Health Service Journal
19 July 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals extends CSC whiteboard
COMMERCIAL: Technology firm CSC is to roll out its e-whiteboard system to a further 27 wards at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, under a four-year contract with Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust. -
Jackie Daniel to take Morecambe Bay chief exec job
WORKFORCE: Jackie Daniel, the chief executive of Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, is moving to troubled foundation trust University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay from the start of August. -
£3.3 million surplus for Newcastle hospitals
FINANCE: Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals FT had a £3.3 million surplus at the end of May this year, according to the latest financial report to the trust’s Council of Governors. -
Analysed: review aims to improve stroke services in the Midlands and East
HSJ Local Briefing is our new in-depth analysis of key issues facing some of the major NHS health economies. This week we examine plans to review stroke services across the Midlands region to try and improve the standard of care and save more lives. -
Arden commissioners plan to axe children's services at George Eliot
STRUCTURE: Commissioners in Warwickshire are consulting on plans to close children’s services at the troubled George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton. -
Bidders compete to take over contract of 'first' ever NHS social enterprise
The contract of the “first” social enterprise to be formed out of the NHS has been put out to tender, with commissioners set to shortlist bidders within the next three weeks. -
BMA suspends industrial action and joins pensions talks
The British Medical Association has announced it is “suspending plans for further industrial action” and will join talks between other health unions and government about the detail of pension reform proposals. -
Bristol pathology plans approved
STRUCTURE: Plans to consolidate pathology services in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire have won the backing of the national clinical director for pathology. -
Cambridge trust warned about surgical safety
PERFORMANCE: One of the country’s most prestigious teaching hospitals may be putting patients at risk because of inconsistent use of surgical check lists, the Care Quality Commission has warned. -
Can outsourcing outpatient dispensing play a role in delivering QIPP?
HSJ and The Co-operative Pharmacy want your opinion on outsourcing outpatient pharmacy dispensing. -
Caution over funding for social care reform
The cost of reforming social care should only be met by the NHS if there is also a wider move towards fully integrated services, HSJ has been told. -
CCG authorisation 'support' could see powers taken back
Clinical commissioning groups may be given “support” including having managers imposed on them or their functions removed, it has been confirmed. -
Chemo patients boost thanks to charity
PERFORMANCE: Chemotherapy patients at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital will not have to wait as long for treatment thanks to a charity donation of £41,631. -
Commissioning board plans new improvement body to drive efficiency
The NHS Commissioning Board is preparing to launch a new organisation to promote and spread innovation in a bid to orchestrate a “system-wide response” to make services sustainable. -
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership to integrate teams
STRUCTURE: Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust is planning to integrate its children’s physiotherapy an occupational therapy services. -
CQC criticises emergency care and leadership at Morecambe Bay
Regulators have called for improved standards and leadership at the troubled University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust. -
CQC reveals abortion law breaches
Doctors in 14 trusts pre-signed abortion documents before assessing whether patients met the legal requirements to have their pregnancies terminated, the health watchdog has found. -
Curbs proposed on council powers over NHS reconfiguration
The Department of Health has begun consultation on regulations that would significantly check local government’s power to refer controversial NHS reconfigurations to the health secretary. -
David Stout: what did PCTs ever do for us?
During the famous sketch in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, a freedom fighter asks his conspirators what the Romans have ever done for the people of Judea. -
Dehydration patient died after staff 'failures'
PERFORMANCE: A man died of dehydration after being neglected by medical staff, a coroner has ruled. -
DH due to reconsider NWAS foundation trust bid this week
STRUCTURE: The Department of Health was due to reconsider the trust’s bid for foundation status yesterday (11 July), latest NHS North of England board papers show. -
Exclusive: CCP research suggests competition improves hospital services
Research by the NHS Cooperation and Competition Panel, shared exclusively with HSJ, claims to provide new insight into the mechanism by which competitive pressure improves hospital services. -
Exclusive: trust development body appoints senior NHS staff to top team
The NHS Trust Development Authority has appointed a series of senior NHS staff to its top team, HSJ can reveal. -
Five companies in the running for Nottingham ITC
STRUCTURE: Five companies have progressed through to the next stage of the process to operate the Nottingham Independent Treatment Centre. -
FTN appoints new chief executive
The Foundation Trust Network has appointed Chris Hopson, former communications director of HM Revenue and Customs, to be its new chief executive. -
GEM CSS leader appointed
WORKFORCE: John Parkes has been appointed managing director of the Greater East Midlands commissioning support service. -
Governance rating 'damaged' reputation of FT
