Health Service Journal
1 September 2011
View all stories from this issue.
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Mid Staffordshire foundation trust introduces hospital passports scheme
PERFORMANCE: A hospital passport has been introduced at Mid Staffordshire foundation trust to capture the needs of patients prior to them attending hospital. -
£2.5m overspend expected on pay at Ipswich Hospital
FINANCE: Ipswich Hospital Trust overspent by nearly £1.7m on pay for the first three months of the financial year due to temporay staffing levels, according to board papers. -
£2bn costs warning over growing obesity cases
A potential 26 million people living in the UK could be suffering from obesity in less than 20 years, clinical researchers have predicted. -
18 week target remains a 'challenge' in North Staffs
PERFORMANCE: The main “performance challenge” of the North Staffordshire PCT trust remains the achievement of the 18 week referral to treatment target for inpatient and day case surgery. -
A new name for Leeds Partnerships NHS FT
STRUCTURE: The trust is consulting on renaming itself, following its recent expansion. -
Ashford and St Peter’s runs into volunteer trouble over catering contract
COMMERCIAL: The Surrey FT has announced that it wants to put out a tender for its entire catering facilities, which means a volunteer service will no longer be required. -
Ashford and St Peter’s slightly behind on CIP plan
FINANCE: The trust fell £0.5m behind on its cost improvement programme between April and June, according to latest board papers. -
Barnsley Hospital FT loses its IT system
PERFORMANCE: July board papers reveal the trust suffered a “complete shut down” of its IT system and hospital switchboard for over six hours on 20 July. -
Bristol acutes set to begin service reconfiguration
STRUCTURE: A number of key services are to be transferred to and from University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust and North Bristol Trust during the next three years. -
Calderdale FT appoints new chair
WORKFORCE: A new chair has been appointed by the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. -
Calderdale PCT tenders for a new diabetes screening service
COMMERCIAL: Calderdale PCT is inviting companies to bid to provide a diabetic retinopathy screening programme across the region. -
Cameron’s flagship cancer treatments fund ‘could prove insufficient’
The value of David Cameron’s pledge to fund pioneering treatments for cancer – a showpiece of the Conservatives’ general election campaign – has come under fire from oncologists, HSJ has discovered. -
Cancer drug access unequal across UK
A clear divide in the number of patients approved to access cancer drugs has appeared between England, Scotland and Wales, campaigners say. -
Chair appointed for Bury’s shadow clinical commissioning group
STRUCTURE: Dr Kiran Patel, a local GP, has been appointed to the role of chair and clinical lead of Bury’s shadow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). -
City University joins UCLPartners
STRUCTURE: The east London university has announced it is joining academic health science centre UCLPartners. -
Coventry PCT tenders for a new provider of primary medical services for vulnerable groups
COMMERCIAL: A new provider for primary medical services for groups including the homeless, asylum seekers and refugees is being sought by the primary care trust. -
CQC slams United Lincolshire over use of sedatives
PERFORMANCE: The Care Quality Commission has expressed “major concerns” over the management of medication at the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire. -
Cull hospital and consultant numbers - Crisp
The NHS needs a new “vision” if it is to improve and should cut the number of hospitals and consultants to do so, one of its former chief executives has said. -
Dates set for Hillingdon 111 pilot
STRUCTURE: NHS London has confirmed its NHS 111 service pilot will begin in October for the north west London borough. -
Devon social enterprise appoints non-execs
WORKFORCE: Two former police chiefs and an international banker have been appointed as non-executive directors for Plymouth Community Healthcare. -
DH plans to scrap a quarter of all central data requests
The Department of Health is proposing to stop asking for at least a quarter of the data sets it currently requests from NHS bodies – but has admitted that the cull will make room for new data demands. -
Doncaster and Bassetlaw FT set to miss new A&E and readmission targets
PERFORMANCE: The four hour national A&E targets have this year been extended to include the whole time a patient now spends in A&E. -
Doncaster FT appoints a new chief executive
WORKFORCE: Ron Calvert has been appointed chief executive of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and will take up the appointment on 1 September. -
