Health Service Journal
6 January 2011
View all stories from this issue.
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‘Rise in cancer breaches’ by foundations
The number of acute and specialist foundation trusts that missed cancer treatment targets rose by a third to 28 out of 90 in the past three months, their regulator Monitor has revealed. -
A model for the co-provision of home-based care
A co-provision approach to post acute re-enablement has reduced lengths of hospital stays in pilot areas, as Katie Donlevy and James Heffron explain -
Acute stay management and PACE
A co-provision approach to post acute re-enablement has reduced lengths of hospital stays in pilot areas, as Katie Donlevy and James Heffron explain -
Adult Specialist Obesity Service TIER 3
NHS Southampton City/NHS Hampshire -
Anti-stalking policy launched in Scotland
Scotland’s largest health board is to launch an anti-stalking policy to protect its staff after a number of incidents of “unwanted and intrusive contact” were reported. -
Bed blocking 'on the increase'
The number of patients staying in hospital despite being well enough to leave has risen in the last year, according to a survey. -
BMA leadership defends its response to reforms
The British Medical Association leadership has defended its engagement with the government’s health reforms after criticism from some members, but says it will be “stepping up” its lobbying. -
Cancer survival in UK worse than other developed countries
Glaring gaps in cancer survival rates between the UK and other developed countries have been exposed in a major study. -
Care minister taped criticising coalition partners
A member of the coalition government’s health team is one of a number of Liberal Democrat ministers caught in a sting over their opinion of high ranking Tories. -
CCP to investigate PCTs 'restricting choice and competition'
The Co-operation and Competition Panel is to investigate complaints that primary care trusts are restricting choice and competition, and setting discriminatory contracts. -
Chiefs declare support for increment freeze
The first NHS chief executives to publicly support a freeze on pay increments have spelt out why they believe the move is vital to protect services. -
CQC lifts conditions on Heatherwood and Wexham Park FT
The Care Quality Commission has lifted all the registration conditions previously imposed on a foundation trust in Buckinghamshire. -
CQC lifts half of conditions at east London hospital trust
Half of the registration conditions imposed on Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust have now been lifted by the Care Quality Commission. -
Data security scare over hospital laptop theft
A laptop containing confidential patient details has been stolen from a hospital, according to reports. -
DH calls for volunteers to pilot NHS 111
The Department of Health is planning a rapid expansion of the NHS 111 service next year in order to achieve universal coverage by April 2013. -
DH 'efficiency drive' produces £162m gift for NHS
Primary care trusts and council social care services will share an extra £162m this year thanks to a Department of Health “efficiency drive”. -
Dudley Group overperforming on emergency admissions
PERFORMANCE: Emergency admissions in the year to November at Dudley Group of Hospitals over-performed by 866 spells (6.5 per cent) against plan. -
Dundee hospital told to improve hygiene
Infection control standards at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee have come under fire from health inspectors. -
Efficiency drive redirects £162m to frontline services
The Department of Health is to make an extra £162m available for frontline services after a successful efficiency drive, the health secretary has announced. -
First NHS outcomes framework published
The first NHS outcomes framework has been unveiled, identifying 51 indicators to be used to judge the service. -
Five trusts now predicting year-end deficits
Four primary care trusts and one hospital trust who were predicting year-end surpluses in the first quarter of 2010-11 are now predicting deficits. -
Flu death toll reaches 27
A total of 27 people have died from influenza this winter, including nine children, latest official figures show. -
Flu jab uptake 'shockingly low'
The NHS risks being inundated with flu victims because of a “shockingly low” vaccine uptake, a senior doctor has warned. -
Flu outbreak 'no worse than usual'
There is “no evidence as yet” that the winter flu outbreak is worse than usual, England’s interim chief medical officer has said after senior GPs warned that they feared a crisis was looming. -
Gateshead FT £400,000 behind plan
FINANCE: The trust had a planned surplus to date of £3,056,700 at month seven, however the actual position is a surplus of £2,619,000 giving an overall deficit against plan of £437,400. -
Government sets out who will commission public health services
Immunisation, screening and public health for the under fives will in future be commissioned by the NHS Commissioning Board, under latest government proposals. -
GPs will walk a tightrope between making or buying
Giving GPs freedom to innovate while protecting patients will be a difficult balance -
Health and wellbeing boards are given new scrutiny role
