Health Service Journal
26 July 2012

View all stories from this issue.

108 patients waiting more than a year for treatment at CMFT

PERFORMANCE: The foundation trust still had more than 100 patients who had been waiting over a year for treatment in June, although the figure had more than halved since March, commissioners have reported.
Acute demand pushes Bucks Healthcare into the red

FINANCE: Higher than planned levels of activity forced Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust into a deficit of nearly £1m in June.
Aintree takes action to eliminate MSA breaches

PERFORMANCE: Aintree Hospital FT has set up a steering group, chaired by the deputy director of nursing, in a bid to eliminate breaches of mixed sex accommodation, shows a report to the Merseyside PCT cluster.
Airports and passenger-centric design

In the competitive world of global aviation, airports designed around the ever-changing needs of passengers will continually gain the edge over their competitors.
Ambulance service partnership wins 111 in Yorkshire

COMMERCIAL: A partnership between Yorkshire Ambulance Service Trust and GP out of hours and urgent care provider Local Care Direct has been named preferred provider for NHS 111 in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Ambulance trust wins Surrey patient transport deal

COMMERCIAL: NHS Surrey and Surrey County Council have awarded a new three year contract to provide non-emergency transport for patients to South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust (SECAmb).
An under-the-lens examination

The quality governance framework is an excellent way of ensuring high-quality care is in place - the key is using it properly, writes Kate Hall.
Analysed: the future of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust

HSJ Local Briefing is our new in-depth analysis of key issues facing some of the major NHS health economies. This week we examine the options for Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust as it seeks a merger partner.
Andy Buck confirmed as South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw director

WORKFORCE: Andy Buck has been confirmed as the director of the NHS Commissioning Board local area team covering South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw.
Avoid budgetary stretch marks

With new fertility guidelines set to put a huge strain on CCGs, they must make their money work harder.
Avon and Wiltshire appoints chair

WORKFORCE: Avon and Wiltshire Partnership Trust’s interim chair has been appointed on a permanent basis by the Appointments Commission.
Barts tenders for performance management system

COMMERCIAL: Barts Health Trust has advertised for a supplier to provide it with “clinical benchmarking data and a performance management system that is based on inpatient and outpatient data sets”.
BBC to feature Birmingham liver research

RESEARCH: Pioneering research carried out at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham is to be featured on a BBC Radio 4 programme on liver disease.
Beyond inspections

The Care Quality Commission’s new chief executive David Behan who takes up post this month will have his work cut out.
Birmingham Women's falls short on CIP

FINANCE: Birmingham Women’s Foundation Trust found efficiency savings worth £796,000 in the first three months of 2012-13 – slightly under its target of £858,000.
BME staff at risk in transition, commissioning board warned

Black and minority ethnic NHS staff risk being “significantly disadvantaged” in the transfer of employees to the health service’s new structure, senior NHS Commissioning Board executives have said.
Bolton FT facing 'serious challenges' to financial viability - Monitor

FINANCE: Bolton Foundation Trust is facing “serious challenges to its financial viability”, according to the latest board papers of FT regulator Monitor.
Breaches of cancer wait at Halton and St Helens

PERFORMANCE: Halton and St Helens PCT failed to hit a target to ensure 85 per cent of all cancer patients are treated within two months of urgent GP referral in April, show PCT cluster board papers.
Bristol urology reconfiguration moving ahead

STRUCTURE: Urology services in Bristol are on course to be centralised at North Bristol Trust by the end of the year.
Bucks trust appoints new NED

WORKFORCE: David Sines has been appointed to the board of Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust as an associate non-executive director.
Building healthy communities

Improving the health of disadvantaged communities presents a complex challenge; one that we are only starting to understand, let alone effectively address.
Camden 'Right to Request' bid withdrawn over competition concerns

STRUCTURE: The chief executive of NHS North Central London has reported to her board that a “Right to Request” bid to become a social enterprise by staff had been withdrawn after legal advice.
Cameron Ward named as Durham, Darlington and Tees director

WORKFORCE: Cameron Ward has been appointed as director of the NHS Commissioning Board’s Durham, Darlington and Tees local area team.
Can inspiration be contagious?

