

Plans to cut ICB costs by 50% could slow down the transition to NHS neighbourhood models, the NHS Confederation has warned.  ( 2 min )

The NHS has delivered more than 3.1 million additional appointments since July 2024 and hit the ambitious faster diagnosis standard for cancer, new figures show today. Monthly performance data shows that there were more than 3.1 million additional appointments delivered in the seven months from July 2024 (3,106,424 elective operations, outpatient appointments and diagnostic tests […]  ( 5 min )

A company that owns hundreds of GP surgery premises has agreed to a £1.6bn takeover by two US private firms.  Property investor and developer Assura, which currently owns 603 buildings with the vast majority being GP practices, announced today that it has reached an agreement for a cash acquisition of its shares by US investment The post GP premises owner to be sold to US private firms in £1.6bn deal appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

UK public health officials have reported a case of mpox clade 1b in England with no apparent travel history or link with previously confirmed cases. The patient in the North East of England was diagnosed in March and contact tracing did not identify any further cases. More work is being done by the UK Health The post Mpox case reported in England with no travel or close contact history appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Copperfield welcomes the health secretary’s lean towards evidence based medicine following his comments about prostate screening programmes I’m not sure how this opening sentence is going to go, because it contains a combination of words I never thought I’d use, but: the other day the health secretary said something sensible which I completely agree with. The post Evidence of Streeting credibility appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

GP collective action in Somerset has highlighted several gaps in services, leading to an additional £2m investment from the local ICB, the LMC has said. Somerset LMC told GP practices in its area that it has finalised a funding agreement for 2025/26 with the ICB, with new arrangements around GPs providing funded services for ADHD, The post ICB invests £2m into general practice following collective action appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

The results of a lung function test commonly used to help diagnose asthma can vary according to the time of day and season of the year, researchers have found. A study from the University of Cambridge showed that positive bronchodilator response (BDR) was more likely to occur in the morning and gradually decreased throughout the The post Routine asthma test reliability varies according to time and season, study finds appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

GPs have been urged to share their views on medical training as part of NHS England’s review of all postgraduate training, including GP programmes. The commissioner announced earlier this year that England’s chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty and NHSE’s national medical director Sir Stephen Powis will oversee the review, which was prompted by The post GPs urged to share views on medical training as part of NHS England review appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Reports on departmental staff numbers and costs.  ( 3 min )

The care workforce pathway outlines the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours people need to work in adult social care.  ( 4 min )

Care leaders will be trained to use cutting-edge technology to improve patient care, free up staff time and help people live independently in their own homes  ( 9 min )

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting's speech at UNISON’s annual health conference in Liverpool today.  ( 17 min )

Government delivers on promise to support frontline staff with new action to tackle violence, improve working lives and enhance career progression  ( 7 min )

Guidance on the £12.5 million regional fund to support migrant care workers impacted by sponsor non-compliance or unethical practice and to reduce poor employment practices.  ( 3 min )

The Department of Health and Social Care has responded to the call for evidence on a separate pay spine for nursing staff.  ( 3 min )

A project to help connect electronic health record (EHR) systems across Europe has received €8 million from the European Commission.  ( 13 min )

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has gone live with Sectra’s enterprise imaging solution to connect radiologists in South East England.  ( 13 min )

Wes Streeting, health secretary, confirmed the government’s commitment to retaining the digital workforce amid the abolition of NHS England.  ( 13 min )

Severity: Medium Scheduled updates for Microsoft products, including security updates for 126 vulnerabilities, of which one is reported as exploited. Scheduled updates for Microsoft products, including security updates for 126 vulnerabilities, of which one is reported as exploited. Updated: 09 Apr 2025

The additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) was expanded by £82m from last October to create jobs for newly-qualified GPs. GPonline looks at which ICB areas have hired the most GPs through the scheme.  ( 2 min )

Join a free evening webinar on Wednesday 23 April at 7pm to upskill on skin cancer recognition and referral.  ( 3 min )

The Health Foundation - To explore the challenges in realising the benefits of electronic patient records (EPRs), The Health Foundation conducted interviews with leaders in five acute NHS trusts in England, and also looked at an example from a leading US medical centre. This analysis presents insights from these interviews and recommends next steps for unlocking the potential of EPRs....

NHS England - Nursing associates are members of the nursing team in England who help bridge the gap between health and care assistants and registered nurses. This position statement outlines challenges to deploying nursing associates in maternity settings, including issues with profession-specific education and training, delegation of tasks, accountability, and scope of practice. It concludes it does not support nursing...

Health secretary Wes Streeting wants to see a national prostate cancer screening programme in place for men at high risk of the disease, MPs have been told. However, in his evidence to the parliamentary health and social care committee today, Mr Streeting stressed that any decisions on screening need to be ‘evidence-based and evidence-led’. This The post Health secretary in favour of prostate cancer screening programme, MPs told appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Dr David Turner on whether there may a be a solution to the age-old problem of the sick note for GPs It feels like a debate that has been rumbling on for as long as I have been a GP. Love them or hate them, sick notes are associated with GPs (in the eyes of The post What is the future of the sick note for GPs? appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

The chair of the Government-commissioned review into physician associates (PAs) will give an exclusive interview at Pulse LIVE in Birmingham. The event, worth 4.5 CPD hours, will will take place on 11 June at the National Conference Centre (NCC) near Birmingham International train station, and will include expert-led presentations and networking. Professor Gillian Leng, a former The post Physician associate review chair to speak at Pulse LIVE Birmingham appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Researchers have uncovered the strongest evidence yet that shingles vaccination reduces the risk of dementia, after tracking older adults in Wales. A study comparing adults who became eligible for the Zostavax vaccine in 2013 with those who had just reached the age cut off showed a significant difference between the two groups. The analysis of The post Researchers find strong evidence that shingles vaccine reduces dementia risk appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

More than three quarters of GPs say they have continued to work despite not feeling well enough due to mental health concerns, a new survey has revealed.  GPs cited reasons such as staff shortages, the guilt of putting pressure on other colleagues, or because ‘it is just what is expected of them’, according to the The post Three quarters of GPs continue to work despite not feeling mentally well enough appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Centre for Mental Health - Mental health is a critical issue for babies, children and young people, and addressing mental ill health is essential for their overall wellbeing. The government can help to create the conditions for them to thrive, with better mental health, improved life chances, and a brighter future. This report explores the available evidence about how government...

NHS England - This policy is for NHS organisations to adopt and adapt to help them meet their statutory obligation to ensure a safe and inclusive work environment. It is intended to reduce or prevent incidents, near misses, risks and connected loss of productivity. It also aims to increase efficiency by ensuring learners do not need to repeat learning unnecessarily....

