#News

Accountants warned practices could face six-figure swings in funding under NHS-backed plans to base practice budgets on QOF data.

• Read the story and comments here: GP practices face £200k cut in GMS contract reform

 

#Blogs

Lansley brown bread? Last week’s #weekinreview carried speculation that the health secretary could be ‘toast’ post any Huhne-inspired reshuffle: actual result = nothing.

This week’s Times ups the ante and carries a more colourful quote from an unnamed Number 10 source suggesting our beloved health secretary should be ‘taken out and shot’.

Next week’s Lansley torture suggestions on a postcard to the usual address.

 

GP columnist Paul Corrigan (@paul_corrigan) was so bemused by the Thick Of It-style shenanigans his blog contains little more than the Press Association version of events in full.

 

#weekinreview doesn’t know a great deal about Artists For The NHS but we’re guessing they might have some sympathy with the #LansleyOut brigade.

 

#Twitter

GP and comedian Dr Phil Hammond joined the #LansleyOut chorus:

Harry Redknapp for Health Secretary. He leads, he motivates, he solves difficult team issues and he can't write (365 pages of wonk.)

— Dr Phil Hammond (@drphilhammond) February 8, 2012

NHS Future Forum chairman Professor Steve Field took to Twitter to defend the Health Bill pause from criticism it was merely a ruse to get the legislation through.

@GlenysThornton ... If they had wanted a report that just rubber stamped the original Bill then I wasn't the one to ask! We were robust...

— Prof Steve Field (@ProfSteveField) February 7, 2012

In other news, junior doctor Andrew Dawes (@andrew_dawes) was tweeting the eternal dilemma of those working night shifts:

Does the fact I am tempted by a glass of wine after my night shift mean I have a problem, or that my body clock is now correctly adjusted??

— Andrew Dawes (@andrew_dawes) February 9, 2012

 

#Prezzasingingwatchlatest

 

We have passed the 50,000 tipping point for Dr Kailash Chand’s (@KailashChandOBE) Health Bill petition at which former deputy prime minister John Prescott (@JohnPrescott) pledged to post a video of himself singing.

#weekinreview has been in touch with Prezza’s office and suggested both ‘Drop The Health Bill’ to The Clash’s Rock The Casbah and a cover of this rather more earnest folkish ditty

#LansleyIn

In the interests of balance, #weekinreview has scoured t’interweb for GPs backing the Health Bill.

It took a while but come on down Dr Una Coales (@drunacoales):

conservativehealth.org/index.php/blog… The Strengths of the Health Bill and why I support it.

— Dr Una Coales (@drunacoales) February 9, 2012