Health Service Journal
28 June 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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A framework for nurturing leadership skills in doctor training
Doctors’ postgraduate training is the perfect time to nurture an understanding of the leadership framework, explain Amy Brockbank and her North Western deanery colleagues. -
A&E patients quizzed in Lincolnshire
PERFORMANCE: Accident and emergency patients at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust are being asked their opinions about the care the receive. -
Academic health science network plans given 20 July deadline
The Department of Health has asked for expressions of interest to form academic health science networks by 20 July. -
Alarm over South Central Ambulance response times
PERFORMANCE: Emergency response times fell behind target for Berkshire East due to technical problems, low staff morale and an unexplained growth in demand for services. -
Analysed: financial problems in North Yorkshire and York
HSJ Local Briefing is our new in-depth analysis of key issues facing some of the major NHS health economies. This week we look at what the enormous black hole in North Yorkshire and York’s finances will mean for the region’s services and commissioners. -
Anonymous donor offers £300k for adult autism
FINANCE: An anonymous donor has offered Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust £300,000 funding for adult autism services over a three year period. -
Avon and Wiltshire chief steps down
WORKFORCE: Laura McMurtrie, chief executive of the troubled Avon and Wiltshire Partnership Trust, has announced she is to step down following a period of ill health. -
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals appoints new medical director
WORKFORCE: The troubled east London trust has appointed Mike Gill, from Newham University Hospital, as its new medical director. -
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough gets financial risk of 2
FINANCE: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust ended the first month of the new financial year £180,000 in deficit - giving it a financial risk rating of 2. -
Commissioning board admits shortage of interest in CSS director jobs
There is a shortage of applicants to run commissioning support services, HSJ has learned, sparking fears that the jobs are proving unattractive to senior NHS managers. -
Commissioning Show 2012
HSJ looks at this year’s Commissioning Show with a special supplement of exclusive content. -
Confederation reveals commercial innovation fund
The NHS Confederation has announced the creation of a fund that matches cash put up by teaching trusts with backing from institutional investors to spread innovation across the NHS. -
Councillors banned from CCG boards as new rules set
The government is set to impose further requirements on clinical commissioning groups’ governing bodies, HSJ has learned. -
CQC finds serious failings at independent hospital
PERFORMANCE: A Hampshire hospital looking after adults with mental health problems and learning disabilities was failing to protect patients from the risk of abuse, a health watchdog has said. -
CQC lifts James Paget's warning notice
PERFORMANCE: The CQC has lifted a warning notice around care and welfare of patients which it had placed on the James Paget University Hospitals Foundation Trust. -
Damage avoidance: earthquake survival for buildings
Future proofing our cities against earthquakes means being aware of the best mitigation technologies available, and encouraging their use on new design and retrofit, where economically viable. -
Departing Maudsley chief plans to develop Oxford AHSC
Stuart Bell, departing chief executive of the South London and Maudsley Mental Health Foundation Trust, has told HSJ he wants to help develop an academic health science centre in Oxford. -
Doctors mull over further industrial action
Doctors will today debate whether to call for another day of industrial action over the government’s controversial pension reforms. -
East Lancashire eyes ‘new market’ as result of Manchester maternity reconfiguration
STRUCTURE: The reconfiguration of maternity services across Greater Manchester may open up a “new market” for East Lancashire’s Burnley General Hospital, trust board papers state. -
Exclusive: FT earned £450m from armed forces work in Germany
A foundation trust which could face a bill for underpaid tax from the German authorities was paid £454m for providing services to the Ministry of Defence, HSJ can disclose. -
Exclusive: private franchise tops first 'friends and family' chart
Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust has been rated joint top in the inaugural results of “friends and family” patient satisfaction test, recently endorsed by the prime minister. -
Exclusive: Stuart Bell to leave South London and Maudsley
Stuart Bell chief executive of the South London and Maudsley mental health foundation trust is to leave his job after 13 years, HSJ can reveal. -
Ex-NHS worker held in police payments investigation