In a year when the eyes of the world will be turning towards Britain, firstly for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and then the Olympic and Paralympic Games, civic buildings are one feature that can highlight the true character of a nation.
CCG budgets face complications, says DH

A major Department of Health-led review of commissioning budgets has highlighted the uncertainty and significant risks involved in financial planning for next year.
Change of heart: a special report on stroke

This special report on stroke looks at the future of stroke prevention, the education of medical staff about the use of anticoagulants and how one trust redesigned the pathway to tackle the risk of stroke.
Chris Long confirmed as North Yorkshire and Humber director

WORKFORCE: Chris Long has been confirmed as the NHS Commissioning Board local area team director for North Yorkshire and Humber.
Cluster asks for £11.4m to bailout NHS Croydon

FINANCE: NHS South West London has approached NHS London to ask for £11.4m to support NHS Croydon.
Cluster could delay GP funding redistribution to avoid 'destabilising' practices

FINANCE: NHS South West London might delay a redistribution of Personal Medical Services funding to avoid “destabilising” practices in Wandsworth and Croydon.
Commissioners criticise 'remoteness' of Central London Community Health Trust's management

PERFORMANCE: Minutes of a meeting of NHS North Central London show officials criticising the ‘remoteness’ of Central London Community Health Trust’s management in Barnet.
Commissioning board names local directors to take 'strategic oversight'

The NHS Commissioning Board has appointed to 16 of its 25 local area team director posts, whose holders are charged with securing “a strategic overview of the system” and overseeing service reconfiguration.
Commissioning board: our mandate is too detailed

NHS Commissioning Board directors have criticised the draft “mandate” they have been set by government for being confused, too detailed and over-reaching its main purpose.
Controversial vascular reorganisation referred to health secretary

Local authorities last night agreed to refer plans for a controversial reorganisation of vascular services across Cheshire and Merseyside to health secretary Andrew Lansley.
Cornwall plans energy savings

Energy minister Ed Davey is launching a scheme designed to negotiate cheaper fuel bills in one of the country’s poorest areas which is being backed by local NHS trusts.
CQC flags compliance risk at UHBristol

WORKFORCE: A Care Quality Commission inspection of University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust flagged concerns the trust did not have sufficient staff.
CQC gives Mid Staffs clean bill of health

PERFORMANCE: The Care Quality Commission has now lifted all of its concerns around Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust.
Croydon warned on surgical safety and equipment shortages

PERFORMANCE: Croydon Health Services Trust has been told to make “urgent improvements” to surgical procedures and address a shortage of medical equipment at Croydon University Hospital.
Data quality concerns delay mental health tariff

Hopes that a national payment by results tariff for adult mental health services could be implemented next year have been dashed due to concern about data quality, HSJ can reveal.
David Heymann made acting chair of Public Health England

Health Protection Agency chair David Heymann has today been appointed acting chair of Public Health England, the new national body for public health.
DH to consult on extent of regulator's powers

The Department of Health will consult next month on rules setting out when regulator Monitor can intervene to prevent anti-competitive behaviour by clinical commissioning groups or the NHS Commissioning Board.
Doctors to have annual skills assessment

Doctors skills are to be reassessed every year to ensure they are fit to practise, the General Medical Council said.
Easton: we must tackle cost-cutting masked as efficiency

The NHS’s efficiency chief has warned some health economies are resorting to simple cost-cutting rather than finding genuine efficiency savings and carrying through major service reconfiguration.
Electric cars: a numbers game

When it comes to predicting the rate of electric vehicle (EV) uptake, one thing is clear: there is little consensus.
Empowering competence

A different way to deliver mandatory training; ensuring healthcare staff are safe and competent in practice.
Ending society's dementia silence

It has been estimated that over 800,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, with one in three people over the age of 65 dying with the condition.
Energy and scale

What is the right scale for designing our future energy systems?
'Engaging CCGs' in North Yorks deficit 'essential'

FINANCE: NHS North of England has said it is “essential” emerging clinical commissioning groups are involved in developing plans to overcome the commissioning deficit in North Yorkshire and York.
Friarage recommendations due in September

STRUCTURE: Final recommendations on controversial plans to reconfigure children’s and maternity services at Friarage Hospital are due to be announced in September.
FT framework would award staff ratings

A foundation trust is tendering for a “performance management framework” under which its staff would receive ratings.
Give plastics a second chance

The great advantage of plastics is their diversity of types and properties. Sadly, this is also the biggest obstacle to recycling them.
Good design demands strong design culture

Good design is cool, right? Definitely. But good design is about much more than fashion.
Good news for rail - how about our roads?

