Immediate cuts of 7% to Public Health budgets were announced early in June. Many people do not realise that the current five-year NHS forward plan - which proposes 24 billion of efficiency savings over 5 years - depends on progress in preventive health. Preventive health is a major responsibility of NHS Public Health authorities - which are now integrated with local authorities. This makes the acheivement of the 5-year plan even more challenging.

NHS England has published an account of the work Pharmacists may do in GP surgeries. A 15 million programme to fund more pharmacists in GP surgeries has just been announced by NHS England as part of their New Deal for GPs.

"Diabetes Care" in South Reading will be the topic when Dr Richard Croft, diabetes lead for Berkshire West federation, addresses the group on Wednesday, 24th June at 6:15pm at the Reading community Learning Centre, 94, London Street, RG1 4SJ.

Since the start of April 2015, the South Reading CCG, in common with other CCGs in the Berkshire West federation, has been jointly responsible for Primary Care with NHS England. This makes possible the design and implementation of an integrated health and social care system incorporating primary care. But of course, it also creates serious conflicts of interest, whose resolution is not evident to the public. The four CCGs in Berkshire West meet in a common Primary Care Co-Commissioning Committee to plan the evolution of primary care.

Plans for the redeveloped Townlands Hospital, the community hospital for Henley-on-Thames, promised 18 beds, but the public is now being told by Oxford Health, the Oxfordshire service provider, that only 5 beds will be provided. The Henley Standard is leading a campaign to restore the plans for 18 beds. At a recent public meeting 300 people turned up at a hall holding only 200 and many people were turned away.