All Health Service Journal articles in 17 December 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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News
Competition panel to investigate preferred provider policy
The cooperation and competition panel has received a formal complaint about a primary care trust’s interpretation of the government’s “preferred provider” policy.
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HSJ Knowledge
A quality shift in staff rostering
Software that allocates staff safely and appropriately while helping to meet their shift preferences is also helping to save trusts’ money. Jennifer Taylor logs on
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Comment
Michael White on public spending
There was a cynical chuckle in the Commons during the pre-Budget Report when Alistair Darling told MPs “we take these decisions from a position of strength”. What decisions? Why, cuts in the public spending deficit, of course.
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Comment
Jon Restell: could the NHS ever be like this?
People tell me I am good at predictions, so here is my month by month forecast for 2010.
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Comment
Media Watch: Good to Great, generic drugs and swine flu
Not of a lot of festive cheer in evidence just yet: the health secretary’s latest strategy for the NHS, intended to take it from “good to great”, was met with a determined lack of enthusiasm from The Daily Telegraph, Independent and Financial Times. They all took the view that it ...
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Community
Drivel drowns
If talk of back office cuts left the Department of Health feeling glum last week, at least it could revel in the fact it was the only government department to win an “award” from the Plain English Campaign.
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Community
Don't mention the tar!
Shh! We all know smoking kills, but reminding smokers of the fact apparently sends them into a nicotine laden depression.
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Community
The Daily Hate Mail
Blooper of the week goes to the Daily Mail. A hack phoned a senior member of the editorial team overseeing HSJ and its sister magazine Nursing Times, to ask for the name and contact details of an agency nurse.
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Comment
NHS Top Leaders: cream of the crop rises to the top
The Top Leaders programme is nearly ready to finish identifying the leaders it believes have the greatest potential to make an impact on care in the NHS
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Comment
Paul Corrigan: health and social care marriage
When health secretary Andy Burnham announced his new policy last week, HSJ suggested he was interested in a “marriage” between social care and health commissioning. In Parliament, Mr Burnham added: “We should also be less precious about spending health resources on equipment and telecare to help people live in their ...
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Information
Andy Burnham’s Christmas message
As 2009 comes to a close I think we can look back at a successful year overall - progress made, challenges met, lessons learned.
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News
Review of 2009: a swine of a year for Mid Staffs, Rose Gibb and the public purse
It had it all: an inspiring comeback at Brent, a bruising scandal at Mid Staffordshire, a constitution, a pandemic, financial collapse, a war of words with some meddling Republicans and rather a lot of departures. Ah, 2009: Richard Vize is missing it already
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News
Human Tissue Authority appoints new chair
Baroness Diana Warwick has been appointed as the new chair of the Human Tissue Authority.
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Leader
Irrational optimism is the best prescription for NHS managers
Monitor’s outgoing executive chair Bill Moyes delivered a typically pugnacious valedictory address.
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Leader
Unions and NHS employers team up to negotiate for a better future
A tough year has ended with news that is no less painful for being inevitable - there are likely to be thousands of job losses in 2010. But despite the implosion of public finances the omens are not all bad.
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News
NHS IT must focus on efficiency and core elements
The NHS must focus IT developments on better efficiency, chief executives have been told.
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News
Trusts under pressure to safeguard frontline jobs
Trusts could be expected to protect frontline jobs and training as part of negotiating a public sector pay rise of just 1 per cent.
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News
Senior managers’ salaries come under scrutiny
The salaries of senior NHS managers are being scrutinised to ensure they provide value for taxpayers’ money.