Health Service Journal
5 April 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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Takeover of Trafford Healthcare Trust completed
STRUCTURE: The takeover of the Trafford Healthcare Trust by Central Manchester University Hospitals is now complete, the foundation has announced. -
£1bn national IT deal stalls
A deal designed to save the NHS more than £1bn on its contract with the National Programme for IT’s biggest provider has stalled. -
£500k spike in Bolton Health Consortium prescribing overspend
FINANCE: Bolton Health Consortium’s forecast overspend on its prescribing budget went up by £496,000 in February, to £861,000. -
Activity levels keep Bucks trust pay bill high
WORKFORCE: High levels of activity are keeping pay costs high at Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust. -
'All staff' in Berkshire cluster to transfer to new bodies
WORKFORCE: All primary care trust staff not moving to the NHS Commissioning Board, clinical commissioning groups or local government will go to the commissioning support service, one group of PCT clusters has said. -
All-foundation trust NHS plans are 'at significant risk'
The government’s plan to see all NHS providers attain foundation trust status remains “at significant risk”, foundation trust regulator Monitor has warned. -
Assura win Coventry community services contract
STRUCTURE: Assura Coventry have won a contract to provide the last remaining primary care trust-run community service centres in the Arden cluster area. -
Berkshire East health economy no longer 'failing'
PERFORMANCE: The Berkshire East health economy has been upgraded from “failing” for the first time in more than 18 months. -
BMA warns of first doctor industrial action in decades
The first ballot of doctors on industrial action since 1975 will go ahead within weeks if the government does not rethink the major changes it is making to NHS pensions. -
Brighton acute chief to lead Public Health England
Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, has been named as chief executive designate of Public Health England. -
Brighton chief handed leading public health role
WORKFORCE: Duncan Selbie, currently chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, has been named as chief executive designate of Public Health England. -
BSUH capital scheme passes next milestone
STRUCTURE: Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust has received approval from NHS South of England for its 3Ts redevelopment programme. -
Buckinghamshire trust FT bid delayed six months
STRUCTURE: Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust has put back its application for foundation status by six months. -
Buckinghamshire Trust misses C diff target throughout 2011-12
PERFORMANCE: Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust missed its target for C difficile infections in each month of 2011-12 to February. -
Bucks Healthcare behind on surplus target
FINANCE: Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust reported a year to date surplus of £1.3m in February, more than £1m behind target. -
Camden and Islington's performance beats north London counterpart
PERFORMANCE: A performance report to the board of the North Central London cluster found the trust’s performance on inpatient length of stay and staff sickness were better than at Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust. -
Caseload fear emerges in 'inspection' of CQC
Staff working for the Care Quality Commission are demoralised and fear making a mistake because of impossible workloads, a union survey has found. -
CCGs to get 'development agreement' and ‘rectification plan’ on authorisation
All clinical commissioning groups will sign a “development agreement” with the NHS Commissioning Board, and many also be given a “rectification plan”, before they take over budgets next year. -
Cluster turns down majority of individual funding requests
PEFORMANCE: Figures from the cluster showed 42 of 76 cases received between April 26 2011 and February 9 2012 were declined. -
Contract for new Leicester Cancer Centre
COMMERCIAL: The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has awarded a £255,000 contract to construction firm Stepnell to build a new Macmillan Cancer Support Information Centre at Leicester Royal Infirmary. -
Coventry and Warwickshire faces 'significant underdelivery' of CIPs
FINANCE: Significant under delivery of the cost improvement programme means that only £20m of the £28m target is now forecast to be achieved. -
Dalton letter: Cluster chief raised doubts about East Cheshire FT bid
STRUCTURE: Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral primary care trusts’ chief executive warned in January that she was “not convinced” the PCT cluster should support the trust’s bid for foundation status. -
DH faces 'significant' accounts auditing problem
The Department of Health could face problems with the auditing of its 2011-12 accounts unless potentially “significant” mismatches between the accounting of foundation trusts and commissioners are resolved. -
Exclusive: Lansley rejects hospital merger case
The health secretary has ruled there is insufficient evidence of the benefits of formally merging Chase Farm Hospital with North Middlesex University Hospital, HSJ understands. -
Exclusive: London and Manchester to get beam therapy investment
Andrew Lansley will tomorrow announce two hospitals that will offer Proton Beam Therapy for the treatment of cancer. -
Exclusive: mental health FT is first to quit clinical negligence scheme
Lancashire Care Foundation Trust this morning confirmed to HSJ it had given the NHS Litigation Authority notice it was leaving its clinical negligence scheme. -
First public board for East CCG
STRUCTURE: A clinical commissioning group in the East Midlands is to hold its first public board meeting next week. -
Five Arden CCGs merge into three
