Health Service Journal
21 June 2012

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15 FTs ended 2011-12 in deficit

Fifteen foundation trusts finished 2011-12 in deficit and “at least four” are considered unviable in their current form by Monitor, HSJ has learned.
2011-12 saw biggest number of trust deficits for half-decade

Ten NHS hospital trusts recorded deficits in 2011-12 – the largest number to finish a year in the red for more than half a decade, Department of Health figures published today show.
A&E target missed by West suffolk

PERFORMANCE: West Suffolk Hospital Foundation Trust failed to reach the 95 per cent standard for 4 hours in A&E in April.
Added risk for Cambs community trust

PERFORMANCE: Cambridgeshire Community Services has added two new risks to its board assurance framework this month.
Adult social care budgets cut by £890m

Directors of adult social services have warned they are being forced to make unsustainable cuts in the face of growing demand for care.
Amber-red rating maintained for St Helens & Knowsley FT bid

STRUCTURE: The status of St Helens and Knowsley’s bid for foundation trust status remained at amber-red in April, latest NHS North of England board papers show.
Analysed: a new shape for acute services in north Kent

HSJ Local Briefing is our new in-depth analysis of key issues facing some of the major NHS health economies. This week we examine how acute providers in north Kent are being reshaped to ensure long term viability for acute services in the region.
Appraisal 'step change' needed at QE hospital

WORKFORCE: Appraisal rates at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, need to undergo a “step change” if they are to meet the target of 90 per cent, the board heard.
Basildon busts monthly C diff target

PERFORMANCE: Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust had seven Clostridum difficile cases in April - above its threshold of four for the month.
Bed demand forces trust to halt downsizing

STRUCTURE: A Midlands hospital has been forced to pause its programme to cut the number of in-patient beds for up to two years because of “unprecedented” emergency demand.
Berkshire bosses set out reconfiguration plans

STRUCTURE: Initial proposals for acute sector reconfiguration in Berkshire are proposing a new surgical hospital at Heatherwood, to be paid for by selling off surplus land.
Business case for new hospital in Hemel

STRUCTURE: A business case of the development of a local general hospital on the Hemel Hempstead Hospital site could be prepared by the end of the year.
Cambs CCG appoints CEO

WORKFORCE: Andy Vowles has been appointed chief operating officer of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG.
CBE for Sussex FT chief

WORKFORCE: Lisa Rodrigues, chief executive of Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
City and Hackney PCT end 2011-12 with surplus

FINANCE: City and Hackney PCT saw a surplus of £13.1m at the end of month 12, £4m above the planned surplus.
Clinical negligence claims top £35m despite fewer cases

Clinical negligence claims involving C difficile have remained steady despite a significant decline in cases of the infection over the past decade, a study has revealed.
Clustering in part to blame for PCT's £28m blackhole

The move from primary care trusts to clusters was in part to blame for a £28m black hole opening up in the books of a PCT, a report has found.
Commissioning board sets out local structure and clinical senates plan

The NHS Commissioning Board has confirmed the structure and roles of its 27 local area teams, and announced there will be 12 clinical senates to cover England.
CQC eyes record keeping at Mid Essex

PERFORMANCE: An Essex Hospital has been told it must do more to improve standards of care after the CQC raised concerns about record keeping.
CQC threatens trust with 'serious consequences' over medicines storage

PERFORMANCE: The Care Quality Commission has issued a formal warning to Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust to make urgent improvements to its standards of medicines management or “face serious consequences”.
Death rate to be used to determine public health funding

Public health funding would be shared between councils on the basis of the number of deaths of people aged under 75 in localities, under proposals provisionally backed by the Department of Health.
Decision due on Leicester maternity plans

A £3.5m plan to relieve pressure on maternity services in Leicester is to be put before strategic health authority bosses next month.
Delirium pathway drawn up by Essex trusts

PERFORMANCE: Two NHS organisations in Essex have drawn up a shared protocol on the diagnosis and treatment of elderly people with delirium.
Demanding MRSA target for Princess Alexandra

PERFORMANCE: Only one post-48 hour MRSA case was reported at Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust in 2011-12 - but this has meant the trust has a demanding target of just one case for this financial year, its board heard.
Doctors' strike latest: Meldrum calls for 'sensible' pensions solution

