Health Service Journal
7 February 2008
View all stories from this issue.
-
All Our Yesterdays
February 6, 1948, Public Assistance Journal and Health & Hospital Review "The fact has to be faced that the education of the wartime generation pf schoolchildren necessarily suffered a severe setback…Thanks are due to the devoted efforts of teachers and all others concerned with the service that this loss was not far greater than it was. But the chance to repair the damage has been greatly increased by the outstanding success of the School Medical Service in defending the -
Andrew Jones on screening and strategy
The 60th birthday of the NHS has been talked about for so long that you could be forgiven if, like me, you thought it was going to be last year. 2008 was only a few days old when both party leaders flashed their health policy credentials. -
Andrew Jones on screening and strategy
The 60th birthday of the NHS has been talked about for so long that you could be forgiven if, like me, you thought it was going to be last year. 2008 was only a few days old when both party leaders flashed their health policy credentials. -
Apprenticeships bring new skills to the health sector
More and more healthcare employers are realising that apprenticeships offer a workforce development solution that supports new ways of delivering services and improving patient care. -
Apprenticeships bring new skills to the health sector
More and more healthcare employers are realising that apprenticeships offer a workforce development solution that supports new ways of delivering services and improving patient care. -
Breaking bread - the way to bridge cultural differences
Cooking helps faiths and peoples integrate. It's a great way to learn about others and ourselves, says acclaimed food writer Claudia Roden -
Breaking bread - the way to bridge cultural differences
Cooking helps faiths and peoples integrate. It's a great way to learn about others and ourselves, says acclaimed food writer Claudia Roden -
Bromley Hospitals trust fails cleanliness spot check
Bromley Hospitals trust has been rapped for breaching the hygiene code after a Healthcare Commission spot check. -
BUPA wins first deal to support commissioners
Hillingdon primary care trust has signed a three-year deal with BUPA to help it commission services. -
Cambodia
In the second of series on volunteering abroad, Patricia Sloan talks about how she is settling in to a new life in Cambodia.It is exactly two months since I left from Manchester Airport outward bound for Phnom Penh and into the unknown. I had spent the weeks prior to departure saying good bye to family and friends and then embarked on my life as a volunteer with Voluntary Service Overseas for the next two years.While this may seem like a relatively long period of t -
Council opposes East Sussex maternity plans
Changes to maternity services in East Sussex have been put on hold after the county council's health scrutiny committee referred the plans to the health secretary. -
DH vows to right chaos in IT strategy management
No one is taking responsibility for the NHS's information strategy, the Department of Health's informatics review has been told. -
Don't get hooked on Polish workers, professor warns
Workforce planners have been warned not to get 'hooked' on eastern European labour because the supply of foreign workers is likely to dwindle. -
Emma Dent on NHS pride
One of the ironic things about writing about healthcare for a living is that if you are well yourself, you rarely get to see ill health in the raw. -
Focus on targets instead of patients led to health scandals
NHS managers implicated in serious care failings are too often focused on targets and mergers instead of patients, the Healthcare Commission has warned. -
Help us identify the NHS's biggest figures
In the first week of July, when the NHS will celebrate its diamond jubilee, HSJ will be publishing the names of the 60 most influential figures in the service's history, and we would like your help in drawing up the roll of honour. -
HSJ talks to NHS Networks head Edna Robinson
Whether leading from the front or prompting from the side, Edna Robinson's goal has always been joined-up thinking, she tells Stuart Shepherd -
Johnson writes to GPs
Health secretary Alan Johnson has written to GPs advising them to accept the deal the BMA rejected before Christmas or risk losing up to£35,000 of practice income.The deal would require the practices to provide an extra 30 minutes consultation time per week per 1,000 patients (around 3 hours for the average practice) in return for a 1.5% rise in practice income.If GPs fail to accept the offer, Mr -
Local control puts boards under the spotlight
The drive for local autonomy means non-executives and chairs are under ever-closer scrutiny. The body charged with recruiting them hopes to prepare them through improved selection and training -
