An innovative service, led by a Birmingham NHS organisation and set up to ensure an effective working relationship with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), is celebrating a string of successes less than a year since it was launched.

A poll of 120 NHS managers finds almost two-thirds believe Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is wrong to drop targets. The poll, conducted by nhsmanagers.net, finds the loss of targets is considered by most to be "a backward step that will lead to poorer performance and increases in waiting times."

By Andy Rea
Williams Medical Supplies has completed its 10,000th test and calibration visit in primary care, with almost 400,000 pieces of equipment given the seal of approval. And practice nurse Wendy King, of the Staunton & Corse Surgery in Gloucestershire, was presented with a luxury hamper to celebrate the milestone.

A report launched at the NHS Confederation’s annual conference says proposed changes to the commissioning of health services could lead to greater working between frontline health and social care staff in England.

By Norma Beavers
Primary Care Trusts are changing again. NHS Sheffield, NHS Hull, NHS Rotherham, NHS Suffolk, and NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney are among the first to have changed their identities but others are also considering the move.

By Norma Beavers
"Primary Care Trusts have so far failed to make the GP Contract work for them in a way that would maximise its full potential. Instead PCTs have spent more than they were allocated, and have failed to use the contract to provide more convenient opening hours and more general practice services in deprived areas" so says a report published by the Committee of Public Accounts.

By Norma Beavers
"Out of hours care is improving but more must be done to get services integrated and open lines of communication between them. Patients also need to be better informed so that they do not equate out of hours care only with A & E Departments" so finds a new report by the Healthcare Commission.

More patients are seeing their GPs during extended opening hours in a trend that looks to be finally taking off. GPs are making the commitment and more patients are seeing notices put up in GP surgery reception areas announcing plans to offer consultations in extended working hours.

The NHS is on track to deliver world class healthcare services according to the Healthcare Commission's annual performance review of NHS Trusts. The annual health check shows that regionally for the third year running NHS Trusts in the north of England performed best overall for both quality of services and use of resources. NHS Trusts in the southwest however showed they are delivering the most improvement.

Surrey PCT is on track to launch the first of a series of Integrated Care Pilots in October. Further waves of the year-long pilots are planned by December as more practices bid to get involved. The PCT says it intends to control risks, resources and the complexity of the Integrated Care Pilot by putting a limit on the number of patients enrolled. No more than 200,000 patients are to be included.