Monday 11.30am: The head of the BMA has called for a “sensible” resolution to the pensions dispute in his final speech to doctors as chairman.
Early surplus for Southend

FINANCE: Southend University Hospitals Foundation Trust started the financial year well making a small surplus is April of £103,000.
Exclusive: commissioning board will develop CSSs beyond assurance period

The NHS Commissioning Board will continue to support and develop commissioning support services after “checkpoint three”, the end of the formal assurance process.
Exclusive: Hospitals aim to save £2.35bn on costs in 2012-13

Hospital trusts intend to take £2.35bn out of their cost base this financial year, an HSJ investigation reveals.
Exclusive: London chief executive regrets 'compromise' that created biggest deficit trust

The chief executive of NHS London Ruth Carnall has told HSJ she regrets the “compromise” that created South London Healthcare Trust in its current form.
Exclusive: struggling GP practices may be classed 'cause for concern'

GP practices will be classed under three categories based on performance under the NHS Commissioning Board’s plans for contracting primary care.
Extra Admiral nurse support for Essex

WORKFORCE: Carers of patients with dementia in Essex are to get additional help from a new service.
Eye boost for Warwick

PERFORMANCE: A hospital League of Friends group has purchased a £79,000 PASCAL Laser for the Ophthalmology Department at Warwick Hospital.
Farrar: 'We are all culpable for failing to take big decisions'

NHS managers have avoided taking tough decisions and instead pursued short-term goals, according to the NHS Confederation’s chief executive.
Four MSA breaches at Aintree in March, commissioners report

PERFORMANCE: The trust had four unjustified breaches of the national bar on mixed sex accomodation in March, commissioner board papers show.
Four new commissioning board directors announced

Four new non-executive directors of the NHS Commissioning Board were confirmed today by the Department of Health.
FTs warn of 'regulatory driven failure' under NHS reforms

Foundation trusts are lobbying Monitor to ensure financially challenged providers will be able to “temporarily” close protected NHS services under their new regulatory regime.
GEM CSS rolls out new data dashboard for CCGs

COMMERCIAL: The Greater East Midlands commissioning support service has launched a new information tool to enable clinical commissioning groups to access local performance and financial data.
Governance support for commissioners

Christofis & Sons are leading governance consultants with special expertise in health sector organisations.
GP-led commissioners to inherit PCT's £19m deficit

FINANCE: England’s largest primary care trust will pass on a multi-million pound deficit to the GP-led commissioning groups which will take over in the area next year, it has announced.
Hampshire FT behind on waiting times

PERFORMANCE: An “extremely busy” few months have put pressure on staff and services at Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust, causing the organisation to miss two performance targets.
Health insurer Benenden makes bid for NHS co-payment role

Mutual health insurance society Benenden Healthcare has voted to open its membership to the general public, in anticipation that shrinking NHS budgets will drive increased demand for individual “top up” payments for care.
Health servants recognised in Queen's birthday honours

NHS managers and board members - and a hospital porter - have been honoured in the Queen’s birthday honours list.
Herts trust targets temporary staff savings

FINANCE: East and North Hertfordshire Trust hopes to save £700,000 this year by outsourcing bank, agency and locum staff to NHS Professionals.
Hike in safeguarding at Ipswich

PERFORMANCE: Staff had to deal with 429 children with safeguarding children alerts who were admitted to Ipswich Hospital in 2011-12 - a 21 per cent increase on the previous year.
Hospital trust asks DH to back franchise proposals

George Eliot Hospital Trust has applied for Department of Health permission to franchise its management.
How CCGs can be innovative about their functions

As clinical commissioning groups look set to outsource most of their functions, an open mind towards innovative measures is required, says Howard Freeman.
How one trust's efficiency programme benefitted its foundation bid

As part of its foundation trust bid, Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals Trust embarked on a challenging three-year efficiency programme. Chief executive David Loughton explains what it achieved and how.
How productivity improvements pay off for patients

David Loughton explains how new productivity methodologies are aiming to improve Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals Trust’s patient and staff experience, and save over £2m per annum.
How to futureproof patient care

