Health Service Journal
Jo Stephenson

NHS 'could save £462m' on over-65s

9-Aug-2012
The NHS could save nearly half a billion pounds annually by reducing emergency admissions and hospital stays among older patients, according to a King’s Fund report shared with HSJ.
England 'could learn integration lessons from Wales'

1-Aug-2012
The NHS in England could learn lessons from Wales when it comes to getting different parts of the health service to work together, the chief executive of NHS Wales has said.
CQC warns reform could hamper safeguarding

27-Jul-2012
Advances in safeguarding patients that came out of the Shipman inquiry must not be lost amid NHS reforms, says a report on the management of controlled drugs.
New HealthWatch England chair announced

26-Jul-2012
Anna Bradley, chair of the General Optical Council, is to chair HealthWatch England, it was confirmed today.
MPs back FTs over open government level playing field

26-Jul-2012
The government must ensure public sector bodies like NHS trusts are not hampered by Freedom of Information (FoI) rules and can compete on a “level playing field” with private providers, say MPs.
David Heymann made acting chair of Public Health England

26 July 2012
Health Protection Agency chair David Heymann has today been appointed acting chair of Public Health England, the new national body for public health.
Media Watch: broken spending promises from the PM

26-Jul-2012
Health policy in the news this week.
Wellbeing measure 'will boost health investment'

24-Jul-2012
New efforts to measure the nation’s overall wellbeing will lead to more investment in health services, including mental health, the government’s “happiness tsar” has predicted.
Media Watch: workforce woes go beyond Olympics

19-Jul-2012
Health policy in the news this week.
Lansley insists Dilnot proposals have avoided 'long grass'

18-Jul-2012
Andrew Lansley has revealed he has “various proposals in mind” for a cap on the maximum payment on care home costs any individual faces.
Health spend to soar even if efficiency rises - OBR

17-Jul-2012
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.
CQC criticises emergency care and leadership at Morecambe Bay

13-Jul-2012
Regulators have called for improved standards and leadership at the troubled University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust.
Review finds leadership tension at London provider

13-Jul-2012
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.
Day surgery could increase by 15pc say analysts

18-May-2012
Most hospitals could increase the amount of day surgery they do by up to 15 per cent, according to health data analysts.
PCTs failing to implement continence guidance

10-May-2012
Primary care trusts are neglecting to assess need and implement national guidance when it comes to continence services, according to a national audit.
Media Watch: 'carb up' to cope with surgery trauma, advises Keogh

3-May-2012
Health policy in the media this week.
Learn from New Zealand on IT spend, NHS told

3 May 2012
The NHS has been urged to learn from New Zealand when it comes to using IT in healthcare innovation.
Private hospital operators begin merger talks

1-May-2012
The private King Edward VII’s Hospital in London is considering merging with independent healthcare provider Nuffield Health, it was announced today.
Temporary staff use down as trusts cut £300m from staffing spend

30-Apr-2012
Financial pressures in the NHS have led to a reduction in the use of temporary staff and a sharp drop in spending on consultancy, new data shows.
Public health transition chief wins new job in Wales

27-Apr-2012
The woman leading public health’s transition from the health service to local government is quitting the English NHS after securing a major new job in Wales.
Steve Shrubb leaving NHS Confederation to lead trust

27-Apr-2012
Steve Shrubb is leaving his role as director of the NHS Confederation’s mental health network to take on “one of the biggest mental health jobs in the country”.
'Incentives required' to improve arthritis support

26-Apr-2012
GPs should be offered incentives to improve the care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who continue to be “systematically and appallingly let down by the NHS”, according to Arthritis Care.
Media Watch: Lansley's regional pay plan is 'from another planet'

26-Apr-2012
Health policy in the media this week.
PCTs bypassed in applications to Cancer Drugs Fund

25-Apr-2012
Doctors have been told they can bypass primary care trust funding processes and apply direct to the controversial Cancer Drugs Fund in certain cases, under new guidelines issued by the Department of Health.
PCTs restricting availability of contraceptives

25-Apr-2012
Primary care trusts are restricting the availability and prescribing of contraceptives leaving 3.2 million women without access to a full range of services, according to a report by a group of experts.
More patients report nurse shortages on wards

24-Apr-2012
More hospital patients are reporting shortages of nursing staff on the wards, the latest national inpatient survey has revealed.
Further operational guidance for public health teams