Low pay rates blamed for shortage of clinical coders
Trusts have complained that they cannot recruit and retain enough qualified clinical coders because Agenda for Change pay rates do not let them offer attractive wages. -
Making 2008 the year of race equality in the NHS
With the new year come new opportunities to improve the health service and strengthen its commitment to racial equality. Helen Hally shares her NHS wish list for 2008 -
Making 2008 the year of race equality in the NHS
With the new year come new opportunities to improve the health service and strengthen its commitment to racial equality. Helen Hally shares her NHS wish list for 2008 -
Malcolm Lowe-Lauri on the need for evidence
There's a scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where a king has an errant son under guard. After a father-son exchange, he prepares to leave and asks the guards to stay with his son. After walking a short distance, he turns to find them walking behind him. There follows an absurd conversation in which he fails to get them to do what he asks. -
Media Watch: agency nurses
Agency nurses are raking it in with some hospitals paying them more than £120 an hour, according to figures obtained by the Conservatives. -
Michael White on social care's big year
This is a big year for social care, possibly the biggest for a generation, says minister Ivan Lewis whenever he gets the chance. 'We've got to get it right.' -
Mobile data security in the NHS
What is the best way to protect confidential patient data on mobile devices? Caroline Ikomi looks at the essentials -
Mobile data security in the NHS
What is the best way to protect confidential patient data on mobile devices? Caroline Ikomi looks at the essentials -
New target regime should give trusts local freedom
The Department of Health has released delayed guidance on new 'vital signs' performance indicators which aim to give trusts more freedom to set local goals with less interference from the top.Under the new operating framework, trusts will be judged on three tiers of 'vital signs' - and can set local priorities for the first time. -
NHS mountain bikes could ride to the climate's rescue
The health service should consider giving people NHS-branded bicycles to help them get fit and contribute to tackling climate change, according to an organiser of a landmark conference on sustainability and the NHS. -
nurse nib
Barts and the London trust says a policy that allows nurses to discharge patients without the need to wait for a doctor has already saved the trust thousands of pounds and helped free up hospital beds. Under the scheme senior nurses can discharge patients using clear criteria agreed with medical staff. -
Patient reports are simple and useful
Despite all the data flowing around the NHS, the question of whether the patient feels better after a procedure is an extremely difficult one to answer. Some clinicians keep their own records, but more often than not they are interested only in whether what they did was successful from their perspective, not what benefit the patient perceived. -
Paul Jennings on bringing the foundation trust model to PCTs
Creating a membership organisation has helped one primary care trust increase public involvement in decision-making -
Paul Jennings on bringing the foundation trust model to PCTs
Creating a membership organisation has helped one primary care trust increase public involvement in decision-making -
'Pay for performance' could be next, says NHS medical director
The NHS medical director has warned managers of the national clinical audit programme that they 'must deliver' or they could lose their contract. -
Raj Persaud on bearing bad news
Delivering bad news can be even more stressful and upsetting than receiving it -
Recipes for success from Race for Health
Why not click through and cook the latest fantastic meal from Race for Health? It's the NHS's flagship programme for supporting better health in black and minority ethnic communities. Each month includes a new easy-to-prepare dish plus a faith calendar, key facts and best practice from one of Race for Health's 19 PCTs. Download every month for a healthier, more diverse diet. -
Recipes for success from Race for Health
Why not click through and cook the latest fantastic meal from Race for Health? It's the NHS's flagship programme for supporting better health in black and minority ethnic communities. Each month includes a new easy-to-prepare dish plus a faith calendar, key facts and best practice from one of Race for Health's 19 PCTs. Download every month for a healthier, more diverse diet. -
Regulator told to include public in its work
The National Consumer Council has called on the Healthcare Commission to move beyond the 'rhetoric' of public engagement to ensure services meet patients' needs rather than those of regulators. -
