Health Service Journal
5 August 2010
View all stories from this issue.
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‘No strong evidence’ of too many NHS sites, claims DH
The DH digital communications review appears to reject the belief that there are too many NHS websites - a conclusion reached by the research commissioned to support the review. -
£400m NHS funds may go to social care
The Department of Health is considering transferring around £400m of NHS funding to councils next financial year to partially plug the gap in their social care budgets. -
A nervous kind of NHS reorganisation
It’s only a reorganisation, right? Anyone who’s worked in the NHS for a few years has been through reorganisations before. -
Assembly defends NHS pay protection
The Welsh Assembly has defended its decision to protect the salaries of top NHS executives who have fallen victim to restructuring changes at the health service. -
Book Review: Gain agreement on every side
Read how negotiation never needs to be negative, suggests Andrew Furber -
Break the back of NHS waiting lists
Waiting lists have been slashed, income increased and did not attend rates reduced thanks to improvements at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust, writes Ann McGauran -
Cally Bann: the white paper
So the end of term madness has fully descended, with fuel added to the annual pre-vacation fire by the wind of change blowing from the bottom of the white paper. -
Closing GP surgeries over weekends 'unacceptable', says Sir Bruce Keogh
Treating continuity of care as a “holy grail” while denying patients access to services over weekends is “unacceptable”, the NHS medical director has told GPs. -
Coalition in 'reckless gamble' with NHS, says Burnham
Labour has accuse the coalition Government of a “reckless gamble” with the NHS which the party claims will throw the service into chaos. -
DH criticises 'clearly unsatisfactory' European working time directive
The Department of Health will take a “robust approach” to revising the “clearly unsatisfactory” European working time directive as it applies to the NHS. -
Dominic Dodd to stay on at Royal Free Hampstead
The interim chairman of the Royal Free Hampstead trust is to carry on in the position for the next four years. -
Empowering patients through innovation
Sign up for this free webchat to share ideas with leaders in innovation -
Expert patients: everyone can benefit
Self management can improve outcomes and quality of life for patients while cutting the demand for NHS services and associated costs. Jim Phillips explains -
Free NHS Choices to meet public need
The internet’s unequalled capacity to inform and communicate with the public should have been comprehensively exploited by the NHS. -
GP surgeries rated highly
Nine out of 10 Scottish patients believe the care they get at their GP surgery is good or excellent, a survey has found. -
GPs overlook public health for QOF cash
The quality and outcomes framework has resulted in GPs focusing too narrowly on certain conditions to the detriment of their wider public health role, the King’s Fund has warned. -
HSJ Webchat: empowering patients through innovation
This webchat looks at the latest developments in patient empowerment -
Integration of NHS Direct and NHS Choices raised by web review
The DH’s digital communications review describes the future of NHS Direct and NHS Choices as “unfinished business” - but stops short of recommending the two services should be merged. -
Is this the end of the road for PCTs?