27-Feb-2012
Proportion of resources defined for supporting commissioners
NHS 'under-estimates' the cost of eye disease

17-Feb-2012
Older patients may be missing out on sight-saving treatment because the NHS has seriously under-estimated the prevalence and cost of elderly eye disease, claim specialists.
Media Watch: open season declared on defiant Lansley

16 February 2012
Another week, another drubbing for Andrew Lansley. Papers reported with glee the latest twist in the Health Bill soap opera with senior Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes apparently breaking ranks to call for the health secretary to be “moved on”.
More equipment being leased in fight for savings

15-Feb-2012
More trusts are leasing rather than buying expensive equipment in a bid to save money, new figures reveal.
Treatment information for outpatients must improve, trusts warned

14-Feb-2012
Hospitals must get better at explaining treatment, according to the Care Quality Commission, after a national survey of outpatients found many were left confused about tests, medicines and side effects.
Regulator found safety concerns at half of hospitals and care homes

16-Sep-2011
The Care Quality Commission had concerns about safety and care at half of NHS hospitals and care homes providing nursing last year, reveals its latest report on the state of health and social services in England.
DH launches 'engagement exercise' on social care policy

15-Sep-2011
The government has embarked on a major consultation designed to involve patients, providers and professionals in re-designing social care.
CCGs setting spending priorities urged to 'be brave'

15-Sep-2011
Most primary care trust commissioners believe they have struggled with setting priorities for health spending in their area, according to a new research report.
Media Watch: trusts condemned over money spent on recruiting foreign staff

15 September 2011
Hospital managers came under fire this week after the Sunday Telegraph revealed some trusts had spent thousands of pounds on trips to recruit foreign doctors and nurses while allegedly laying off their own staff.
Morecambe maternity services rapped by regulator

9-Sep-2011
PERFORMANCE: Divisions between senior medical staff contributed to maternity services at University Hospitals Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust failing to meet essential safety standards, the Care Quality Commission has warned.
Media Watch: PCTs admit to deliberately making patients wait

8 September 2011
Scheming NHS managers are making patients wait longer than necessary for operations to save cash, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Confed calls for changes to EU procurement law

5-May-2011
The NHS Confederation has urged the European Commission to simplify laws on public procurement and make it easier to negotiate better deals.
Increase PFI plan values, managers told

3-May-2011
NHS organisations should press for better value for money from existing private finance initiatives and find new ways of funding projects, according to a report by the National Audit Office.
Leading MPs fail to find anything positive in NHS reforms

27-Apr-2011
The chair of the influential Public Accounts Committee has said the cross-party group of MPs struggled to find anything positive in the government’s NHS reform plan
Transferred employees feel 'marooned'

21-Apr-2011
Clinicians who transferred from the NHS to work in independent treatment centres feel “marooned” and worry about standards of care, according to research.
Trusts risking fines with mixed-sex wards

24 March 2011
Thousands of patients are still being cared for in mixed-sex accommodation despite the fact that trusts face being fined for the practice from next month.
Media watch: Lib Dems' wash hands of reforms in spring conference

17 March 2011
The papers this week were full of the Liberal Democrat spring conference’s rejection of the government’s health reforms.
DH ignored advice to cut children's acute top-ups

17 March 2011
A report on the true cost of specialised care has provided fresh evidence that the government bowed to political pressure not to reduce funding to children’s acute services.
BMA votes against rejecting entire Health Bill

15-Mar-2011
The British Medical Association has voted not to reject the entire health bill in a secret ballot.
Rejecting Health Bill will weaken doctors' influence, warns BMA chair

15-Mar-2011
The British Medical Association’s council chairman has called for unity among the profession as doctors prepare to vote on their responses to the government’s health reforms
Media Watch: NHS managers dine out on free lunch

10 March 2011
Did you go to the big match at the weekend? If so, who paid for the tickets?
Trauma system delay deaths 'unnecessary'

10 March 2011
Patients died unnecessarily because establishing a centralised trauma system in the capital took too long, according to the chief executive of NHS London.
Preventative care savings questioned by study

10 March 2011
A study has cast doubt over whether investing in preventive services in the community either saves money or reduces hospital admissions.
PCTs will decide 'never event' fines for providers