PERFORMANCE: Managers at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals FT claim a decision to downgrade its governance rating to amber/red, has had a “damaging effect” on the reputation of the trust. -
Health minister faces vote of confidence
Wales’ health minister, Lesley Griffiths, is to face a vote of no confidence from opposition parties in the Welsh Assembly. -
Health spend to soar even if efficiency rises - OBR
Health spending is set to soar over the next half century even if the NHS becomes more efficient, the Office of Budget Responsibility has warned. -
Heatherwood FT hits emergency target
PERFORMANCE: Heatherwood and Wexham Park Foundation Trust hit accident and emergency targets in April and was on target in May. -
Helping the NHS plan for positive patient experience
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust chief medical officer Jonathan Fielden asks Stephen Murphy what Virgin can teach the NHS about customer care and innovation to practice. -
High activity levels put SCAS under strain
PERFORMANCE: High levels of emergency demand have caused the South Central Ambulance Service to miss a key response time indicator. -
How to ensure quality is kept in place
The quality governance framework is an excellent way of ensuring high-quality care is in place – the key is using it properly, writes Kate Hall. -
How to improve variation in inappropriate admission performance
Paul Fitzsimmons explores the rate of inappropriate inpatient admissions associated with diabetes and discusses why CCGs must know how to harness information and to act on it. -
Junior doctors raising patient safety fears
One in 20 junior doctors is concerned about patient safety at the place where they train, it has emerged. -
Kicking habits: a special report on NHS drug services
This special report on drug services, in association with Reckitt Benckiser, is a timely look at new and changing approaches to treating addiction and commissioning addiction treatments. -
Labour will reverse Health Act, says Burnham
Labour will scrap the government’s flagship reforms of the NHS if they come into power at the next general election, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has said. -
Leeds Hospitals 'underachieve' against 18 weeks
PERFORMANCE: Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust has underachieved against the target to treat 90 per cent of elective inpatients within 18 weeks. -
Leicester Trust opens special elderly emergency rooms
Two specialist treatment rooms have been opened at the University Hospitals of Leicester Trust to provide emergency care to elderly patients. -
Long waiters 'urgency' at Newcastle Hospitals
PERFORMANCE: Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust has a number of patients waiting longer than 52 weeks, its strategic health authority has said. -
Media Watch: workforce woes go beyond Olympics
With the harsh media spotlight trained on Olympics security firm G4S, you’d think the NHS could have a week off. No such luck. -
Mersey Care appoints two new board members
WORKFORCE: Two new members have been appointed to the Mersey Care board, to oversee the trust’s strategic direction and statutory obligations as it bids to make foundation trust status by April 2014. -
Michael White: looking to the Lords for inspiration
Watching the unfolding drama of the Lords reform battle in the depths of an economic crisis one is tempted to look back at another of the coalition’s time-consuming distractions from the main event in a kinder light. “Come back Health and Social Care Bill, all is slightly forgiven.” -
Michael White: much ado about almost nothing - 0.02pc
I’m puzzled. MPs got themselves into a tizz on Monday over, among other things, whether or not spending on the NHS fell by £26m in the financial year 2011-12. That is a very trivial sum indeed in the big picture context of the NHS’s overall budget, let alone the world economic crisis. -
Mid Staffs medical director criticises doctors' 'self-preservation'
Doctors are turning a blind eye to poor practice to protect their own jobs, according to Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust’s medical director. -
Mid Yorks plans to reopen Pontefract A&E
STRUCTURE: Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has announced it will pay GPs with emergency skills to staff its A&E unit at Pontefract Hospital overnight. -
Ming Tang appointed as MD to South Yorkshire CSS
WORKFORCE: Ming Tang has been appointed as managing director of the South Yorkshire NHS commissioning support service. -
NHS North moves to downgrade Trafford General A&E
NHS North of England has approved plans to remove accident and emergency services and all inpatient surgery from Trafford General Hospital, known as the “birthplace of the NHS”. -
NHS South Gloucestershire pilots reablement with partners
STUCTURE: NHS South Gloucestershire is working with South Gloucestershire Council and local older people’s charity Brunelcare to pilot a new reablement service. -
NHS Sussex to establish funding reserve for CCGs
FINANCE: NHS Sussex is set to establish an official reserve to transfer funds between clinical commissioning groups and help implement a two-year plan to get finances back on track. -
Noel Plumridge: when risk assessment goes awry
Shouldn’t it have been highlighted in the risk assessment? How come the monitoring process didn’t highlight it? -
North Bristol fails stroke target
PERFORMANCE: Just 74.2 per cent of stroke patients at North Bristol Trust spent 90 per cent of their time on a stroke unit in April against a target of 80 per cent. -
North Bristol Trust management criticised over new IT system
North Bristol Trust’s management failed to recognise the scale of change involved in switching to a new patient record system, leading to months of chaos in theatres and outpatients, an independent review has found. -
North West local authorities seek rethink on public health funding
A group of local authorities are calling for a change to the proposed formula for public health funding, after research revealed it would be likely to transfer resources from poor to rich areas. -
