Health Service Journal
18 June 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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'Bloodbath' warning over public sector jobs
A warning that the public sector could lose up to 350,000 jobs over the next five years has been issued by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. -
‘Startling’ senior executive turnover stifles NHS innovation
The “startlingly” high turnover of NHS chief executives and finance directors is discouraging trusts from making the bold decisions needed during an economic downturn, recruitment experts have found. -
Alastair Campbell on the stigma of mental health
Alastair Campbell talks about the stigma and discrimination attached to mental health and how the NHS must lead the way in improving conditions for patients -
Andy Burnham makes prevention a mission for the NHS
Health secretary Andy Burnham has said prevention of ill health will be a major plank of health policy on his watch. -
Andy Burnham promises to overhaul NHS targets
Health secretary Andy Burnham has promised to “deep clean the target regime”. -
Andy Burnham refuses to match Conservative promises on spending
New health secretary Andy Burnham has refused to match or better his political shadow’s pledge to give the NHS “real terms” funding increases from 2011-12. -
Andy Burnham: NHS must maintain strength in face of swine flu
It is “vital” that the NHS maintains its national strength as the health service battles a swine flu pandemic, health secretary Andy Burnham has warned. -
Avoid tendering pitfalls, warns NHS competition panel director
Co-operation and competition panel director Andrew Taylor has revealed some of the basic mistakes primary care trusts have made when tendering out services. -
Barbara Hakin and Andrew Cash top health honours list
East Midlands strategic health authority chief executive Dr Barbara Hakin has been made a dame in the Queen’s birthday honours. -
Be honest about weaknesses in quality accounts, FTs told
Foundation trusts have been urged to be “honest” with the public about weaknesses in their quality reports and accounts. -
Book Review: The Health Debate
Explore how debate helps shape health systems, says Elizabeth Benomran -
Burnham backs review of private patient income cap
Health secretary Andy Burnham has backed a review of the limit on foundation trusts’ income from private patients. -
Calls for NHS to fund costly drugs 'blinkered', says NICE
A senior member of the UK’s drugs watchdog has labelled people who demand expensive drugs on the NHS as “blinkered”. -
Cally Bann on the vagaries of leadership
It should be the best week of the year, what with Sir Seymour still away at his annual shoulder rub with the hoi polloi at the Chelsea Flower Show and the whole of the SHA away for a snuffle in the trough at Liverpool. -
Campaign to tackle NHS pension 'myths'
NHS Employers is launching a “myth busting” campaign to prevent a backlash from resentful private sector employees struggling in the recession. -
Changing NHS end of life care for the better
Most people say they would prefer to die at home but many do not as end of life care has traditionally been neglected. But it looks as if things are finally starting to change -
Chlamydia screening of young people fails to meet targets
A programme that checks young people for the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia is failing to hit its targets, figures show. -
David Nicholson on NHS challenges
David Nicholson talks about the challenges ahead of the NHS including improving quality and reducing costs while fostering good working relationships. -
Department of Health plans to split Monitor top job
Monitor’s top job is to be split in two under plans being developed by the Department of Health. -
Devolve NHS power, urges Norman Lamb
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb has called for further devolution and local accountability in the NHS. -
Expression of Interest to Tender for the provision of the Health Services...