WORKFORCE: A former NHS employee from west London has been arrested by police investigating claims that journalists bribed police officers and public officials. -
Exploring attitudes to leadership among ‘grass roots’ doctors
Duncan Bland looks at the findings from nine leadership focus groups that reveal doctors’ definitions of clinical leadership, the skills they believed were important and the potential barriers to and enablers of leadership they perceived in the health system. -
Failure regime looms as trust faces bankruptcy
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has this evening begun the process of placing an NHS trust in administration for the first time, which would effectively declare it bankrupt. -
Fire at St Richard’s Hospital
PERFORMANCE: A fire broke out at Western Sussex Hospitals Trust last week, less than 10 days after the organisation was hit by flooding. -
Former social worker picked to chair Blackburn CCG
WORKFORCE: A former social worker has been named as the preferred candidate to chair the Blackburn with Darwen CCG, with special responsibility for public and patient involvement. -
Future proofing the UK’s built environment
Jo da Silva, Director of Arup’s International Development team, delivered the 9th Brunel International Lecture at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) on Monday 21st May. Her theme was ‘Shifting agendas: response to resilience - the role of the engineer in disaster risk reduction’. -
Get doctors off 'pedestals' urges DH patient lead
A key figure in the drive to get patients more involved in their own care has delivered a damning assessment of patient experience in the NHS. -
Government action on South London Healthcare a 'signal of intent'
The government has been praised for beginning to “grasp the nettle” on downgrading hospital services in troubled health economies. -
Grant promises mandate will liberate NHS
NHS Commissioning Board chair Malcolm Grant has promised the body’s forthcoming operating “mandate” will “liberate” the health service. -
Grant: We chose not to have clinicians on commissioning board
Clinicians have not been appointed as non-executive directors on the NHS Commissioning Board in order to avoid undermining the chief nurse and medical director, chair Malcolm Grant has said. -
Hakin plans 'proportionate' handling of GPs
Details have been published of how primary care services will be commissioned under the reformed NHS system. -
Herts Partnership's accident prevention is recognised
PERFORMANCE: The Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trist has been awarded a seventh gold medal by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). -
Homerton shortlisted for award for work with homeless TB patients
PERFORMANCE: The east London acute trust has been nominated for an Andy Ludlow Homelessness award for its work with patients with no recourse to public funds. -
Hospital fined over never events
PERFORMANCE: University Hospitals of Leicester will be financially penalised after two never events were reported by the trust in April. -
How CCGs can tackle the ever-shifting procurement regime
Mark Fitzgibbon and colleagues look at how CCGs can address operational issues around procurement without compromising performance. -
How GPs can remove obstacles to QIPP targets
Delivering the QIPP targets is proving a tough challenge for GP practices. Paul Cook offers some practical ideas on how to remove the obstacles in the way. -
How to buy: clinical portals could help patient information drive
Allowing health professionals to share patient data across organisations could become standard, says Daloni Carlisle. -
How to inject accountability into team performance
Role charters ensure everyone knows where they stand on accountabilities, say Graham Rich and James Kent. -
How voluntary organisations can demonstrate their value
Local voluntary organisations bring value to healthcare – but now they need to demonstrate how, says Lisa Weaks. -
HSJ Awards: entry deadline extended
Due to popular demand, we are pleased to announce that the entry deadline for this year’s HSJ Awards has been extended to 13th July, giving you an extra week to register and submit your entries. -
Information for commissioners: an HSJ roundtable
Getting commissioning right will depend on getting the right data. But what does that mean? And what can we do to deliver all the data CCGs will so desperately need in just 12 months’ time? Daloni Carlisle reports on a lively expert roundtable, in association with Civica. -
Jennifer Dixon: identifying the true value of telehealth
Does teleheath reduce hospital costs? Nuffield Trust chief executive Jennifer Dixon suggests six points to ponder before answering. -
Jim Easton: let’s get serious about telehealth
Telehealth transforms lives, saves money and is backed up by evidence. So what’s stopping us, asks Jim Easton? -
Keogh outlines junior doctor death-rate measures
Patients are put at risk when junior doctors start work, the NHS medical director conceded as he outlined measures to end the so-called health service “killing season”. -
