The General Medical Council is asking doctors, other health professionals, social workers, police, lawyers, children and young people as well as their families and carers, to submit evidence about doctors' roles and responsibilities in child protection work. The GMC wants to hear from those who have experience in this area and have examples both of what works well and any problems or concerns.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has published the NHS White Paper and what a plan it is. Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities are to be phased out by 2012-13. And starting this year commissioning PCTs will hand the job of commissioning healthcare services over to the first GP commissioning consortia and private companies.

PCTs are remaining tight-lipped about their future now that under a reformed health system the majority of commissioning is to be transferred to GPs and their consortia. Asked to comment about how they are preparing for GP commissioning and how PCTs will shape up in the weeks ahead, PCT chief executives say they simply "don't know."

Redundancies, recruitment freezes and service cutbacks these are the early signs of the impact the economic crisis is having on the UK health service, according to a BMA survey of doctors.

The NHS will begin to make immediate efficiency savings by tackling escalating management costs in order to meet the increasing demands on NHS services, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said.

Andrew Lansley, in his first speech since taking office, said he would put his heart and soul into the improvement of health outcomes by making patients the driving force of improvements to the NHS. Not just as beneficiaries of care but as participants, with shared decision-making.

Professor Ian Gilmore's review of prescription charges, recommends an extension of the list of conditions that are exempt, and a review of wider policy "with an open mind towards either abolishing prescription charges altogether, or wider reform".

By Norma Beavers
Andrew Lansley has waited almost seven years to step out of the Conservative Party's shadow cabinet and into his dream job as Secretary of State for Health but his patience has finally paid off.

Emily Holzhausen, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK has responded to the publication of the Coalition programme for government

The School for Health's Online Open Week takes place on the 10-14 May providing potential students with a unique opportunity to explore their virtual learning environment before they apply.