Last week’s funding news has wider implications, writes Alexander Jan.
Great Ormond Street a 'national outlier' on diagnostic waits

PERFORMANCE: Commissioner figures show the specialist children’s hospital is breaching the waiting times targets for diagnostics.
Hampshire CCGs appoint PCT man as accountable officer

WORKFORCE: Two Hampshire clinical commissioning groups have announced they will be sharing a chief officer.
Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare Trust aiming for £14.4m savings

FINANCE: Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare Trust plans to make savings of £14.42m over the next five years.
How High Speed 1 revitalised Stratford

The redevelopment of Stratford in East London, sparked by the High Speed 1 rail line, is a great example of what a creative, independent approach to projects can do for a major city.
How the NHS handles change: your opinions wanted!

HSJ wants your views! The NHS is changing - but the process of change is never easy and is sometimes painful.
How well do you want to live?

The number of people in the world aged 80 or over is expected to almost quadruple by 2050, rising to 395m or 4.3% of the global population.
Incomplete pathways increase at NHS Halton and St Helens

PERFORMANCE: Halton and St Helens PCT has seen an increase in patients waiting for treatment, with 7 per cent more than planned in April, shows a report to the NHS Merseyside PCT cluster.
Increase in anxiety drives rise in sickness absence

WORKFORCE: Anxiety, stress and depression levels are rising among staff at Univeristy Hospitals Bristol, contributing to a higher than planned level of sickness absence.
Is scrutiny of care poorer the further you are from London?

The fact that two out of five hospital leaders fear “regulatory bodies and wider governance systems” would not detect another failure on the scale of that at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust is worrying enough.
Jump-starting the EV battery market

Creating a market for used batteries would help to reduce cost barriers to electric vehicle uptake.
Lack of nursing staff at Royal Cornwall, says CQC

PERFORMANCE: Royal Cornwall Hospital has been told to address a shortage of nurses on some wards after a review of care found staff “struggling” to meet the needs of patients.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals still in debt

FINANCE: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals FT is still “significantly” off target on financial plans, board papers show.
Lancashire's health and wellbeing board launches draft plan

PERFORMANCE: Improving services for new mothers and young children will be among the top priorities for Lancashire’s new health and wellbeing board, draft plans show.
Landfill sites can make great nature reserves

Because landfill sites are man-made, they offer the chance to create unique habitats that are a positive contrast to the surrounding landscape typology.
Lansley insists Dilnot proposals have avoided 'long grass'

Andrew Lansley has revealed he has “various proposals in mind” for a cap on the maximum payment on care home costs any individual faces.
Late referrals mean Liverpool Heart and Chest underperforms on cancer waits

PERFORMANCE: Late referrals from other trusts contributed to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital’s failure to hit cancer treatment waiting time targets in April this year, commissioner board papers show.
Learning disability services praised by CQC

PERFORMANCE: Learning disability services run by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear FT have been praised by the Care Quality Commission.
Lewisham Healthcare Trust tenders for taxi services

COMMERCIAL: Lewisham Healthcare Trust has issued a tender notice for a taxi service for patients and staff, courier service for parcels and a collection and delivery of pathology specimens service.
Lincs consultants made responsible for patient flow

FINANCE: Consultants at Pilgrim Hospital in Lincolnshire will be given control over the discharge and admission of patients in an effort to save more than £1million.
Maternity activity below plan at Birmingham Women's

PERFORMANCE: Maternity activity at the Birmingham Women’s Hospital is below target.
Media Watch: broken spending promises from the PM

As we finally get to see where all the Olympics cash has gone, The Times revealed the NHS budget “faces another real terms cut”.
Medway FT does not expect surplus till 2013-14

FINANCE: Medway NHS Foundation Trust’s plan for 2012-15 says it expects to end the current financial year in deficit.
Medway FT expected to end 2011-12 with deficit