Dorset County agrees £5m loan
FINANCE: Dorset County Hospital Foundation Trust has received a £5.3m loan from the foundation trust financing facility ahead of the sale of key assets, its annual plan reveals. -
Drug-related deaths down on previous year
The number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales has fallen slightly, according to the latest government figures. -
Eighty trusts call in lawyers over board level exits
Nearly 80 NHS organisations have employed law firms to deal with the departure of board members over the past five years, an HSJ investigation has revealed. -
Emergency admissions down but A&E attendance up at University Hospital of North Staffs
PERFORMANCE: Emergency admissions have fallen at the trust, bucking the regional trend. -
Ensuring the correct provision of mental health services for children
The change in legal requirements for health organisations providing mental health treatment to children means trusts and providers need to ensure they are meeting all statutory duties, write Rebecca Fitzpatrick and Andrew Keefe. -
Essex cluster brings in staff to tackle continuing healthcare backlog
WORKFORCE: The South Essex primary care trust cluster has brought in extra nursing and administrative resource to deal with a continuing healthcare (CHC) overspend. -
Exclusive: Medics resist plan to attach pay to PROMs
One of the country’s leading clinicians has claimed a flagship government policy to link payment by results to the quality of outcomes could deny care to those “who need it most”. -
Fear of failure or staff fury may drive further job cuts
During the summer our HSJ Local service has been reporting on plans to reduce hospital workforces. This week we reveal Aintree University Hospital Foundation Trust’s decision to remove 200 posts during each of the next three years. -
First dental practice to start up in Doncaster for a decade
STRUCTURE: The first new dental practice to start up in the Doncaster area in more than 10 years has earned the seal of approval of the country’s top dentist. -
First large hospital merger approved by CCP
A plan to shake up hospital care in Hampshire has become the first merger of large acute trusts to pass a key test designed to enshrine competition in the NHS. -
Free Wi-Fi for Bradford Teaching Hospitals patients
PERFORMANCE:A new Wi-Fi network service for patients and visitors has recently been launched at Bradford Teaching Hospitals. -
FT plans 20 per cent growth in private patient income
FINANCE: The Royal Marsden Foundation Trust, Britain’s biggest specialist cancer trust, is planning to increase its private patient income by 20 per cent this year. -
FT predicting significant fall in MoD income
FINANCE: The main provider of acute healthcare for the armed forces is predicting a significant fall in Ministry of Defence income as the UK scales back its deployment in Afghanistan. -
FTs will be compelled to report complaints by DH
Rules will be tightened to force foundation trusts to pass on patients’ complaints to the government, the Department of Health has revealed to HSJ. -
Further Health Bill amendments to include new 'failure' rules
Ministers will table a new set of amendments to the Health Bill next week, including setting out the failure regime for care providers. -
GP practices in east and north Birmingham named as pathfinder consortia
STRUCTURE: Three groups of GP practices in east and north Birmingham have been named as pathfinder consortia. -
Hampshire PCT signs off Oak Park clinic plan
PERFORMANCE: NHS Hampshire has signed contracts to begin developing its planned Oak Park Community Clinic. -
Hampshire QIPP shortfall holds back SHIP cluster
FINANCE: NHS Hampshire failed to deliver £2m of planned quality, innovation, productivity, and prevention (QIPP) savings in June, accounting for most of the shortfall in the Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth primary care trust cluster. -
Handful of trusts let down South East Coast on performance checks
Two sets of national checks and balances have revealed the South East Coast’s A* performers and those that “must try harder” when it comes to issues of patient experience. -
Harrogate foundation trust predicts deficit
FINANCE: Harrogate and District FT is predicting an overspend of £1.5m by the end of the year, according to a recent finance board report. -
Health and social care chiefs sign up to ‘get it right’ for learning disability
PERFORMANCE: NHS Barnsley has committed to Mencap’s “Getting it right” charter to show their commitment to ensuring that people with a learning disability get the healthcare they have a right to. -
Health secretary to retain reconfiguration veto