Peter Homa looks at how healthcare has evolved in the thirty-five years since the Silver Jubilee, and what can be done now to protect patient care from future difficulties.
HSJ and NHS Confederation supplement

This exclusive supplement from HSJ and NHS Confederation includes an interview with Mike Farrar, insight for healthcare leaders on service provision and whistleblowing, data management and medical imaging case studies, plus a report from HSJ’s roundtable on partnerships.
HSJ announces shortlist for Efficiency Awards 2012

Health Service Journal has revealed the shortlist for this year’s prestigious Efficiency Awards, recongising and rewarding individuals, teams and organisations who have been successfully driving efficiency forward in the health service.
Ian Cumming to lead Health Education England

National director of quality Ian Cumming has been named as the first chief executive of Health Education England.
Information Centre in talks over CCG data service

The NHS Information Centre could be chosen to provide “at scale” business intelligence services for clinical commissioning groups, HSJ can reveal.
Insights into oral chemotherapy service redesign

This exclusive article looks at the benefits of optimising oral chemotherapy service design.
James Paget improving on medicines management

PERFORMANCE: The Care Quality Commission has given James Paget University Hospitals Foundation Trust a clean bill of health over its medicines management, after raising concerns at an earlier inspection.
Joe Rafferty to leave NHS Commissioning Board

The national director for commissioning support is leaving the NHS Commissioning Board to run a mental health trust.
King's Lynn staff to lose parking permits

WORKFORCE: Around 180 staff who live close to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, are to lose parking permits under a new car parking strategy adopted by the trust.
Lansley: 'I don't think hospitals will close'

It is unlikely any whole hospitals will need to close as a result of the huge efficiency savings required in the NHS, the health secretary has said.
Lansley: politicians should not lead service change

Politicians should not direct service change in the NHS, the health secretary has said, dodging the question of the extent of reconfiguration required to make the NHS affordable.
Leaders can help detoxify the BMA strike

Despite lurid headlines, sensible contingency planning by hospitals and GP practices looks like significantly reducing the impact of Thursday’s strike by doctors.
Legionnaires' outbreak 'has peaked', says health secretary

There have been no new cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the outbreak which has claimed two lives, health chiefs in Scotland have said.
Managers should work out of hours, says dignity report

NHS managers need to be more available outside normal office hours in order to improve the care of older patients, a new report has recommended.
McKinsey partner: 'Women could do most antenatal care themselves'

The NHS could make huge savings on doctors and midwives wages’ by enlisting patients to input their own health records and conduct their own antenatal care, a McKinsey partner suggested last week.
Media Watch: strike coverage is just what the DH ordered

Doctors probably have more sympathy with patients who are bankers just now, after the mauling they got in the press ahead of today’s planned strike over pensions.
Michael White: will brave Commons debate help bring mental health into mainstream?

I was at my desk beneath Big Ben the other afternoon with less than one ear attuned to the parliamentary TV feed when I heard a voice I recognised describing his own embarrassing version of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Mid Staffs witnesses to be told to prepare for criticism

The Mid Staffordshire Public Inquiry has written to all witnesses revealing the process it will follow to warn those who will be criticised by inquiry chair Robert Francis QC.
Milburn: 'tragedy' reform policies making enemy of private sector

The government’s reforms “have made the private sector less acceptable in the NHS”, former labour health secretary Alan Milburn has told HSJ.
MSA breaches at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital

PERFORMANCE: The trust had eight breaches of the national bar on mixed sex accomodation in March, according to its commissioners latest performance report.
New clinical director at South Essex Partnership

WORKFORCE: Charles Olojugba has been appointed clinical director for old age psychiatry at South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.
New IT strategy for West Herts

FINANCE: West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust has adopted a new IT strategy which, if fully implemented, could ultimately cost £67m over five years.
New medical director for Mid Staffs

WORKFORCE: Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has announced a new full-time medical director who will be seconded to the hospital from the neighbouring North Staffordshire Trust.
New surveillance groups not 'command and control'

Planned new “quality surveillance groups” are not an attempt to impose “command and control” on the new system, the senior civil servant leading the work has said.
NHS 111 preferred provider pulls out