FINANCE: Medway NHS Foundation Trust was expecting to end the previous financial year with a small deficit, according to council of governor papers from June.
Mental health - a joint approach

A joint approach is being taken to mental health services in NHS North of Tyne.
Michael Rawlins: playing fair on treatments

A few weeks ago, Steve Winyard, head of policy and campaigns at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), asked to see me.
Michael White: the ever-shifting 'responsibility' of drink

Who says Stephen Dorrell and fellow MPs on the Commons health select committee don’t have a sense of humour? The timing of their latest report just a few days before Britain faces its 2012 Olympic onslaught is proof beyond doubt.
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust appoints replacement non executive directors

WORKFORCE: Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust has appointed three non executive directors to replace the four who stood down at the beginning of the month.
Mixed infection control results for Medway FT

PERFORMANCE: Medway Foundation Trust met its target for cases of Clostridium difficile in 2011-12 but breached for MRSA.
Moorfields Eye Hospital has three 'never events'

PERFORMANCE: The specialist eye hospital has recorded three “never events”, according to a report to the board of NHS North Central London.
Morecambe Bay faces loss of vascular services

STRUCTURE: University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust could lose up to £2m a year through commissioner plans to transfer its complex vascular surgery work to another trust, its board was warned last week.
Mountain to climb - an HSJ QIPP supplement

This QIPP supplement looks at medicines management, service improvement, innovation and commissioning to examine whether GP commissioners can deliver the savings the NHS needs.
MSA breaches at Warrington and Halton

PERFORMANCE: Lastest board papers reveal breaches of the government’s rules on mixed sex accomodation earlier this year at Warrington and Halton Hopsitals NHS Foundation Trust.
MSSA case reported at QVH

PERFORMANCE: The Queen Victoria Hospital Foundation Trust reported one case of MSSA infection during the first quarter of the year, according to board papers.
National authority chief nurse was criticised at Mid Staffs inquiry

The nursing director of the new organisation charged with making sure all NHS providers become foundation trusts was criticised at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust inquiry, it has emerged.
NE ambulance service below target in rural areas

PERFORMANCE: The North East Ambulance Service is struggling to achieve emergency response targets in rural areas despite a £1.9 million investment in services, board papers show.
Netball, swimming and zumba help boost staff wellbeing

WORKFORCE: Staff at Calderdale and Huddersfield FT are taking part in netball, swimming and other sports as part of efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce stress, reveals the trust’s first annual staff health and wellbeing report.
New advice website for Brighton patients

STRUCTURE: A one-stop shop online advice service was launched in July by NHS commissioners and the local council in Brighton and Hove.
New clinic for living kidney donation

STRUCTURE: South Tees Hospitals Trust has launched a dedicated assessment clinic for living kidney donors at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
New clinical roles announced at top of Health Education England

Two new senior clinical posts have been created at Health Education England in a bid to link quality of care with future education and training.
New hospital plans for Market Harborough

STRUCTURE: A new hospital unit will open at the Market Harborough District Hospital in Leicestershire in 2014 it has been announced.
New pharmacy to reduce outpatient wait

STRUCTURE: A new pharmacy at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary should help reduce waiting times for outpatients, say managers.
New prescription pager system for Frimley Park

COMMERCIAL: Frimley Park Foundation Trust has purchased a pager system to help improve patient satisfaction levels.
New system brings CQUIN benefit for Western Sussex

PERFORMANCE: Western Sussex NHS Trust is helping to pay for a new patient monitoring system through the benefits it is providing in helping meet commissioning for quality and innovation targets.
'NHS must grasp a world of opportunity'

From India to Brazil, other nations are creating cost-saving innovations that our own health service could embrace.
NHS North Central London predicts £31.8m surplus at end of 2012-13

FINANCE: The cluster comprising Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington predicts a year-end surplus for each of its constituent PCTs.
NHS North Central London sees improvement in childhood vaccinations

PERFORMANCE: All five PCTs making up NHS North Central London have seen rises in their rate of childhood immunisations, board papers show.
NHS Rotherham has 400K surplus

FINANCE: NHS Rotherham has a stable financial position with a £400,000 surplus to date, shows a report to the PCT cluster board.
NHS Sefton misses 62-day cancer target

