Health Service Journal
Laura Donnelly

MPs quiz Dr Foster's 'cosy relations' with Whitehall

8-Mar-2007
The Department of Health struck a £12m deal with healthcare analyst Dr Foster without talking to any of the firm's rivals, it emerged this week.
New model contract threatens survival, foundations warn

1-Feb-2007
Commissioners will not have to pay for any type of hospital treatment they have not authorised, or for activity which exceeds agreed limits, under the new model contract.
Exclusive: Minister calls for in-house cleaners

11-Jan-2007
Health minister Andy Burnham is to urge the prime minister to encourage trusts to bring cleaning services back in-house.
Workforce plans predict 'bitter opposition' and 'volatility'

4-Jan-2007
The NHS is facing a huge oversupply of consultants and a shortage of thousands of nurses, junior doctors and GPs, a draft government strategy has revealed.
Demand management 'not a panacea'

1-Jan-2007
The NHS risks 'pinning too much' on the financial gains of demand management, a leading voice in primary care has warned.
Laura Donnelly on honesty and political risks

1-Jan-2007
'Admitting that the NHS does not always offer a 'world-class service' is a high political risk'
Laura Donnelly on overlooking talent

1-Jan-2007
I heard a good story once about David Nicholson. Along with the rest of the 28 strategic health authority chief executives, he was waiting to meet health secretary Patricia Hewitt for the first time. A colleague turned to him: 'Well, David, when you met John Reid you told him you used to be a communist. What are you going to tell Patricia?'
Laura Donnelly on thoughts at last orders

1-Jan-2007
'I used to be frightened when a colleague wore a Virginia Bottomley mask in times of stress'
London SHA chief is sole NHS candidate on top-job shortlist

1-Jan-2007
David Nicholson is the only NHS candidate on the shortlist for chief executive of the service, HSJunderstands. Other figures being interviewed this week include leaders of UK and US private health companies.
New push to engage with staff on reform

1-Jan-2007
The government is creating an advisory group to 'provide strategic advice' on reform of the health and social care system.
Pearse Butler, Eastern: 'I believe in strong, visible leadership'

1-Jan-2007
Leaving the house at quarter to five on a Monday morning reminds Pearse Butler why he won't be looking to fill the role running Eastern strategic health authority on a permanent basis.
The SHA interviews, Barbara Hakin: 'I've got a very strong sense of fair'

1-Jan-2007
Laura Donnelly interviews the new chief executive of East Midlands SHA
The SHA interviews, Candy Morris: 'You need to help others build capacity and capability'

1-Jan-2007
Laura Donnelly interviews the new chief executive of South East Coastal SHA
The SHA interviews, Cynthia Bowers: 'I'm clear and I'm rigorous'

1-Jan-2007
Laura Donnelly interviews the new chief executive of West Midlands SHA
The SHA interviews, David Flory: 'People might say I'm cool and calculating. I'm not'

1-Jan-2007
Laura Donnelly interviews the new chief executive of North East SHA
The SHA interviews, David Nicholson: 'I can be direct. I drive things hard'

1-Jan-2007
Laura Donnelly interviews the then new chief executive of London SHA
The SHA interviews,Mark Britnell: 'I didn't leave a good trust to be a performance management monkey

1-Jan-2007
Laura Donnelly interviews the new chief executive of South Central SHA
Thelma Holland, South West: From nurse to chief exec - via South India

1-Jan-2007
In many ways, the role given to Thelma Holland is the most interim of all the interim posts.
Laura Donnelly on the spirit of debate

9-Nov-2006
Bananarama's advice ...
Ivan Lewis accused of 'throwing his toys out of the pram' at Labour fringe meeting

5-Oct-2006
Health minister Ivan Lewis was accused of 'throwing his toys out of the pram' after an angry performance at a Labour Party conference fringe meeting last week.
Unison claims Labour conference victory on market

5-Oct-2006
Unison has claimed a 'decisive' victory after Labour's attempts to agree a compromise statement on the future of the NHS failed - just a day after the union's motion criticising current health policy was carried.
Blair at Labour conference: 'Rebuilding not privatising'

28-Sep-2006
The NHS is being rebuilt not privatised, Tony Blair told his last Labour party conference as prime minister.
Unison to rally against markets

28-Sep-2006
The 'headlong rush' to introduce markets into the NHS must be stopped, delegates were due to hear tomorrow.
RCM calls for talks on midwife-led units

21-Sep-2006
The Royal College of Midwives has demanded an urgent meeting with the health secretary over the future of midwife-led units.
Chief executive says decision on UnitedHealth contract is a lesson for all PCTs