The preferred provider for the NHS 111 service in Devon has pulled out of the deal due, citing “commercial considerations”.
NHS finance manager avoids jail over bank cash

A senior NHS manager who wrongly harboured more than £146,000 of public money in bank accounts he controlled has avoided jail.
NHS has to change attitude to private sector - Carruthers

One of the most senior figures in the NHS told a conference session the service “had to change its attitude” to the private sector.
NHS needs new 'visionary' leadership style

The next generation of leaders in the NHS needs a different approach if the service is to deliver on future challenges, the man charged with leading the development of talent has told HSJ.
Noel Plumridge: the error of underspending

By the time this edition of HSJ is published, two keenly awaited financial questions may have been answered. One is how the results of the Greek elections – widely seen as a referendum on “austerity” – could determine whether that nation’s future is within or outside the eurozone.
Non-exec appointment for United Lincolnshire

WORKFORCE: Keith Brown has been re-appointed by the Appointments Commission to sit on the board of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust for a period of four years.
North Essex chair to stand down

WORKFORCE: North Essex Partnership Foundation Trust is looking for a new chair to replace Mary St Aubyn, who is standing down in November after nearly 10 years.
North Kent trusts look to London to boost market share

Two Kent trusts will seek to expand their market share in surrounding health economies, including becoming the main acute provider for a London borough, if their merger bid is successful.
North Staffordshire trust threatened with fines over A&E failure

PERFORMANCE: Commissioners have threatened to fine University Hospital of North Staffordshire Trust over “persistent” failures to hit A&E targets, HSJ has learned.
Number of managers in NHS down by 5.7 per cent

The number of managers working in the NHS fell by nearly four times as much as other groups of staff over the past year, the NHS chief executive’s annual report reveals.
OBE for chief nurse

WORKFORCE: The chief nurse at a Midlands hospital has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Obs and gynae changes at Norfolk and Norwich

PERFORMANCE: Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust is making changes to its obstetrics and gynaecology department, after a review sparked by a rise in the number of stillbirths.
Open for entry: HSJ Awards 2012

The healthcare industry’s most coveted awards are now caling for entries into 18 key categories across the health service.
Out of hospital care - an HSJ service provision supplement

This special HSJ supplement, in association with Bupa Home Healthcare, looks at providing healthcare services outside of the hospital.
Outsourcing support for commissioners

Pfizer Outsourcing Group are the industry leaders in staff, facility and systems outsourcing. Their dedicated health sector experts can help commissioners successfully outsource in the new NHS landscape from the word go.
Pay driving finance issues at Princess Alexandra

FINANCE: Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust made a loss of over £1m in the first month of the financial year, the board heard.
Police officer to be based at Princess Alexandra

WORKFORCE: A dedicated police community support officer is to be based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Political support will keep pipeline flowing, says Kershaw

Political support is there to make the change needed for a sustainable provider sector, the man setting up the NHS Trust Development Authority has said.
Princess Alexandra enrols new apprentices

WORKFORCE: Eleven more members of staff have been enrolled on the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust’s apprenticeship scheme.
Princess Alexandra improves on 18 week target

PERFORMANCE: Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust admitted 93.5 per cent of people within 18 weeks in April, after failing to meet the 90 per cent standard in February and March.
Procurement support for commissioners

Experts in health sector procurement, Munney & Phynance Ltd can provide organisations in the NHS with procurement advice and guidance to make commissioning simple - and cost-effective.
Provider performance lagging

PERFORMANCE: Performances at some acute providers in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has been below national standards, the board of the NHS Cambridgshire and Peterbrough cluster has been told.
Restructuring costs push Hampshire FT into deficit

FINANCE: Unplanned restructuring costs put the Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust into deficit late in 2011-12.
Revealed: highest-paid interim NHS chiefs on over £1k per day

The going rates for the health service’s most highly paid interim executives have been revealed as a result of a Treasury review of how public sector executives are employed.
Roughton, Dyson and Bewick given key commissioning roles

Ros Roughton, Ben Dyson and John Bewick have been given key permanent roles in the NHS Commissioning Board.
Second death in Legionnaires' outbreak

