The NHS Confederation has claimed that community treatment would be suited to around a quarter of patients.

Mike Farrar - the head of the body - urged the NHS to convince people that new home treatment could be a viable alternative to staying in hospital.

He urged people working in health jobs in the UK to be more focused on providing care in the community, moving patients away from the idea of hospital being the only option.

He cited the £20 billion efficiency targets, which are getting closer to their 2015 endpoint all the time, and said next year would be key in making those savings.

Mr Farrar added: "We have had a lot of talk about changing services but 2012 must be the year we convert talk into action.

"Hospitals play a vital role but we do rely on them for some services which could be provided elsewhere. We should be concentrating on reducing hospital stays where this is right for patients, shifting resources into community services, raising standards of general practice, and promoting early intervention and self-care.

"There is a value-for-money argument for doing this but it is not just about money and the public need to be told that - this is about building an NHS for the future."

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Mothers are much less likely to suffer from depression after giving birth if they have regular contact with NHS health visitors, new research published in the Cambridge University Press journal Psychological Medicine has suggested.

But the study by experts from the universities of Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield said that proper training to help health visitors recognise the symptoms, and in ways to support mothers psychologically once the condition is assessed, are essential for reducing the instances of depression.

Lead author Professor Terry Brugha, of the University of Leicester Clinical Division of Psychiatry, Department of Health Sciences, recommended training in approaches based on either cognitive behavioural or listening techniques.

He said proper training in such techniques could lead to less instances of depression as recognition of mental health problems would be less reliant on visits to family doctors, who may not see the patient very often.

Previous research has suggested that one in 10 women suffer from depression following childbirth.

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2010

Home safety checks will be offered to parents of children under five in a bid to cut the number of young people visiting accident and emergency departments, a health watchdog has said.

In excess of two million children visit hospital each year because of accidents, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) revealed, and although most of the cases are minor, evidence suggests unintentional injuries are a prominent cause of deaths among under-15s.

A total of 208 children aged under 14 in England and Wales died because of unintentional injuries, Nice said. It has issued draft guidance asking for equipment in homes with children under five to be safety checked.

The equipment should meet British or European safety standards, while inspectors also need to consider the developmental age of the child, cultural and religious beliefs, disabilities, literacy levels, and whether English is the family`s first language when inspecting homes.

Nice public health excellence centre director Mike Kelly denied the watchdog is promoting a "nanny state".

Mr Kelly said: "It`s a normal part of growing up for children to sometimes hurt themselves in day-to-day life, but we also need to prevent serious injuries from happening.

"These can have a profound effect on a young child right through to adult life, as they may need lengthy treatment and could be permanently disabled or disfigured."

Copyright © Press Association 2010

The number of elderly people falling over can be reduced if simple techniques for increasing strength and balance skills are learned, according to scientists.

A quarter of people aged 70 and over suffer falls every year and around half of them are aged over 80, 50% of whom would have another fall the next year.

The University of Nottingham scientists looked at 204 over-60s who lived either at home or in residential care. Every one of them had experienced a fall and had called an ambulance, although none of them were taken to hospital. Each one of them were deemed to be at high risk of falling again.

Two groups were then created. One group was given advice from fall experts and participants were shown how to build strength and balance by a physiotherapist. Potential hazards in their home were assessed and were adapted as necessary. The other group was given no help.

The results showed a 55% drop in the rate of falls with those who had received support, compared with the group which had no help.

The research findings were published online in the British Medical Journal.

Copyright © Press Association 2010