STRUCTURE: Coventry and Warwickshire’s five clinical commissioning groups have been merged into three after a strategic health authority risk assessment flagged concerns over the proposed configuration. -
Foundation trusts cannot use bailouts to hide financial failings, regulator warns
Monitor has warned foundation trusts it may disregard bailout payments when assessing their financial health, in a move which could allow earlier regulatory intervention in troubled organisations. -
Franchise option was considered for GWAS
STRUCTURE: NHS South West considered franchising out Great Western Ambulance Service after it became apparent the organisation would not achieve foundation trust status. -
George Eliot Trust seeks to solve death rate problem
George Eliot Hospital trust has launched a plan to combat its “poor” mortality rate. -
Gloucestershire builds £7.7m radiotherapy unit
FINANCE: Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust has approved plans for a £7.7m satellite radiotherapy unit to be built on the site of Hereford Hospital. -
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals rated red on FT progress
STRUCTURE: Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been red-rated on its progress towards becoming a foundation trust. -
Hull and East Yorkshire named as major trauma centre
STRUCTURE: Hull Royal Infirmary, part of Hull and East Yorkshire Trust, has been named as one of 22 major trauma centres nationally. -
Inconsistencies found between ambulance and trust handover reporting
PERFORMANCE: A report to the north central London cluster of PCTs said the number of reported delays of more than a hour in ambulance handovers to acute trusts was inconsistent between the London Ambulance Service and hospitals. -
Independent advice service for NHS patients launches
A new independent advice service for NHS patients in Scotland begins its work today. -
Information strategy release delayed again
The release of the Department of Health’s information strategy, which was already a year late, has been put back again. -
Information tribunal judgment says DH should have released risk register
An information tribunal has ruled the Department of Health’s transition risk register should have been released because of the “general alarm at what was happening”. -
King's has 'fewer' quality concerns than other south London providers
PERFORMANCE: A report about King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust submitted to the board of NHS South East London said “in general there are fewer concerns on the quality of care than with other providers”. -
Lansley: Mid Staffs A&E will re-open
PERFORMANCE: The accident and emergency department at Stafford Hospital will re-open next month Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has said during a vist to the new emergency department at University Hospital of North Staffordshire. -
Leeds Infirmary wins major trauma centre
STRUCTURE: Leeds General Infirmary, part of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, has been named as one of 22 major trauma centres nationally. -
Lincolnshire comes bottom of SHA table for stroke standard
PERFORMANCE: NHS Lincolnshire is reporting the worst performance in NHS Midlands and East against an important stroke metric, -
Major trauma centre confirmed at Newcastle FT
STRUCTURE: The Royal Victoria Infirmary, part of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been named as one of 22 major trauma centres nationally. -
Market competition test proposed for trusts seeking extra funding
Monitor might refuse to allow local increases to the prices paid to NHS trusts unless commissioners have proven they could not buy the services more cheaply elsewhere, an independent report for the regulator has suggested. -
Mid Staffs 'could lose all acute services'
Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust could lose all its acute services unless radical action is taken to address clinical and financial problems, a leading health policy expert has warned its management. -
Mid Staffs restricts public questions
WORKFORCE: Questions from the public are to be restricted during board meetings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, it has emerged. -
New director of public health appointed for the south
WORKFORCE: Yvonne Doyle has been appointed as director of public health for the NHS South of England strategic health authority cluster, with immediate effect. -
New patient group formed in North of Tyne
STRUCTURE: A new patient group has been formed in Blyth Valley, part of the area covered by Northumberland Care Trust. -
NHS Commissioning Board highlights major HR risk
The NHS Commissioning Board has higlighted the “inherently high risk” of recruiting “nearly 4,000 people… over a short period”, and lack of clarity around its functions and design. -
NHS Diabetes backs Ipswich foot screening test
RESEARCH: A simple screening tool can help nurses reduce the risk of diabetes patients developing hospital-acquired foot lesions and heel ulcers, according to its developers. -
NHS Enfield hopes to save £1m with end of life care programme
PERFORMANCE: The north London PCT hopes to increase the number of people able to die at home and save money over three years with an awareness campaign and a “rapid response Palliative Care Community Support Service”. -
NHS savings plans 'short on detail' as trusts plan swathe of cuts
There is a lack of detail about where “efficiency savings” demanded by the government of the health service are being made, analysts have said. -
NHS Somerset ups payment to Taunton and Somerset FT
FINANCE: NHS Somerset has agreed to pay Taunton and Somerset Foundation Trust £3.4m more than orginally contracted in recognition of activity above plan. -
Norfolk Community Health and Care approaches C diff maximum
PERFORMANCE: Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust had one case of Clostridium difficile in January, bringing its total in the year so far to eight. -
