The Government has backed out of selling the NHS's internal staff agency - NHS Professionals after much opposition and demands for an enquiry. NHS Professionals is the NHS's internal staff agency. As the NHS is currently in the middle of waging a campaign against the use of external agency staff (needed because we have neither trained enough staff nor kept up pay sufficiently to retain them) NHS Professionals has suddenly become much more active and much more important to the NHS. It is used for staff to earn more in extra hours or to work on supply. To have externalised this agency would have wrecked the campaign to cut out the payment of excess agency fees in a simply scandalous way so this is a U-turn much to be welcomed.

The new 111 NHS telephone service, starting on 5th September 2017 in Berkshire West and other parts of the Thames Valley has is designed as an Integrated Urgent Care service. It is more closely integrated with the out-of-hours GP service. It is anticipated that about 30% of calls will be handled by a clinician.

For 2016-17 NHS spending was 145 billion which is 6.5% of GDP of about 2.2 trillion. Private health spending is thought to be a little above 1% of GDP or about 26 billion, giving total health expenditure of 7.5 - 8% of GDP, but adding in social care for international comparison, total health expenditure by international definition is about 9.9% of GDP. For comparison Germany, France, Sweden and Japan spend about 11% of (a larger per capita) GDP.

Pulse Today magazine has reported that NHS England is planning that ALL GP referrals should be prospectively peer reviewed and is arranging a system of funding to incentivise this. Experience shows that this can reduce the overall rate of referrals. A concern is that reviewers may be making decisions with insufficient information. It is very much to be hoped that our Council of Practices will take direct responsibility and accountabiilty for this rather than farming it out to an external entity. The original article can be found here.

The Primary Care Commissioning Committee for Berkshire West meets in public at 1pm on Wednesday, 13th September at Shaw House, Church Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2DR. If attending please register online. For details on asking questions at the meeting please see here.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental healthcare and community nursing throughout Berkshire and out-of-hours GP services in Berkshire West, is holding its AGM at 2pm on Wednesday 13th September at Easthampstead Baptist Church, South Hill Road, Bracknell, RG12 7NS. The meeting is open to members of the public. If intending to be at the AGM please email Berkshire Healthcare Communications Team or let them know by phone at 01344 415736. The Trust Chair, Martin Earwicker, and Lead Governor, Paul Myerscough, will talk about the work of the Council of Governors; the Chief Executive, Julian Emms, and Chief Financial Officer, Alex Gild, will discuss Trust achievements over the year and priorities for 2017/18. There will be time for public questions. There will also be two clinical talks of general interest:

• Anxiety in Later Life, Dr Nicholas Woodthorpe, Consultant Psychiatrist in older people's mental health
• The Diabetic Foor - what difference can podiatry make? Diane Owen, Podiatry Services Operational Lead

Diabetes UK has welcomed this as we do - yet we would point to the relative lack of ambition in the pledge. Come on Berkshire West! Doesn't everyone, or their carers, need to get new understanding after diagnosis?

The NHS Clinical Research Network for Thames Valley and the South Midlands will be holding a drop-in event in the Victoria Hall of Reading Town Hall from 1.30 - 5.30pm on Tuesday, 12th September 2017. The event is organised to inform visitors about the clinical research going on in Berkshire and to give the members of the public a chance to get involved. For more details please click here .

Berkshire Healthcare invites you to drop in to Coley Clinic on 6th September 2017 from 11am to 4pm to learn more about Community Care for Heart and Lung conditions - the nurses of the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust who provide the service will be on hand to tell you about ECGs, spirometers, inhalers etc. Coley Clinic is at the closed end of Carsdale Close, Coley, Reading RG1 6DL. From town take the 11 bus to Coley, alight at the Roundhead stop and walk back to Carsdale Close and then along Carsdale Close to the clinic. A visit will give you a chance to find out more about the Community Nursing that was the subject of our meeting on 26th July.

The Governing Body of South Reading CCG meets in public at 9.30-12,30 on Wednesday 6th September 2017 at the Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road, RG1 5EX. To book your attendance or to find out about asking questions at the end of the meeting please see here.