Alternative doctors union allowed to negotiate pay and contracts – Health Service Journal  
A trade union for hospital doctors has been granted national recognition by NHS Employers, meaning there is a second national body representing doctors for the first time since 1948.

Extended hours in primary care linked to reductions in minor A&E attendances – 
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
This briefing summarises the findings of a study that found that practices that offered additional appointments showed a reduction in the number of their patients attending emergency departments for minor conditions but that there was no overall reduction in emergency visits. Costs were reduced for emergency departments but by less than the cost of the additional appointments. These findings suggest additional appointments may help reduce minor A&E visits but may be more costly overall.

Asthma management – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Comments and feedback are being sought on this draft guidance on the management of asthma. The guidance calls for a change the medicines offered to enable the NHS to make savings of potentially £3 million per year. The draft guideline also describes how health professionals should help people self-manage. It recommends they offer people a written plan with details of their triggers, how to adjust medicines and when to seek help. The draft guideline is out for public consultation until 16 February 2017.

NHS machines: the utilisation of high-value capital equipment at NHS trusts – TaxPayers’ Alliance
This report examines the utilisation of five different types of machines in NHS trusts in England to assess how greater and more efficient use of existing resources can be encouraged.

Changes in the behaviour and health of 40 to 60 year olds – Public Health England (PHE)
These two reports present the results of analysis of health-related questions on obesity, smoking, drinking and general health conditions from the Health Survey for England. The reports show how the behaviour and health of people aged between 40 and 60 has changed over the last 20 years.

Social media guide for community pharmacy teams and LPCs – Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC)
This guidance aims to help community pharmacy teams and local pharmacy committees consider the benefits of using Twitter and other social media as tools for keeping up to date with news or communicating with patients and other stakeholders. This guide covers the benefits of using social media and guidance on creating internal policies for its use and practical pointers on how to use the most relevant social media platforms.