3 March 2011
Primary care trusts have been given freedom to set the level of financial penalty imposed on providers for serious failings “that should never happen”.
Managers told to 'relax' over online criticism

3 March 2011
Managers have been told to respond more honestly to critical feedback on the internet in order to improve services, following an analysis of online comments.
Media Watch: letters from David Cameron

24 February 2011
Not satisfied with the “see it from space” scale of the current NHS reorganisation, the Daily Telegraph warned another change of “seismic” proportions is heading the public sector’s way.
NHS leaders ‘must support’ clinical practice change

1 July 2010
NHS leaders are being urged to support changes to clinical practice it is hoped will save more than £9bn a year.
Frank or futile? Health gets the blog treatment

28-Aug-2008
Blogging is increasingly offering a colourful commentary of life in the NHS and writers argue decision makers would do well to pay attention. Jo Stephenson asks if managers should be afraid
Capita beats Dr Foster to NHS Choices contract

24-Jul-2008
The Department of Health has announced its intention to award the NHS Choices contract to Capita.
Committee grills Darzi over finances and spin

24-Jul-2008
Lord Darzi was quizzed by MPs last week over whether his vision was not merely ‘warm words’ and how it would be costed.
Cynthia Bower to take helm at Care Quality Commission

24-Jul-2008
Cynthia Bower has been appointed chief executive of the Care Quality Commission. The NHS West Midlands chief executive will take up her new job on 1 August.
Media Watch: bonus scheme for surgeons

24-Jul-2008
'It's a stitch-up,' shouted the Daily Star, one of many to report on plans for a pilot bonus scheme for surgeons at Imperial College London Healthcare trust.
Healthcare Commission vows to act faster over major failings

17-Jul-2008
The Healthcare Commission has pledged to act faster when investigating serious failures at trusts.
Media Watch: GP ratings

17-Jul-2008
There's a new hot topic for the hospital water cooler - a website that allows patients to rate doctors just like a book they've ordered from Amazon.
Clinical leaders network ready to roll

10-Jul-2008
A scheme to develop senior clinicians as leaders is to be extended across England after a successful trial.
Gay clergy find a welcome in NHS chaplaincy

10-Jul-2008
The NHS is more welcoming to gay clergy than the Church of England, new research on hospital chaplains suggests.
Mental health killings point to lack of support for teams

10-Jul-2008
Independent investigations into the care and treatment of two mental health patients who went on to kill have highlighted a lack of support for mental health team managers.
Question mark over future of NHS Institute

10-Jul-2008
A question mark is hanging over the future of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement following Lord Darzi's review of the health service.
Media Watch: response to Darzi

3-Jul-2008
If Lord Darzi reads his press he will be basking and bawling in equal measure.
NHS60: What the papers said in 1948

30-Jun-2008
You might have expected the birth of the NHS to be greeted with a cheer, but it got a muted press reception, says Jo Stephenson
David Cameron promises a bonfire of NHS targets

26-Jun-2008
The Conservatives have pledged to scrap top-down targets for the NHS in a 'green paper' setting out their plans for the health service.
Media Watch: the service's 60th anniversary

26-Jun-2008
Coverage of the health service's pending diamond jubilee spans the good and bad.
National dementia plan to take on lack of leadership

26-Jun-2008
The Department of Health is to address a 'lack of leadership' in the care of hospital patients with dementia in a consultation on England's first national strategy for the condition.
Foundation failures upset Monitor

19-Jun-2008
An increasing number of applications for foundation trust status are being turned down first time round because they are not up to scratch, it has emerged.
More foundation trust applications turned down first time: Monitor

17-Jun-2008
An increasing number of applications for foundation trust status are being turned down first time round because they are not up to scratch, it has emerged.Foundation trust regulator Monitor said it was unhappy at a drop in the number of applications being passed at the first attempt from 65 per cent in 2006-07 to 61 per cent in 2007-08."We continue to have concerns about the quality and preparedness of organisations coming into our assessment process," said a spokesman.The ...
Managers will need same support as clinicians, says Wanless

12-Jun-2008
The government must give strong support and guidance to managers to ensure wide-ranging plans to improve the NHS really work, says Sir Derek Wanless.
Unison and RCN pay vote allays strikes threat

12-Jun-2008
Fears of widespread strikes among NHS staff were allayed after the two biggest health service unions voted to accept a three-year pay deal.
Fujitsu IT deal for e-records abandoned