The King's Fund - Delve into the detail of the 2025/26 GP contracts, what they mean for the workforce, funding and incentives. Long read

Exclusive: Almost 200 GP practices across Lancashire and Cumbria could halt all local enhanced services (LESs) after proposed funding was slashed by almost £17m.  ( 2 min )

Almost 200 GP practices across Lancashire and Cumbria could halt all local enhanced services (LESs) after proposed funding was slashed by almost £17m.  ( 2 min )

Many qualified GPs are still struggling to find work despite the creation of more than 1,000 jobs through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) over the past six months - and future changes to the GP contract must deliver a longer-term solution, doctors' leaders have warned.  ( 3 min )

Three in four GPs have kept working despite struggling with mental health because of factors including staff shortages, guilt about heaping pressure on colleagues and a sense of duty to patients, a poll shows.  ( 3 min )

A patient optimisation eForm and a hospice data feed in Kent is now live to help improve prehabilitation and elective recovery for patients.  ( 12 min )

Our latest news roundup covers Care Control's new AI tool and a study exploring how wearable tech can help people manage type 2 diabetes.  ( 13 min )

The government and the Wellcome Trust are investing up to £600 million to create a new Health Data Research Service.  ( 13 min )

Guidance for medical practitioners completing a medical certificate of cause of death in England and Wales.  ( 4 min )

More than 100,000 baby loss certificates have now been issued to parents who have lost a pregnancy, allowing them to formally recognise their loss.  ( 10 min )

New figures show an extra 1,503 GPs have been recruited since 1 October thanks to government action.  ( 8 min )

With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act – firmly, urgently and decisively – to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld.  ( 6 min )

More than 1,500 GPs have taken up jobs created through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) since October - but the full-time equivalent boost to the workforce is just 851, official figures show.  ( 3 min )

General practice is 'likely' to see a further uplift to funding for 2025/26 when the doctors and dentists review body (DDRB) submits pay advice to the government in the coming days or weeks - but accountants have suggested the uplift risks chaos and inequality if it is based on inaccurate assumptions about practices' staff costs.  ( 3 min )

General practice is 'likely' to see a further uplift to funding for 2025/26 when the doctors and dentists review body (DDRB) submits pay advice to the government in the coming days or weeks - but accountants have suggested the uplift risks chaos and inequality if it is based on inaccurate assumptions about practices' staff costs.  ( 3 min )

Information for students and higher education institutions about the NHS Bursary Scheme rules that apply for the academic year 2025 to 2026.  ( 3 min )

Better and faster access to NHS data for researchers with gold standard security and privacy measures.  ( 25 min )

Sets out medicines that cannot be exported from the UK or hoarded because they are needed for UK patients.  ( 12 min )

Information on Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery), the government’s programme to stop drugs misuse.  ( 3 min )

Over 1,500 newly-qualified GPs have been hired via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) since it opened up to doctors in October last year, according to new data released today. NHS Digital has for the first time released figures for GPs (headcount and full-time equivalent) hired via the scheme, after delays to publication and conflicting The post Over 1,500 GPs hired under ARRS since October, data shows appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The first episode of Pulse’s brand new monthly podcast is live and available wherever you get your podcasts from. Every month, Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs will cover the biggest topics in GP news and bring you the latest clinical guidance in a digestible and accessible format. In our first episode, features assistant The post Podcast: 2025/26 GP contract, updated NICE asthma guidelines, and Stephen Kinnock on the partnership model appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

New employment rights legislation must allow GP partners to ‘legally participate’ in industrial action, the BMA has told the House of Lords. The doctors’ union has called for a series of amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, which proposes ‘extensive’ reforms to trade union regulation and is currently being scrutinised by peers. One of the The post BMA demands right for GP partners to ‘legally participate’ in industrial action appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

NHS patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long Covid face significant delays in diagnosis and report low satisfaction with specialist services, a large survey has found. Some patients with ME reported waiting more than a decade for a diagnosis, researchers have reported in BMJ Open. The parallels seen in the experiences The post Long Covid and ME patients report delays in diagnosis and low satisfaction appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The 100th episode of Unplugged sees Dr Lia Ali chat about the value of being a Networks Advisory Panel member ahead of this year’s elections.  ( 11 min )

Cromwell Hospital in London has performed gynaecology and Hepato Pancreato Biliary (HPB) operations using the da Vinci Single Port (SP) robot.  ( 12 min )

OneAdvanced has launched a large language model (LLM) for healthcare businesses, which delivers AI for sector-specific work.  ( 12 min )

Health Innovation Network - The Health Innovation Network, together with the Patients Association, held a roundtable discussion at HETT North to explore how patient and public involvement and engagement can deliver more inclusive, sustainable healthcare innovation. This report, based on the discussion, includes recommendations for how patient voices can be embedded in the development of digital technology, the need to...

Institute for Government - This report explores what lessons the government can learn past independent policy reviews. It looks at why reviews are commissioned and how they have been set up and run. The report makes recommendations for reviewers and officials on how to run a review, and for government on effectively commissioning them, and more systematically learning the lessons...

Federation of Specialist Hospitals (FSH) - This report calls on policymakers to recognise the unique role of specialist hospitals, and the benefits that they can bring to the wider health system, when designing the national health service of the future. By planning strategically for the role of specialism and specialist hospitals in the future NHS, the government can create a...

Social Market Foundation - This briefing paper looks at case studies from the young people's charity #BeeWell in schools in Greater Manchester and Hampshire. Key points are: there are persistent wellbeing inequalities across gender and sexual orientation; neighbourhoods play a significant role in young people’s wellbeing; and participation in arts, culture, entertainment, and sports can improve young people’s wellbeing. Briefing...

80,000 patients have received a quicker diagnosis or ruling out of cancer in 28 days between July 2024 and January 2025 compared to the previous year.  ( 10 min )

The Guardian Service - This report looks at the responses to the NHS Staff Survey around opening up NHS culture and improving speaking up to create an environment where all staff believe they have a voice. It calls for action to generate the change to make these improvements around: NHS employers and system leaders; empowerment; and professionalism of the Guardian...

Care Quality Commission - This survey of more than 14,000 people who accessed community mental health services found that 4 in 10 (40%) people are waiting too long for care. A third of people (33%) waited 3 months or more for their first treatment and 4 in 10 people said they did not receive any support while they waited. It...

Public Accounts Committee - This report finds that, at best, only around half of the English population could see an NHS dentist over a two-year period under current funding and contractual arrangements. Just 40% of adults saw an NHS dentist in the two years to March 2024, compared to 49% in the two years pre-pandemic. It concludes that the current...

Patient Safety Commissioner - This report presents the results of a short-term study to explore the challenges experienced by patients with sensory impairment in relation to their safe and effective access to and use of medicines and medical devices. It explores the barriers to patient safety that exist for patients with sensory impairment, particularly those patients who have diabetes and...

Reports on departmental staff numbers and costs.  ( 3 min )

The public health allocations and monetary conditions for local authorities to improve health in local populations.  ( 4 min )

The public health allocations and monetary conditions for local authorities to improve health in local populations.  ( 4 min )

An updated version of a widely used frailty risk score will help GPs more accurately identify patients at risk, researchers have concluded. The electronic frailty index version 2 (eFI2) is better able to predict risk of needing home care, hospital admission for fall or fracture, care home admission or death than the first version, a The post Updated risk score better for identifying frailty, research shows appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The team at Pulse is delighted to announce the launch of our new podcast, titled Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs, on Monday 7 April. The monthly podcast will bring latest developments from the world of general practice to our listeners, via informative discussions on the most recent news and clinical updates. Pulse in The post Pulse to launch new podcast for GPs on Monday appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

This June may finally bring some clarity to the physician associate controversy, as the Leng safety review is published. But given the strength of feeling on both sides of the debate, the next steps will be far from simple. Here, Eliza Parr looks at what outcomes GPs can expect from the review findings A few The post What can GPs expect from the physician associate safety review? appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 13 min )

The first of nine trailblazer programmes to get people back into work has begun in South Yorkshire, with GPs helping to identify those who may benefit. Backed by £18m funding, the South Yorkshire scheme aims to work with 7,800 people in a year with the goal of getting 3,000 of them into jobs. Designed locally The post GPs to identify patients for Government’s back-to-work scheme appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

More than 18,500 GPs in England are missing ‘vital’ information about their pensions due to maladministration by NHS Business Services Authority and Capita, the BMA has claimed. A freedom of information (FOI) request to NHSBSA revealed that 18,575 GPs in England had missing pensions records, representing 56% of GPs who should have had their records fully updated The post Over 18,500 GPs missing pension records due to admin failures, claims BMA appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

GP with an interest in women’s health Dr Laura Patterson discusses key issues in identifying and managing symptoms of menopause, including appropriate testing, choice of HRT, contraceptive advice and when to consider testosterone. Complete the full module on Pulse 365 today. Learning objectives This module will enhance your understanding of menopause management, including: 1. Women The post CPD: Key questions on menopause   appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 11 min )