NHS Greenwich -
Expressions of Interest – Out of Hours Primary Medical Services
NHS Havering -
Eye strain
Travel to the NHS Confederation conference from London was derailed by signalling faults. -
Flu pandemic could kill off a generation of local managers
The fear in the Department of Health over swine flu is palpable. -
Foundations defend private board meetings
Foundation trust directors have defended their decisions to meet in private, despite growing pressure on them to be more open. -
GPs failing to make NHS information more accessible
GPs need to do more to help illiterate people and those without an internet connection to access information about NHS health services. -
Half of trusts meeting annual health check standards
Only half of trusts have said they met all standards assessed in the annual health check during the financial year 2008-09. -
Hard knight
NHS and Department of Health bosses checking into their NHS Confederation conference accommodation should have taken note of its name - the Hard Day’s Night Hotel. -
Health science centre appoints managing director
The UCL Partners academic health science centre has appointed David Fish as managing director. -
Heatwave planning gets PCTs hot under the collar
While public attention has been diverted by swine flu, the predicted heatwave this summer also poses a danger to life, particularly to older people -
High levels of sick leave in Scotland prompts inquiry call
It has emerged that 3,389 NHS staff in Scotland are on long term sick leave, prompting Labour to ask the Scottish government to launch an investigation into the levels of sickness absence. -
Home care to ease hospital bed demands
A Number 10 document setting out the government’s plans for the next 12 months will promise more care for people in their own homes. -
How to create a culture of safety in the NHS
Almost every week, there are examples of poorly co-ordinated healthcare in the national papers: a “hospital blunder” here, a “scandal” there. But what will really wake clinicians up are the failures at Mid Staffordshire. -
HSJ Awards 2009 - Building a World Class Workforce
2008 winner: NHS North West -
HSJ Awards 2009 - Improving Patient Access
2008 Winner: London NHS Diagnostic Service with Croydon Federation -
HSJ Intelligence: Balanced views of NHS Evidence
In this issue we focus on how far primary care trust websites have to go to engage communities online. A new review of PCTwebsites has revealed a poor standard of web communication with low levels of usability and accessibility. -
Integrated care pilot to be investigated
One of the Department of Health’s integrated care pilot schemes is to be investigated by the co-operation and competition panel to see if it breaches merger, choice and competition rules. -
IVF blunder prompts calls for better fertility services
An IVF blunder that denied a couple the chance of another baby has led to calls for an increase in the number of treatment cycles available on the NHS in Wales. -
Ken Jarrold on how to win a job
A lesson we all have to learn is to cope with the disappointment of not getting a job we had wanted. -
Leeds chief exec leaves for Medical Education England
Leeds primary care trust chief executive Christine Outram has been appointed managing director of Medical Education England, the new national workforce training and planning body. -
Les Howell on the importance of NHS IT policy
Lew Howell talks about how disparate IT policies in the NHS are causing critical problems that can only be solved by implementing a national policy -
Limits on Monitor should not threaten foundation trusts
The Department of Health is moving to weaken the power of foundation trust regulator Monitor. -
Lookey Likey: Jim Easton and Vince Vaughn
A junior manager reckons NHS South Central chief executive Jim Easton is “absolutely identical” to Hollywood actor Vince Vaughn, star of countless New York rom-coms and Dodgeball: a true underdog story. -
Mark Britnell move 'will not hit world class commissioning'
The Department of Health is downplaying Mark Britnell’s departure for the private sector, insisting the world class commissioning programme will not flounder without him. -
Mark Britnell quits NHS for private sector
HSJ has learned Mark Britnell, NHS director general for commissioning and system management, is to join consultancy KPMG. -
Mental health tariff timescale ticks off trusts
Mental health trusts have expressed dismay that a national tariff will not be in place until 2013 at the earliest. -
Mob bullying in the NHS
The trend of staff picking on a colleague en masse is a tough one for the victim to cope with mentally - and tougher still for them to resolve. -
NHS boards looking at wrong issues, Monitor tells NHS Confed
More needs to be done to boost the quality of NHS boards, regulator Monitor has warned. -
NHS Confederation conference 2009
Pictures and videos from the NHS Confederation conference 2009 in Liverpool -
NHS flu czar warns PCTs over pandemic plans
Primary care trusts have been ordered to “test to destruction” their plans to deal with swine flu amid concerns that some may be complacent about their preparedness. -
NHS hospital acquired infection cases rise
Figures from the National Audit Office which show that some hospital infections may be rising have prompted accusations that the government has been “neglecting” the problem. -