People of the future: an HSJ roundtable debate
Encouraging the crew not to abandon the ship is critical for the NHS in these times. Ingrid Torjesen reports on an HSJ roundtable debate, in association with HCL Solutions, over the future of the healthcare workforce. -
People power: how to make better use of patient experience
It is the commitment of leaders, not the use of surveys, that will properly harness the power of patient experience, argue Seraphim J. Rose Patel and colleagues. -
'Poor patient experience is a clinical time bomb'
The ex-Virgin chief executive Stephen Murphy believes the firm can wed its customer service know-how with the NHS’s clinical excellence to improve care across the health spectrum, writes Daloni Carlisle. -
Preferred bidder chosen for electronic patient records
Nottingham University has chosen its preferred bidder to provide a new patient administration system across its hospitals as part of a 10 to 15 year contract. -
Private provider to deal with Gloucestershire Hospitals test backlog
PERFORMANCE: An independent provider has been commissioned to run weekend lists for endoscopies after Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust repeatedly breached the target. -
Queen to open £545m QEHB hospital
The Queen will officially name a new £545 million NHS hospital as she continues the latest leg of her national Diamond Jubilee tour. -
Readers' letters – 19 July 2012
The information strategy has put data centre stage – but it is missing vital details on how it will be used; plus, why the voluntary sector is a hidden role -
Regional pay would threaten £10bn loss to economy
The economy could lose almost £10bn if the government presses ahead with controversial plans to introduce regional pay in the public sector, according to a new report. -
Review finds leadership tension at London provider
An investigation into leadership and governance at a London provider trust has dismissed claims of bullying, corruption and inadequate management but highlighted the “poor relationship” between board members. -
Rising GP referrals contradict Lansley claims
Emergent clinical commissioning groups have been unable to prevent GP referrals hitting a new high, contradicting repeated claims by the health secretary that they were already reducing demand for secondary care, HSJ analysis has found. -
Royal Surrey launches cancer information service
STRUCTURE: Royal Surrey County Foundation Trust has launched an information service to support cancer patients during diagnosis, treatment and beyond. -
Sally Gainsbury: for Monitor, big acutes are beautiful
In the knobbly knees line-up of NHS hospitals, big has always been beautiful. And if analysis by Monitor is anything to go by, size is becoming ever more important to financial sustainability. -
Scarborough trust underperforming on A&E ahead of merger
PERFORMANCE: Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care Trust, ahead of its acquisition by York Hospitals Foundation Trust, was missing the 4 hour accident and emergency access target. -
Serco out-of-hours service failing four CQC standards
A GP out-of-hours service run by Serco was understaffed and possibly overstating its performance, an investigation by the Care Quality Commission has found. -
'Significant' financial pressures for Kent and Medway PCTs
FINANCE: The Kent and Medway PCT cluster reported a £6.8m surplus at the end of June but highlighted “significant pressures” on finance. -
South Tees to address elective long waiters
PERFORMANCE: South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is to address a number of patients waiting longer than 52 weeks, its SHA has said. -
Stroke care overhaul planned in Midlands and East
A major review has been launched into stroke services across the Midlands and the East of England in an attempt to improve survival rates and reduce disability, HSJ has learned. -
Tough choices await CCGs hoping to reverse GP referral trend
Andrew Lansley is not the first health secretary to over-claim the benefits of his policies, neither will he be the last. -
Trial blazers: the benefits of carrying out clinical studies
Evidence suggests being active in clinical studies helps improve trusts’ performance as well as providing a potential source of income. Alison Moore finds out how trusts of all sizes can lead the way in promoting research. -
Underspend at NHS Surrey
FINANCE: NHS Surrey has reported a £2.5m underspend in the financial year to date in line with its finance plan. -
Vacant commissioning board posts endangering transition
Vital appointments to the new commissioning system have fallen further behind schedule, the NHS Commissioning Board has admitted, causing significant knock-on problems for the transition process. -
Walton Centre misses 90 per cent waiting target in April
PERFORMANCE: The trust was one of just seven across the North of England to miss the national waiting target for admitted patients in April, latest strategic health authority board papers show. -
Why now is the time to invest in community care
Care in the community will ease nursing pressures and help patients but it is not going to happen by accident, says Peter Carter -
Why physician involvement can inspire higher performing healthcare
The level of physician involvement is positively associated with better performing hospitals and improved financial management, write Peter Spurgeon and colleagues. -
Why staff policy should revolve around patient needs
The Royal College of Nursing’s head of policy and international Howard Catton talks to Ruslan Zinchenko about designing staffing policies based on patient need. -
WWL misses 90 per cent waiting target in April
PERFORMANCE: The trust was one of just seven across the North of England to miss the national waiting target for admitted patients in April, latest strategic health authority board papers show. -
Wye Valley gets a new CT scanner
COMMERCIAL: Wye Valley Trust has installed a new CT scanner for patients in Herefordshire with improved quality imaging and reduced exposure to radiation.