Women today are more likely than ever to survive pregnancy and childbirth according to a major new report released today, but United Nations (UN) agencies highlight the threat of major backsliding as unprecedented aid cuts take effect around the world. Released on World Health Day, the UN report, Trends in maternal mortality, shows a 40% global decline in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023 – largely due to improved access to essential health services. Still, the report reveals that the pace of improvement has slowed significantly since 2016, and that an estimated 260 000 women died in 2023 as a result of complications from pregnancy or childbirth – roughly equivalent to one maternal death every two minutes. The report comes as humanitarian funding cuts are having severe impacts on essen…  ( 13 min )

Over the past two days, WHO convened more than 15 countries and over 20 regional health agencies, health emergency networks and other partners to test, for the first time, a new global coordination mechanism for health emergencies. The two-day simulation, Exercise Polaris, tested WHO’s Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC), a framework designed to strengthen countries’ emergency workforce, coordinate the deployment of surge teams and experts, and enhance collaboration between countries. The exercise simulated an outbreak of a fictional virus spreading across the world. Participating countries included Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Iraq, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia Uganda and Ukraine, with additional countries as observers.…  ( 7 min )

UK researchers have launched a project to improve how medical devices respond to changes in the body over time.  ( 12 min )

NHS Shared Business Services has launched a framework agreement worth £1.5bn to upgrade outdated IT systems in the NHS.  ( 13 min )

The latest roundup of contracts and go lives includes two East Midlands hospital trusts implementing Nervecentre’s electronic patient record.  ( 13 min )

Severity: High CVE-2025-22457 could lead to remote code execution and has been exploited in the wild CVE-2025-22457 could lead to remote code execution and has been exploited in the wild Updated: 04 Apr 2025

LMCs have been left with ‘anxiety’ and a fear that GP practices will not receive the support they need to deliver the best care for patients when cuts to ICBs come into force.  ( 3 min )

The GPonline team discusses the latest news stories affectinge general practice.  ( 3 min )

A significant proportion of people who access community mental health support have faced major delays, a new survey from the CQC has revealed. The survey of 14,000 people found four in 10 (40%) felt they had waited ‘too long’ for care. A third of people (33%) had waited three or more months for their first The post 40% of patients wait ‘too long’ for community mental health services, warns CQC appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

There has been limited take up of healthcare professionals other than GPs writing fit notes since the new legislation was introduced in 2022, Government-commissioned research has found. An evaluation of changes to allow registered nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and pharmacists to sign fit notes found that while most GPs, patients and employers supported the move, the The post GPs still write majority of fit notes despite reforms, finds Government evaluation appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

In this new three-part mini-series, Dr Toni Hazell discusses some difficult scenarios when prescribing contraception, starting with the woman who has obesity Which contraceptive methods should be avoided in women with obesity for reasons of safety? In general, there are no safety concerns around intrauterine or progestogen-only contraception; the only exception is if obesity is The post Complicated contraception: Prescribing in women with obesity appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 10 min )

Some physician associate (PA) courses may not be approved by the GMC as they do not currently meet the necessary standards, the regulator’s submission to the Government review has revealed. Yesterday, the GMC published its submission to the Leng review, which is looking at the safety and effectiveness of PAs and anaesthesia associates (AAs) and The post Not all physician associate courses are meeting standards, GMC tells safety review appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Use of GP data identifies a third more patients with atrial fibrillation than hospital data alone, a team at the University of Oxford have found. Researchers trawled through patient records for 230,000 participants taking part in UK Biobank to see potential differences between people with atrial fibrillation recorded in different healthcare settings. Over a seven-year The post A third more cases of atrial fibrillation identified in GP than hospital records appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The BMA has published over 600 reports from GPs and other doctors of ‘serious concerns’ about physician associates (PAs) working in the NHS. This ‘shocking testimony’ has been submitted to the Government-commissioned Leng review, which is looking at the safety of the role, and some of its most serious reports in general practice include PAs The post BMA submits 600 serious PA incidents to safety review appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

More than half of GPs in England have gaps in their pension records that make it impossible for them to plan work schedules and have left many facing stress and other mental health impacts, the BMA has warned.  ( 3 min )

Practice nurse salaries under the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) could be 'divisive' because they risk creating a two-tier pay system for nurses in general practice, a community nursing charity has warned.  ( 3 min )

The BMA has published a dossier cataloguing hundreds of safety concerns raised by doctors and medical students around the use of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) - as the GMC revealed more than 1,400 of these staff are now on its register.  ( 3 min )

This register lists personal and non-personal information assets held by DHSC in the UK.  ( 4 min )

Ending doctor strikes saved 500,000 appointments and operations, and cut waiting lists by 193,000  ( 7 min )

How the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) puts together the data in its monthly reports.  ( 5 min )

Official statistics on a range of topics including occupancy and infection control measures in adult social care settings.  ( 4 min )

This report details the findings of an evaluation of the 2022 fit note reforms.  ( 4 min )

Digital Health has announced the launch of its 2025 bursary programme to support the progression of aspiring digital leaders.  ( 13 min )

Our latest coffee briefing covers AI updates at Barts Health, £1.5m funding for Flexzo AI and progress on the TVS Care Record rollout.  ( 13 min )

An AI chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnostic tool is planned for rollout across the NHS in April 2025.  ( 12 min )

NHS England - This document provides additional guidance on the interpretation and verification of the QOF indicators for 2025/26 in England. It is effective from 1 April 2025 and replaces versions issued in previous years. Guidance NHS England - publications

British Medical Association - This document contains over 600 reports of serious concerns submitted to the BMA by doctors and medical students who have witnessed blurring of lines between the role of physician associates and anaesthesia associates, and doctors. This testimony, collected via an online reporting portal between November 2023 and February 2025, has been submitted to the ongoing government-commissioned...

Committee on Standards in Public Life - This report aims to support public sector bodies to put in place the processes needed to recognise the early warning signs of emerging problems and to facilitate a culture where speaking up about concerns and learning from mistakes are seen as a personal duty and are valued by everyone in the organisation. It...

As we prepare to bring new products and suppliers into the GP IT market, Dan Wintercross discusses the Tech Innovation Framework.  The demand for primary care is increasing, with GP practices currently delivering more than 27 million appointments every month. It’s more important than ever to make sure they have the best digital tools to support them to do their job.

The number of hospital beds taken up by seasonal viruses this winter was more than the equivalent of the population of Malta, according to new NHS data. Almost 600,000 beds were taken up by patients with COVID, flu, RSV or norovirus this winter (594,937 from 25 November 2024 – 30 March 2025), as NHS services […]  ( 4 min )

GP practices who order more chest X-rays have fewer patients with cancers diagnosed at a late stage, researchers have found. It builds on a previous study which identified large variation in how frequently practices ordered chest X-rays that could not be explained by factors such smoking prevalence, deprivation or other staff and patient demographics. But The post Order more chest X-rays for better lung cancer outcomes, GP research suggests appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Copperfield pens a diary entry on his nemesis: the new QOF guidance I knew my quality and outcome framework obsession had reached pathological levels when my wife started greeting me with, ‘Bad day at the Qoffice, dear?’ But if you thought this QOF year was tough, wait until the next. Because the latest iteration shifts The post Copperfield: New QOF is LDhelL appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

