Health Service Journal
9 June 2011
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49 cancelled ops at Papworth FT due to 'staffing issues'
PERFORMANCE: Staffing issues were largely responsible for cancelled cardiac operations at Papworth Hospital FT, according to board papers. -
A collaborative spirit between trusts and local government in the South West
NHS organisations in the South West appear to be embracing the drive for closer working between the health service and local authorities. -
A guide to achieving maximum value from NHS estate
With the NHS and planning system changing so fast, there is no time like the present to engage with change to maximise capital value. Richard Baxter offers some guidance. -
Alan Johnson 'put pressure on regulator to keep quiet on Mid Staffs deaths'
Former health secretary Alan Johnson put pressure on the Healthcare Commission not to publish controversial figures suggesting up to 1,200 people had died unnecessarily at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, the public inquiry was told. -
Andrew Lansley to speak at Commissioning Show 2011 - HSJ subscriber free ticket offer
Andrew Lansley will address hundreds of GPs and health professionals at the Commissioning Show 2011 in his first speech since the government’s “listening exercise” ended - and HSJ is offering subscribers the opportunity to attend for free. -
Arthritis Research UK launches new range of patient information resources
A health charity is addressing the information needs of arthritis patients head on, with a series of booklets designed to provide clear, relevant and authoritative information to -
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust facing £10.1m specialist drugs shortfall
FINANCE: The east London organisation lost an arbitration case brought against commissioners, the Outer North East London cluster. -
Berkshire East misses surplus target after prescribing overspend
FINANCE: Berkshire East primary care trust fell £2m short of its surplus target for 2010-11 after overspending on its prescribing budget and encountering delays in the establishment of an urgent care centre. -
Berkshire West misses C difficile target
PERFORMANCE: Berkshire West PCT exceeded its target on C difficile cases in 2010-11, and underperformed on immunisation, despite strong overall performance on key indicators. -
Berkshire West PCT reports rise in pressure ulcers
PERFORMANCE: Berkshire West primary care trust has reported an increase in serious untoward incidents (SUIs), including a rise in the number of recorded pressure ulcers during 2010-11. -
BMA GP chief: Prime minister NHS changes 'welcome'
British Medical Association GP representatives have voted to reserve judgement on the government’s NHS reform until full details of its U-turn are clear. -
Bournemouth and Poole considers regional shared services
COMMERCIAL: NHS Bournemouth and Poole is set to enter a four year contract with NHS Shared Services for its finance accounting and payroll services. -
Calls for government action over Southern Cross future
The government will be urged to show leadership to help secure the future of staff and residents at Southern Cross care homes as the company struggles under mounting debts. -
Cambridgeshire community services predicts early deficits
FINANCE: Cambridgeshire Community Services Trust is predicting deficits in the first two months of the financial year, according to board papers. -
Cameron criticised over test wait rise
The prime minister has come under fire from Labour after figures emerged showing the number of patients waiting over six weeks for diagnostic tests had risen. -
Cameron handling of NHS a 'catalogue of broken promises' - Healey
David Cameron was accused of breaking his promises on the NHS as he announced changes to the controversial package of reforms. -
Cameron to outline 'personal guarantees' on NHS
The prime minister will set out to reassure patients and healthcare professionals that the NHS remains safe in his hands by offering five personal “guarantees” at a keynote speech later today. -
Cancer treatment disadvantage for older patients
Older cancer patients are less likely to survive due to inadequate treatment, according to a review released today. -
CCP sets date to assess Barts, Whipps and Newham merger plans
STRUCTURE: The Co-operation and Competition Panel are inviting submissions from interested parties about the three-trust merger by June 15th. -
Central reform principles are 'not controversial'
The principles at the centre of the proposed NHS reforms are not the cause of continued controversy and opposition. -
Centralising blood services could help trusts achieve huge savings
The number of full service transfusion laboratories in England could be cut from 220 to just 30 if a system about to be piloted by NHS Blood and Transplant in partnership with NHS trusts proves successful. -
Commissioning board to constrain consortia powers if 'not ready'
The NHS Commissioning Board is likely to place extensive restrictions on the powers of commissioning consortia in cases where it believes they are “not ready” to take on their new role, HSJ understands. -
Continuing the valuable work memory clinics provide for dementia patients
Memory clinics have produced proven results in early diagnosis and intervention for patients suffering memory loss symptoms - but many face a battle to continue improving quality without funding. Seraphim Patel and colleagues from Central and North West London Foundation Trust report. -
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership reports surplus
FINANCE: Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust has reported a £149,000 surplus in the first month of 2011-12, after reporting a rise in staff vacancies. -
CQC finds care of elderly patients lacking at more trusts