PERFORMANCE: Sefton PCT did not achieve a target to ensure 90 per of cancer patients were treated within 62 days after screening, says a report to the Merseyside PCT cluster.
NHS spending vows 'lie in tatters'

Labour have attacked the government’s spending record on the NHS, claiming David Cameron would be “forever remembered” as the man who “cut the NHS not the deficit”.
North Bristol outsources work to bring waiting list under control

COMMERCIAL: North Bristol Trust is outsourcing £1.6m of surgical work in order to meet performance on the 18-week referral to treatment target.
North Cumbria midwives warn staffing changes could harm care

WORKFORCE: Proposed changes to maternity staffing at North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust could harm patient care and prompt an exodus of skilled midwives, unions have warned.
NW ambulance service hits 'red' call target for first time

PERFORMANCE: The North West Ambulance Service has hit a target for responding swiftly to the most urgent calls for the first time since the service was established, says a report to the Lancashire PCT cluster.
Overseas temporary doctor numbers for Olympics revealed

Doctors from 141 nations have registered to practice in the UK during the competition, figures from the General Medical Council suggest.
Oxleas Foundation Trust to 'develop brand'

COMMERCIAL: The south east London mental health and community services provider is looking for a firm to help it develop “sub brands” to help it compete for work.
Panel to review heart unit closure

An independent panel is set to review the planned closure of a children’s heart unit amid widespread anger among MPs at a shake-up of the services across England.
Patients waiting longer to see GP - Labour

Patients are being forced to wait for as long as three weeks to see their GP after practices have reduced their evening and weekend appointments, Labour said.
PCT requests explanation of 'disproportionate' referrals from Barnet and Enfield GPs

PERFORMANCE: NHS North Central London requested a report on the high number of Individual Funding Requests made by GPs in Enfield, compared with their peers in other boroughs.
PEAT scores mostly ‘good’ at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare

PERFORMANCE: Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust scored two “good” ratings and an “excellent” in the latest round of Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) inspections.
Physios to be given prescribing powers

Physiotherapists and podiatrists are to be able to prescribe their patients with medicines, the Department of Health (DH) announced.
Plans for new North Somerset Hospital unaffordable

FINANCE: Plans for a new £13m community hospital have been shelved due to the “changing financial circumstances” of the NHS, it has been announced.
Plymouth Community Healthcare plans bed closures

STRUCTURE: Plymouth Community Healthcare Trust is consulting on changes to mental health recovery services that could involve the closure of nine beds.
Plymouth Hospitals chief executive to leave

WORKFORCE: Plymouth Hospitals Trust acting chief executive Helen O’Shea has announced she will be leaving to take up a new role in Jersey.
QVH slightly behind on finance plan

FINANCE: Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was behind plan after the first two months of the current financial year, according to board papers.
Range of organisations line up to provide Gloucestershire Community Services

STRUCTURE: More than 20 organisations have expressed an interest in taking on community services in Gloucestershire, the primary care trust chief executive has confirmed.
Rapid recovery for sick staff benefits everyone

The longer an employee is off sick with back pain or stress, the less likely they are to return to work. We find out about a system that enables them to return to work sooner, with added benefits for the employer and its patients
RBH governors request right to attend board meetings

STRUCTURE: Governors at the Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust have requested to be allowed to attend board meetings, as part of a wider move towards better communication with trust executives.
RBH savings plans exceed CIP target

FINANCE: The Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust is facing a cost improvement plan target of £12.5m for 2012-13, and has developed plans to save £13.6m.
RDaSH wins children's mental health training contract

STRUCTURE: A partnership including Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber (RDaSH) FT has won a major contract to deliver training in psychological therapies for children.
Readers' letters - 26 July 2012

Supply and demandYour article, New workforce chief promises staff flexibility, wrongly suggests there has in the past been an “oversupply” of physiotherapists.This is not the case. Short term NHS financial freezes restricted opportunities for new physio graduates for a brief time, prompting cuts of around a third in training places for physiotherapy studen
Review team meets with Worcestershire campaigners

STRUCTURE: Senior doctors and managers leading a review of acute services in Worcestershire have met with campaigners from the Save the Alex group.
Review: clinical decision support systems webinar