Local authorities will be required by law to create health and wellbeing boards, the government has announced. -
High MRSA breach risk at Northumbria Trust
PERFORMANCE: Very high risk of breaching annual MRSA incidence target. -
How localism can work for the NHS
What are the advantages, opportunities and risks of the localism the government wants for services and how will ‘citizen leaders’ manage their roles? Phil Kenmore looks at the implications -
How to put 'nudge' principles to work in the health service
The power of nudge: how applying nudge principles could change healthcare commissioning management -
IT support system developed by trust made available on licence
An IT support system designed to save lives, time and money is being made available under licence across the NHS by University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust. -
King’s Fund finds quality accounts tension
The first set of NHS quality accounts were characterised by “variation and a lack of comparability”, a King’s Fund analysis has found. -
Knighthood for Guys' chief executive
Ron Kerr, chief executive at Guys and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust has been knighted in the New Years Honours list. -
Lansley confirms Maidstone to close maternity unit
Controversial plans to centralise maternity and children’s services in West Kent have been given the go-ahead by health secretary Andrew Lansley. -
Lansley reassures over flu rise
The health secretary has said that the NHS is “coping well” with the severe weather and flu, despite a rise in consultations related to flu and an increase in deaths. -
Local flu vaccine shortages revealed
The government has admitted some parts of the country were suffering shortages of flu vaccines as it prepared to reveal the latest death toll from the winter outbreak. -
Local involvement networks are working, DH finds
Local involvement networks significantly stepped up activity in their second year of existence, but will still be replaced, the Department of Health has said. -
London mental health trust given all clear by CQC
The Care Quality Commission has lifted the final two conditions imposed on West London Mental Health Trust, after it improved staffing levels and the assessment and monitoring of service quality. -
Managers asked to declare support for freeze on increments
Senior NHS managers are being asked to sign a declaration drafted by NHS Employers setting out their reasons for supporting a two year freeze in staff pay increments in exchange for “no compulsory redundancy” guarantees. -
Media Watch: Managers under fire
The New Year may have only just begun but NHS managers are already in the firing line. -
Mental health contracts 'seriously vulnerable' to tariff changes
Changes to the tariff “discriminate” against mental health trusts, the Mental Health Network has warned. -
Michael White: It could have been worse
The danger for ministers over the festive break is to be drawn into the news vacuum that develops when the world goes on holiday. How well did Andrew Lansley survive his first Yuletide vacuum in the health hot seat? -
Monitor plans tougher standards for FTs
Foundation trusts will face tougher standards from next year on tracking and reporting care quality, under new proposals published by their regulator Monitor. -
Newcastle FT board focuses on community services
STRUCTURE: The board is expecting close involvement in the “problematical and time-consuming” task of vertical integration with the community services from Newcastle Primary Care Trust. -
NHS Derby City plans 8 per cent reduction to provider contracts
FINANCE: Financial modelling by NHS Derby City has identified a need to reduce 2011-12 contract values by 8 per cent on average across all providers, in order to transfer financial sustainability to GP commissioners from 2012-13. -
NHS Direct 'not at breaking point'
Claims that calls to NHS Direct have rocketed by 50 per cent in the last few days, leaving the helpline at “breaking point”, have been dismissed by the head of the service. -
NHS staff asked to sacrifice pay to save jobs
Unions have accused NHS bosses of threatening to lay off tens of thousands of staff unless further pay restraint is accepted. -
NHS 'wastes billions' on procurement
More than £1bn of taxpayers’ money a year is being wasted by NHS managers who spend vastly differing amounts on the same supplies, the head of a government-backed healthcare efficiency drive has claimed. -
NHS 'wasting' millions on expensive insulin
Prescribing an expensive form of insulin against NICE guidance is causing the NHS to waste tens of millions of pounds every year, it has been revealed. -
NICE work on public health guidance put on hold
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has been ordered to stop developing guidance on some public health topics and put others on hold. -
Nicholson is master of all he surveys after surprise decision
Did you declare yourself unsurprised by the appointment of Sir David Nicholson as the first chief executive of the NHS commissioning board just before Christmas? Then you were either fibbing or Andrew Lansley. -
Nicholson's appointment to NCB sparked by concern over reforms