PERFORMANCE: The Care Quality Commission has criticised two trusts for not feeding elderly patients properly. -
CQC tells Barnsley Hospital to improve nutrition standards
PERFORMANCE: The Care Quality Commission has told Barnsley Hospital Foundation Trust to improve its nutrition standards following an inspection. -
Date approaches for Royal Brompton legal challenge over service review
STRUCTURE: The Royal Brompton & Harefield Foundation Trust will on July 14 apply for permission for a judicial review of the proposal to end paediatric cardiac surgery at the trust. -
East Lancs Hospitals amber-green against foundation trust standards
PERFORMANCE: The trust’s February performance would have been rated amber-green against foundation trust regulator Monitor’s compliance framework, a report to its April board meeting states. -
East Midlands trusts aiming to clamp down on A&E underperformance
Scrapping the national target to keep accident and emergency waits below four hours has failed to ease the pressure on trusts and commissioners in the East Midlands. -
Exclusive: dozens of trusts missed savings targets in 2010-11
Trusts missed 2010-11’s efficiency targets by nearly 10 per cent before even tougher demands came into force this year, an HSJ analysis reveals. -
Exclusive: FT income busts target as pay drives costs over plan
Foundation trusts took more than half a billion over-plan in income in 2010-11, a Monitor report seen by HSJ reveals. -
Exclusive: Future Forum to suggest 'pragmatic' solutions to deaneries crisis
The NHS Future Forum is due to recommend that interim measures are put in place quickly to prevent the quality of training from suffering as strategic health authorities wind down. -
Exclusive: GP commissioning consortia boards must contain a doctor and nurse
David Cameron has announced a radical reworking of the government’s NHS reform plans which will give hospital doctors and nurses mandated places on GP commissioning consortium boards. -
Foundation blames contractor for power cut which cancelled 150 operations
PERFORMANCE: Luton and Dunstable Hospital Foundation Trust has blamed “hidden” damage to a cable by a private contractor for a power cut that hit the hospital at the end of last year. -
George Eliot sets toughest CIP in West Midlands
FINANCE: George Eliot Hospital Trust has set itself the most challenging savings targets of any trust in the West Midlands region. -
Government to set up new arm's length body
Plans to set up a new arm’s length body to house Public Health England may not go far enough to ensure its independence and could cost the government lost income, experts have warned. -
GP commissioning 'poses new data risks'
The ability of GP commissioning consortia to manage information has been called into question by a Department of Health regulator. -
Great Western falls foul of CQC review
PERFORMANCE: Great Western Hospitals Foundation Trust has been ordered to improve arrangements for patient dignity and privacy following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission. -
Health secretary sets sights on improved dementia care
Improving care for older people and support for those with dementia is a “personal priority” for the Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon, she has told a conference. -
Heart of England failing on handover times
PERFORMANCE: Heart of England Foundation Trust is failing to achieve 30 minute handovers in nearly half of cases. -
Historic debts threaten West Herts FT application
FINANCE: Debt and liquidity issues at West Hertfordshire Hospitals are listed as factors in an agreement about the trust’s foundation trust application. -
Hospital doctors set to have role in consortia authorisation
The Department of Health is considering giving hospital doctors a say in the authorisation of GP consortia, the NHS medical director has said. -
Huddersfield FT meets standards in CQC dignity and nutrition review
PERFORMANCE: The Care Quality Commission has found Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust compliant in an inspection of dignity and nutrition standards, but has recommended some improvements. -
Increase in emergency admissions significantly above plan, says NHS Bassetlaw
PERFORMANCE: NHS Bassetlaw is reporting a significant increase in emergency admissions. -
Independent inquiry into care home abuse possible
The abuse of residents at a care home for people with learning disabilities exposed on television may receive an independent inquiry, the government has admitted. -
Lewisham Healthcare Trust still has £4.1m gap in this year's savings plan
FINANCE: The trust’s finance report said the hole in this financial year’s cost improvement programme was only offset by a reserve of £2m. -
Lord Owen urges Lib Dems to quash Health Bill
SDP founder Lord Owen has called on Liberal Democrat MPs to vote down the government’s NHS reforms, even if they are substantially changed. -
Luton and Dunstable FT pulls back on workforce savings
WORKFORCE: Luton and Dunstable FT has admitted it has now has “less confidence” in its plans to reduce workforce expenditure as part of its efficiency savings. -
Media Watch: elderly care abuse revelations dominate discussion
The Daily Telegraph started the weekend with a rare morsel of good news for Andrew Lansley. -
Michael White: Southern Cross is a victim of financial engineering
Things may finally be changing but, until the GMB union and Ed Miliband got stuck in this week, I have been repeatedly astonished by the failure to link the care homes crisis to the fate of Andrew Lansley’s bill. -
Ministers warned over blood service changes
Health ministers have been warned that people could stop giving blood if they believe private firms will profit from their goodwill. -
Monitor duty to support integration of care
