Health Service Journal
9 June 2008
View all stories from this issue.
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Diagnostic waiting times fall
The number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for one of the government’s key 15 diagnostic tests fell by 22 per cent between March and April 2008, the latest waiting time statistics show. -
Distance to GPs will treble, claim Conservatives
Government plans to introduce polyclinics will treble the distance patients have to travel to see a GP, from at least half a mile to at least one and a half miles, the Conservatives have claimed. -
Families with disabled children face poverty trap
Urgent government action is needed to tackle the poverty trap faced by families with disabled children, the campaign group Every Disabled Child Matters has said. -
GP to chair palliative care group
Mayur Lakhani has been appointed as the next chair of the National Council for Palliative Care. -
Handle complaints better, ombudsman tells NHS
Parliamentary and health service ombudsman Ann Abraham today urged the NHS to improve how it handles complaints. -
Health inequalities plans announced
Health secretary Alan Johnson has announced details of £34m of spending on local programmes to tackle health inequalities, including £19m to improve life expectancy and reduce infant mortality.A national support team for alcohol will be set up to help areas with the highest rates of alcohol-related hospital admissions. -
Healthy communities fund launched
Every town in England will have the chance to bid for up to £5m for schemes to make their inhabitants healthier and more active, health minister Dawn Primarolo has announced. -
Hospital cleanliness is patients' first priority
Hospital cleanliness and low infection rates are the most important factors for patients choosing an elective care provider, new government statistics show. -
Incentivise care in poorer areas - Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats would incentivise GPs to work in deprived areas and introduce a financial premium to treat poorer patients, party leader Nick Clegg has said. -
London PCTs back Darzi vision
London's 31 primary care trusts have endorsed health minister Lord Darzi's Healthcare for London proposals and agreed to move ahead with a network of polyclinics and specialist hospitals.The move follows a six-month consultation on the plans. NHS London stressed it is a 'framework and not about specific services'. However, the 10-year strategy will involve major reconfigurations. -
Mental health services let children down
Children whose parents have serious mental illnesses are being 'failed' by the system, which does not give enough recognition and support to help them cope with their parent’s illness and their own vulnerabilities, a report from the children’s charity Barnardo’s is expected to say today. -
Moral duty drives young NHS managers
Today’s generation of young managers working in the health sector are driven more by the desire to do good than to earn a lot of money, a survey by the Chartered Management Institute has found. -
New healthcare commissioners
Three new healthcare commissioners today join the Healthcare Commission. -
NHS reforms need more time to deliver, report claims
NHS system reforms have improved management of the health service but need more time to deliver significant benefits for patients.A report published today by the Audit Commission and the Healthcare Commission says reforms such as payment by results and foundation trusts are beginning to work. But patient-focused changes such as choice and moving care closer to home need more time to deliver. -
Not enough cash for polyclinics, claim Tories
If no GP practices are closed as a result of polyclinics being opened, there will not be enough funding for the move, the Conservatives have claimed. -
Over a million sign BMA polyclinic petition
More than 1.1 million people have signed a British Medical Association petition calling on the government to halt the development of polyclinics. -
Profits boost for Boots
Pharmacy and health and beauty group Alliance Boots has announced a 20 per cent increase in profits and a 4.8 per cent increase in revenue. -
Public will decide on controversial treatments in Wales
The Welsh Assembly Government has announced plans to establish a panel made up of members of the public to decide which specialist treatments should be provided by the NHS.Health minister Edwina Hart said: “I am not one of those people who believes that lay people cannot be trusted to be involved in these sorts of decisions. I am convinced that substantially increased engagement by members of the lay public in these profoundly difficult decisions will lead to improved transparency and -
Royal College of Nursing members accept pay deal
Royal College of Nursing members have voted in favour of a government pay deal worth 7.99 per cent over three years. -
Scotland passes public health bill
Scottish Parliament has passed a new public health bill that will strengthen health board and local authority powers to act when individuals, premises or any item pose a major risk to public health. -
Statistics show variations in UK health spending
UK health and social care spending varies from £1,915 per head in England to £2,313 per head in Scotland, statistics from the Office for National Statistics have shown. -
Strategy aims to support carers
The Department of Health has launched a strategy to support Britain's 'unsung army' of carers, including cash to provide short breaks, support to get back into work and a pilot of annual health checks. More personalised support for carers will also be made available. -
Talking therapy spearheads named
The Department of Health has named 32 primary care trusts that will roll out talking therapies across the country. -
Tuberculosis undermining HIV work, says WHO
Rates of tuberculosis, especially drug-resistant forms of the disease, are threatening to undermine progress on treating people with HIV, a global leaders forum has said. -
Unite to ballot on strike
Members of Unite, the third largest NHS union, have rejected the government's 7.99 per cent three-year pay deal and voted for a ballot on industrial action.
