James Illman
James manages part of the editorial team in his role as a bureau chief at HSJ and HSJi. He also covers performance, with a particular focus on elective care, as well as parts of the East of England, including Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. He joined HSJ in 2012 from Local Government Chronicle.
Contact info
- Tel:
- 0203 812 5338
- Email:
- james.illman@hsj.co.uk
NewsExclusive: NHSE pays three trusts £1m each to remove patients from waiting lists
Three trusts were paid more than one million pounds for removing patients from their waiting lists through “validation” exercises last year, HSJ can reveal.
Expert BriefingRecovery Watch: How trusts drove near-record improvements
Elective recovery and returning the NHS to meeting the 18-week standard by 2029 is the government’s main performance priority. The Recovery Watch newsletter tracks prospects and progress against this goal. This week, by bureau chief James Illman.
News21 trusts ‘delivered year’s elective recovery in single month’
Twenty-one trusts delivered their entire 2025-26 elective improvement in March alone, analysis shows, prompting concerns about the “fragility and sustainability” of the NHS’s waiting list recovery.
NewsElective target hit after spike in ‘unreported removals’
NHS England has hit its 65 per cent waiting list for 2025-26, but experts said the “majority of the improvement” in March was driven by a “record” spike in “unreported removals”.
HSJ LocalEx-civil servant made trust CEO
Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust has appointed Nicola Ayton as its new permanent chief executive, the provider has announced.
NewsNHSE rows back on controversial target
NHS England has rowed back on what was widely understood to be a new target for the proportion of patients it wanted “diverted” away from waiting lists, after accusations it was rationing care.
Expert BriefingMackey: ‘Contentious’ model can drive ‘hockey stick’ recovery
Elective recovery and returning the NHS to meeting the 18-week standard by 2029 is the government’s main performance priority. The Recovery Watch newsletter tracks prospects and progress against this goal. By bureau chief James Illman.
NewsMackey: Iran war threatens ‘huge shock’ for NHS finances
The NHS will need extra funding from government if the Iran war drives large price increases, which could amount to a “huge shock”, Sir Jim Mackey has warned.
NewsICBs accused of ‘nonsensical’ job matching in ‘rushed’ merger
Three integrated care boards have been accused of overseeing a “deeply flawed” merger programme, including a “nonsensical job-matching process”.
NewsStreeting: Failing NHS bosses being ‘quietly moved on’
Under-performing NHS bosses are being “quietly moved on” rather than being “named and shamed”, Wes Streeting has said.
HSJ LocalCEO: We have ‘hurt and let down’ our staff
A hospital group CEO says its leaders have “managed to let people down” and, in some cases, “disconnected” from their staff, in response to very poor NHS Staff Survey scores.
NewsNHSE expects to declare victory on number one target
NHS England bosses are predicting they will get close enough to hitting 65 per cent against the 18-week standard by March to declare victory against their main performance objective for this year, HSJ has learned.
NewsNHS has ‘hollowed out’ community care, says government adviser
The NHS has “hollowed out” community and primary care and become a “national hospital service”, according to the influential lead of a government review of social care.
NewsNHSE bid to divert referrals falling well short of target
NHS England is set to fall “well short” of a key target to ramp up GPs’ use of “advice and guidance” from specialists – and the model is “unlikely to be the silver bullet ministers hoped for” to help cut waiting lists, experts have warned.
NewsExclusive: £120m ‘sprint’ will drive last-ditch attempt to hit elective target
NHS England plans to spend around £120m on a “sprint” exercise in a bid to hit its main elective target for this year by March, HSJ can reveal.
NewsMinisters overclaimed impact of ‘crack’ elective teams
Elective activity has “barely increased” at the hospitals targeted with “crack teams” to cut waiting lists – contrary to ministers’ claims that the work has “turbocharged activity” – analysis reveals.
NewsNHSE launches ‘sprint’ in bid to hit waiting list target
NHS England has told trusts to begin a “sprint” exercise in a bid to hit its politically critical waiting list target by March.
HSJ Local‘Digital desert’ hospital group pushes £88m tech project back a year
A hospital group containing three acute trusts has been forced to delay deployment of its electronic patient record for at least another 12 months, HSJ has learned.
Expert BriefingRecovery Watch: Unsexy and painstaking – 2026 in elective care
Elective recovery and returning the NHS to meeting the 18-week standard by 2029 is the government’s main performance priority. The Recovery Watch newsletter tracks prospects and progress against this goal. This week by bureau chief James Illman.
NewsProviders fear ‘significant commercial risk’ from NHSE contract rules
Fundamental concerns have been raised about NHS England’s proposed elective payment model for next year by NHS and private providers – with independent sector leaders branding them “not sustainable”.