A new family doctors' contract will mean extra services for patients but will not force surgeries to open later.

A survey at the IRRV Conference 2008 by Capita Software Services reveals local councils’ rapid advancement in self-service technology in just four years. In 2004, a Capita survey revealed how concerned local government personnel were about achieving the e-government deadline, and this year 81% of respondents now offer a 24/7 payment service to their customers.

Labour Councillors in Westminster have welcomed the news that more than half of local doctors in Westminster are now offering patients longer opening times, following the announcement that 28 of the 52 doctors' practices in Westminster have signed up to offer extra hours for patients. The increased hours cover the early morning before 8am, after 6.30pm in the evening and on Saturday mornings....

An official investigation is to examine why people with serious learning difficulties have died while under NHS care, after alleged neglect led to at least six fatalities, ministers will reveal today. The health secretary, Alan Johnson, is setting up an inquiry which will look at whether the quality of treatment that doctors, nurses and other health service staff gave to such vulnerable patients c...

• Lib Dems condemn cost of delayed disciplinary cases • Two doctors have been suspended for 1,810 days Family doctors accused of misconduct are being suspended from treating patients for up to four and a half years and costing taxpayers as much as £900,000 for each case, the NHS has revealed. The disclosures have sparked demands for the doctors' disciplinary system to be speed...

International survey of frontline doctors rates NHS best for specialist waiting times. Andy Burnham MP, Labour's Health Secretary, slammed the Tories' pledge to scrap cancer treatment guarantees whilst commenting on news that an international survey announced this morning has ranked the NHS a world beater. The Commonwealth Fund survey of frontline doctors in 11 countries ranked the UK as...

Patients and GPs were promised a bigger role in health services as plans for the biggest NHS shake-up in decades were unveiled.

All patients are to face extensive questioning from doctors about their alcohol consumption under new efforts to tackle the country's problem drinking culture.

Why new pills are rarely the best medicineBy Max Pemberton. We all want to believe that for every ailment, there is a magic cure; for every illness, a pill or potion. This applies just as much to doctors as to patients: it's easy to think that we can offer a panacea for every condition we are presented with in our consulting room, and that as modern medicine strides forward, the remedies we c...

Efficiency gains of up to £20bn can be made without affecting the service received by patients of the National Health Service, a consultant argues