Daily digest April 20 2015

NHS bosses’ £1m pay deals revealed

NHS executives earned more than £35 million in pay rises during the worst funding crisis for the health service in a generation, it has emerged.

Some hospital bosses took home more than £1 million last year, while others were accused of exploiting loopholes to maximise their pay packets, as reported in The Daily Telegraph.

Analysis of trust accounts by the Daily Mail revealed that the number of executives paid more than the prime minister rose by 30 per cent last year to 600.

Read more on the Daily Telegraph website: click here

Under-4s may get free vitamin D in war on rickets

Doctors have called for children under four years of age to be given free vitamins after a rise in the number of cases of rickets due to a lack of exposure to sunlight.

The country’s chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies is said to be concerned at the number of children suffering from the bone condition, which is caused by a deficiency in vitamin D.

The disease, a scourge of Victorian Britain, was virtually eradicated after the second world war.

Read more on the Daily Mail website: click here

Labour claims Conservatives have ‘hidden agenda’ on NHS charges

Labour has accused the Conservatives of having a hidden agenda to bring in charges and privatise the NHS as it begins a week of campaigning on health.

A survey of 115 Tory councillors, carried out by students who identified themselves as Labour Party members, found that 26 backed charging for some NHS services; 12 supported increased use of the private sector and six wanted to cut the health budget.

Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, said the Tory councillors had ‘let the cat out of the bag – five more years of David Cameron means more NHS privatisation and charging’.

However, the Conservatives highlighted a survey of 460 family doctors by GP magazine, showing that 28% plan to vote for the Tories, 13% Labour and 7% the Liberal Democrats.

The Tories claimed another Labour attack backfired when they rejected its claim they had a secret plan to axe almost 2,000 nursing jobs in England.

Read more on the Independent website: click here