Stoke and Stafford hospital trust is facing a financial penalty of up to £9 million for failing to meet government targets.

NHS England has launched a new incentive scheme in a bid to slow down the growing issue of antibiotic resistance.

According to figures for January released by NHS England, 88.7 per cent of patients were dealt with in four hours, falling short of the target of 95 per cent.

NHS England has announced it is investing £55 million in rewarding Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) which choose to phase out referrals made through second class post, as part of a plan to move towards a fully electronic referrals system.

Health service leaders have cautioned that the junior doctor dispute is starting to take its toll on the NHS in England, as junior doctors participate in their third strike.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an estimated 2.5 million people in Britain consume more than the weekly recommended limit for alcohol in a single day.

According to Pulse, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s rescue package to ease pressures on general practice has been delayed following disagreements regarding the size of promised funding.

The Mental Health Network (MHN) has claimed that ‘no significant investment’ has been made in psychiatric services for children despite government plans to reform financial provision.