5-Jun-2008
The NHS's troubled IT programme has been dealt a further blow after negotiations with a key supplier broke down.
Inexperience affects sexual health services

5-Jun-2008
A lack of expertise and experience in sexual health commissioning is harming efforts to improve services, sexual health organisations claim.
Media Watch: co-payment 'madness'

5-Jun-2008
The fraught issue of 'co-payment' was one of the biggest health service stories this week, following the death of Linda O'Boyle from bowel cancer.
Sizewell B outage halts Wycombe operations

5-Jun-2008
Wycombe Hospital in High Wycombe was forced to cancel operations after it was hit a by a power cut.
Welsh merger trust on the rocks say former directors

5-Jun-2008
Five former non-executive directors have gone public with their fears for the future of a newly merged Welsh trust. They claim Hywel Dda trust, which serves three counties in south west and west Wales, is floundering because the organisation launched without a proper leadership team in place.
West Midlands and South East Coast set out Darzi visions

3-Jun-2008
NHS West Midlands has identified ‘seven big challenges’ for healthcare in the region, including an ‘unjustifiable variability’ in the safety and quality of services.
Media Watch: bets on Johnson

29-May-2008
Managers may be tempted to swell trust coffers by taking a punt on health secretary Alan Johnson to be prime minister, with most papers quoting odds of six to one to replace Gordon Brown.
Hospital funds tied to patient satisfaction

22-May-2008
Funding for hospitals in England is set to be linked to performance by using patients' experiences to measure quality of care.
King's College Hospital appoints new chief executive

22-May-2008
King's College Hospital in London has become the first foundation trust to appoint a chief executive directly from the private sector. Tim Smart, currently chief executive of BT Global Services UK, will take up the post in October.
Media Watch: the IT programme

22-May-2008
Pity the poor chap on the IT helpdesk when the NHS rings up. For when it comes to sorting out the service's new computer system it's not simply a question of switching it off and on again.
PCTs told to target London reforms at the vulnerable

22-May-2008
Primary care trusts must act urgently to ensure the shake-up of services in the capital improves the welfare of vulnerable groups, the London Health Commission has warned.
Barbara Young backed as Care Quality Commission chair

15-May-2008
Health select committee MPs have backed Baroness Young as a suitable candidate to chair the new Care Quality Commission.
Media Watch: Darzi shake-up

15-May-2008
Managers must brace themselves as junior minister Lord Darzi's shake-up is unveiled. 'Ministers are preparing for a summer of protest as residents campaign against proposals that could mean local hospitals losing specialist services to large regional centres,' reported The Daily Telegraph.
Poll of hospital patients reveals chasm in care standards

15-May-2008
A Healthcare Commission survey of hospital patients in England has revealed ‘striking variations’ in some aspects of basic care.
Services failed patients who went on to kill, review finds

15-May-2008
Reviews of two killings by people with mental health problems in Wales have found shortcomings in their treatment and care.
Barbara Young sets out vision for Care Quality Commission

8-May-2008
Baroness Barbara Young, who is in line to chair the new Care Quality Commission, told MPs today: 'I really want this job.'The Labour peer, who is currently chief executive of the Environment Agency, underwent a grilling by the health select committee in the new-style public job interview.
Foundation trusts must improve on MRSA

8-May-2008
Monitor has warned four foundation trusts it will intervene if they fail to improve performance on MRSA. Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals, Calderdale and Huddersfield, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and Poole Hospital were told they had breached their terms of authorisation.
Media Watch: nurses' paperwork

1-May-2008
Research suggesting nurses are drowning in paperwork generated a deluge of angry comment. 'The managers who preside over this shambles have blood on their hands,' screamed the News of the World.
Peers turn against Care Quality Commission

1-May-2008
Peers have urged the government to delay the establishment of the new health and social care regulator, warning that the body will be 'weakened by compromise'.
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare trust to get help with loan

1-May-2008
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare trust is to get £34m in regional NHS cash to help it pay back a £56m loan from the Department of Health.
Healthcare constructors on list of bid-rigging accused

24-Apr-2008
Construction firms involved in major projects to build healthcare facilities have been accused of anti-competitive practices. The Office of Fair Trading last week named 112 companies it suspects of bid-rigging.
Media Watch: polyclinic row

