Former MP appointed as minister in charge of NHS innovation
Nicola Blackwood was named as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care on 10 January.
News 4

MPs look abroad for records inspiration
Patients should be allowed to “own” and interact with their medical records if they are to be fully involved in their own care, a new parliamentary report that seeks to learn from overseas experience argues.
News

HSCIC discusses Care Bill info challenge
The Care Bill will bring several informatics challenges, including higher data standards and increased use of the NHS Number, according to a Health and Social Care Information Centre board paper.
News
Patient Opinion opened to MPs
Patient Opinion, the website that allows patients to post comments about the health services they have used, has set up a new service for Westminster MPs.
News
Public spending hit in grim Budget
Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed that lower public spending will form the bulk of the government’s action to reduce Britain’s budget deficit.
News
GPC enters the fray on 084 numbers
GP practices can continue to use 084 numbers if they obtain confirmation from their supplier that they are no more expensive than making a local call – and the main provider of such services to GPs will guarantee this, according to the BMA’s GP committee. Latest guidance from the General Practitioner Committee states that the […]
News
Put cross here
Mike O’Brien new minister for NHS IT
Mike O’Brien, the MP for North Warwickshire, has become the latest minister to take responsibility for NHS Connecting for Health and NHS IT. O’Brien, a former solicitor general, was minister for pension reform at the Department of Work and Pensions before Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s reshuffle this weekend. He replaces Ben Bradshaw, who left the […]
News
Information at heart of NHS Constitution
Providing information to support choice is a “major priority” for the health service, according to the new NHS Constitution for England. A handbook published to support the constitution, which was launched at a “historic signing ceremony” at Downing Street yesterday, highlights a number of areas in which IT and information services will be developed to […]
News
IT underpins NHS reform in Queen’s speech
The government is planning to introduce a health bill to Parliament that will require further investment in IT and new information services for the public, the Queen’s speech has confirmed. The National Health Service Reform Bill will give the NHS its first, ever written constitution, drive forward the government’s quality and choice agendas, and strengthen […]
News