South Reading CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) together with the 3 other commissioning groups in Berkshire West are responsible for procuring acute medical services for the local population. The detailed contract between the CCGs and the RBHFT (one of the principal local providers) is well under way and is expected to be signed off by the end of June, according to Ed Donald, chief executive of the RBH Foundation Trust, speaking at a recent RBH Council of Governors public meeting.

South Reading GPs can now refer patients suffering from certain long term conditions to a new psychological service - "Talking Health". The aim is to provide support for those with Type 2 diabetes and with chronic lung disease (COPD). The service provides both one to one support and the opportunity to meet others with a similar condition to exchange experiences and techniques related to managing and overcoming the condition.

The Daily Mail and The Times report (13 May) that Harmoni, the private health-care provider with 100M contracts from the NHS, uses senior nurses to cover up to quarter of a million patients for their GP out-of-hours (OOH) services when they cannot recruit GPs to do the shifts.

This conference, held on 14 May 2013 and jointly organised by South Reading CCG and South Reading Patient Voice, hosted 140 delegates and was judged a real success. It received a mention on BBC South TV News. ... Speakers from South Reading CCG, Berkshire Healthcare NHS, the University of Reading, the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Surrey County Council, and South Reading Patient Voice aimed to inform, identify gaps in services, share best practice and provide a showcase for services.

The NHS England board meeting on 3 May 2013 endorsed proposals for an external review of the model used to roll out the NHS 111 service. The 111 service replaces both NHS Direct and the separate specific telephone numbers needed to call out-of-hours GP services. Official advice is that "you should use the NHS 111 service if you urgently need medical help but it's not a life-threatening situation." This, of course, begs the question of the caller's ability to decide reliably when an urgent situation is life threatening.