24-Apr-2008
The polyclinic row stepped up a gear this week as the Tories launched a 'campaign to save the family doctor', warning more than 1,700 GP surgeries could close.
Managers support restrictions on non-EU staff

17-Apr-2008
Half of health managers think the NHS should restrict recruitment from non-EU countries, according to an NHS Employers survey.
Media Watch: health service jargon

17-Apr-2008
Most would agree health service jargon is a pain but it appears it can also be dangerous.
Trusts must increase pay or lose managers

17-Apr-2008
It will be harder to attract and keep top NHS managers if their pay fails to keep up with the private sector, human resources experts have warned.
Trusts told to recruit more chiefs from medical ranks

17-Apr-2008
The NHS must get better at spotting leadership potential in clinicians, the Department of Health's head of workforce has demanded.
Media Watch: anti-infection alligators

10-Apr-2008
The leech has long been recognised as the doctor's friend. Now another swamp creature is crawling to the forefront of healthcare.
Trusts come together but deny merger speculation

10-Apr-2008
Three London foundation trusts have confirmed they will be part of the capital's second academic health science centre, but denied a merger was on the cards 'for the foreseeable future'.
Lung disease worse than estimated

3-Apr-2008
The challenge of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is much greater in some areas than previously thought, it has been revealed.
Special measures removed after abuse trust improves

3-Apr-2008
Cornwall Partnership trust has been lifted out of special measures for 'substantial progress' in addressing serious failings in services for people with learning disabilities.
Department to spend £600,000 on choice publicity drive

27-Mar-2008
The Department of Health is to push ahead with the development of clinical quality measures to help patients decide where they want to be treated.
Emergency services get the most calls from deprived areas

27-Mar-2008
Ambulances are four times more likely to be called out to deprived areas than the most affluent areas, a ground-breaking analysis has found.
Media Watch: cigarette sales

27-Mar-2008
'Cigarettes could soon be sold under the counter, just like X-rated magazines once were,' revealed the Daily Star, reporting on Department of Health plans.
PCTs dub assurance test tough but useful

27-Mar-2008
Primary care trusts that tried a new test of commissioning abilities say the process was hard but helpful.
Care Quality Commission salary is 'ridiculously low'

20-Mar-2008
The Department of Health is under pressure to increase the salary for the first chair of the new health and social care regulator after it was branded 'ridiculously low'. The job was advertised at £60,780 a year for up to three days a week, considerably less than comparable posts.
London's neediest areas are worst off

20-Mar-2008
London primary care trusts facing the biggest health challenges are saddled with the greatest funding shortfalls, a new coalition of private and voluntary organisations has warned.
Media Watch: Olympic health worries

20-Mar-2008
'I would rather be in music than in politics,' said health secretary Alan Johnson in an interview with The Observer's Music Monthly magazine.
NHS London focuses on Brent financial crisis

20-Mar-2008
A report into the financial crisis at Brent primary care trust has highlighted 'grave failings' in leadership.
Britnell moots PCT rebrand

13-Mar-2008
Primary care trusts could change their names over the next year to boost the public’s understanding of their role.
Ex-BBC man offers vision for health service charter

13-Mar-2008
The former head of policy at the BBC has claimed the NHS could learn from the broadcaster as it strives to improve accountability and patient involvement.
London healthcare overhaul could worsen inequalities

13-Mar-2008
Plans for a major overhaul of healthcare in London could make inequalities worse if they do not target those who currently miss out, says a groundbreaking assessment.
Media Watch: drug maker under scrutiny

13-Mar-2008
Being accused of 'cheating the NHS' is enough to give anyone heartburn. So bosses at Reckitt Benckiser, makers of indigestion treatment Gaviscon, may well have sought comfort with a taste of their own medicine this week.
New patient safety head pleads for display of passion

13-Mar-2008
The newly appointed director of the national Patient Safety Campaign has said it is crucial that the drive is embraced by managers.
Patients demand 'creativity' in dental commissioning

13-Mar-2008
Primary care trusts successful at commissioning dental services should be able to take over from those that are failing, says the Patients Association.
PCTs may be subject to people power

13-Mar-2008
Primary care trusts and other healthcare providers could face increased pressure to respond to local people's concerns under a new 'community empowerment' white paper.
Media Watch: nurses under attack

