NICE aims to tackle the ignorance and barriers to effective testing of those at an increased risk of infection of hepatitis B or C in new draft guidance.

Services, organisations and practitioners should promote testing by measures such as raising awareness to the general public and identifying those most at risk, the guidance advises.

Professor Mike Kelly, NICE Director of Public Health, said a “general ignorance” has contributed to a lack of services and poor uptake of testing due to the “stigma surrounding hepatitis B and C”.

According to the Chief Medical Officer, around 180,000 people in the UK are now chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus – with a further 216,000 people chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus.

Hepatitis B and C are blood-borne viruses that predominately infect the liver and can lead to chronic liver damage, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The draft guidance also recommends testing through contact tracing, testing in prisons and in drug services and commissioning viral hepatitis testing and treatment services.

Professor Kelly added that NICE hopes to raise “general awareness” on myths surrounding the virus within the guidance. “This is aimed at addressing any misconceptions about the risk of hepatitis B and C that can act as barriers to testing, including the belief that treatments are not effective and that treatment is not needed until the illness is advanced,” he said.

“It is also aimed at demystifying the risks of transmission among families, friends and colleagues of people diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B or C, and in doing so reducing much of the stigma attached to the diseases.”

Final guidance is now expected towards the end of the year.

Heather Lawrence (pictured), Chief Executive of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, is to step down from her role and join Monitor as a Non-Executive Director.

She will join the Independent Regulator on 1 July and brings more than 40 years of experience working within the healthcare sector.

David Bennett, Chair, Monitor, said Heather will be a “very welcome addition to the team of Non-Executives”.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley also backed the appointment. “I am delighted to announce Heather Lawrence’s appointment as a Non Executive Director of Monitor,” he said.

“She has a breadth of front-line NHS experience which perfectly equips her for this challenging role. Her knowledge of the NHS will offer Monitor’s Board insights that will help Monitor in the development and delivery of its duty to protect and promote the interests of those who use healthcare services.”

Monitor authorises and regulates NHS foundation trusts and supports their development, ensuring they are well-governed and financially robust.

NHS Bolton Commissioning Group has been asked to confirm its strike arrangements following concerns from local residents about the 24 hour industrial action.

Doctors have confirmed a 24 hour strike will take place on June 21 in protest at the Government’s NHS pension plans and will cancel all routine appointments.

Councillor Andy Morgan, Bolton’s Conservative deputy leader and health spokesman, said local residents needed “clarification” to “know what is happening”.

Cllr Morgan has asked the CCG to confirm whether access to urgent care and GP’s surgeries will be closed across the region claiming that “people are worried”.

He also asked whether guidance will be given to local residents and community care teams before the strike should any emergency occur and questioned whether cancelled appointments will be rescheduled.

“I think the arrangements should have been made clearer from the start,” he said.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said strike action was being taken “very reluctantly” after the Government back-tracked on the deal agreed on pensions four years ago.

Last week, GPs said they were considering withdrawing their involvement in the development of clinical commissioning groups across England in protest over the pension reforms.

NICE has launched an app to give healthcare professionals mobile access to the British National Formulary.

Prescribers will be able to gain offline access to medicines information using the new iPhone and Android app with a password.

The new initiative reflects growing NHS investment in facilitating healthcare outside the clinical setting.

Sir Andrew Dillon (pictured), Chief Executive of NICE, said that the launch of the NICE Guidance app in March had been “phenomenally successful”, leading to this initiative.

“The growing use of smartphones has created a new culture and means for people to access information while on the move,” he commented.

Dr Keith Ridge, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the DH, said: “I am delighted NICE has taken this step. The new NICE BNF app gives those who have prescribing and medicines responsibilities fast, reliable and convenient access to the most up-to-date prescribing information.”

NICE is currently developing a similar app to give clinicians access to the British National Formulary for Children.

NHS Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield Clinical Commissioning Group aims to make services more accessible and responsive to local residents as part of a new £2.2bn five year plan.

The CCG’s Clear and Credible Plan includes five key aims and six further clinical priorities it aims to address by 2016/2017 by investing £400m annually.

Improving the health of local residents, ensuring youngsters have a better start to life, tackling local challenges of an ageing population and managing resources effectively are also outlined as key issues.

The Group says its vision is to “work together for excellent health” for local residents over the next five years.

Its clinical priorities include reducing cancer deaths, improving long term conditions – particularly diabetes and COPD – and improving quality for provider organisations for patients.

To realise this a number of goals have been established. These include developing diabetes services closer to patients’ homes, increasing the number of health visitors, commissioning further services to meet local health and social care needs, and establishing partnerships with providers to offer residents a wider range of services.

Despite the billion pound investment, the CCG still aims to make £108m of savings during the duration of the plan to help meet the NHS’ £20bn efficiency savings target by 2014–15.

The NHS Commissioning Board Authority (CBA) will direct the recruitment of commissioning support services over the next four months.

The temporary Authority will appoint managing directors and chief finance officers for each CSS, then co-ordinate the appointment of junior officers.

The decision means that many PCT staff will have to wait months to find out whether they have CSS roles.

The move to take control of CSS appointments is intended to stop CSS organisations competing for management staff.

Some CSS leaders have criticised the decision, which reflects the CBA’s growing concern (highlighted in its recent Board paper) with the challenge of finalising the new NHS organisational structure.

It follows the decision in May to abandon plans for a stand-alone national communications support service for CCGs.

This in turn followed the ‘checkpoint 2’ stage of CSS authorisation, which only 14 of the 26 prospective CSSs passed robustly and three failed outright.

CSS recruitment will start with the most senior posts and continue with more junior staff, ending when the Board is fully launched in October.

As the CBA will initially ‘host’ the CSS organisations, it will employ all CSS staff. As the Board replaces the CBA, the CSSs will become independent.