31-Aug-2006
The chief executive of the primary care trust which had its contract with UnitedHealth Europe quashed by the Court of Appeal has urged the rest of the NHS to learn from the case.
Tony Blair calls for empowerment not nannying in public health

3-Aug-2006
The prime minister was on the public health campaign trail last week, attending two public events in Nottingham to share visions of a fitter, happier nation and the private sector's role in supporting it. Laura Donnelly listened in
6,000 axed jobs will cost DoH £320m in redundancy pay-outs

24-Nov-2005
EXCLUSIVE Human resources framework set to promise salary protection until March 2007
Delegated PCT spend limits mooted

24-Nov-2005
FINANCE
MEDIA WATCH

17-Nov-2005
Published: 17/11/2005 Volume 115 No. 5982 Page 10
Government abandons blanket rules on PCT service provision

27-Oct-2005
PRIMARY CARE Hewitt says decision on divestment will be left to individual PCTs
MEDIA WATCH

27-Oct-2005
Published: 27/10/2005 Volume 115 No. 5979 Page 10
'Show-stopping' disagreements may buy merger delay - Warner

20-Oct-2005
EXCLUSIVE Newly appointed scrutiny panel will assess submissions on stakeholder input
Oxford commissioning to be outsourced

13-Oct-2005
EXCLUSIVE
Bullish Blair focuses on choice

6-Oct-2005
KEYNOTE SPEECH
When F is for failure

29-Sep-2005
Published: 29/09/2005, Volume II5, No. 5975 Page 14 15
Hewitt defends 'fast' reforms

22-Sep-2005
RECONFIGURATION Health secretary urges chairs to focus on mergers 'intensively'
Cuts may put joint working in jeopardy

25-Aug-2005
CO-TERMINOSITY
'Shout now on smoking'

23-Jun-2005
NEWS
Hewitt: 'I am keeping my foot on the reform accelerator'

16-Jun-2005
Published: 16/06/2005, Volume II5, No. 5960 Page 5
Staff 'sick to death' of change

9-Jun-2005
HSJ EXCLUSIVE Research released under FoI shows frontline tensions over reforms
Labour's manifesto hints at the shape of things to come

21-Apr-2005
RESTRUCTURING
Beds and Herts SHA rapped over knuckles by ASA for advertisement claims on funding

13-Jan-2005
RECONFIGURATION
ITC handling 'puts NHS at risk'

13-Jan-2005
INDEPENDENT TREATMENT CENTRES Centralised approach under fire from NHS Confederation
Inspection criteria review

18-Nov-2004
HSJ EXCLUSIVE Healthcare Commission ordered to rework proposals
NICE demands patient action

7-Oct-2004
Published: 07/10/2004, Volume II4, No. 5926 Page 8 9
Hutton talks tough on failure

30-Sep-2004
Published: 30/09/2004, Volume II4, No. 5925 Page 4
Political futures at stake in key service reviews

3-Jun-2004
on location North Central London
CHAI gets tough on local complaints

25-Mar-2004
Published: 25/03/2004, Volume II4, No. 5898 Page 9
PM vows action for chronically ill

25-Mar-2004
Published: 25/03/2004, Volume II4, No. 5898 Page 8 9
The end is CHI

25-Mar-2004
Published: 25/03/2004, Volume II4, No. 5898 Page 10 12 13
CHAI 'will stand or fall on its credibility'

11-Mar-2004
Published: 11/03/2004, Volume II4, No. 5896 Page 4
Another franchise loses chief exec

12-Feb-2004
Published: 12/02/2004, Volume II4, No. Page 5892 7
Reid and CHAI do battle on targets and ratings

12-Feb-2004
Published: 12/02/2004, Volume II4, No. Page 5892 3
Past its sell-by date

5-Feb-2004
news focus
Franchise trust chief leaves amid star fear

29-Jan-2004
Published: 29/01/2004, Volume II4, No. 5890 Page 7
Pastures new

29-Jan-2004
the hsj interview: Anna Walker
CHAI appointments look to new bloo od

15-Jan-2004
Published: 15/01/2004, Volume II4, No. 5888 Page 6 7
Choice: market opens for primary care

11-Dec-2003
Published: 11/12/2003, Volume II3, No. 5885 Page 3 4
Rose tinted view

30-Oct-2003
the hsj interview: Rosie Winterton
Winterton plea for partnership on bill

30-Oct-2003
Published: 30/10/2003, Volume II3, No. 5879 Page 4 5
Radical consultation: what do patients want?