Pulse PCN, our sister title, launches its new website today, focused on news for primary care networks. The new site will cover news, views, insight, roundtables and reports on topics relevant to PCN clinical directors, managers and additional roles staff as it moves from being hosted by the PulseToday site. Wider network staff will now The post Pulse PCN now has its own dedicated website appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Asthma diagnosis guidance for the QOF has been updated in 2025/26 so that it no longer conflicts with NICE’s separate UK joint guidelines issued last autumn. GP practices were left facing confusion last November after long-awaited UK asthma guidance produced by NICE, the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) revealed The post New asthma QOF targets reconciled with NICE guidance appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Public satisfaction with general practice has continued to fall over the past year, with just under one in three people saying they are ‘satisfied with GP services’. The latest British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA) found that just one in five people (21%) said they were ‘satisfied with the way the NHS runs’. It found that The post Satisfaction with GP services falls again to 31%, national survey finds appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 10 min )

ICBs have been given until the end of May to set out how they intend to reduce their running costs by 50%.  ( 3 min )

Doctors' leaders have hit out at delays in the pay review process that could determine final pay increases for GPs and hospital consultants in the 2025/26 financial year.  ( 3 min )

GPs will be able to start prescribing the weight loss injection tirzepatide (Mounjaro) to a defined group of patients from June, according to new NHS England guidance.  ( 3 min )

The impact of the 2025/26 GP contract will be vastly different for practices across England - and a shortfall in funding for the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) could leave PCNs facing tough choices on staff, an expert accountant has warned.  ( 3 min )

Public satisfaction with the NHS as a whole and with general practice are at a new low, according to the latest British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey - but GPs have questioned the findings, warning they are not borne out in more recent evidence.  ( 3 min )

An alleged data breach at Oracle Health has impacted multiple healthcare organisations and hospitals in the US.  ( 12 min )

The government has published its plans for the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which is expected to be introduced to Parliament in 2025.  ( 13 min )

CardMedic, 2022 Pitchfest champion, has been awarded almost £500k in funding from SBRI Healthcare to develop an AI-enabled language portal.  ( 12 min )

Frontier Economics - This review was commissioned by NHS England in October 2022. The report looks at the full economic costs of delivering NHS pharmaceutical services, and how these costs vary across and within: different types of pharmacy; different mix of dispensing activity and services; and different locations. It also evaluates the current funding model and outlines which clinical services...

Public Policy Projects - This report highlights the disparities in wound care provision across the UK, and calls for stronger collaboration between the NHS and strategic partners to drive innovation and improve wound care outcomes. It finds that regional disparities in NHS funding, inconsistent implementation of standardised care pathways, and workforce shortages have resulted in fragmented care, leaving many patients...

The King's Fund - Just 1 in 5 people in 2024 said they were satisfied with the way the NHS runs. This is the lowest level of satisfaction recorded since the survey began in 1983. Report The King's Fund - publications

UK Health Security Agency - Since 2021, the tuberculosis (TB) landscape in England has changed and TB incidence is increasing in England. The aim of the next tuberculosis (TB) action plan for 2026 to 2031 is to improve the prevention, detection and control of TB in England. The plan will focus on the needs of those affected by TB, and...

Data on the funds collected by the Compensation Recovery Unit and funds paid to the NHS.  ( 3 min )

ICBs have been reminded that advice and guidance (A&G) must not be used ‘in place of’ urgent cancer referrals, in new NHS England guidelines. The guidance sets out how ICBs should implement A&G ‘effectively’ in their areas in order to improve uptake and quality, including a series of ‘minimum standards’ they must achieve in 2025/26.  The post A&G must not replace cancer referrals, NHS England reminds ICBs appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

GPs affected by the McCloud remedy are facing financial difficulties due to NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) delays in issuing documents, experts have warned. The Government committed age discrimination when reforming the NHS pension scheme in 2015, when most public service pension schemes were reformed, and has since sought to remedy this discrimination with new The post GPs affected by pension remedy face financial difficulties due to admin delays appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne on the need to standardise green prescribing in general practice and the support required to get there The climate crisis is increasing the pressures and challenges on the entire health system and there has already been some improvement in addressing the carbon footprint of NHS buildings. But the UK NHS is currently The post RCGP chair: ‘General practice needs resources to standardise green prescribing’ appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

GPs will be able to prescribe Mounjaro weight-loss injections from late June to ‘prioritised patient cohorts’ set out by NHS England in new guidance. NHS England’s ‘interim commissioning guidance’ has stipulated that ICBs must meet the costs of funding access to tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for obesity in primary care settings from 23 June this year. Provision The post GPs to prescribe Mounjaro from late June to ‘prioritised’ patient cohorts appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

The CQC spent £99m on a transformation programme which has failed to deliver the ‘vast majority’ of expected benefits, a damning review of its IT failures has found.  An independent review by IT expert Peter Gill has set out the ‘scale of the problems’ that resulted in the ‘failure’ of the CQC’s technology.  The report The post CQC spent £99m on ‘failed’ transformation programme appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Information for adult social care employers in England on learning and development support.  ( 4 min )

Tell us about how we can make the health service better.  ( 4 min )

The government is seeking your views on how we can make a health service fit for the future.  ( 6 min )

999 and 112 is the national emergency response service in the UK. 112 is the pan-European equivalent to 999 and can be used in the UK.  ( 6 min )

An appointment system piloted at NHS Mid and South Essex is enabling NHS 111 to book out-of-hours dental appointments for patients.  ( 13 min )

Our latest Coffee Briefing covers a smart t-shirt, £3.8m funding for a knee op device and a McKinsey report on health IT interoperability.  ( 12 min )

Ming Tang has been appointed chief digital and information officer (CDIO) at NHS England on an interim basis following the departure of John Quinn. Alongside her current role as chief data and analytics officer (CDAO) at NHSE, Tang begins her interim role today (1 April 2025) following Quinn’s exit, which was announced in January 2025. […]  ( 12 min )

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Thomas Östros, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB Global), met at the EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg and signed an agreement for a €10 million grant to strengthen public health across Lebanon. The initiative will re-establish Lebanon's Central Public Health Laboratory and prioritize medication provision and healthcare support to over 50 000 people with chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and cancer  ( 5 min )

NHS Providers - This case study report shares examples of what provider collaboratives, across all sectors, are achieving together. Report

NHS Providers - This briefing will help NHS trusts to understand upcoming reforms, consider improvements to patient communications and optimise their use of available postal services. Briefing More detail

Department of Health and Social Care - The government’s financial directions to NHS England confirm how its budget is broken down for the year ahead. These revised directions replace the 2024 to 2025 financial directions to NHS England made on 26 March 2024, which are now revoked. Road to recovery: the government’s 2025 mandate to NHS England sets out the...

Department of Health and Social Care - The government’s financial directions to NHS England confirm how its budget is broken down for the year ahead. The government’s 2025 mandate to NHS England sets out the objectives they should seek to achieve. This mandate will apply from 30 January 2025 until it is replaced. Policy paper More detail

ICBs have been told to set up 'interface groups' with representation from primary and secondary care to oversee the expansion of advice and guidance over the coming financial year as a £20-per-request directed enhanced service (DES) for GPs kicks in from this month.  ( 3 min )

GP practices in part of England have secured a near-tripling of local enhanced services (LES) funding after collective action accelerated talks with their ICB.  ( 3 min )

The first spring Covid-19 vaccines are being delivered by NHS staff from today (Tuesday 1 April) with more than half a million appointments booked in the last week. Since last Tuesday (25 March), 563,154 Covid-19 spring booster jabs have been booked since the national booking system opened, with the NHS’s top doctor encouraging the most […]  ( 5 min )

Describes the working relationship between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Health Research Authority.  ( 3 min )

A letter to community pharmacy contractors to set out the detail of the agreed funding arrangements for community pharmacy.  ( 3 min )

The government's financial directions to NHS England set out its revised budgets for 2025 to 2026.  ( 3 min )

The government's financial directions to NHS England set out its revised budgets for 2024 to 2025.  ( 3 min )

Mandatory annual reports and accounts guidelines for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) group bodies.  ( 4 min )