The health secretary would largely retain his powers over service reconfigurations following amendments to the Health Bill - despite previous promises he would take a “hands-off” role. -
'Health services need a new type of investment to help achieve savings'
The constrains that the current funding model puts on the NHS means value for money improvements are almost impossible to translate into long term savings. Paul Corrigan looks at how a new model of investment can change this cycle. -
Health unions unite to warn government over pensions
Unions representing workers across the health service have warned they could stage coordinated industrial action if agreement cannot be reached on the future of the NHS pension scheme. -
Healthcare without limits: what the EU directive on cross-border care means for the NHS
The EU directive on cross-border healthcare is likely to bring with it dramatic changes to the provision of and access to healthcare. Elisabetta Zanon explains what it means for organisations in the UK. -
Herefordshire 'significantly' missing stroke target
PERFORMANCE: NHS Herefordshire remains significantly far away from achieving the target for 80 per cent of stroke patients’ time to be spent on a stroke unit. -
How a broader view of emergency readmissions could reduce overall activity levels
Efforts to cut emergency readmissions typically focus on so called “frequent flyers”, but analysis shows screening the wider population may be more effective. Simon Rowe explains -
How investing in therapeutic services provides a clinical cost saving in the long term
Can investing in therapy cost less than traditional case management for dissociative identity disorders, asks Cheshire and Wirral Partnership FT clinical psychologist Dr Mike Lloyd. -
Imperial's new chief pledges 'evolution'
PERFORMANCE: The new head of Imperial College Healthcare Trust has used an HSJ interview to promise “evolution” at the leading teaching hospital. -
Inspectors find concerns over elderly care at Cambridge University FT
PERFORMANCE: The Care Quality Commission has found “minor concerns” in how older people are treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital -
Ipswich Hospital 'not to achieve' patient experience improvement
PERFORMANCE: Ipswich Hospital expects to fail on a patient experience targets linked to part of the value of its contract. -
'It's time for managers to stand up and be counted'
In the battle against Whitehall maybe the NHS needs its own Arab Spring – led by managers, suggests Kieran Walshie. -
Kent named as a ‘Healthy Living Pharmacy’ pathfinder
STRUCTURE: Kent has been selected as one of 20 national pathfinders sites for Healthy Living Pharmacies, which integrate pharmacy services with public health. -
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals FT records deficit for Q1
FINANCE: The foundation recorded a deficit of £424,000 for the first three months of 2011-12, against plans to have made a surplus of £11,900 by that point in the financial year. -
Leeds Teaching Hospitals misses 62 day cancer wait target
PERFORMANCE: Leeds Teaching Hospitals trust has failed to meet its cancer waiting times target which should see at least 85 per cent of patients who are urgently referred by their GP receive their first definitive treatment within 62 days of referral. -
Legionnaires' death sparks hospital investigation
PERFORMANCE: A multi-agency investigation will be carried out into an Essex hospital after a patient with Legionnaires’ disease died. -
Maximising the mutually beneficial value of apprenticeships in acute care
The value of apprenticeships is proving to be beneficial to an acute hospital trust, its staff and its patients. Alison Moore finds out how both parties are getting the best out of apprenticeships. -
Media Watch: onset of autumn provides a gloomy filter for health news
Maybe it was the autumnal August Bank Holiday weather that meant the national media largely looked at health through a gloomy lens this week. -
Mental health care of patient who killed four family members criticised
A mental health patient who killed four members of his family received a level of care with ‘a number of shortcomings’, a review has found. -
Michael White: through choice comes different outcomes - and that way we learn
Politicians had barely shaken the sand from their shoes or packed away the bucket and spade before they were gripped by that hardy health perennial, proposed changes to Britain’s abortion law. -
Ministers set out FT failure regime
Foundation status could no longer be withdrawn from trusts in the event of financial failure under new amendments to the Health Bill. -
Mixed sex accommodation targets missed in Staffs hospitals
PERFORMANCE: University Hospital of North Staffordshire and Mid Staffordshire foundation trust have both already breached mixed sex accommodation (MSA) targets this year. -
