Admissions of inequality: emergency hospital use for children and young people – Nuffield Trust
This briefing looks at the relationship between deprivation and the use of emergency hospital care by children and young people in England. It aims to describe and highlight areas of inequality and to explore how they have changed over time. As well as looking at the overall patterns of emergency hospital use, it focuses in particular on three common conditions – asthma, diabetes and epilepsy – where more timely and effective primary, community or outpatient care could prevent admissions.

NHS cancels planned surgery and outpatient appointments in response to winter crisis – BMJ
Hospitals have been advised by NHS England to defer outpatient appointments and day case surgery and extend an existing deferral on non-urgent surgery until the end of January in a bid to ease mounting pressure on services this winter. The National Emergency Pressures Panel, chaired by NHS England’s medical director, Bruce Keogh, has also told hospitals to place consultants in emergency units to assess whether patients are presenting with a genuine medical emergency.

Check the key targets in your area – BBC News – Health
Use our tracker to check whether your local services are meeting strict waiting-time targets for cancer, routine operations and A&E.

Independent doctors to be rated by the Care Quality Commission – Department of Health
New changes mean that, for the first time, all healthcare organisations in England that offer regulated care will be rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Organisations will have to display their inspection ratings so patients can clearly see safety standards. The CQC’s current ratings programme – which covers hospital care, social care and GPs – will be extended to include more than 800 additional providers. This includes independent doctors that offer primary care online.

Funding to support employers with the nursing associate role – NHS Employers
Health Education England has announced funding to support employers with the roll out of the nursing associate role.

HSJ Roundup (contact the Library for further details)

• Regulator to rate GP app providers from this year 
  The Care Quality Commission has been given powers to rate providers of GP apps to “bring increased transparency” about their quality and safety.
• CCG given ultimatum to join regional committee 
  A clinical commissioning group has three months to decide if it will join the region’s strategic joint committee of CCGs.
• National chiefs order emergency measures as winter pressure cranks up
  National NHS officials today ordered an extended moratorium on non-urgent hospital operations, and other significant measures to try to deal with “sustained pressure” on the emergency care system.
• Struggling CCG’s deficit spirals for second year running 
  A struggling clinical commissioning group has seen its forecast deficit spiral for the second year in a row, more than quadrupling to £20m for 2017-18.
• Former NHSI director to be chief executive of struggling trust 
  A former director for NHS Improvement has been appointed as chief executive of a trust in special measures.
• Trust chiefs recognised in new year’s honours 
  The chief executive of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust is among the senior NHS figures named in the new year’s honours list.