Non-executive appointments to the Department of Health and Social Care's public bodies and committees from October 2024 to March 2025.  ( 6 min )

Directions to NHS England for the financial years 2023 to 2024, 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 relating to expenditure on service integration.  ( 4 min )

Information and resources for NHS trusts to help with the management and charging of overseas visitors and migrants.  ( 5 min )

Funding to local councils to help them improve their drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems, from 2025 to 2026.  ( 3 min )

Patients to benefit from new services thanks to funding deal agreed between the government and Community Pharmacy England (CPE).  ( 9 min )

WHO's reports addressing the critical lack of medicines and diagnostic tools for invasive fungal diseases, shows urgent need for innovative research and development (R&D) to close the gaps. Fungal diseases are an increasing public health concern, with common infections growing increasingly resistant to treatment.  ( 9 min )

The Government has announced a £3bn funding deal for community pharmacies, which it hopes will help ‘free up’ appointments in general practice and GP time. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed today that it has agreed funding worth an extra £617m over two years, following a six-week consultation with the profession’s representative body The post Community pharmacy deal worth £3bn will ‘free up GP time’, says Government appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Scotland’s Government has failed to deliver on several of its 2018 commitments to support GP practices, the country’s watchdog has found in a damning new report. Audit Scotland highlighted that the proportion of NHS spending on general practice dropped from 7% to 6.5% between 2017/18 and 2023/24, while direct spending on GP practices decreased in The post Scotland’s GP plan is failing to deliver while real-terms funding falls, finds watchdog appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

Maya Dhillon takes on March’s talking points – what happened at the private special LMC conference, and what do the new welfare reforms mean for GPs? What happened at the special LMC conference? At November’s England LMC conference, GP leaders voted to hold a special conference to ‘discuss and determine what escalatory steps will be The post Big questions: Special LMC conference; welfare reforms appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

GPs in one area are still waiting on payment for an ICB-commissioned advice and guidance (A&G) scheme which began in 2022. Following lobbying from the LMC in 2022, North East London (NEL) CCG agreed to pay roughly £19 per A&G request in order to cover the extra work that comes back to GPs as a The post GPs still waiting for payment under ICB A&G scheme after two years appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea cases are rising in England, the UK Health Security Agency has warned. Some 42 cases of gonorrhoea recorded in England in the last 10 years have been resistant to ceftriaxone, the first line antibiotic used to treat gonorrhoea. And 15 of those were also resistant to second line treatment options. Although numbers remain The post Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea cases on the rise in England appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Pulse wants to hear from all GPs about the most pressing issues the profession is facing as we launch our new survey that we hope will influence the NHS and Government.   We would like to hear from as many GPs as possible about issues including premises, burnout and assisted dying among other things. The survey The post Take Pulse’s survey for a chance to win £200 and influence the debate  appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 6 min )

An digital model of care is transforming health management in care homes and could save the NHS £114m per ICB annually, a report shows.  ( 13 min )

NHS Lanarkshire is set to introduce eTriage, a digital check-in and triage system designed to improve patient safety.  ( 12 min )

Reneural has been awarded funding from NHS England to develop its virtual reality stroke rehabilitation platform for patients.  ( 12 min )

Staff at more than a dozen GP practices were targeted by a 'highly organised criminal gang' that snuck into premises to steal purses and wallets and then scammed the victims.  ( 2 min )

Health Creation Alliance - This report investigates how systems are finding ways to continue the Core20PLUS Connectors Programme and reshape their approach to health equity, people and communities, health creation and prevention. It contains eight insights into the challenges and how they are being overcome that will help any Integrated Care System on its ‘reform journey’. Report Health Creation Alliance...

One London - This framework outlines the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) to the future of the NHS across the capital. Possible applications include improving diagnosis rates to faster automation of patient registrations and more accurate patient referral support tools. The framework aims to help the NHS to deliver safe and ethical pathways to use these tools effectively. It covers...

Department of Health and Social Care - Under the National Health Service Act 2006, there is a legal requirement for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to publish an annual report on the performance of the health and care service in England. This report includes an assessment of: how the Secretary of State has secured the improvement...

The King's Fund - As part of its 10 Year Health Plan, the government plans to shift care from hospital to community and integrate neighbourhood health services. This long read examines the policy levers available to any government wishing to reform health and care services. Long read

The Government must ‘mandate’ the redirection of NHS funding to primary care and remove GP ‘micro-financial incentives’ in order to achieve its shift to community care, a leading think tank has argued.  In a report setting out the ‘policy levers’ available to the Government, the King’s Fund called for the acute sector’s share of NHS The post Government must remove ‘micro’ GP incentives such as ARRS, says think tank appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

Ahead of his keynote speech at Pulse LIVE Leeds, former chair of both the BMA and its GP Committee Dr Chaand Nagpaul discusses how the Government needs to focus on GPs’ wellbeing if it is to deliver the future of the NHS. For more information on Pulse LIVE Leeds visit our dedicated site I fought The post Chaand Nagpaul: ‘The Government’s NHS plans depend on supporting GP wellbeing’ appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

An NHS software provider has been fined over £3m by the ICO for failing to protect against a data hack which severely impacted GPs in 2022. As first revealed by Pulse, parts of the NHS 111 service suffered a ‘total system outage’ during the 2022 cyber attack, and GPs working in urgent care had to The post NHS software provider to pay £3m ICO fine over patient data hack appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

In the latest in our series, Dr Keith Hopcroft asked what was going on with a young male with recurrent urinary tract symptoms and a persistently elevated ALP. Answer revealed below… A 35-year-old man attends for review, having had some recent blood tests taken for general malaise and tiredness. He has a history of urinary The post Case of the month – answers: What was causing this man’s persistently elevated ALP? appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

The new advice and guidance (A&G) enhanced service specification has confirmed that GPs will receive £20 for each ‘episode of care’, which could include several interactions with consultants.  Yesterday, just days before the service is set to begin, NHS England published full details of the £80m A&G enhanced service as part of the 2025/26 GP The post GPs to receive £20 for ‘each episode of care’, confirms A&G enhanced service appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Severity: Medium Critical advisory addresses one exploited vulnerability that affects Firefox on Windows Critical advisory addresses one exploited vulnerability that affects Firefox on Windows Updated: 28 Mar 2025

Severity: Medium Security update addresses an exploited high severity vulnerability in Google Chrome for Windows Security update addresses an exploited high severity vulnerability in Google Chrome Updated: 28 Mar 2025

A world-record rowing challenge to raise awareness around children's cancer care was showcased at Digital Health Rewired 2025.  ( 13 min )

Almost three-quarters of sickle cell patients who receive care in London now have a Universal Care Plan, according to OneLondon.  ( 12 min )

System C’s BadgerNet maternity system has gone live in the Yorkshire and Humber Care Record to provide data to feed into the records.  ( 12 min )

An updated 'statement of financial entitlements' (SFE) for general practice in 2025/26 confirms that global sum funding per patient will rise to £121.79 - and sets out for the first time details of uplifts to locum reimbursements.  ( 2 min )

A GP practice has promised its staff will 'lead by example' and join in 5km weekend runs after it became the 2,000th to link up with its local 'parkrun' event as part of an RCGP scheme.  ( 2 min )

Talking General Practice speaks to Dr Charlie Andrews, a GP partner and a GP with an extended role in gastroenterology, about the programme he's developed to train GPs with extended roles in gastroenterology and how the NHS could benefit from expanding this approach across the country.  ( 3 min )

The government should set clear milestones for moving more NHS funding into primary care and simplify the GP contract to deliver plans for more healthcare outside hospitals, a think tank has warned.  ( 3 min )

This code of conduct sets out the standards and behaviours we expect of suppliers contracted to support the work of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).  ( 3 min )

Directions for the NHS from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care relating to payments for primary medical services contractors.  ( 4 min )

