A team from the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) has developed a new index to measure hospital mortality rates that has been accepted for use by the Department of Health.

In this week's BMJ, Nigel Hawkes, freelance journalist and Director of Straight Statistics, a campaign for the better use of statistical data, investigates how the way that patients are allocated diagnostic codes by a hospital can have a big effect on a hospital's performance.

People admitted to English hospitals in an emergency on the first Wednesday in August have, on average, a six percent higher mortality rate than people admitted on the previous Wednesday, according to research published in PLoS ONE September 22.

By Gurdip Thandi PATIENTS at Staffordshire hospitals are to be given hitech devices to alert nurses to problems. The Patient Experience Tracker is set to be launched on wards at Cannock Chase Hospital and Stafford Hospital in May.

By Martin Shipton Contradictory statements about whether confidential information relating to Welsh patients has been passed to a private company have led to a demand that Health Minister Edwina Hart should make an urgent statement.