A second person has died after catching Legionnaires’ disease in the outbreak in Edinburgh, NHS Lothian said.
Sharing responsibility may be uncomfortable work for medics

One of the purported strengths of the new commissioning system is that clinicians working together will be able to achieve more because of their common background.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals chief executive leaves after eight months

WORKFORCE: Martin Wakeley, chief executive at the £253m-turnover trust is leaving eight months after his appointment in October.
Southampton FT falls short on CIP

FINANCE: University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust began 2012-13 falling short of its cost improvement plan, amid ongoing concerns about activity levels.
Southampton FT falls short on three performance measures

University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust reported poor performance for April on cancer waiting times, accident and emergency and referral to treatment times.
Southend struggling with A&E targets

PERFORMANCE: Four A&E targets - including the four hour wait - were failed in April, Southend University Hospital Foundation Trust’s board heard.
Staff and student training upgade at James Paget

WORKFORCE: James Paget University Hospitals Foundation Trust is spending £500,000 upgrading education and training facilities for existing staff, and also medical and nursing students.
Staff consulted on terms and conditions changes

NHS staff are to be surveyed on controversial plans to reduce the pay bill by modifying their employment terms and conditions.
Staff engagement: an essential ingredient for good management

Staff engagement isn’t an optional extra or something that’s nice to have in good times. It’s an essential ingredient of good management and for helping trusts tackle the challenges they are facing in today’s NHS
Staff issued sacking warning over inductions

WORKFORCE: Staff who fail to complete an induction programme within two weeks of starting work at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust are being warned they could be sacked.
Suffolk trust may drop bottled water in bid to be green

PERFORMANCE: Bottled water could be off the menu at West Suffolk Hospital Foundation Trust - as part of its sustainable development policy.
'Surveillance groups' to monitor provider quality

The standard of care being delivered by providers is to be scrutinised at regular “surveillance groups” under plans to ensure quality in the reformed NHS, HSJ has learned.
Teversham practice gets stay of execution

STRUCTURE: NHS Norfolk is planning to keep a surgery on the outskirts of Norwich open, despite problems with staffing.
The barriers to integration: an HSJ roundtable debate

Integrated care, where every professional can instantly get the patient information they need, is a key goal for the future NHS. So what, HSJ asked a panel of experts, are the obstacles, and how can they be overcome?
The brave new world of managed failure

With increased responsibility and power, Monitor will have a fight on its hands when it comes to sinking ships, writes Ben Collins.
The ideas and innovations taking health services by storm

The Liberating Ideas Award was established to encourage the spread of service improvements. Alison Moore catches up with the 2011 winners to find out how they have fared.
The NHS Commissioning Board local leadership challenge

The Commissioning Board’s local medical leads should be “shape shifters”, says David Black – flexibly commissioning a variety of services while keeping a clear strategic overview.
'The secrecy of information in the NHS is absurd'

The Department of Health’s information strategy is full of aspiration, but short on the specifics that will really make it work, says Matthew Swindells.
Tough start to financial year for Basildon

FINANCE: Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust started the new financial year with an in-month loss in April.
Unison conference to target held wages

Unison will open its national conference with a fresh attack against wage freezes and caps for health, council and other public sector workers.
Watchdog backs merger of Ealing and North West London hospitals

The health service’s competition watchdog has cleared proposals for a merger of NHS trusts Ealing Hospital and North West London Hospitals.
West Herts considers mobile bed units

PERFORMANCE: West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust is examining how it could provide additional beds to meet increased demand.
Why CCGs should be encouraged to innovate in the new NHS

Clinical commissioning groups must embrace diversity and innovation to be truly progressive, says Simon Bird.
Why trusts should get behind NHS Hack Days and back 'geeks who love the NHS'

NHS Hack Days demonstrate the value of a modern approach to NHS IT procurement and show the way forwards for competitive trusts, writes Carl Reynolds.
X-ray upgrade for West Suffolk

PERFORMANCE: Instant access to improved quality X-rays and scans should speed up clinics at West Suffolk Hospital.

Alastair McLellan

Health Service Journal21 June 2012

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Health Service Journal
21 June 2012