Monitor's transitional role could be extended beyond 2016
Monitor’s existing regulatory powers over foundation trusts could be extended beyond March 2016, under plans set out by ministers today. -
Moorfields plans efficiency savings of £3m for each of the next two financial years
FINANCE: The specialist eye hospital is planning on making the savings after making £1.5m in efficiencies in 2011/12. -
Nearly 90 per cent of trusts failing new A&E indicators
Almost 90 per cent of trusts are failing the accident and emergency indicator on unplanned reattendances, while all acute providers failed to keep their single longest wait below six hours. -
New ambulance indicators suggest variation in stroke care
New figures measuring ambulance trust performance against a set of key clinical practices has exposed huge variation in care for stroke. -
New chair for Yorkshire NHS cluster
WORKFORCE: NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds PCT cluster has appointed Linda Pollard as its new chair. -
New finance director for North Staffordshire
WORKFORCE: The trust has appointed a new finance director to start in September. -
New managing director for Wolverhampton
WORKFORCE: The primary care trust in Wolverhampton has appointed a new managing director. -
New medical director for West Mercia Cluster
WORKFORCE: A new medical director has been appointed to the West Mercia cluster of primary care trusts. -
New special care unit for St Peter’s Hospital
STRUCTURE: A new nine bed special care unit for mothers and their babies has opened at St Peter’s Hospital. -
NHS 111 pilot coming to inner north west London
STRUCTURE: Three inner north west London boroughs are to pilot the non-emergency NHS 111 number from 24 October. -
NHS estate wrangles in the North West
What do you do with a private finance initiative hospital when it becomes the subject of service reconfiguration? -
NHS Wakefield tenders for a breastfeeding support service
COMMERCIAL: Wakefield PCT is hoping to set up a new breastfeeding service to support new mothers across Wakefield. -
Noel Plumridge: inflation is set to inflame the pension problem
The most important economic indicator this autumn is an old friend, reappearing like a toothache you’d forgotten about. It’s inflation. -
NPSA alert still unresolved at Ashford and St Peter’s after two years
PERFORMANCE: Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has failed to rectify a “risk to patient safety” –outstanding since 2009 – because of delays with software. -
OFT issues warning on private providers' sweetener payments to consultants
The incentives used by private healthcare providers to attract consultants to their hospitals may be driving up prices without increasing quality, the Office for Fair Trading has warned. -
Online patient-doctor consultations encouraged by Keogh
Doctors will be able to hold patient consultations using online technologies as part of plans to revolutionise the delivery of health services, the medical director of the NHS has said. -
Outpatients self check-in saves Royal Surrey County £80,000
FINANCE: Royal Surrey County Hospital FT has saved around £80,000 since it introduced check-in and information kiosks 12 months ago, the device’s manufacturer has claimed. -
Over 300 posts expected to go at Greater Manchester West FT
WORKFORCE: The mental health foundation trust expects to cut its headcount by nearly 10 per cent over the next three years, its strategic workforce plan shows. -
PCTs urged to fill alcohol treatment gap in prisons
Commissioners are being urged to extend the range of services on offer for prisoners with alcohol addiction, in light of charity research suggesting current provision is insufficient. -
Performance on targets costing West Suffolk £350,000 in first quarter
FINANCE: Failure on performance targets have cost West Suffolk Hospital Trust £350,000 in the first quarter of the financial year, according to a board report. -
Poole looks to boost private patient income
FINANCE: Poole Hospital Foundation Trust plans to increase income by £2.6m over the next three years, partly through increasing private patient income. -
Positive waiting time data called into question
New figures showing that the NHS in Scotland is close to reaching its target for reducing hospital waiting times has been played down by statisticians. -
Proposals to change mental health services across North Staffs
STRUCTURE: The structure and use of mental health beds in North Staffordshire is being reviewed. -
Radiotherapy centre plans submitted in Worcestershire
STRUCTURE: A planning application for the county’s first ever radiotherapy facility was submitted last month. -
'Real change in public health will be made more difficult if service transfers are delayed'