Monitor will be given a new duty to consider integration within the NHS and with social care, as part of the government’s changes to the Health Bill. -
NAO find targets led to a 'skewed' approach
Ambulances were dispatched unnecessarily on more than two million occasions in a year because of a “skewed” approach to performance management caused by response time targets. -
Neurology care criticised by RCP
The standard of care for UK patients with conditions such as migraines, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease is inadequate to support patient needs, according to a new report. -
New adult care legislation to be pushed through
The introduction of legal protections for adults in care is to be brought forward following revelations of abuse at a Bristol residential hospital, the government has indicated. -
New MRSA strain discovered in British cows' milk
Scientists have discovered a new strain of the MRSA “superbug” in the milk of British cows, research published today says. -
NHS Bournemouth and Poole underspend by £5.4m
FINANCE: NHS Bournemouth and Poole delivered an underspend of £5.4m and exceeded its management costs savings target by £71,000 during 2010-11. -
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly social enterpise stalls
STRUCTURE: NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly has delayed approving the transfer of its community services to a social enterprise until the end of June. -
NHS East Sussex Downs and Weald achieved £2.6m surplus
FINANCE: The primary care trust said it recorded a surplus of £2.6m for the 12 months ending 31 March 2011. -
NHS reforms behind GP retirement plans
More than half of GPs planning to retire in the next two years have cited NHS reform as a reason for them going, early findings from a major British Medical Association survey suggest. -
NHS Wandsworth plans Referral Management Centre
FINANCE: The south west London primary care trust has invited expressions of interest to bid for a £3m two-year contract for the call centre. -
North Lincs health and social care centre set for October opening
STRUCTURE: A name has been chosen for North Lincolnshire PCT’s new health and social care centre, and it is due to open in October. -
North Tees awaits government guarantee for hospital build
COMMERCIAL: North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust has discussed the underwriting of its proposed private finance initiative scheme with the Department of Health, and is hoping for an agreement within weeks. -
PCT rejects Sainsbury's GP surgery bid because of privacy and hygiene concerns
COMMERCIAL: A primary care trust has rejected a bid by Sainsbury’s to open a GP surgery in one of its supermarkets due to extensive concerns over hygiene and privacy. -
Performance pay for GPs risks patient trust in doctors, says BMA
The government risks damaging the relationship between doctors and patients if it pushes ahead with “unethical” performance-related pay, a union has warned. -
PFI 'barriers' to FT status affecting fewer than 10 trusts
Claims by more than half of the trusts that argued private finance initiatives were a barrier to their obtaining foundation trust status cannot be justified, an insider has revealed to HSJ. -
PM pledge means no change on 18 week target
The Department of Health has confirmed that there will be no reintroduction of national performance management for the 18 week referral to treatment target, after prime minister David Cameron pledged to retain the limit. -
PM to renew NHS reform drive
David Cameron will launch a fresh bid to shore up support for the health service reforms this week, as a political showdown looms over the controversial set of changes. -
Public Health England 'will not be trusted' as part of the DH
Leading public health experts have called for Public Health England to be independent of the Department of Health in order to maintain public confidence. -
RDE laundry is a money spinner
COMMERCIAL: The Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust is looking to boost its non NHS income through its laundry and children’s nursery. -
Reform changes may threaten what little progress is being made
What is the real impact of GP consortium commissioning on NHS services? Not the claim and counter-claim of the political battle, which is largely focused on imagined utopias or dystopias of the medium term, but the change being experienced by patients and staff? -
Restoring order: how a commissioning senate can lead a smooth transition to consortia
The transition away from PCTs ahead of 2013 is already proving to be one of turmoil. NHS Cambridgeshire have elected a group of eight GPs to form a commissioning senate that will help smooth the way as consortia emerge. -
Royal College commissioning school receiving nearly £2m for GPs' training
The Royal College of GPs – which has heavily criticised the government’s NHS reform programme – has already been paid £1.5m to help teach GPs how to commission. -
Royal wedding causes deficit problem for South Warwickshire FT
FINANCE: The succession of bank holidays in April has led to a lower than expected level of elective activity at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, which is reporting an above-forecast deficit. -
Sally Gainsbury: wistful thinking on PFI
Ask an NHS finance director what they hope will come out of the McKinsey review of 22 trusts with tricky private finance initiatives and they talk wistfully about a revised market forces factor – the calculation that determines any top-up paid for delivering services in a particular area. -
Shrewsbury and Telford getting SHA support
PERFORMANCE: Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust is being supported by NHS West Midlands having struggled to meet performance standards on a number of fronts. -