6-Mar-2008
It seems it's fine to rant about lazy, greedy doctors, but dare to criticise nurses and all hell breaks loose.
Outcry forces former C diff chief to resign

6-Mar-2008
Ruth Harrison, the former chief executive of C difficile-hit Stoke Mandeville Hospital, has stepped down from an NHS consultancy post in the wake of public outcry.
GP payment scheme must be 'scaled back'

28-Feb-2008
Offering financial incentives to GPs and other healthcare providers is unlikely to have a dramatic impact on the quality of patient care, new research concludes.
Media Watch

28-Feb-2008
'A new centre for binge drinking has been identified in the heart of London,' reports The Sunday Times.
Morgan leaves Confed for Wales

28-Feb-2008
Managers have paid tribute to Gill Morgan, who is leaving the NHS Confederation to head the civil service in Wales.
quotes

25-Feb-2008
"Gill has made NHS Confederation into the most effective trade association in the country without doubt." John Restell, chief executive, MiP.
Ambulance services deny claims of patient stacking

21-Feb-2008
Ambulance services and the Department of Health have hit back at claims that patients are being deliberately detained in ambulances to ensure hospitals hit accident and emergency waiting-time targets.
Councils given chance to offload burdens

21-Feb-2008
An independent review body has launched an investigation into the factors that hinder partnership work between health and social care services.
Jo Stephenson on patient stacking

21-Feb-2008
Patient stacking sounds like the kind of thing medical students might get up to: giant Jenga with people instead of blocks of wood.
Trust plans to scrap jobs and shelve units

21-Feb-2008
Trafford Healthcare trust has launched a turnaround plan in a bid to avoid a £7m deficit next year.
Climate change: heatwaves could put 6,000 lives at risk

14-Feb-2008
The NHS in the South East should be ready for a heatwave that could claim more than 6,000 lives, a Department of Health report has warned.
Lievesley told to stay silent on Dr Foster deal

14-Feb-2008
The former chief executive of the Information Centre for health and social care has lost her bid to overturn an agreement that prevented her speaking about her departure.
Media Watch: GP opening hours

14-Feb-2008
Doctors were in the spotlight this week, after the British Medical Association advised GPs to accept a new contract that means practices will open for longer.
Training cuts could stifle talking therapy

14-Feb-2008
A government pledge to make 'talking therapies' more available is being jeopardised by higher education funding cuts, training providers have claimed.
Welsh epilepsy plan first of its kind

14-Feb-2008
Pressure is mounting to address failures in epilepsy care across the UK after the launch of a groundbreaking plan in Wales.
Bromley Hospitals trust fails cleanliness spot check

7-Feb-2008
Bromley Hospitals trust has been rapped for breaching the hygiene code after a Healthcare Commission spot check.
Focus on targets instead of patients led to health scandals

7-Feb-2008
NHS managers implicated in serious care failings are too often focused on targets and mergers instead of patients, the Healthcare Commission has warned.
Media Watch: agency nurses

7-Feb-2008
Agency nurses are raking it in with some hospitals paying them more than £120 an hour, according to figures obtained by the Conservatives.
New target regime should give trusts local freedom

7-Feb-2008
The Department of Health has released delayed guidance on new 'vital signs' performance indicators which aim to give trusts more freedom to set local goals with less interference from the top.Under the new operating framework, trusts will be judged on three tiers of 'vital signs' - and can set local priorities for the first time.
nurse nib

1-Feb-2008
Barts and the London trust says a policy that allows nurses to discharge patients without the need to wait for a doctor has already saved the trust thousands of pounds and helped free up hospital beds. Under the scheme senior nurses can discharge patients using clear criteria agreed with medical staff.
Auditors sceptical about cull of arm's-length bodies

31-Jan-2008
Finance experts have questioned the value for money of a major Department of Health review aimed at cutting spending on arm's-length bodies.
Media Watch: donations row

31-Jan-2008
Health secretary Alan Johnson was big news this week, as a row over a donation to his campaign to become Labour deputy leader spread across front pages faster than a hospital superbug.
Scottish plan to fight fraud

31-Jan-2008
NHS bodies in Scotland will be encouraged to appoint 'counter-fraud champions' in a bid to stop money being illegally siphoned from the health service.
Media Watch: compensation claims

24-Jan-2008
While Leslie Ash celebrated, columnists seethed, indignant at the £5m in compensation the actor received after contracting an infection in hospital.
Most PCTs want to keep existing accountability systems