The positive steps in transferring public health services to local control will be marred by the delay of children’s services until 2015 under recent government proposals. Graham Burgess argues the public health strategy needs more coherence if local commissioning plans are not to be undermined. -
Royal Wolverhampton predicts £2.6m debt
FINANCE: Board papers reveal that the Royal Wolverhampton hospitals trust is likely to overspend by £2.6m this year. -
Sheffield challenges Leeds’ claim to be first breastfeeding friendly city
PERFORMANCE: NHS and local authority chiefs in Sheffield are challenging Leeds’ bid to become the first breastfeeding friendly city in the UK, claiming that Sheffield was there first. -
SHIP cluster meets surplus target after releasing reserves
FINANCE: All four primary care trusts in the Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth cluster achieved their surplus targets for the first quarter of 2011-12. -
South East Essex to apply local marginal tariff rate
FINANCE: NHS South East Essex has chosen not to apply a national marginal rate for over-performance to Southend University Hospital, according to board papers. -
South Warwickshire FT appoints new finance director
WORKFORCE: Winston Weir has been appointed director of finance at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust. -
South Warwickshire FT overperforms on contracts but beats surplus target
FINANCE: South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust reported a £971,000 surplus at the end of June, £264,000 better than expected, following widespread overperformance on contracts. -
South Warwickshire FT underperforming on C difficile and A&E
PERFORMANCE: South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust has identified concerns with its performances on infection control and accident and emergency. -
South Warwickshire proposes rehabilitation hospital transfer
STRUCTURE: South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust is proposing that it takes over the Royal Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital. -
Southern Cross chief executive rejects compensation payout
The boss of failed care home provider Southern Cross has revealed he will turn down a £500,000 payout when he leaves the company, as new details were released of prospective new owners. -
Stroke services set to return to Mid Staffs
STRUCTURE: Stroke services are set to return to Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust. -
Surrey pathology reconfiguration moves to next stage
STRUCTURE: The second stage of a consultation that would see the merger of the pathology services of three trusts in West Surrey is due to start in September, focusing on workforce changes. -
The right mix: why workforce planning and rostering has an impact on quality of care
The significant role nurse managers play in the deployment of staff and the need for robust education and development of approaches to this aspect of their role has consequences for the delivery of effective and high quality care, say Mary Cumming and colleagues. -
Trust plans to realise mortuary income potential
FINANCE: Salisbury Foundation Trust is planning to boost income from its mortuary, its fertility service and through treating more private patients. -
Trust plans to slash £9m off medical bill
WORKFORCE: University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust plans to save up to £9m on its medical staffing bill over the next three years. -
US academic secures first Circle Prize for Inspiring Innovation
The Innovator’s Prescription by leading US academic Clayton Christensen has been awarded the inaugural Circle Prize for Inspiring Innovation. -
Warrington and Halton Hospitals fights to retain vascular services
STRUCTURE: Warrington and Halton Hospitals Foundation Trust has vowed to fight a recommendation to reject its bid to become a high volume centre for arterial surgery, as part of a regional reorganisation of vascular services. -
Why the National Audit Office is wrong about the future for social enterprises
A National Audit Office report on the programme intended to encourage health organisation staff to form social enterprises has found no evidence of its value for money. But, argue Cobbetts LLP colleagues Kevin Jacquiss and Ross Griffiths, this disregards the achievements the programme could deliver - given enough time. -
Why valuable health outcomes data is vital to improving care
Measuring health outcomes is vital to improving care – yet organisations are fixated on less useful cost data. Tim Benson argues the NHS must try harder. -
Worcestershire Acute submits action plan to address stroke failings
PERFORMANCE: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust has submitted an action plan to NHS West Midlands to address poor performance against stroke and TIA indicators.
