The first story in today's round-up says patients with uncommon illnesses are likely to lose out when a new framework governing drug allocation comes into play next year. The Guardian reports that people with rare diseases are not receiving the treatment they need because their illnesses are not recognised in guidelines that govern the distribution of NHS-approved medication.

Meanwhile, the BBC has questioned standards of care, reporting that staff at a care home in London assaulted an elderly Alzheimer's patient. The Care Quality Commission is now coming under fire as it is criticised for falling to take sufficient action after undercover filming showed a patient being slapped six times by a care worker. 

And if you thought that was bad, the Telegraph reports that a nurse who worked at a Newcastle NHS walk-in-centre in Byker has been struck off the register after she forged her qualifications.

And cases of poor care don't end there as a health watchdog has criticised the NHS for failing to learn from its mistakes, the Guardian reports.

But improving quality of care may be a struggle when Andrew Lansley is proposing that NHS staff should be paid less if they work in poorer parts of the country. The Guardian reports that the health secretary is backing a plan for regional pay, which could mean that nurses, midwives, hospital porters, cleaners and paramedics earn less if they work in the north of England or the Midlands.

The Guardian reports that a doctor, dentist and alternative medicine practitioner were secretly filmed allegedly offering to carry out or arrange female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite the procedure being illegal in Britain, as many as 100,000 women have undergone FGM with medics in the UK.

Meanwhile, charity Allergy UK has said that eating fruit, vegetables and spices can make hayfever symptoms worse, meaning some people suffer with the condition all year round, the Telegraph reports. Research conducted by the charity found that four in 10 hayfever sufferers develop symptoms in response to to nuts, fruit, vegetables and spices.

The Independent reports that avocado oil may have anti-ageing properties like those attributed to olive oil. Fat pressed from the fruit could also be a weapon against conditions such as heart disease and cancer, according to a scientist in Mexico.

Finally from the nationals, the Telegraph reports that baby boys born today could be expected to outlive girls. With an increase in binge drinking, rising lung cancer rates and obesity, it is thought that this trend of women living up to six years longer than men will be reversed in the new generation.