'New insights could help CCGs be clear on population health services'
Learning from medical groups in the US could show the way for CCGs to develop practices that deliver better quality services for their population’s health, suggests Tim Riley.
'Engaging GPs is the new year's resolution for clinical commissioning'
Although many CCGs are now up and running, they face a number of challenges that show no sign of abating. Ben Gowland discusses a key priority for his commissioning group.
Ciarán Devane interview: 'There is a role for top-down control'
As the chief executive of cancer charity MacMillan starts work at the NHS Commissioning Board, he tells HSJ’s news editor Nick Golding that his motivation is to champion the patient.
Noel Plumridge: tariff reductions aren't the one-size-fits-all solution
Timely as they are, the Commons health committee’s warnings about the NHS’s approach to saving £20bn are nothing new.
Michael White: humility is in short supply despite Lansley's 'climbdown'
It would be good to detect signs of humility and contrition in the healthcare community when the editors of three of the leading trade publications (including this one) launch a “never again” plea for more discussion and less prescriptive dogmatism next time there’s an NHS reorganisation.
Opposition likely for Yorkshire reconfiguration plans
Major service change is not getting any easier in North Yorkshire: plans to close inpatient children’s services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton are back on the agenda, a press release reveals.
London ambulance service facing new investigation on performance
Difficult times for the London Ambulance Service as it faces a fresh investigation into its performance.
Redesigning hospital environments can help tackle infection
Controlling healthcare acquired infection requires intelligent hospital design and practices, write Nigel Klein and Vanya Gant.
'Reconfiguration may do more harm than good'
History warns us that reconfiguration is not the panacea it’s cracked up to be, says Andy McKeon.
'Don't rush through regulation at the expense of innovation'
The PIP breast implant scandal has raised difficult questions for trusts and clinicians about the faith they place in the reliability of medical devices they use.
Sally Gainsbury: just how much will public health have?
So local authorities, it appears, won’t be getting much of a public health fund after all.
Michael White: will Lansley's Healh Bill survive the 'big push'?
Do you remember the Battle of the Bulge? No, nor do I. It was the last German counter-offensive on the western front in World War II, a thrust through the Ardennes at Christmas 1944 that hoped to push British and American armies back into the Channel.
Cumbrian cause for concern in the North West
Will Andrew Lansley stick with his habit of using Cumbria as poster child for GP commissioning?
Commissioning by any other name: will 'clinical' become 'world class'?
Linear progress, zig-zagging or going round in circles? Calum Paton asks whether the Health Bill’s ideal of clinical commissioning can really deliver an improved era of healthcare after the years of false starts and rebadging.
The rise of the patient leader
Patient leaders have a valuable role to play in tackling the problems facing health and social care at a national and local level, but we need to improve the development of and access to learning opportunities in order to grow this pool of talent properly, says David Gilbert.
'Local healthcare cannot be delivered by giant commissioning bodies'
The key to healthcare delivery models lies within natural communities – not in bloated commissioning organisations, says Charles Alessi.
'Can Public Health England improve the way we respond to pandemics?'
The Department of Health’s intention for Public Health England to strengthen the national response to public health crises alongside local bodies may not work in practice unless experiences of previous pandemics are learned from, write Drs Jacky Chambers and Andrew Rouse.
Noel Plumridge: bonus capital fund threatens to embarrass the system
The letter sent by the Department of Health in late December inviting bids for a £300m capital fund, favouring projects with greater spend in 2011-12, smacks of someone realising the potential for serious embarrassment.
Michael White: trusts need to be wary of the lure of lawsuits
Catching my eye before Christmas was the £4.5m employment tribunal award against Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust in the case ofconsultant Eva Michalak.
Thinking differently about quality and cost
"Revolution begins with a transformation of consciousness". Innovation, doing things differently, is becoming a high priority activity in the NHS. Innovation has a critical pre-requisite: thinking differently. If we are going to sustain a universal healthcare system for future generations, we need to think differently about the relationship between cost and quality.
The funding must be available to help achieve public health outcomes
The recently announced Public Health Outcomes Framework sets an effective set of measurements for performance - but if the resources aren’t there to achieve them, many services will step back from this opportunity for a step change in mental healthcare.
Are leaders a product of their environment, or is it the other way round?
The People Manager compares a recent report on NHS Top Leaders being “over confident” with an interview given by a chief executive this week.
Media Watch
Media Watch: it's beginning to look a lot like winter
Freezing temperatures kept most of the press preoccupied this week. By the time you read this, Britain will probably have entered a mini ice age with Siberian blasts immobilising the country - or at least the readers of the Express.
End Game
Your Humble Servant: the rallying cry for 2012
2012 is the year of the contract. Go back to your offices and prepare for contracting.
The NHS deserves a better, more open debate over health reform
The Health Bill enters the crucial report stage in the House of Lords next week amid huge controversy. To mark this, the BMJ, HSJ and Nursing Times have, for the first time, cooperated to publish the same editorial.