These no longer in force directions, published for public reference, were for the NHS from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care governing the provision of Directed Enhanced Services in general practice.  ( 4 min )

Directions for the NHS from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care governing the provision of Directed Enhanced Services (DESs) in general practice.  ( 3 min )

Searches for NHS advice on norovirus topped one million this winter as NHS staff managed a quad-demic of viruses, according to new NHS data. There have been 1,021,436 visits to the norovirus advice in the past 16 weeks (2 December to 23 March) – making it the most visited condition on the NHS website this […]  ( 4 min )

All referrals for advice and guidance under the new directed enhanced service (DES) must be GP-led and practices will need to develop a protocol for identifying appropriate patients, according to new guidance.  ( 3 min )

Funding for the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) will expand by more than £256m in 2025/26, taking its total value to almost £1.7bn, NHS England has confirmed.  ( 2 min )

The landmark 2018 GP contract agreed between the BMA and the Scottish government has failed to deliver on key commitments to tackle workload and financial pressure, a watchdog has warned.  ( 2 min )

The BMA has advised GP practices to continue refusing unresourced work from local commissioners, while outcomes from the recent LMC conference on collective action remain private. This was one of the ten actions the BMA put forward as part of its collective action last year while it remained in dispute with the Government. But last The post GPs told to continue local collective action following private special LMC conference appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

In the next in our series, GP and dementia lead Dr Peter Bagshaw considers how to handle this clinical conundrum in which a care home is demanding sedation for an elderly patient with dementia. While duty doctor in your practice, you receive a call from a frazzled-sounding member of staff at the local elderly care The post Clinical conundrum: Care home demanding sedation for a dementia patient appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

The proportion of the NHS budget spent on mental health is being cut, health and social care secretary Wes Streeting has admitted to Parliament. In 2025/26, mental health services will receive £15.6bn which amounts to 8.71% of the NHS baseline funding. While the mental health budget has increased from £14.9m the previous year, that amounted The post Proportion of NHS budget spent on mental health to be cut next year appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

NHS England has been ‘stopping’ GP contract reform and its abolition could be an ‘opportunity’ for general practice, the BMA’s council chair has claimed. Yesterday, the Health and Social Care Committee questioned senior health leaders on the impact NHSE’s proposed abolition will have on the NHS frontline, as well as any potential opportunities the move The post NHSE abolition is an ‘opportunity’ to progress GP contract reform, says BMA appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Plans to add eight new conditions to the list of diseases that doctors will be required to report will come into force on 6 April. The expansion of the list of notifiable diseases will strengthen local and national surveillance and improve outbreak response, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Pulse had already reported that The post GPs to report eight additional notifiable diseases to enhance surveillance appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The NHS has been instructed to put on hold any issuing of new patient records to children who have changed gender, with the health secretary citing safety reasons. This comes as an independent Government-commissioned review concluded that the NHS should stop issuing new NHS numbers and changed ‘gender’ markers to any individuals, because losing data The post NHS told to stop issuing new records to young patients who change gender appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Sets out the principles and best practice benchmarks health and social care employers and recruitment agencies must follow to ensure effective, ethical international recruitment.  ( 6 min )

All data on senior officials’ business expenses, external meetings and hospitality.  ( 3 min )

Data on ministers' external meetings and any overseas travel.  ( 3 min )

Data on gifts and hospitality received by special advisers, and meetings they attended with senior media figures.  ( 3 min )

Summaries of advice given under the business appointment rules to applicants at SCS2 and SCS1 level and equivalents.  ( 3 min )

This policy framework sets out the objectives, conditions and funding arrangements for the Better Care Fund (BCF) for 2025 to 2026.  ( 4 min )

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care's assessment of the performance of the health and care service in England for 2022 to 2023.  ( 4 min )

A decision from the VPAG dispute resolution panel that the sales of a branded medicine by B. Braun Medical Ltd did not meet the definition of an ECP.  ( 4 min )

Protocol guidance on the aim, objectives and scope of pre-entry health assessment for refugees who are resettled in the United Kingdom.  ( 6 min )

NHSE’s clinical lead for cyber operations has called on organisations to ensure their cyber defences are made from “brick”.  ( 12 min )

Today's briefing includes a new website for Doctor Care Anywhere and a request from DHSC for input on new standards of care technology.  ( 13 min )

The capacity at the centre once NHSE has been abolished is concerning for digital, Matthew Taylor told the Health and Social Care Committee.  ( 13 min )

The ICO has reduced Advanced’s fine to £3.07 million for security failures that exposed the personal data of nearly 80,000 people.  ( 13 min )

NHS Confederation - This long read explores the current policy environment and spotlights the breadth of models and approaches shifting resources and funding flows closer to home. It defines the term 'left shift' as the shift of activity out of hospitals to those delivered closer to home – largely provided by primary or community services and wider system partners. Long...

Norovirus cases in hospitals are the highest they’ve ever been at the start of spring, according to new NHS data. In the week ending 23 March, there were 903 hospital patients with norovirus – nearly two-thirds (62.3%) higher than the previous record for cases at this time of year. (Week ending 24 March 2024.) While […]  ( 4 min )

England’s respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme has achieved a ‘significant’ reduction in hospital admissions among older people, a new study has found.  Analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), published in The Lancet this week, indicated 30% fewer hospital admissions in 75 to 79-year-olds – who are eligible for the RSV vaccine – The post RSV vaccination sees 30% drop in hospitalisations in older people appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The Government is facing potential legal action over its imposition of increased National Insurance Contributions (NICs) on care providers. Care England, a national representative body for independent care providers, has instructed Aston Brooke Solicitors to begin a judicial review on the controversial NIC increases announced as part of the Autumn Budget. The organisation said that The post Government faces potential legal action over NICs hike for care providers appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Dr Katie Musgrave on the need to shift general practice away from MDTs and back towards GPs It strikes me as hugely self-evident that GPs are fundamental to the effective running of the NHS. And when I say GPs: I don’t mean ‘the general practice team’ or ‘the different practitioners seeing patients’. I mean GPs. The post The vision for a ‘doctor-lite’ service is a mistake appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

Pulse senior reporter Anna Colivicchi has won a prestigious award for her investigation into hospital trusts failing to send clinical letters to GPs.  At the Chartered Institute of Journalists (CIoJ) Young Journalist Awards last night, Anna took home the ‘Young Campaigning Journalist of the Year’, which recognises impactful journalism serving the public interest.  Her award The post Pulse journalist wins prestigious award for GP campaigning appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

The ability of GPs to issue fit notes and deal with work and health issues is ‘questionable’, according to a Government-commissioned review.  Sir Charlie Mayfield, a businessman and former chairman of John Lewis, is currently leading an independent review of what more the Government and employers need to do to tackle ‘economic inactivity due to The post GP role in fit-note process ‘questionable’, suggests Government review appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that the abolishment of NHSE “ensures that that money goes directly to improving the service for patients”.  ( 13 min )

Digital’s benefits in the NHS are slow to emerge and too often limited to one part of the “siloed” system, said experts at Rewired 2025.  ( 12 min )

The Equity Charter was formally launched at Rewired 2025 last week, sharing 10 principles to tackle discrimination in the sector.  ( 12 min )

Scrapping NHS England could remove a barrier to GP contract reform and help bring thousands of available GPs into the workforce, the BMA council chair has suggested.  ( 2 min )

A programme to train GPs with extended roles (GPwERs) in gastroenterology is cost-effective and could help shift services from secondary care to the community, according to an evaluation of the scheme.  ( 6 min )

National insurance costs that kick in from next week risk practice closures and staff redundancies despite the funding uplift for general practice under the 2025/26 GP contract, GP campaigners have warned ahead of the government's spring budget statement.  ( 2 min )

Children & Young People's Mental Health Coalition - The establishment of a new government brought a renewed commitment to babies, children and young people’s mental health. The new government have made a series of commitments in relation to children and young people’s mental health and have pledged to raise the healthiest generation of children and achieve parity of esteem between...