NHS managers worried by budget cuts call for early pay talks
NHS managers have called for unions and employers to start talks now on the NHS pay deal from 2011-12 in a bid to minimise job losses. -
NHS prescription review delayed until autumn
The health minister has said a delayed review into the costs of prescriptions will be published in the autumn. -
NHS staffing levels 'to remain static'
Funding shortfalls and cutbacks mean NHS staffing levels will likely remain static at best over the next five years, experts have said. -
NHS trusts to get own targets to cut MRSA
Trusts will be expected to reduce MRSA rates to levels set nationally based on their performance and number of bed days. -
'No benefits' to new NHS pay system
The Agenda for Change pay system for NHS staff brought in three years ago has failed to deliver the £1.3bn promised in net savings, a report has said. -
Nurse jailed for NHS bursary fraud
A nurse has been jailed for nine months in the latest of a string of NHS bursary fraud stings. -
Pat Holman on the NHS Confederation conference 2009
The chief executive of Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health foundation trust talks about proposals made at the conference and her vision for the future -
Philip DaSilva on preparing for a pandemic
Last week the WHO declared a flu pandemic. Preparedness must now become a top priority for boards rather than treating it as part of the annual winter planning routine -
Plan for cuts, David Nicholson warns NHS Confed conference
NHS chief executive David Nicholson has warned the NHS must plan for real terms cuts, despite protestations from the government and the Conservative opposition that they would continue to give it real terms increases. Read on for video interviews with David Nicholson and managers attending the NHS Confederation conference 2009 in Liverpool. -
Quality anxiety prompts cervical screening recall in Kent
Hundreds of women in Kent are being asked to repeat their cervical smear tests amid concerns that a nurse involved was not suitably qualified to carry out the tests. -
Reform or 'go broke', Obama tells US doctors
The US must reform its health insurance system or face “going broke”, president Barack Obama has told the country’s doctors. -
Running on empty
It seems the DH’s efforts to promote regional strategies are lost on NHS managers. -
Safe staffing levels, safe patients
Staff shortages, equipment shortages, inadequate supervision, delays all round, poor observation of sick patients, staff not sufficiently trained, call bells going unanswered, drugs not given at all or on time, problems with cleanliness, insufficient beds - is there an acute trust chief executive that can answer “none of the above”? -
Snail porridge
Heston Blumenthal is the latest celebrity chef to revamp hospital menus, and is working on more “exciting” meals for older people. -
Start NHS pay talks now, Steve Barnett urges
NHS Confederation chief executive Steve Barnett has urged NHS employers, politicians and unions to get around the negotiating table now to start discussions about pay after 2010-11. -
Statistics reveal prostate cancer postcode lottery in UK
A cancer charity has warned that significantly more men are dying from prostate cancer in some parts of England than others, with five parliamentary constituencies having death rates 25 per cent above the average. -
Stephen Eames on large scale health solutions
Writing this, I know there will be catcalls from many quarters because as a chief executive of a large acute organisation I will be regarded as self interested, self serving or at worst unreconstructed, but here goes. -
Steve Barnett says it’s 'make or break' for the NHS
The NHS is facing a “make or break” moment in its history, NHS Confederation chief executive Steve Barnett told delegates at the conference today. -
Take on more risk to increase share of health market, private companies told
Private companies must take on more risk if they want to gain a bigger share of the primary and community care market. -
Taking the waste out of primary care processes
Training in lean techniques which have brought greater efficiency to secondary care settings is increasingly available to PCT staff. -
Tender Opportunity
NHS Birmingham East and North and Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust -
Tories will increase NHS budget, Andrew Lansley says
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has confirmed the Conservatives’ commitment to increasing the NHS budget in real terms after 2011 while calling on managers to justify the extra spend. -
Two health boards to pilot direct elections
Members of the public will be directly elected to the boards of NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway from next year, Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon has announced. -
UK woman dies from swine flu
Health chiefs are continuing to look into the first UK death of a patient suffering from swine flu. -
Wales public NHS board to meet for first time
The Welsh health service’s national advisory board will hold its first meeting later this month - with the public allowed to attend. -
WHO declares swine flu pandemic
The World Health Organisation has declared a swine flu pandemic.