Six governors elected to Doncaster and Bassetlaw
STRUCTURE: Six governors have been elected to the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospital Foundation Trust board of governors. -
South Central Ambulance 'top performing' in England
STRUCTURE: The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust has been described as the “top performing” ambulance trust in England in its tripartite formal agreement (TFA). -
South Central consortia leads involved in QIPP and given budgets
STRUCTURE: Commissioning consortia leaders have been required to take on “significant” budgets from the beginning of 2011-12, and become involved in efficiency plans. -
South Central transition costs to top £80m this year
FINANCE: NHS organisations in the South Central area have agreed to financial plans setting out more than £80m of transitional costs. -
South Warwickshire bed closure plan stalls
STRUCTURE: A plan to reduce the number of beds at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust stalled when it was forced to re-open a ward. -
Stoke on Trent makes less than a third of planned QIPP savings
FINANCE: NHS Stoke-on-Trent achieved just 30 per cent of its planned QIPP savings in 2010-11. -
Sussex Partnership launches perinatal mental health service
STRUCTURE: The mental health FT is to launch a new service designed to help women in East and West Sussex who have mental illnesses during pregnancy and in the first year of their baby’s life. -
Technology failure sees ambulance service revert to pen and paper
PERFORMANCE: An ambulance service was forced to record details of emergency calls with pen and paper for more than 24 hours after problems installing a new computer system. -
The government's failure to justify reform has left the public short of options
Huge strides have been taken to offer NHS patients a choice of different providers, but there is now a real chance of a backwards step under the coalition government, says management consultant Paul Corrigan. -
The importance of data in commissioning good care
The idea behind GP commissioning consortia is intended to improve quality of care. But without the right informatrion, consortia may well find commissioning as hard as anybody else. Ardentia founder Tom Mulhern explains. -
'The independent sector has a track record of serving patients extremely well'
The hostile opposition towards private involvement in NHS provision is growing ever louder. But politics is getting in the way of policy, and the private sector is not the villain in NHS reform, argues NHS Partners Network director David Worskett. -
Trafford PCT finance director cautions board on savings plan
FINANCE: The PCT’s finance director has warned the board its £16.1m savings plan must not be allowed to undermine services at the financially struggling Trafford Healthcare Trust. -
Trusts warned of increased legal costs as negligence claims rocket
FINANCE: The cost of litigation to the health service could rise to “unsustainable” levels due to ‘no win, no fee’ lawyers and agencies “farming” complaints against NHS organisations, HSJ has been told. -
University Hospital Birmingham's Monitor risk rating increases
FINANCE: Monitor has dropped University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust’s financial risk rating from a four to a three. The lower the number, the higher the risk that Monitor deems a trust to be. -
University Hospitals of Leicester placing health economy's A&E target at risk
PERFORMANCE: Long waits at University Hospitals of Leicester Trust’s A&E unit could lead to Leicester’s whole health economy missing its target. -
Value in modernisation: an HSJ IT supplement
HSJ’s latest information technology supplement looks at wireless technology for community healthcare workers, predictive models for patient admissions - and how the prison service is adapting an IT system used by GPs to share inmates’ medical details. -
Warwickshire PCT sets highest PCT QIPP target in region
FINANCE: NHS Warwickshire has set itself the highest QIPP saving for 2011-12 of any primary care trust in the West Midlands. -
West London Mental Health Trust says 'disaster is not imminent' on suicide risk
PERFORMANCE: The trust rated the risk of an “inability to manage suicide risk on inpatient wards” as 16 out of a possible 25 -
West Middlesex University Hospital proposes to open private patient wing
STRUCTURE; The financially challenged acute trust near Heathrow, west London, has placed an advert in the Official Journal of the European Union. -
What the Health Bill means for continuing quality improvement
If you missed the live online webchat with Andrew Lansley last week, director of the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for north west London professor Derek Bell offers an insight into the health secretary’s thoughts on what the Health Bill means for research and quality improvement in the NHS. -
Why service integration is central to improving the patient experience
Everyone, from government to health charities to individual patients, agrees that integration is a key component of successfully improving the care of patients. But the worry is that the focus on competition will push integration off the agenda. National Voices director of policy Don Redding speaks up. -
Wolverhampton City smashes QIPP target by 40 per cent
FINANCE: NHS Wolverhampton City exceeded its 2010-11 QIPP savings target by 40 per cent. -
Worcestershire Acute chief executive to retire in July
WORKFORCE: John Rostill OBE, who leads Worcester Acute hospitals NHS Trust, announced he will be stepping down at the end of July. -
York Hospitals FT praised in CQC dignity and nutrition review
PERFORMANCE: York Hospitals Foundation Trust has been praised in a Care Quality Commission review of its dignity and nutrition standards.