Nuffield Trust - The Thirlwall Inquiry was set up to examine events at the Countess of Chester Hospital following the trial and subsequent convictions of Lucy Letby for the murder and attempted murder of babies at that hospital. This report was commissioned by the Thirlwall Inquiry. It summarises key themes from responses to a questionnaire sent by the Inquiry to...

National Audit Office - This report sets out a series of insights drawn from its back catalogue of reports and discussions with stakeholders across the public and private sectors, on the various models of private financing for public infrastructure projects. It contains twelve key considerations for decision-makers grouped under three headings: creating the right conditions to support investor and public...

IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science - This annual trend report assesses the trends in R&D funding, clinical trial activity, and new drug approvals and launches. It also examines the efficiency and productivity of clinical development, using a refreshed Clinical Project Productivity Index, while also providing insights on contributing factors and enablers. The continued significance of emerging biopharma companies and...

Centre for Ageing Better - This report highlights the variations in the experiences of growing older across England with the difference in life expectancy for women in the richest and poorest areas now reaching an average of 3.7 years. It also reveals that older people living in local authority areas with the highest proportion of residents on low incomes are...

Severity: Medium CrushFTP has released a security update addressing a server vulnerability CrushFTP has released a security update addressing a server vulnerability Updated: 26 Mar 2025

The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched new guidance to help all countries reform and strengthen mental health policies and systems. Mental health services worldwide remain underfunded, with major gaps in access and quality. In some countries, up to 90% of people with severe mental health conditions receive no care at all, while many existing services rely on outdated institutional models that fail to meet international human rights standards. The guidance provides a clear framework to transform mental health services in line with the latest evidence and international human rights standards, ensuring quality care is accessible to all. "Despite rising demand, quality mental health services remain out of reach for many people," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-Gene…  ( 8 min )

The WHO Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC) continues to closely monitor the genetic and antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants, immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination, and the performance of COVID-19 vaccines against circulating variants. Based on these evaluations, WHO advises vaccine manufacturers and regulatory authorities on the implications for future updates to COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition. The next decision-making meeting of the TAG-CO-VAC is scheduled for May 2025, after which a statement on COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition and an accompanying data annex will be published on the WHO website. These meetings are timed to balance the availability of the latest epidemiological, immunological, and virological …  ( 13 min )

Severity: Medium Five vulnerabilities discovered in Ingress NGINX Controller for Kubernetes could allow for takeover of a Kubernetes cluster Five vulnerabilities discovered in Ingress NGINX Controller for Kubernetes could allow for takeover of a Kubernetes cluster Updated: 25 Mar 2025

Severity: Medium CVE-2025-22230 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in VMware Tools for Windows CVE-2025-22230 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in VMware Tools for Windows Updated: 25 Mar 2025

Reform - The government have been clear on the need to shift care decisively out of hospitals and into communities, facilitated by the creation of a new NHS – what they call a neighbourhood health service. Drawing on interviews with senior experts from the health and care sector, this report identifies examples of best practice from across the UK that...

RAND Europe - This report shares the findings of a study commissioned by Wellcome and delivered by RAND Europe to help inform a vision for research and innovation in the health system, with a particular emphasis on the National Health Service (NHS). It discusses research and innovation as the fourth big shift needed to transform the NHS and help support...

NHS Confederation - This report outlines a new vision for strategic commissioning that will enable integrated care boards (ICBs) to be pioneers of reform, and the skills and capabilities needed to fulfil their statutory duties and their wider role in driving and sustaining transformation in health and care. This report also sets out recommendations for a phased implementation process. Report...

This consultation is seeking views on changing the upper age of age exemptions on prescription charges.  ( 6 min )

Assessment of the impact of making information standards mandatory for public and private health, and adult social care providers in England.  ( 3 min )

Smoking appears to be on the rise once more in some parts of England, warn researchers who have been tracking trends over two decades. An analysis of the effectiveness of regional tobacco control strategies also found that a large North-South divide in smoking prevalence seems to have disappeared. But data from 2006 to 2024 shows The post Smoking rates increasing in parts of England, experts warn appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

GP time equivalent to more than 400,000 hours was saved through the use of the NHS App last year, NHS England has claimed. NHSE chief executive Amanda Pritchard explained that the commissioner invested in ‘new tech and digital capabilities’ in ‘recent years’ – including the NHS App – with a view to improve productivity in The post NHS App saved 400,000 hours of GP time last year, NHS England claims appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Dr Burnt Out on the need for a reformed GP partnership model that is fit for the future At last week’s excellent Pulse LIVE in West London, the minister for general practice Stephen Kinnock restated the Government’s commitment to the GP partnership model as the best way of delivering general practice. He may well be The post Dr Burnt Out’s five-point plan for a reformed GP partnership model appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 5 min )

Higher numbers of face-to-face GP appointments have been associated with higher patient satisfaction, a new study of more than 5,200 GP practices in England has found. Researchers from the University of Manchester used national appointment data to investigate the relationship between the volume and type of appointments and patient experience. They found that satisfaction levels The post Face-to-face GP appointments associated with higher patient satisfaction, study finds appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Practices have been urged to check that their staff’s professional regulation status is up to date after a GP had to review 1,800 consultations delivered by a nurse whose registration had lapsed, in a case that could have had major ramifications for the practice as a whole.  ( 3 min )

General practice should prioritise offering more face-to-face appointments with GPs over rapid access to drive improvements in patient satisfaction, a study suggests.  ( 2 min )

NHS England is launching the 2025 Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) over the next few weeks, Vin Diwakar announced at Rewired 2025 last week.  ( 13 min )

Our Coffee Briefing covers tech funding for Alder Hey, 3D bio-printing at Newcastle University and new research into AI bias by KCL.  ( 13 min )

Technology is central to realising the NHS’s ambition to provide more care closer to home, delegates at Digital Health Rewired 2025 heard.  ( 12 min )

NHS Wales has confirmed that six of the country's seven health boards have direct referral pathways to SilverCloud’s mental health platform.  ( 12 min )

The NHS national booking system has today opened for 7.5 million eligible people to book in their spring Covid-19 vaccination. The online booking system opens today (Tuesday 25 March), for people to get a date in their diary for appointments starting from Tuesday 1 April. Those eligible for this year’s spring Covid-19 vaccine include adults […]  ( 5 min )

The number of children dying globally before their fifth birthday declined to 4.8 million in 2023, while stillbirths declined modestly, still remaining around 1.9 million, according to two new reports released today by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). Since 2000, child deaths have dropped by more than half and stillbirths by over a third, fuelled by sustained investments in child survival worldwide. In 2022, the world reached a historic milestone when child deaths dropped slightly below 5 million for the first time. However, progress has slowed and too many children are still being lost to preventable causes. "Millions of children are alive today because of the global commitment to proven interventions, such as vaccines, nutrition, and access…  ( 11 min )

IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science - CAR T-cell therapies have shown substantial efficacy in several haematological conditions and hold the potential for transformative benefits in other difficult to treat diseases. In this report, the current health system capacity for delivering CAR T-cell therapies to patients was assessed in seven countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom),...

Healthwatch England - According to NHS statistics, of the nearly 59,000 people currently waiting for specialist eye care as of December 2024, only two thirds (66.8 per cent) have been waiting less than the 18-week target set by government, compared to a target of 92 per cent. This research reveals strong public support for greater use of staff in high...

This research report is intended to equip adult social care providers and their suppliers with the evidence and data needed to understand the extent of the risks posed by cyber. It was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care. The project was conducted by Ipsos UK in partnership with the Institute of Public Care at Oxford Brookes University...

