Health Service Journal
16 July 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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‘National care service’ could pit councils against NHS
The long-awaited social care green paper has set out the government’s ambition for a national care service that could offer a basic minimum entitlement to all, regardless of financial means. -
Adult Specialist Obesity Service
NHS Southampton city NHS Hampshire -
Book Review: Reckoning with Risk
We can all get to grips with statistics when they are presented properly -
Burton Hospitals chief moves to Dudley
Burton Hospitals foundation trust chief executive Paula Clark has been appointed as chief of The Dudley Group of Hospitals foundation trust. -
Clare Chapman: on being ready for the NHS constitution
How ready are we for the NHS constitution? Subject to the Health Bill being passed, all providers of NHS services will be under a legal duty to have regard to the new contract. Legal duties already in law will have to be fulfilled too and we will need to work to bring the pledges to life. -
Competition panel examines trust takeover bids
The co-operation and competition panel is investigating the takeover of a trust that was not going to succeed in becoming a foundation. -
Computer virus warning for NHS hospitals
NHS computer systems were infected with more than 8,000 dangerous viruses last year, an investigation has found. -
Darzi quits ministerial post
Health minister Lord Ara Darzi is quitting his post as health minister. -
DH staff give feedback in annual survey
The Department of Health delivers policy effectively, according to just under two thirds of its own staff. However, fewer than half have confidence in its senior civil servants. -
Dorset trust appoints Colin Hague as HR chief
Dorset HealthCare foundation trust has appointed the former head of HR at Poole borough council as its new director of human resources. -
Early quality healthcare scheme results show improvements
The first public results from NHS North West’s pay-for-quality scheme appear to show improvements after only three months. -
Employers could contribute to occupational health costs
Employers should contribute to an NHS national occupational health service to tackle absenteeism and ill health, according to a report by health professionals. -
E-prescribing 'could cut cost of human negligence'
Electronic prescribing systems that reduce the possibility of human error could cut clinical negligence claims by more than 70 per cent, according to US hospital chain Banner Health. -
European working time directive will cause 'additional pressures'
NHS chief executive David Nicholson has urged trust boards to prepare for the application of the European working time directive to junior doctors on 1 August. -
Fast track drugs fears for NHS budget
Unregulated pharmaceuticals may be allowed to inflate the NHS drugs bill for little benefit to patients according to independent health policy analyst Roy Lilley. -
Free housing reprieve for first-year doctors
First-year doctors in Wales will continue to have access to free on-site housing under plans announced by the country’s health minister. -
GPs could hand commissioning to private firms under Tories
GPs could be given the opportunity to bypass primary care trusts and hand commissioning to private sector organisations under Conservative plans. -
Hart announces £22m emergency care centre
Work is to begin on an emergency care centre at the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. -
Invitation to tender
The Health Foundation -
Ken Jarrold: Five ways to give feedback
Feedback is one of the most valuable gifts our colleagues can give us. To find someone who has the tact, courage and skill to tell you honestly how you are doing is a very rare thing indeed. In 36 years of full time work I had seven good appraisals. -
Kings Fund chief executive Niall Dickson to join regulator
King’s Fund chief executive Niall Dickson will leave the think tank in January to take up a role as chief executive of a healthcare regulator. -
London Ambulance Service appoints new chair
Richard Hunt has been appointed the new chair of London Ambulance Service trust. -
Lookey Likey: O'Brien and Schofield
Health minister Mike O’Brien and TV presenter Phillip Schofield are both blessed with a mop of grey hair and the gift of the gab. -
Mascie-Taylor is NHS Confederation's first medical director
The NHS Confederation has appointed Hugo Mascie-Taylor as its first medical director. -
Media Watch: is Burnham the new Pants Man?