Richard Craven on extending out-of-hours services
Developing innovative clinics and treatment centres will only improve patients' access to care if we also provide clear guidance on how to use these services appropriately -
Richard Craven on extending out-of-hours services
Developing innovative clinics and treatment centres will only improve patients' access to care if we also provide clear guidance on how to use these services appropriately -
Scotland's personal care policy questioned
Scotland's flagship free personal care policy needs to be better funded and managed if it is to work in the future, the public spending watchdog warned last week. A report from Audit Scotland reveals budget shortfalls and ambiguities in the way the policy was implemented. -
Sexuality - stamping out discrimination in the workplace
Equality campaigns in health and social care have often overlooked the issue of sexuality and it is time that this changed, says Blair McPherson -
Sexuality - stamping out discrimination in the workplace
Equality campaigns in health and social care have often overlooked the issue of sexuality and it is time that this changed, says Blair McPherson -
Sharp rise in untreated hypertension
The annual health survey for England has revealed that 2006 saw a large rise in the number of people with high blood pressure going untreated. -
Six firms shortlisted for £80m NHS Choices contract
Six companies have been shortlisted to run the Department of Health's NHS Choices website, HSJ can reveal. -
Social movements in the health service
A hospital division has achieved unified working by agreeing a charter for staged change, write Jon Baber and Mary Sexton -
Stephen Ramsden on punitive processes
How best can we drive up quality and safety in the NHS? The Darzi review will be important in determining the right balance between regulation and organisationally driven approaches. This is not an either/or scenario. We need both, but too much regulation will be counter-productive and demoralising to staff. -
This week's lookey likey
Another footballing lookey likey this week. The lure of Newcastle was not enough to tempt Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp to the north east. But oddly enough that fine region is the former base of Department of Health director general of NHS finance, performance and operations David Flory, to whom a reader has suggested Mr Redknapp bears a strking resemblance. -
Unison takes Monitor to court in wake of income cap silence
Unison has launched judicial review proceedings against foundation trust regulator Monitor in a bid to stop trusts using arm's-length organisations to expand private patient work. -
UnitedHealth wins more GP deals
UnitedHealth has been awarded a second contract to run a GP surgery in Derbyshire and contracts to run three surgeries in north London. -
Value for many - improving learning difficulties services
A consultation on learning difficulties services seeks to help most service users to live in the community, while increasing monitoring and support. Mark Gould reports -
Volunteering in Cambodia: surviving the first two months
In the second of a series on volunteering abroad in the health service, Patricia Sloan talks about her new life in Cambodia and shares photos from her adventure -
Volunteering in Cambodia: surviving the first two months
In the second of a series on volunteering abroad in the health service, Patricia Sloan talks about her new life in Cambodia and shares photos from her adventure -
Who foots the bill: establishing responsibility for patient care
Delaying admission while PCTs decide who should pay disrupts care and adds to bureaucracy. Should we look to local government for guidance? Lynn Eaton reports -
World class credibility gap
Management and leadership are a lot about clarifying a desired future and then helping people and organisations to get there. -
World class credibility gap
Management and leadership are a lot about clarifying a desired future and then helping people and organisations to get there. -
World class credibility gap in the NHS
Management and leadership are a lot about clarifying a desired future and then helping people and organisations to get there. 'Clarity' and 'help' are not used often enough to describe NHS management. However, 'world class commissioning' does not clarify or help. It is likely to become 'wc' commissioning and be part of a 'wc' credibility gap, argues Paul Knutson -
World class credibility gap in the NHS
Management and leadership are a lot about clarifying a desired future and then helping people and organisations to get there. 'Clarity' and 'help' are not used often enough to describe NHS management. However, 'world class commissioning' does not clarify or help. It is likely to become 'wc' commissioning and be part of a 'wc' credibility gap, argues Paul Knutson
