Health Service Journal
7 July 2008
View all stories from this issue.
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£52m for children's speech and communication services
The government has announced a £52m package to improve services for children with speech, language and communication needs.The funding is a result of the Bercow review, which found that large numbers of children and young people are failing to learn basic speech, language and communication skills and that this is radically affecting their life chances. -
Admin errors blamed for missed appointments
Administrative errors could be responsible for over half of patients with mental health problems failing to turn up for their hospital appointments, a new study claims. -
Birth rate surge puts midwives under pressure
The Royal College of Midwives has warned soaring birth rates are putting midwives under 'huge pressure'.Commenting on official statistics revealing a 16 per cent increase in births between 2001 and 2007, RCM general secretary Dame Karlene Davis said: 'The number of midwives is not keeping pace with the increasing birth rate. Indeed, we are seeing midwives' posts being lost and services being cut.' -
BMA calls for end to healthcare market
British Medical Association chair Hamish Meldrum has called for an end to the market in healthcare.Speaking at the BMA's annual conference, Dr Meldrum said the market brought 'competition not collaboration, fragmentation not continuity, inefficiency not efficiency'. He urged doctors to look at the Scottish model as an alternative. -
Cancer director seeks NHS views on top ups
National clinical director for cancer Professor Mike Richards has written to NHS chief executives and senior clinicians asking for their views on policy regarding patients wanting to supplement their NHS care with privately funded drugs. -
Care UK in £14.1m acquisition plan
Health and social care provider Care UK has conditionally agreed to acquire the whole of the Partnership Health Group in a £14.1m deal. -
Framework for promoting healthy lifestyles
The Department of Health has published a framework for action on social marketing and public health which sets out how people will be encouraged to lead healthier lifestyles. -
Funding boost for Marie Curie nursing services
The NHS has increased its funding for Marie Curie nursing services across the UK to £15m for 2008-09. -
Health informatics review published
The Department of Health has published its long-awaited review of health informatics and the national programme for IT.The review marks a change in emphasis for the IT programme and gives explicit permission to NHS organisations wanting to procure their own 'interim' systems. -
Hospital at night model adopted by 80 per cent of trusts
Almost 80 per cent of NHS trusts across England, Wales and Scotland are now using the Hospital at Night method of teamworking, a survey by NHS National Workforce Projects shows.Four NHS trusts piloted the techniques in 2003, but now Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and countries in the EU have also adopted its ideas. -
Hygiene campaign extends reach
Following a focus on acute trusts, this month the National Patient Safety Agency's clean your hands campaign is extending out to primary care, mental health, care and ambulance trusts across England and Wales. -
Increasing numbers do not realise they are overweight, research finds
More and more people are failing to recognise they are overweight, despite an actual rise in the number of people who are clinically overweight or obese, according to research from the Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London. -
Independent Reconfiguration Panel appoints chief
Richard Jeavons has been appointed as chief executive of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. -
Maternity services report highlights failings
The Healthcare Commission has published a report on the state of maternity services in England showing that inadequate staffing and poor teamwork are a systemic national problem. -
New kite mark for public sector canteens
A new kite mark is to be developed for public sector canteens that provide nutritious food and encourage healthier eating. -
NHS Choices to publish hospital mortality rates
Hospital death rates for four operations will be published for the first time on the NHS Choices website in a bid to help patients make more informed choices. -
NHS is a better employer of clergy than church, study claims
The NHS is a better employer of clergy than the Church of England, especially for people who are gay, according to new research. -
NHS still failing multiple sclerosis patients, study claims
Only a third of multiple sclerosis patients access neurological rehabilitation services, research by the Royal College of Physicians and the MS Trust has revealed. -
Orthopaedic hospital company fined
The Healthcare Commission has secured the conviction of Orthopaedic and Spine Specialty Clinic Ltd and its sole director, orthopaedic surgeon Ahmed Shair. -
Plans to reduce young people's exposure to smoking
A new report calls on the UK governments to introduce a range of tough measures aimed at reducing young people's exposure to positive images of smoking. -
Prescription drug advert complaints hold steady
Complaints about the promotion of prescription medicines remained static last year, according to figures released by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority. -
Report highlights benefits of foundation trust partnerships
Partnerships between foundation trusts and FTSE companies are delivering real benefits for organisations and patients, according to a report from the Foundation Trust Network. -
Rising birth rates put midwives under pressure
The Royal College of Midwives has warned soaring birth rates are putting midwives under 'huge pressure'.Commenting on official statistics revealing a 16 per cent increase in births between 2001 and 2007, RCM general secretary Dame Karlene Davis said: 'The number of midwives is not keeping pace with the increasing birth rate. Indeed, we are seeing midwives' posts being lost and services being cut.' -
Soaring birth rates put midwives under pressure
The Royal College of Midwives has warned soaring birth rates are putting midwives under 'huge pressure'.Commenting on official statistics revealing a 16 per cent increase in births between 2001 and 2007, RCM general secretary Dame Karlene Davis said: 'The number of midwives is not keeping pace with the increasing birth rate. Indeed, we are seeing midwives' posts being lost and services being cut.' -
Waiting times fall for key diagnostic tests
Latest figures reveal that the number of patients in England waiting more than six weeks for one of the Department of Health's 15 key diagnostic tests dropped by 2.2 per cent between April and May. -
Wales launches chronic conditions pilot
The first of three Welsh national demonstrator sites designed to develop better care for patients living with chronic conditions has been launched. -
Welsh government extends dental cash ringfencing
The Welsh Assembly has extended ringfencing of dental funds within local health board allocations for a further three years.The move is one of a series of recommendations in a report on Welsh dental provision published today. -
World Health Organisation carries out radiation exercise
The World Health Organisation has completed a two-day emergency radiation exercise today involving a simulated accident at the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant in Mexico.