The winding down of PCTs must be handled with kid gloves if disruption to services - and loss of talent - is to be avoided -
London mayor seeks health funds role
London mayor Boris Johnson is looking to take over large parts of the capital’s public health budget instead of it being passed directly to councils. -
Media Watch: NHS trusts may soon be courting oligarchs
A front page on the financial arrangements of foundation trusts? Well it wasn’t likely to be The Sun. -
Mental health trust considering merger
A merger between Suffolk Mental Health Partnership and Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Foundation Trust is to be considered under new proposals. -
Michael White: the working time directive
Oh dear, I see the Royal College of Surgeons is up in arms again over the European working time directive as its 48 hour week rule affects staffing, management and even the safety of our hospitals. -
Minimum alcohol price policy announced
Manchester city centre could be the first in the country to set a minimum price for the sale of alcohol, it has been announced. -
Monitor says FT in 'significant breach' of its authorisation
Monitor has declared Poole Hospital Foundation Trust to be in breach of its terms of authorisation. -
National Childbirth Trust wants maternity providers to go it alone
Maternity networks should be provider organisations and employ their own staff, according to a charity working with the government on the proposals. -
NHS brand undermined by online confusion
The NHS spends close to £100m a year on thousands of websites that are often hard to find, badly designed and not wanted by the public, according to government reports leaked to HSJ. -
'NHS not immune to cuts', warns Scottish BMA
Scottish doctors leaders said it would be “naive” to think the NHS can be immune from the impact of public spending cuts, it emerged. -
NHS reforms 'boosting interest in foreign patients'
Government proposals to lift a cap on the proportion of income NHS hospitals can earn from private work led to a surge in interest in attracting patients from abroad, it has been reported. -
NHS Sefton appoints acting chief
NHS Sefton has appointed its former director of public health Dr Janet Atherton as acting chief executive. -
NHS service reconfigurations 'surge' expected
The NHS looks set to see a “surge” of major changes to hospital services in the next 18 months after the government effectively lifted its moratorium on reconfiguration. -
NHS 'silences' 170 whistleblowers
A total of 170 whistleblowing doctors have been made to sign a confidentiality contract in the past 10 years, according to information passed to Channel 4 News and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. -
NHS staff must not be burdened with 'excessive workloads' as jobs are cut
NHS staff must not be burdened with “excessive workloads” as thousands of jobs disappear in the service, union leaders in Scotland have warned. -
NHS workers of South Asian heritage sought for book
Runnymede, the race equality think tank, is currently researching the contribution of South Asian communities to the NHS and is seeking former NHS workers to take part. -
Nicola Sturgeon in talks with unions over job cuts
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon has held talks with union leaders and medical chiefs about looming job cuts in the NHS. -
One-stop health advice service launched
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon will today launch the new NHS inform one-stop health advice service. -
Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trusts paediatric cardiac surgery unit to remain closed
The paediatric cardiac surgery unit at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust should remain closed, according to a report published last week. -
PCTs begin planning to reinvent their business
Primary care trust chief executives have begun planning how they can transform themselves into organisations providing support to GP commissioning consortia. -
PCTs improve commissioning performance
Primary care trusts have improved their commissioning performance across the board despite government plans to phase them out from 2013. -
Personal health budget pilots raise concerns
Managers involved in the pilots for personal health budgets have expressed concerns over equity and increased cost, a report commissioned by the Department of Health says. -
Preventing stroke: primary force
Improving GPs’ confidence in diagnosing and treating suspected atrial fibrillation has the potential to save lives while reducing the need for referral to secondary care. -
Royal Berkshire Hospital Trusts to cut 600 jobs
The Royal Berkshire Hospital Trust will axe up to 600 jobs under moves to make £60m savings in the next few years, it was announced today. -
SHA report calls for unit to remain closed after paediatric deaths
A report has called for the smallest paediatric cardiac surgery unit in the country to remain closed. -
Sheila Williams on positive communication
Recently I observed a team meeting on ideas for service improvements. A pattern emerged. For every idea offered, one particular person criticised it or gave reasons why it wouldn’t work. -
Social enterprise: one step beyond healthcare
Social enterprises are being heralded as champions of the ‘big society’, but there are serious questions to ask before setting one up in health or social care -
Social media in the NHS debated on Twitter
NHS Salford has devised an innovative knowledge sharing chat via Twitter to discuss the use of social media within the NHS. -
Trust appoints stroke director
Southampton University Hospitals Trust has appointed its first director to run and promote the region’s NHS stroke services. -
Under the radar guidance ends hospital closure moratorium
The revised guidance on hospital reconfiguration was slipped out last week at the height of the summer holiday period. -
Union threatens judicial review over pace of NHS change
Unison has threatened to take the government to judicial review if the white paper reforms are implemented without proper consultation. -
Wakefield District PCT managers face axe
More than 40 management positions at Wakefield District Primary Care Trust are in jeopardy as part of wider cost-cutting measures, the Yorkshire Post has revealed.