A recent webinar brought together leading experts in clinical decision support systems to discuss how access to the best proven evidence can make a big difference.
Room for manoeuvre on public health funding formula

Controversial proposals for distributing public health funding that would see a major transfer of resources from poor to rich areas could yet be significantly changed, it has emerged.
Royal Free 'strongest candidate' to take over Barnet and Chase Farm

Senior sources have told HSJ that The Royal Free London Foundation Trust is the best candidate to take over Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust.
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital breaches infection target for the year

PERFORMANCE: The north London specialist trust has recorded three cases of clostridium difficile for the year so far, equivalent to its full-year limit.
Scottish mental health readmission rate attacked

There were more than 1,300 cases where people were readmitted to Scottish mental health hospitals within 28 days of being discharged last year, figures have shown.
Sheffield children's FT co-ordinates study to screen babies

PERFORMANCE: Sheffield Children’s FT is co-ordinating a major study to screen newborn babies for five rare diseases.
Sickness rate among NHS staff falls

Sickness among NHS workers has fallen by just 0.04 per cent in 12 months despite efforts by NHS trusts to reduce the number of days lost.
'Significant deficiencies' in emergency surgical care at trust

“Significant deficiencies” have been found in the emergency surgical care offered by a trust that is part of a regional trauma network.
Single patient bedrooms

Are hospitals with 100% single patient bedrooms the answer to healthcare needs?
Sleep centre struggles with 18 week target

PERFORMANCE: The Queen Victoria Hospital Foundation Trust was failing to meet the 18 week target in its sleep specialty during the first two months of the financial year.
South Tees £2.2m behind plan

FINANCE: South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was £2.2m behind its financial plan as of June 2012.
South Tyne FT 'outstanding' on infection control

PERFORMANCE: South Tyneside FT reported “outstanding” performance on infection control in 2011-12 in an annual quality review.
South Tyne FT struggling to recruit members

STRUCTURE: Membership of South Tyneside FT has fallen, with the trust struggling to recruit in Gateshead and Sunderland, shows a report to the trust’s Council of Governors.
Southern Health breaks governance rules

PERFORMANCE: Monitor has imposed an amber-red governance rating on Southern Health Foundation Trust after it broke rules on governor terms of office.
Southern Health meets CIP with non-recurrent savings

FINANCE: Southern Health Foundation Trust achieved 83 per cent of its cost improvement plan in the first two months of 2012-13.
Sports venues of the future

The UK has a goal of attracting 80 international sporting events by 2015.
St Helens and Knowsley off target on C diff

PERFORMANCE: St Helen and Knowsley Hospital Trust had seven cases of C difficile in May against a year-to-date target of three and won’t be back on track until November at the earliest, commissioner board papers show.
Steep fall in long-waiters at Salford Royal

PERFORMANCE: The foundation trust has achieved a steep fall in the number of its patients who have been waiting more than a year for treatment, commissioner board papers show.
Steep fall in long-waiters at Stockport

PERFORMANCE: The foundation trust has achieved a steep fall in the number of its patients that have been waiting more than a year for treatment, commissioner board papers show.
Steep fall in long-waiters at Tameside Hospital

PERFORMANCE: The foundation trust has achieved a steep fall in the number of its patients who have been waiting more than a year for treatment, commissioner board papers show.
Tameside FT £48K below plan

FINANCE: Tameside Hospital FT is behind plan with nearly double the planned deficit for June, board papers show.
Taunton and Somerset clinician wins research award

CLINICAL RESEARCH: A consultant and diabetes specialist from Taunton and Somerset Foundation Trust has won a prestigious award for research into the impact of diet on Type 2 diabetes.
The argument over NHS competition isn't settled yet

How strong is the evidence in support of increased competition in the NHS? The question was raised again last week, with the publication of a paper by the NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel.
The clever solution to smart device security

Advertorial: now that smartphones and tablets grow ever more popular, healthcare professionals are increasingly accustomed to using them for work purposes such as storage and sharing of patient information.
The key to successful waterfront development?

