Social Networking is set to play a key role in delivery of new models of healthcare, a new report predicts.

Interactive websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are expected to be utilised by providers of healthcare in Europe to help tackle existing and future challenges.

The report, Cooperation, Communication, Coordination: Three Pillars of Collaborative Teamwork anticipates networking sites to be used to increase awareness in disease management and clinical trial recruitment.

Faced with issues such as cost constraints, ageing populations, a higher incidence of chronic diseases, regulatory pressures and the need for improved quality of care and patient safety, the report says effective teamwork is needed to implement new delivery methods.

Alongside social networking, the report highlights cooperation between different divisions, access to real-time data and mobile technologies as also playing an important part in delivering these new healthcare models.

“Teamwork and collaboration are often used synonymously, but they are not the same,” said Jan Duffy, EMEA Research Director, IDC Health Insights – who conducted the report.

“Effective collaboration may be viewed as either a process which affects the results of teamwork – enhanced patient care and provider satisfaction – or an outcome in and of itself. Whether or not it is an ingredient or a by-product of teamwork, it is certain that the seamless provision of quality patient care today and in the future depends on inter-professional collaboration.”

Teva’s Board of Directors has voted to re-elect Dr Phillip Frost as Chairman for a period of three years.

Dr Frost was “unanimously voted” by the Board to continue in the position he has held since March 2010.

Professor Moshe Many, Teva’s Vice Chairman of the Board, said Dr Frost has the leadership committees’ “full support”.

The former Chief Executive Officer and President of IVAX Corporation – which Teva acquired in 2006 – previously served as Vice Chairman before taking on the role of chair two years ago.

“We will continue to benefit from his vision and guidance,” Professor Many commented. “We look forward to the progress of the Company under the governance of the Board and the leadership of Teva’s President and CEO Dr Jeremy Levin.”

Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the largest generic manufacturer in the world with a global portfolio of more than 1,300 molecules and a direct presence in around 60 countries.

Human Genome Sciences (HGS) has told its shareholders not to accept GSK’s hostile $13 per share tender offer.

Its Board of Directors insist the $2.6bn offer is inadequate, undervalues the company and is not in the best interests of HGS or its shareholders.

H. Thomas Watkins, HGS President and CEO, said its Board “has concluded unanimously” that the offer “does not reflect the value inherent in Human Genome Sciences”.

HSG rejected GSK’s initial takeover approach towards the end of April, forcing the pharma company to go back and target the company’s shareholders.

In the meantime, HGS instructed Wall Street advisors to search for potential suitors as part of a strategic review process – something GSK refused to participate in.

On reaching its recommendations to shareholders, HGS’s Board considered numerous factors.

Its Directors decided that its main product Benlysta – which it is in partnership with GSK – has “substantial growth opportunities” and pointed towards HGS’s “substantial financial assets”.

GSK were also accused of “opportunistically” capitalising on recent share price dislocation and capturing for itself the “significant upside opportunity for upcoming value-driving products”.

“The HGS Board of Directors has determined that the GSK offer is not in the best interests of our stockholders and recommends that they not tender shares to GSK,” said Mr Watkins.

The NHS Commissioning Board (NHSCB) has been granted an additional £35 million to fund extra staff and meet unforeseen cost pressures.

Progress Update on Design of the NHSCB outlined how additional staffing requirements and a number of other issues had increased the Board’s budget from £492m to £527m.

A spokesperson for the DH said the additional funding is “not new money” and the £35m was “held as a contingency” until the future responsibilities of the Board “became more defined”.

The money will be divided with £8.7m allocated towards staffing costs and £1.5m going towards the “clinical expertise and leadership into commissioning specialised services”, the report said.

Seven million pounds will be used on the Board’s Patient Engagement, Insight and Informatics directorate it will inherit from the DH when it becomes fully functional.

A further £200,000 was required by the Board for an additional director post to be shared between the medical and transformational directorates focused on inequalities.

It is unknown how the additional £17.8 million will be used.

“This funding has now been released,” said a DH spokesperson.