The Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock has decided that extensive reductions of facilities, including A&E departments at Charing Cross and Ealing hospitals, will be cancelled. After a seven year fight, campaigners against the North-West London reorganisation plan, have gained a major victory. The plan, based on the notion of more patients being treated at home, has finally been brought face-to-face with the reality of rising numbers at A&E departments, and reality has won.

One of the imaging techniques used in treating cancers is Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The technique can be used to locate secondary cancers (metastases). It is often combined with CT which is an X-ray imaging technique. Some colorectal cancer patients from the Royal Berkshire Hospital are referred to the Churchill Hospital (part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foudation Trust) in Oxford, a centre of excellence for cancer treatment.

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries has produced its latest estimates of mortality and described recent changes in its estimates in this informative blog post . With the new understanding life expectancies for both males and females at age 65 have reduced by over a year since 2015.

South Reading Patient Voice meets at 6pm on Wednesday, 27th February 2019 at 94, London Road RG1 4SJ. Victoria Parker, director of communications and public engagement for the Berkshire West integrated Care System will speak and answer questions. Please look through the attached presentation on development of primary care before the meeting. We will also discuss local matters. Please bring along any news of your Patient Participation Group (PPG) or local GP practice.

South Reading Patient Voice meets at 6pm on Wednesday 30th January 2019 at RCLC, 94, London Street, RG1 4SJ We will hear a talk about Pain and some recent research by Richard Harrison as well as reports from Healthwatch and Patient Participation Groups.