24-Jan-2008
Most primary care trusts do not want new structures for improving accountability to patients, NHS Confederation research suggests.
11 foundation trusts face probe for missing targets

20-Dec-2007
Eleven foundation trusts are being scrutinised for failing to hit performance targets they claimed they would meet.
Confed rejects LGA call for new 'hire and fire' powers

20-Dec-2007
NHS organisations have rebuffed a call for councils to hold the power to hire and fire trust chief executives.
GPs back call to vet leaflets

20-Dec-2007
There is mounting pressure to introduce a system for vetting information leaflets in GP surgeries after it emerged many are sponsored by big brands or contain large amounts of advertising.
Media Watch: super-surgeries

20-Dec-2007
Is it a GP practice, is it a shop? No it's a super-surgery - the answer to patients' prayers (possibly) but not necessarily good news for doctors.
Trusts told to gather data on clinical outcomes

20-Dec-2007
Trusts will be expected to collect information on the success of treatments in a move that could pave the way for more public information about individual clinicians' performance.
3rd sector

18-Dec-2007
More voluntary organisations would work alongside the NHS as 'strategic partners' under government plans to modernise the health service's investment in the third sector. The Department of Health has launched a consultation in a bid to create a fairer and more streamlined funding system.
floods nib

18-Dec-2007
An interim report into the way public services responded to the summer floods has highlighted confusion over the roles of health organisations in providing health protection advice. The review, led by Sir Michael Pitt, chairman of the South West Strategic Health Authority, calls for urgent clarification from the Department of Health.
GPs told to get specialist commissioning help

13-Dec-2007
Practice-based commissioning should be changed to let mixed teams of hospital specialists and GPs decide how budgets are spent, according to a report by a leading health policy analyst.
Mental health dismissal was 'outrageous' says tribunal

13-Dec-2007
A mental health trust has been slammed for the way it handled the unlawful sacking of a psychiatrist with mental health problems.
Sir Gerry had a point, admits Rotherham chief

13-Dec-2007
Management guru Sir Gerry Robinson's documentary series at Rotherham General Hospital has led to dramatic changes in the way it is run, its chief executive has claimed.
Home care push for cancer patients

6-Dec-2007
Cancer patients will spend less time in hospital and more will be treated at home or by community services under a five-year vision to improve cancer care.
Night-time trauma care gets damning verdict

22-Nov-2007
Managers should improve job planning to limit a huge drop in the quality of trauma care at night.
DoH considering 'tolerance levels' on waiting-time target

15-Nov-2007
Trusts have welcomed plans to allow leeway on the government's flagship 18-week waiting-time target as proof that the NHS has 'grown up'.
Infection control: C difficile measures improve at Stoke Mandeville

15-Nov-2007
Buckinghamshire Hospitals trust has made 'significant progress' on infection control a year on from a Clostridium difficile outbreak that killed 33 people, says the Healthcare Commission. But the regulator highlighted doctors' poor hand hygiene as a serious concern in a follow-up report published today.
Media Watch: waiting times

15-Nov-2007
If the Department of Health hoped for some good press on the latest waiting times, then it should have known better.
blind strategy

13-Nov-2007
Hospital specialists, GPs and opticians will be expected to work more closely together under plans to radically improve eye care services in the UK. The RNIB launched a consultation on the UK Vision Strategy this week. The strategy aims to prevent avoidable sight loss, improve treatment services and boost support for the blind and partially-sighted.
Media Watch: transplant deaths at Papworth

8-Nov-2007
This week Papworth Hospital in Cambridge found itself at the centre of a media storm. More used to making headlines about pioneering treatment, the hospital was in the spotlight as its heart transplants were halted due to an unexplained rise in death rates.
Trusts doing well will not be penalised for historic deficits

8-Nov-2007
Hospitals working hard to address historic deficits have been given a reprieve by the Audit Commission: they will no longer automatically score 'inadequate' in the resources element of the health check.
Health profile: experts say child obesity targets may miss the point

25-Oct-2007
New targets to spur on efforts to tackle the nation's worst public health problems may not work, experts have warned.
Maidstone chair aims to regain trust of staff

25-Oct-2007
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust has announced the appointment of an interim chair to steer it through the aftermath of the fatal outbreak of Clostridium difficile.
West Herts chief steps down in wake of attacks from three local MPs

