| House price drop: What does it mean for buyers? The September house price data from the Halifax has caused quite a ripple. Buyers and sellers alike will be wondering what exactly it means for them. Are buyers now in a position to offer far less on properties, to really play hardball? And should sellers be significantly reducing their expectations about what they can achieve and lowering their asking prices accordingly? telegraph.co.uk |
London NHS facing winter crisis • A&E waiting times and MRSA infection rates rise• Capital facing huge cuts in staff and departmentsLondon's NHS, the biggest single part of the health service, faces a crisis over accident and emergency waiting times, rising infection rates for the MRSA superbug and soaring budget deficits.In documents circulated to the capital's 31 top health bosses, NHS London chief executive Ruth Carnall warns of a deterioration of services in the city: "There is a real risk that the NHS in London will fail to effectively manage winter pressures."She says London hospitals have already fallen from fourth to ninth in the national league table of patient waiting times in A&E. "In recent months an increasing number of patients have had to wait longer than four hours to be seen in A&E, a deterioration which has not been seen in the rest of England. As winter sets in, this situation is likely to worsen."She says that MRSA rates in the capital have "increased this year... three trusts have already breached their full year 2010/11 MRSA threshold". The NHS has said that the number of MRSA cases in London should not top 98 in the year from April. However, just six months into the financial year, 89 cases have already been registered.There are also financial pressures, with a £34m hole opening up in the budgets of a dozen London primary health trusts. Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, aims to abolish primary care trusts in 2013 and replace them with groups of GPs who will buy services directly from hospitals.NHS London has already said it will cut management costs by 54%, which will require London PCTs to lose "almost 3,300 of their 6,350 employees", according to Carnall. "London PCTs will find it harder to maintain a grip on performance as they shed staff," she said.By 2013, London's smallest PCT would have about 65 staff. "It is very unlikely that such a PCT could maintain firm control of finance and performance as it prepares to hand over its legacy to local consortia [of GPs]," she added.Last month, NHS London decided to accelerate its savings plan — with its target of £180m in efficiency gains met in two years rather than three.Campaigners warn that patients will have to get used to cuts, as many health trusts are closing services to save money. John Lister, director of London Health Emergency, said: "The closure of Chase Farm [hospital] is back on the agenda and there are others opening talking about the loss of A&E and maternity units. Between now and November, we are going to see a lot more PCTs announcing bad news."Last year, London had some of the biggest overspending trusts in the NHS, with South London Healthcare ending up £42m in the red. Last month the trust announced that Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup would temporarily close its A&E and maternity units.NHSLondonHealthMRSA and superbugsPublic sector cutsPublic services policyPublic financeRandeep Rameshguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Man guilty of killing radio host A man is convicted of the brutal murder of Asian radio presenter Nasim Jamil at her flat in Glasgow. bbc.co.uk |
As many boys named Harsh as Gordon Gordon Brown's failure to win over the British electorate is reflected in statistics that showed the same number of parents gave their offspring his Christian name as opted to call their sons "Harsh". telegraph.co.uk |
Is a potato-only diet good for you? A man in the US has eaten nothing but 20 potatoes a day for the past two months. The Magazine asks what such a diet might do to the body. bbc.co.uk |