The NHS is officially 60 years old and to mark that milestone Hull PCT is asking residents of Hull to play their own part in shaping the next chapter of NHS history.

How do you get people to quit smoking if they don�t want to or don�t have the will to give quitting a fair shot? Norma Beavers reports

PCTs are to receive an extra �8.9m to fund the new national cervical cancer prevention vaccination programme for young girls aged 12-13. The average sized PCT is expected to receive just over �55k to help cover the costs of implementing the programme, including the cost of nurses to administer the vaccine.

Lord Darzi�s plans to give patients better access to the latest available pharmaceutical drugs could cause a revolution in patient care.

The NHS 1.3 million staff can now help to shape the final draft of the NHS Constitution put forward as part of Lord Darzi�s Review of the NHS. Published for consultation by Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health, staff have until 17 October to file comments on the Department of Health website.

Lord Darzi�s final blueprint for the NHS faces a major challenge � how to make it happen in every locality in the country � so says Niall Dickson, Chief Executive at The King�s Fund.

NHS staff are piloting a new approach to leading healthier lifestyles both at home and at work. In a programme being managed by Vielife, a health consultancy, 10 NHS Trusts, including two PCTs, are piloting the programme which will ultimately be implemented nationwide.

PCTs are to aspire to ever higher standards if they are to become world class commissioners�. They will need to make a supreme effort to master commissioning and deliver top quality clinical service change and governance if they are to transform themselves. The investment decisions made locally by PCTs must increasingly be made in a more informed and considered way, ensuring that improvements are delivered within available resources.

GPs have begun a national campaign against outsourcing the management of NHS practices to private companies. Led by the British Medical Association (BMA) the campaign is against widespread development of polyclinics, and instead promotes the established model of NHS GP services based at local practices across the country.

ChilversMcCrea Healthcare is making inroads into primary care with two new contracts to manage GP Practices in Cambridgeshire and Essex. The independent healthcare management and consultancy has closed deals with Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust and North East Essex PCT.