25-Oct-2007
West Hertfordshire Hospitals trust chief executive David Law has resigned following the trust's poor annual health check performance.
chief exec resigns

22-Oct-2007
David Law, the chief executive of troubled West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust, has resigned in the wake of its poor annual health check performance.
Takeover not a good option, say chief execs

22-Oct-2007
Chiefs executives at the worst-performing trusts identified by the annual health check have hit back at the threat of takeover.Health secretary Alan Johnson has asked health service chief executive David Nicholson to urgently meet the four rated weak’
Health check: trusts miss hygiene goals

18-Oct-2007
Trusts have failed to hit targets for reducing MRSA and many are not meeting basic standards for hygiene and cleanliness.
Health check: trusts set to hit flagship waiting time target

18-Oct-2007
Waiting times for operations and treatment have improved over the last year, the health check reveals.
Commissioning reforms were 'right thing at the wrong time', admits Britnell

27-Sep-2007
Trusts were asked too early to move care out of hospitals into the community, the Department of Health's director-general of commissioning has said.
Councils try to grab half a per cent of all NHS funds

27-Sep-2007
Battle lines have been drawn between local government and the NHS in the run-up to the Treasury's next public spending round.
McNab to shake up DoH on public health

20-Sep-2007
The Department of Health has brought in a former primary care trust chief executive to shake up performance on public health.
Media Watch: breaking the habit

20-Sep-2007
This week columnists seized on the case of a smoker apparently denied an NHS operation to fix his broken ankle unless he gives up a 20-a-day habit.
Unions launch next year's pay campaign

20-Sep-2007
Unions are already pushing for a better pay deal for NHS staff next year after 'reluctantly' accepting this year's offer.
Unit sets out to scrutinise Euro policies

20-Sep-2007
The NHS Confederation this week launched a new unit to help its members get to grips with European policy and its potential impact on UK health services.
A&E 'downgrade' forces trust to trash 10,000 magazines

20-Sep-2007
West Kent primary care trust has had to destroy nearly 10,000 copies of a free patients' magazine because of an embarrassing listings error that has reignited fears over reconfiguration plans.
Agencies cost less

20-Sep-2007
Agency doctors are up to£4,500 a year cheaper than locums from the NHS's own staffing bank, research claims.
Agency docs are 'cheaper than locums'

20-Sep-2007
Agency doctors are up to £4,500 a year cheaper than locums from the NHS's own staffing bank, claims new research.
Airborne medics save lives claim helicopter charities

20-Sep-2007
A charter for air ambulances is fuelling debate over the future roles of air and land ambulances. Four independent air ambulance charities have signed up to new standards including a commitment to 'pre-hospital care doctors' on flights.
CfH pulls paid-for google link

20-Sep-2007
Typing 'where did all the money go' into Google until recently directed users to the website of the Department of Health's IT programme.
Deliver dignity calls

20-Sep-2007
Mental health charities have stepped up calls to scrap mixed-sex wards following a government commitment to treat mental health patients with greater dignity.
HSJ launches revamped website

20-Sep-2007
HSJ has launched a new-look website featuring extra content and designed to be easier to use.
Where NHS finance goes wrong

20-Sep-2007
A new report has called for more "honesty" in financial forecasting in the NHS.
children's health

18-Sep-2007
The UK can do more to stop children being harmed by environmental hazards such as air pollution, says a new report by the Health Protection Agency.The document is a first step towards a UK Children’s Environment and Health Strategy, which will be put into action by local and regional public health chiefs.The report reviews health protection initiatives to date and highlights priorities ...
EU, Europe

18-Sep-2007
The NHS Confederation this week launched a new unit to help NHS organisations get to grips with European policy and its potential impact on UK health services.
Pilots making little difference

31-Aug-2007
Pilots designed to drive the government's flagship policy of shifting services from hospitals into the community have made little difference, according to research.
Pilots making little difference

31-Aug-2007
Pilots designed to drive the government's flagship policy of shifting services from hospitals into the community have made little difference, according to research.
Finance chiefs confess to burying bad news

29-Aug-2007
Trust chief executives and finance directors are reluctant to publish bad financial forecasts for fear of losing their jobs.

Alastair McLellan

Health Service JournalJo Stephenson

Health Service Journal
Jo Stephenson