21/01/2013

The NHS is about to undergo its biggest overhaul since its creation 65 years ago, but what will the government's changes mean for patients and health services?

There has been intense political debate about the reforms with some critics claiming the changes constitute 'privatisation through the back door'.

But the government says patients will have more choice, and that doctors at a local level will have more control.

Dr Phil Hammond explains what the changes will mean for all of us.

Watch a video feature from the Inside Out film on the BBC News website.

The overhaul of the NHS is just a few months away, but as always the issue that matters most is the quality of care, says BBC Health correspondent Nick Triggle

Of nearly 12,000 serious incidents reported across England, more than 40% related to bed sores.

But what is most telling about this data is that something as avoidable as bed sores is proving such a problem after all this time.

Read the full story on Nick Triggle's correspondent feature.

A BBC Inside Out investigation has revealed that 42% of serious incidents reported at hospitals in England involve bed sores, a condition that is nearly always avoidable.

Figures obtained by Freedom of Information requests show 4,966 of the 11,815 serious incidents reported at hospitals in England last year concerned bed sores.

Inside Out investigates the findings which show some hospitals are still failing to delivering basic standards of care for the elderly.

Watch a video feature on the BBC News website.

Jo Good finds out how animals are being used in NHS wards to help patients on their road to recovery.

Watch a video feature from the BBC Inside Out story on the BBC News website.