The “surprising” appointment of David Nicholson to head up the new NHS commissioning board may have been prompted by growing government concern about the NHS reforms, HSJ has been told. -
Norfolk community provider gets new chair
The community health services provider for Norfolk has appointed a new chair. -
Nottingham Trust risks unfunded activity
FINANCE: Nottingham University Hospitals Trust is reporting a deficit against plan of £1.28m and is carrying out activity that may not be funded by commissioners. -
Nottingham University Hospitals Trust spending £3.6m more than plan on pay
FINANCE: Nottingham University Hospitals Trust is reporting an adverse variance on pay expenditure against plan of £3.602m. -
Number of A&E consultants must double to cope with new indicators
The new accident and emergency indicators will require some departments to double their A&E consultants while others will struggle to record the data without upgrading their IT, the HSJ has been told. -
PCT chair leaves for role at mental health trust
The chair of Bassetlaw primary care trust has announced he is to join its local mental health service provider – one of the largest in the country. -
PCT U-turns on plan to slash charity funding
A primary care trust has reversed a decision to cut funding to nearly 20 local charities after its strategic health authority agreed to provide short term financial support. -
Price rivalry ‘could raise death rates’
The decision to let NHS hospitals compete with each other on price from next year threatens to harm care and raise death rates, experts warn. -
Prostate cancer monitoring scanner developed
An advanced type of body scan could help doctors decide when a man with slow-growing prostate cancer needs treatment. -
Provision of dementia health and social care brokerage support services
Lewisham Council and NHS Lewisham -
Quitters to sign contracts in smoking cessation scheme
The government is looking at a wide range of schemes to “nudge” people into adopting healthier lifestyles. -
Review of care for limbless ex-servicemen
A review of how the NHS looks after former British service personnel who lost limbs serving their country has been launched by the government. -
Rise in intensive care beds occupied by flu patients
The number of flu cases being treated in critical care beds has increased by 66 per cent in the last week, according to figures released by the Department of Health. -
Rooftop prison protests affecting trust's value for money rating
PERFORMANCE: Rooftop protests, prison lockdowns and a shortage of prisoner officers supporting the NHS have all contributed to high “did not attend” rates at Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust. -
Rush to market cancer test breakthrough
An experimental blood test that can spot a single cancer cell among a billion healthy ones has taken a step closer to being brought to market. -
Scottish health bodies spent £11m on leasing cars
Scottish health boards and NHS bodies spent almost £11m on leasing vehicles including Jaguars, Mercedes and BMWs last year, new figures have revealed. -
SHA did not have 'hidden agenda'
South West Strategic Health Authority has been cleared of having any improper influence over the dismissal of a hospital chief executive. -
Social care directors back statutory wellbeing boards
Social services directors have welcomed the government’s decision that there will be a statutory duty on local authorities to create health and wellbeing boards. -
SOS call made to 4x4 owners over nurses
Drivers of 4x4s have been urged to come forward and provide a vital volunteer taxi service for stranded nurses. -
Surrey mental FT appoints new chair
A former chair of multinational Unilever has been appointed to head the board at a Surrey mental health foundation trust. -
'The NHS is every health secretary's trainset'
The NHS, always in danger of becoming every health secretary’s trainset, faces yet another major reorganisation. The idea is that GPs will lead the quality and safety and value for money charge that will be needed over the next five, perhaps 10, years. -
Tim Riley on GP attitudes to commissioning consortia
The reservations about the establishment of commissioning consortia are not uniformly expressed among all GP colleagues. -
Trusts warned not to neglect patient experience
Hospital trusts should not neglect efforts to improve patient experience, as it can lead to savings and also improve quality, according to the NHS Confederation. -
Value based pricing could cost the NHS more
The planned new value based pricing system for approving drugs to be funded by the NHS could end up costing the NHS more, the Department of Health’s own impact assessment states. -
Vulnerable young people reluctant to get flu jab
Young people are at a greater risk from swine flu than the over-60s but are more reluctant to get vaccinated, an expert has warned. -
Waiting times tracker: analysis of seasonal effects
An important issue in understanding trends in waiting times - and what may be influencing changes since June - is seasonal variations. -
Wide variation found in outpatient attendance
Attendance rates for outpatient appointments vary significantly between trusts and regions, analysis by Dr Foster and HSJ reveals.