Apparently, one out of five people choose to live in a city that is located beside water.
The 'medic to manager' move

The NHS’s strange divide between clinical leaders and management must be closed to meet the service’s challenges.
The unplanned racist impact of reform

The NHS is undermanaged.
Thousands protest against heart surgery closure

Parents, nurses and MPs have joined together to take part in a demonstration against the ending of children’s heart surgery at a hospital.
Three SW London PCTs to pilot NHS 111

STRUCTURE: Three primary care trusts in south west London intend to pilot the new NHS 111 advice line later this year, according to a report.
Time has 'run out' for Clinicenta, MP warns

Time has “run out” for an underperforming independent sector treatment centre, an MP has warned.
Top PEAT scores for Western Sussex

PERFORMANCE: Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust has been awarded the highest possible ratings in the latest annual Patient Experience Action Team (PEAT) scores.
Torbay Hospital robot in worldwide first

CLINICAL: Torbay Hospital, run by South Devon Healthcare Foundation Trust, has become the first place in the world to carry out a complex urology procedure as a day case.
Troubled mental health trust had 'centralist' culture

Mental health trust Avon and Wiltshire Partnership should put its foundation trust application on hold while it deals with its “centralist, top down and target driven” culture, an independent review has concluded.
Trust chiefs fear regulators would not spot scandal

Nearly half of hospital chief executives believe regulators and the NHS governance system would miss a Mid Staffordshire-style care scandal if it occurred today.
Trust looks to Portugal for new nursing recruits

WORKFORCE: Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust is planning to recruit nurses from Portugal amid staffing shortages and an over-reliance on temporary staff.
Trust sees surge in bowel cancer referrals due to DH campaign

PERFORMANCE: Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust failed to hit a target for the two-week cancer wait by three patients after a surge in suspected bowel cancer referrals, shows a performance report to the Merseyside PCT cluster.
Trusts join forces on new radiotherapy unit

STRUCTURE: The Royal Surrey County Hospital FT and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust are working together to create a £10million radiotherapy unit at the East Surrey Hospital.
Upgrade for independent Worcestershire MRI scanner

PERFORMANCE: The Worcestershire Imaging Centre, based in Droitwich Spa, has successfully completed a £500,000 upgrade of its MRI scanner.
Vacancy rate of 11.7 per cent at Southern Health

WORKFORCE: Southern Health is running at a staff vacancy rate of 11.7 per cent in the year to date, more than double the rate planned.
We can't use biomass for everything

There has been already been a lot of excitement (and heated debate) about the contribution biomass can make to our energy needs.
Wellbeing measure 'will boost health investment'

New efforts to measure the nation’s overall wellbeing will lead to more investment in health services, including mental health, the government’s “happiness tsar” has predicted.
Western Sussex hospitals accredited as trauma centres

STRUCTURE: St Richard’s and Worthing Hospitals have been confirmed as important parts of a new Sussex-wide network set up to improve emergency care for the most seriously-injured patients.
Western Sussex Hospitals purchase new infection control technology

COMMERCIAL: Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust has purchased a pioneering new infection control device, which uses hydrogen peroxide vapour.
What’s healthcare worth to you?

With debate raging in the UK about legislation to introduce the private sector to the National Health Service (NHS), now might be a good time to ask what value we place upon healthcare. And of course, the answer to that depends upon where you live.
Whistleblowing: the way ahead

Strong leaders and boards are essential if the whistleblowers of the future are to prevent harm to patients, an NHS Employers summit heard. Alison Moore reports.
Why top-up fees are not the answer

We know that the health insurers are rubbing their hands in glee at the prospects opened up by Andrew Lansley’s Act and the £20bn cuts in the NHS, declaring that there has “never been a better time to be in private health insurance”.
Work begins on new theatres at QVH

STRUCTURE: Work to replace six operating theatres at East Grinstead’s Queen Victoria Hospital began at the end of June.
WWL clears backlog of patients waiting more than a year

PERFORMANCE: The foundation trust had cleared its backlog of patients waiting more than a year for treatment by mid-June, latest commissioner board papers show.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service top performer on emergency calls

PERFORMANCE: Yorkshire Ambulance Service has outperformed all other English ambulance trusts on responding to emergency calls within eight minutes so far this year.

Alastair McLellan

Health Service Journal26 July 2012

Health Service Journal
26 July 2012