Lancashire Teaching Hospital £179,000 in the red in May
FINANCE: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was £179,000 in deficit at the end of May, and behind on its financial plan for 2012-13 by nearly £1m, latest board papers show. -
Lansley: I'll back commissioners leading the case for change
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has said care settings will only “rarely” have to be closed but insisted he will back commissioners who show leadership and take difficult decisions on reconfiguration. -
Long term conditions care - an HSJ supplement
This latest HSJ supplement looks at key aspects of care for patients with long term conditions. -
Media Watch: England's doctors score own goal
England may have lost some football match last weekend but as far as Media Watch is aware, they did not actually score an own goal. -
Meldrum urges caution over further pensions action
The outgoing British Medical Association leader has urged the union to be cautious about taking further industrial action over pensions. -
Michael White: bombarded BMA hits out at 'betrayal'
BMA leaders have been sounding off about the government’s “betrayal of trust” over pensions at their Bournemouth conference this week, against a background of civil service strikes and menacing noises from Unite’s Len McCluskey about jobs, pay and conditions. -
Mid Staffs inquiry 'to focus on cultural issues'
Cultural issues surrounding quality and raising concerns will be the main focus of the Mid Staffs Inquiry report, it has been claimed. -
Mid Staffs looks to reward outstanding staff
WORKFORCE: Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has launched an awards scheme to recognise best practice by staff at both Stafford and Cannock Hospitals. -
Mid Yorks begins talks on reconfiguration
STRUCTURE: Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has begun talks on major service change with its local commissioners, stakeholder and community. -
Mid Yorks plans £26m deficit
FINANCE: Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is planning a £26m end of year deficit for 2012-13. -
Monitor 'could not have prevented' oversized PFI
A report into how a foundation trust came to be burdened with a large private finance initiative agreement has found Monitor was unable to prevent the deal – but said it could have spotted its slide into deficit earlier. -
Monitor: patient costs could inform national prices
Monitor could use the cost of individual patients to set national prices for NHS acute care as early as 2016-17. -
Mutuals should be 'mainstream' service option
The Mutuals Taskforce, the body set up to advise the Cabinet Office on public sector employee spin-outs, has called for a raft of new measures to make mutuals a “mainstream option for public service delivery”. -
New high dependency unit opens at South Tees
STRUCTURE: A new high dependent unit has opened at James Cook University Hospital, part of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. -
Newcastle GP practice moved and renamed
STRUCTURE: The Regent Medical Centre in Gosforth, Newcastle, has opened. -
NHS innovations on child poverty: financial inclusion interventions
Ending child poverty by 2020 is a UK aim. -
NICE: trusts must offer DVT tests within 24 hours
Hospitals have been set “challenging” new clinical targets to provide a “seven-days-a-week” service for patients presenting with a suspected venous thromboembolism. -
Nicholson shuns localism to keep grip on NHS cash
NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson has said admitted he has taken greater central control of the NHS budget, despite moves towards localism under the government’s health reforms. -
Nicholson: Politicians should be honest about service change needed
Sir David Nicholson has called for politicians to be “honest” about the “nature and scale” of service change required in the NHS because of the spending squeeze. -
North Cumbria anticipates £10m income reduction for 2012-13
FINANCE: The trust anticipates a reduction in its income of around £10m in 2012-13, its newly published financial plan for the year shows. -
North Essex plans new services
SERVICES: Plans for new and improved services have been unveiled as part of the annual plan for the North Essex Partnership Foundation Trust. -
North of Tyne CCGs budgets identified
FINANCE: The North of Tyne primary care trust cluster has announced the delegated budgets for its shadow clinical commissioning groups for 2012-13. -
Northumberland CCG calls for rural cash boost
FINANCE: Northumberland Care Trust and the emerging Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group are shaking-up the income of practices in the patch, and lobbying for increased funding. -
Organ donation campaign sees results at St Helens and Knowsley
PERFORMANCE: St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals Trust had three organ donors in 2011-12, resulting in eight organ donations, a report to its May board meeting states. -
