Annual Reports

NAO: The National Audit Office has published NHS (England) Summarised Accounts 2006-07: Achieving financial balance in the NHS. The NHS as a whole achieved a net surplus of £515m in 2006-07, compared with a net deficit of £547m in 2005-06.
 
The NHS Summarised Accounts show that in 2006-07 287 NHS organisations reported a gross surplus of £1,431m (2005-06: 357 organisations reported a gross surplus of £765m); offset by 82 NHS organisations reporting a gross deficit of £917m (2005-06: 179 organisations reported a deficit of £1,312m). The NHS is currently forecasting a net surplus of £1,790 million for 2007-08.
 
Complexities within the NHS present future financial challenges.  Payment by Results and Practice Based Commissioning reduce certainty around income for NHS Trusts and challenge PCTs to secure the services needed while managing within budget.  Ongoing restructuring will bring further costs in 2007-08.
Press release ~ Achiev ing financial balance in the NHS ~ NHS (England) Summarised Accounts 2006-07
 
DIUS: Consumers who buy fake goods on the cheap will end up worse off in the long run and in some cases are taking risks with their health. This warning came from the government as the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) launched the Intellectual Property Crime Report 2007, which outlines the impact on the UK by criminals who counterfeit and pirate products.
 
The intellectual property (IP) crime market in the UK has been estimated as worth around £1.3bn per year.  The report shows that closer cooperation between law-enforcement agencies and industry groups is beginning to pay off with a rise in the number of successful prosecutions, which have risen from 600 in 2004 (when the IP Crime Strategy was launched) to over 1,000 a year, according to the most recent figures available.
Press release ~ Intellectual Property Crime Report 2007 ~ IP Crime Group ~ IP Crime Strategy ~ Andrew Gowers' Review of Intellectual Property
 
ScotGov: Commenting on the latest attendance & absence statistics, Minister for Schools and Skills Maureen Watt said that early intervention in a child's life could be a key factor in improving school attendance, when she revealed that absence rates were greater among pupils:
* from deprived areas
* with additional support needs
* looked after by the local authority.
 
The new guidance - Included, Engaged and Involved - supports schools and authorities to build on early intervention, to keep pupils included, engaged and involved in school throughout their school career.
Press release ~ Attendance and Absence in Scottish Schools 2006/07 ~ Included, engaged and involved ~ School attendance: your responsibilities - ParentsCentre
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