HIV
National HIV testing patterns
Around a fifth of people with HIV in the UK are unaware that they have HIV and need to be tested, according to a report by Public Health England (PHE).
Around half of the 6360 people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2012 were identified late.
New HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men also reached an all-time high with 3250 cases diagnosed in 2012.
Between 2011 and 2012 a small decline in the proportion of people that were unaware they were living with HIV was seen (25 per cent to 22 per cent), but this decrease needs to be accelerated. An early diagnosis and timely treatment can mean a near-normal lifespan.
National guidelines recommend that HIV testing should be offered routinely to everyone admitted to hospital and people registered with a GP surgery in areas of the country with HIV prevalence greater than two per 1000 people. Introducing additional ways to be tested, such as home-sampling services, is thought to encourage more people to take a test.
PHE's report 'HIV in the United Kingdom:2013' is available on their website: www.hpa.org.uk
Budget
Welsh spend nearly half of budget on health
Over 40 per cent of the total Welsh government's budget is now being invested in the Welsh NHS, says Welsh finance minister, Jane Hutt.
Ms Hutt announced this ahead of the National Assembly's debate on the draft budget for 2014/15.
As part of the draft budget for 2014/15 the Welsh government is investing an additional £570 million in the Welsh NHS over the next three years, with an additional £150m in this financial year, £180 million in 2014/15 and £240 million in 2015/16.
This includes £50 million described as an Intermediate Care Fund, which will allow more coordinated and joined-up care to support independent living in the community.
This additional funding means that the Welsh health and social services budget will be more than £6.4 billion by 2015/16.
PAY
UK is third worst OECD country for nurse wages
Nurses in the UK earn less than the average wage, compared with GPs who earn 3.4 times the average wage, statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have shown.
In the OECD's seventh edition of Health at a Glance 2013: OECD Indicators, data is represented on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries.
Nurses in the UK receive only 90 per cent of the average wage, making it the third worst of all of the OECD countries.
The report also highlighted that there were concerns about nurse shortages in most countries, and many OECD countries have taken steps to expand the number of students in nursing education to increase numbers of nurses.
Award
Peter Carter becomes an RCGP fellow
Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), has been made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
He said: 'While I am personally very proud to receive this honorary fellowship, I feel it is a great tribute to the RCN's success in working effectively alongside our general practitioner colleagues.'
Safety
Patient safety still at risk according to CQC
One in eight CQC inspections found patient safety was being put at risk in NHS Community Healthcare settings, the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) State of Health report found.
It also said that one in ten inspections found a problem with staffing levels in community settings.
The report set out CQC findings on the quality of care in the year to 31 March 2013. It was based on more than 35,000 inspections during 2012/2013.
However, there had been an increase in the number of community healthcare locations registered.
Innovation
Sir Keogh highlights importance of nurses
The NHS Innovation Challenge awards on 26 November highlighted the importance of encouraging innovation on a local level.
Sir Bruce Keogh stated that nurses were key to implementing projects and that solutions lay with workers. Full story on the IN website: http://bit.ly/1fJAxol