The Health service journal
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Little research has been done on the number of intensive care beds the UK needs, and provision varies widely across the country. There is no indication of systematic under-provision of intensive care unit beds in the UK. ⋯ Research suggests that with the current number of beds there are 2,100-2,500 avoidable deaths a year. But it is unclear how many of these would be avoided by providing extra beds.
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A survey of 104 mental health units found that half did not have policies on treatment of detained patients from black and ethnic minority groups. Almost three-quarters had no policy for dealing with racial harassment of black and ethnic-minority patients. 11 percent of patients whose notes were examined had reported racial harassment.
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The Labour Party made few policy statements on health before the First World War. Its only election pledge was to oppose compulsory vaccination in 1900. ⋯ Aspects of the NHS came under fire from within the Labour Party soon after 1948. Promises of extra spending in the 1960s and 1970s were inhibited by economic problems.
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The proposed formula for allocating funds to primary care groups using census data raises concerns about equity. The proposed formula is based on health needs, but these are difficult to define at practice level. Research applying the proposed formula to 199 practices showed it was more suitable for PCGs than individual practices.