Skills for Care - On 1 April 2023 the National Living Wage (NLW) increased from £9.50 to £10.42 per hour for workers aged 23 and over. This report measures pay rates in the adult social care sector as at December 2023, examines pay trends, investigates any side effects in the adult social care sector as a result of the higher...

National Audit Office - In February 2022, NHS England (NHSE) published a plan to recover elective and cancer care over the three years up to March 2025. This plan included changes to how care is provided through three transformation programmes: diagnostic transformation; surgical transformation; and outpatients transformation. This report looks at NHSE’s management of these three transformation programmes, what they...

An ICB has withdrawn its termination notices to a London GP who refused to cooperate with the local PCN, after a Court of Appeal ruled in his favour. Following a dispute lasting almost five years, North West London ICB wrote to Dr Sashi Shashikanth earlier this month revealing its decision to withdraw the contract termination The post ICB withdraws GP contract termination after court ruling appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

NHS data has shown a further fall in prescribing costs for dependency-forming medicines. A quarterly update from the NHS Business Services Authority showed that while there had been little change in the numbers of items prescribed, costs of the drugs, which include opioid pain medicine, benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids, fell by £2m in October to December The post NHS figures show further drop in spending on dependency-forming medicines appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

Copperfield on why he welcomes the Government’s recognition of overdiagnosis in mental health Speaking as someone who has just been asked for a six-month sick note, straight off, by a patient in whom I’ve diagnosed ‘proportional sadness’ (aka normality), I’m delighted to hear Messrs Streeting and Kinnock talking about overdiagnosis in mental health. Primary care The post Overdiagnosis is an underused word appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 6 min )

Clade Ia and Ib mpox has been downgraded from a high consequence infectious disease in the UK, public health officials have confirmed. A review by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens found that clade I mpox no longer meets the criteria as a high consequence infectious disease defined as having a high mortality rate and The post UK downgrades mpox from ‘high consequence infectious disease’ status appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

One in four GPs reduced their workload this year due to issues related to pension taxation rules, amounting to a potential loss of four million appointments in England, the BMA has found. A BMA survey of more than 5,000 doctors – including 907 GPs – found that ‘significant’ proportions of doctors have reduced their hours The post One in four GPs reduced sessions due to pension tax rules, BMA finds appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

GP practices are facing increased workload and patient complaints because of slow progress on reducing the NHS hospital waiting list, doctors' leaders have warned.  ( 2 min )

One in four GP partners have cut their working hours to avoid 'absurd' pension tax penalties - denying the NHS around 4m GP appointments so far this year, the BMA has warned.  ( 2 min )

Letter setting out optical voucher values and hospital eye service charges from 1 April 2025.  ( 3 min )

A report examining the knowledge and understanding of cyber security, and level of cyber resilience, in the adult social care sector.  ( 3 min )

Severity: Medium Next.js releases security update to address critical improper authentication vulnerability  Next.js releases security update to address critical authentication bypass vulnerability  Updated: 24 Mar 2025

More than 60 GP practices SW England have adopted a standardised website platform designed to encourage more patients to use online services.  ( 12 min )

Perci Health, has received an investment from Macmillan Cancer Support to help more people with cancer get the personalised care they need.  ( 12 min )

Dr Jessica Morley says the NHS is limiting the effectiveness of AI by focusing on how the technology can improve individual health.  ( 11 min )

Cutting-edge research networks backed by government to tackle debilitating symptoms of dementia including memory loss and communication difficulties  ( 8 min )

More officers trained and funding provided as clampdown on illegal tobacco and vape trade accelerates.  ( 7 min )

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology - This independent report presents the findings of a review into data collection and research on sex and gender identity in public bodies and in the research system. It sets out suggestions on how to collect data on sex and gender identity in the NHS and other public services. Executive summary Department for Science,...

NHS Race and Health Observatory - This briefing considers the benefits of taking an economic approach to assess the costs of racial discrimination to the NHS, individuals and to the economy. It explores a broad array of ethnic inequalities in health care which lead to excessive and avoidable costs and reduce efficiency in the economy. Briefing NHS Race and Health...

Royal College of Nursing - This report assesses the gaps in the domestic nursing supply pipeline which limit the potential output, causes nursing students to leave their studies and leads to early career nurses leaving. It recommends a package of interventions to fix the pipeline and resolve issues of high attrition and low output. Report Royal College of Nursing -...

Nuffield Trust - This report tracks the ongoing impact from EU exit on medicines, workforce migration and procurement legislation. It also examines four emerging areas substantially affected by the UK’s new regulatory path: AI, funding, professional qualifications, and cross-border patient care. Report Nuffield Trust - press release

Pulse LIVE will return to Leeds next month, with a keynote speech by a former BMA GP committee chair, as well as expert-led presentations and networking.  The event, worth four CPD hours, will take place on 2 April at the Queens Hotel near Leeds train station. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, a GP in North London who served as The post Former GPC chair among speakers at Pulse LIVE in Leeds next month appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 6 min )

Pulse editor Sofia Lind reflects on a big week for general practice, with a wholesale new contract confirmed and the primary care minister speaking at Pulse LIVE GPs are to see a wholesale new contract before the end of Labour’s parliamentary term. This was confirmed in writing by health secretary Wes Streeting this week. The The post A constructive week in general practice appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 6 min )

Rebuild General Practice spokesperson Dr Jess Harvey on how GP burnout and the workforce crisis are inextricably linked For years, GPs have been desperately trying to plug holes in the sinking boat of general practice. We’ve seen the number of full-time equivalent GPs decrease, patient lists increase, funding stay stagnant, and practices closing. We’ve known The post ‘Burnout has made general practice a race to survive’ appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 7 min )

GP surgeries have begun facing legal claims of discrimination from physician associates based on their use of RCGP and BMA scopes of practice. Law firm Shakespeare Martineau confirmed that by the end of this week it will have filed four claims on behalf of PAs who they say have lost their jobs or have been The post GP practices begin facing legal claims from physician associates appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

Exclusive GP practices in one area have been told they may have to limit the number of NHS Health Checks that they provide, due to ‘budget constraints’ faced by the local authority. Pulse understands that Warwickshire county council is considering placing limits on the number of checks due to ‘record-breaking’ NHS Health Check delivery levels The post GPs could have to limit NHS Health Checks due to ‘budget constraints’ appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

The most popular videos on social media discussing ADHD may be misleading young adults to wrongly think they may have the condition, researchers have found. An analysis of the 100 most-viewed TikTok videos related to ADHD showed that fewer than half the claims made about symptoms align with clinical guidelines for diagnosing the condition. Writing The post Social media wrongly influencing patients to think they have ADHD, finds study appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 8 min )

The next in our series of quick quizzes in paediatric care asks – what is the likely diagnosis in this case involving itchy lesions on a child’s ears ChatGPT was used to assist with the creation of this article with thorough review by our GP advisors before publication The post Speediatrics: Can you solve this case of itchy ear lesions? appeared first on Pulse Today.  ( 9 min )

The UK Health Security Agency is exploring how AI could be used to analyse online restaurant reviews and identify sources of food poisoning.  ( 12 min )

Industry partners and NHS organisations have been urged to partner on efforts to build a national unified genomics record.  ( 12 min )

Repeated failings in the way scans are read are leading to avoidable deaths, England’s health ombudsman has warned.  ( 12 min )

A GP practice in Peterborough has been forced to close temporarily and move staff to another site, after a 'security risk' that led to a woman being charged by police.  ( 2 min )

The GPonline team discusses the latest news affecting general practice.  ( 2 min )

Information on how the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG) is controlling spend on branded medicines in the NHS.  ( 3 min )

Great British Energy's first project will put rooftop solar panels on 200 schools and 200 hospitals - cutting energy bills.  ( 23 min )