Pensions problem halts community trust's expansion
A community trust’s bid to run a number of Sure Start centres in Norfolk has been hit by pension complications. -
PFI does not explain variations in financial performance, research finds
The presence of expensive private finance initiative hospitals is not statistically linked to persistent financial problems in health economies, preliminary findings of new research suggest. -
Plan for social workers to join GP surgeries
STRUCTURE: Social workers could join GP surgeries under plans being developed by Surrey County Council. -
Porter: doctors need to be 'cautious' about strikes
Doctors should not feel tied to further strike action if the government does not compromise on plans to remove their pensions, according to the medic expected to become the British Medical Association’s new leader. -
Prescription opioid dependence – an emerging problem
The role of opioids in the clinical management of persistent pain is fast becoming an international topic of debate and should be considered an urgent public health issue. -
Quarter of CQC inspections reveal essential standards not met
Fewer than three out of four of the 14,000 health and social care sites inspected by the Care Quality Commission met all essential standards around quality and safety. -
Research casts doubt on value of 'friends and family test'
Research commissioned by the Department of Health has raised doubts about use of the “friends and family” test as a single indicator of patient experience. -
Royal Orthopaedic FT misses Q4 surplus target
FINANCE: The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation Trust fell well short of its quarter four surplus target, but still beat its planned total for 2011-12. -
Sally Gainsbury: the new plan for NHS deficits is academic
The number of deficit-hit organisations may be back up to 2005-6 levels and the first NHS trust staggering towards the cold arms of the special administrator, but fear not: Plan B has arrived! -
Senior hospital boss leaving for KPMG job
Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, chief executive of University Hospitals Leicester Trust, is taking up a new job with the consultancy firm. -
Serious drug shortages at four in five trusts
Patients struggle to obtain drugs for life-threatening conditions in 80 per cent of NHS trusts in England and Wales, a survey suggests. -
Sherwood Forest plans to cut 230 staff to save £10.5m
WORKFORCE: Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust has revealed plans to axe 235 jobs in a bid to save £10.5m. -
South London ordered to re-submit 2012-13 plan that forecast a £65m-plus deficit
FINANCE: South London Healthcare Trust submitted an initial financial plan for 2012-13 that would have seen it more than £65m in the red. -
South London’s ‘failure’ leaves the big questions unanswered
The use of the 2006 failure regime to tackle the problems at South London Healthcare Trust is intended by government as a signal to some NHS organisations with financial problems that they are living on borrowed time. -
Stephen Eames: on leading complex organisations
Is there a blueprint for how to go about starting a new job as the leader of a large and complex organisation? Probably not, but having recently done just that I would humbly suggest there are some important rules to follow. -
Stroke performance under review at Royal Berkshire
PERFORMANCE: The Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust has adopted a new stroke care pathway after performance plummeted this spring. -
Surrey and Borders compliant with CQC standards
PERFORMANCE: A national report has this week declared three of services run by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to be compliant with the Care Quality Commission’s essential standards of quality and safety. -
Ten years of care trusts: six key findings
Ten years on from the establishment of the first care trusts, the Health Services Management Centre carried out a series of interviews with care trust leaders to see what could be learnt about integration. -
The challenge ahead: why we must involve patients in their care
Tapping into that unused resource of patient information - the patients themselves - is too important to the NHS for it to be ignored any longer, says Dr Steven Laitner. -
The NHS must address its blind spot on older people's services
The unequal outcomes experienced by older users of the NHS points to a lack of vision rather than a lack of funding, writes Michelle Mitchell. -
Tracker for stroke patients
PERFORMANCE: A new patient tracker system has been introduced at United Lincolnshire Hospitals to make sure stroke patients receive quick efficient care. -
Vascular services set for major reconfiguration
A major shake-up in vascular services is planned for the East of England, with several hospitals set to lose work. -
Would-be candidates excluded from top commissioning board clinical posts
National clinical directors and other likely candidates are being excluded from applying to key posts in the NHS Commissioning Board.