As swine flu takes increasing hold it will be interesting to see how the national papers’ coverage of the pandemic begins to diverge. -
Michael White on swine flu and infectious attitudes
There comes a time when even a “keep calm” column has to acknowledge that Britain seems to be edging towards a swine flu pandemic. Alas, there is no antiviral to protect more vulnerable groups like politicians from exhibiting alarming symptoms. -
Minister sets out limits of competition and choice
Health minister Mike O’Brien has emphasised to managers the limits to which the NHS should embrace competition and choice. -
Monitor says speed up foundation bids - despite slump
Monitor has called for the NHS to speed up the rate of bids for foundation trusts, despite the prospect of cash cuts and major service reconfigurations. -
NHS Alliance voices fears on integrated care scheme
A proposed integrated care scheme between City Hospitals Sunderland trust and Church View Medical Practice is not in the best interests of patients, says the NHS Alliance. -
NHS Employers backs plans to ditch retirement age of 65
NHS Employers is supporting government proposals to scrap the default retirement age of 65 and allow employees to work for longer if they wish. -
NHS non-executives 'don't have enough time'
More than two thirds of NHS directors believe their non-executives do not have enough time for their roles, a survey has found. -
Noel Plumridge: the optimism bias uplift
The crowd from the finance department were relaxing in the Rat and Weasel musing on life’s three inevitables: death, taxes… and the private finance initiative. -
Patients don't care who provides GP services as long as they work
Why does the public have to endure antiquated GP services? -
Powerful chemistry: PCTs under fire for not aiding pharmacy growth
Pharmacists have the potential to deliver a far wider range of services than at present - but the opportunity will be missed if primary care trusts do not act, writes Graham Clews -
Review of evidence in the effectiveness of clinical audit
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership -
'Slow' take-up of detention safeguards for vulnerable people
Safeguards brought in to prevent vulnerable people from being arbitrarily detained in hospital are not being used, according to legal experts. -
Smoking cessation: how clinicians can break the habit
GPs and nurses who treat smoking as a clinical dependence and not just a lifestyle choice are more effective in referring people to cessation services. -
Spin cycle
Political spindoctors are clearly gearing up for a general election, taking every opportunity to seize the initiative. -
St Helier Hospital redevelopment backed by NHS London
A £219m redevelopment of St Helier Hospital has been recommended for approval by NHS London. -
Swine flu could put performance targets on hold
National and regional managers are in talks about putting performance targets on hold to cope with the increasing number of people contracting swine flu. -
The social care green paper: What's in it for the NHS?
NHS managers could be forgiven for asking why they should be interested in the government’s long-awaited Green Paper on adult social care. The prospect of swine flu, shifting political priorities and impending fiscal gloom might seem enough to worry about. -
The tripartite leadership must be debated
This week the Cabinet Office is finally unveiling its report on the progress the Department of Health has made since an excoriating “capability review” two years ago. -
Three-digit urgent care number proposals published
The government has published plans for a national three-digit number for accessing non-emergency care. -
'Troublingly low' levels of funding to prevent another Baby P
A review of child protection arrangements in NHS organisations carried out in light of the Baby Peter tragedy has found “troublingly low” levels of funding and staff training. -
Trusts offer A&E doctors generous paid leave
Trusts are offering middle grade doctors jobs with additional paid hours and generous study leave to keep their accident and emergency departments running. -
Trusts still fail to give whistleblowers a voice
More than a decade after trusts were told to give staff ‘maximum freedom of speech’, health workers are still scared to raise concerns about care. We look at why whistleblowers are not getting the protection they deserve -
Wales to train eating disorders specialists
Two teams in Wales set up to improve services for people with eating disorders are to benefit from the skills of specially trained doctors. -
Welch adds deputy chief executive to finance role at Blackpool
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals trust has named Tim Welch its new deputy chief executive. He has been finance director since August 2005 and will combine that job with his new role. -
Whistleblowers in the NHS: keep in tune with the law
When staff raise concerns about what is happening in their workplace, managers should not respond with a kneejerk threat of dismissal. Have a whistleblowing policy in place and be sure of all the facts, advises Jane Hobson -
Your Humble Servant on private lessons
We are all still reeling from the shock news of Mark Britnell’s sudden departure for pastures more remunerative. Thankfully he has left us with a commissioning sector which no one else in the world can match… and oddly none has sought to do so.