Northants and Milton Keynes performance under closer SHA scrutiny
PERFORMANCE: NHS Midlands and East has stepped up its monitoring of the Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes primary care trust cluster amid substandard performance in A&E and urgent care. -
Northumbria employs nurses in community hospitals
WORKFORCE: Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has employed all of a group of 30 nurses who have completed training with the trust, including for the first time several in community hospitals. -
Over activity sees Northern Devon miss savings target
FINANCE: Northern Devon Healthcare Trust is forecasting a £232,000 slippage against its savings plan. -
Oxford professor wins international prize
CLINICAL RESEARCH: Professor Fiona Powrie, of the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals Trust, has been given an international prize for clinical research. -
Patient campaigner bids for top commissioning board role
A patient and public involvement campaigner has applied for a senior NHS Commissioning Board role, partially in protest at tokenistic participation “rituals”. -
Paul Zollinger-Read to join Bupa
Paul Zollinger-Read, a key figure in the world of commissioning, will leave the NHS after more than 20 years to join Bupa as its group medical director, it was announced today. -
Plymouth forecasting break even despite month 10 deficit
FINANCE: Plymouth Hospitals Trust was reporting a deficit more than double plan at the end of January but is forecasting to break even by year end. -
Plymouth Hospitals surgeon to lead research project
RESEARCH: The charity Bowel Cancer West has allocated nearly £5,000 to two research projects, one of which will be led by Matt Wiggins, a research fellow within the upper gastrointestinal surgery team at Plymouth Hospitals Trust. -
Pressure on Worcestershire Acute over FT ambitions
STRUCTURE: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust will be subject to “first level national escalation” after withdrawing from the Monitor assessment process. -
Private healthcare market referred to Competition Commission
The Office of Fair Trading yesterday confirmed that it would refer the private healthcare market for in-depth investigation by the Competition Commission. -
Privately-run centre breaches 18-week standard
Patients are being diverted away from a privately-run treatment centre because the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard is being breached. -
Public health strong focus in North Central London's CQUINs
PERFORMANCE: The north central London cluster selected six local CQUINs for the providers in its patch including, “alcohol reduction” and smoking cessation. -
Residential care spend for learning disabilities varies over borough boundaries
PERFORMANCE: Preliminary findings from a review showed that the residential care spend for people with learning disabilities was three times higher in Enfield and Haringey than the rest of the PCT cluster -
SHA launches video to 'stop the pressure'
PERFORMANCE: NHS Midlands and East has launched a new computer generated video on social website YouTube to highlight its campaign to prevent avoidable pressure ulcers. -
Shrewsbury and Telford reports first surplus of the year
FINANCE: Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust recorded a surplus for the first time in the year at the end of January amounting to £123,000. -
Shrewsbury appoint Capita Symonds for £35m refurbishment
COMMERCIAL: Shrewsbury and Telford Trust has appointed Capita Symonds to provide engineering services on a new build and refurbishment project. -
South Western Ambulance reports "significant" activity increases
PERFORMANCE: South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust has warned Monitor it may not achieve the A8 target during the final quarter of 2011-12. -
South Western Ambulance Service fears it will not win NHS 111 contracts
COMMERCIAL: South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust has highlighted a “serious” risk to its core services if it fails to win contracts to provide NHS 111 in the south west. -
Southampton doctor makes blood pressure breakthrough
RESEARCH: University of Southampton researchers are reporting they have discovered a new process that controls the ability of arteries to regulate blood pressure. -
St George's tendering for helipad
COMMERCIAL: St George’s Healthcare Trust has issued a tender notice for someone to supply it with a helipad. -
Trafford council may pull social care workers out of GMW teams, board warned
WORKFORCE: A paper to GMW’s January board warned that the “economic climate” may prompt Trafford council to pull staff out the trust’s community mental health teams. -
Trauma network adds five major centres
Five major trauma centres in the South are joining a national network to provide life-saving care to patients. -
Trust loses out on cash as patients 'readmitted' for just 10 minutes
PERFORMANCE: Patients are being classified as readmissions at Taunton and Somerset Foundation Trust despite spending less than 90 minutes in the hospital, an analysis has found. -
Vomiting bug blamed as Royal Berkshire misses stroke target
PERFORMANCE: The Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust has blamed a downturn in stroke performance this year on an outbreak of norovirus. -
Wiltshire cluster services to merge with Berkshire/Gloucestershire CSS
STRUCTURE: Talks are already under way to further expand the NHS commissioning support service already stretching from Berkshire to Gloucestershire. -
Workforce director appointed at Plymouth
WORKFORCE: Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust’s deputy director of human resources is to join Plymouth Hospitals Trust as director of workforce. -
Wye Valley facing serious in-year financial pressures
FINANCE: Serious underachievement of planned savings, combined with expenditure pressures and lower than forecast income levels, have led to significant in-year financial pressures.