7-Aug-2003
Published: 07/08/2003, Volume II3, No. 5867 Page 5
Conversation peace

31-Jul-2003
news focus
One more tweak 'could kill foundations policy'

3-Jul-2003
Published: 03/07/2003, Volume II3, No. 5862 Page 6, 7
Independence say

17-Apr-2003
the hsj interview: Philip Hunt
Top managers salute a 'man of integrity '

20-Mar-2003
Published: 20/03/2003, Volume II3, No. 5847 Page 5
Inquiring mind

6-Feb-2003
the hsj interview: Professor Sir Ian Kennedy
Keeping everything crossed

16-Jan-2003
news focus
No mid-winter blues - yet- say A&E managers

16-Jan-2003
Published: 16/01/2003, Volume II3, No. 5838 Page 4 5
Scan-backlog hospital queries refe errals

21-Nov-2002
Published: 21/11/2002, Volume II2, No. 5832 Page 6 7
Crisp gives creat tive licence to PCT spend

3-Oct-2002
Published: 03/10/2002 Volume II2, No.5825 Page 4 5
Row over restricted information blights patient safety plan

20-Jun-2002
Published: 20/06/2002, Volume II2, No.5810 Page 4 5
Winning his spurs

7-Jun-2002
news focus: In the wake of Stephen Byers' resignation, Laura Donnelly charts the rise of David Lammy from Tottenham schoolboy, raised by a single mum, via Harvard Law School to junior health minister
Purchase power goes to waste

16-May-2002
Published: 16/05/2002, Volume II2, No. 5805 Page 10
Hine quits as scrutiny takes an Ofsted-style approach

25-Apr-2002
Published:25/04/2002, Volume II2, No. 5802, Page 4 5
Cut to the Chase

14-Feb-2002
news focus: What exactly was the sequence of events that led to the discovery of a backlog of thousands of ultrasound referrals at a north London hospital? Laura Donnelly unravels a curious story
Shades of grey

10-Jan-2002
There are a few hints of colour among the new wave of chairs and chief executives of the strategic health authorities.Laura Donnelly does the introductions
2001 - an NHS odyssey

20-Dec-2001
news focus it was a dirty start to a year which ended in tension for trusts without stars.Laura Donnelly reflects on the year that was
Inside the labyrinth

29-Nov-2001
As the Modernisation Agency tours the no-star trusts and conducts dozens of other programmes of change, Laura Donnelly battles her way through the organisation's complex structure in an attempt to pin down its role
Stand up and be counted

22-Nov-2001
news focus
Exit right?

15-Nov-2001
NEWS FOCUS: The star-ratings system claimed its first scalp last weekwhen a no-star trust chief executive quit - hounded out of office, claim her supporters. Is she a scapegoat or did she deserve to go? Laura Donnelly reports
Board stays put in face of CHI 'dangerous practice' claims

20-Sep-2001
THIS WEEK
One damned thing after another

20-Sep-2001
NEWS FOCUS: A West Midlands trust is the subject of CHI's most negative report to date.But will heads roll? Laura Donnelly reports
Photo finish

13-Sep-2001
NEWS FOCUS: Ken Williams fell on his sword when a picture of exposed bodies stored in Bedford Hospital's chapel of rest was published in the national press.He spoke exclusively to Laura Donnelly about the dark days that followed
Out of sight, out of mind

6-Sep-2001
NEWS FOCUS: Moves are being made to put prison health services on the straight and narrow.Laura Donnelly joined prison service director general Martin Narey on a visit to one prison struggling to turn its service around
Bedford bodies in chapel photo was set up say security probe

16-Aug-2001
The chief executive forced to step down over the 'bodies in the chapel' furore at Bedford Hospital trust has said his version of events has been vindicated by publication of a summary of a security report into the incident.
NHS restructure is a 'licence to meddle'

2-Aug-2001
THIS WEEK
Picking up the pieces

2-Aug-2001
NEWS FOCUS: Shifting the Balance has appeared at last, showing how all the structural changes in the NHS 'jigsaw'fit together.Laura Donnelly compares the final cut with an earlier draft, leaked exclusively to HSJ
Revalidation for managers Bristol inquiry wins support in wake of

26-Jul-2001
this week
Bristol report triggers tussle over blame for clinical failures

19-Jul-2001
Key figures who played a management and supervisory role in paediatric care at Bristol Royal Infirmary were bracing themselves for a damning report as HSJ went to press.
Off message

6-Jul-2001
NEWS FOCUS: The departure of the DoH's communications director has led to accusations of ministerial control-freakery over media relations.Could this be a sign of things to come, asks Laura Donnelly
Quiz - Test of faith

6-Jul-2001
NEWS FOCUS: So there you are, trotting along as a modern and dependable manager.Thanks to the wonders of deed poll, reform is now your middle name. And suddenly, it turns out that there are alternatives to the one true faith. To offer a soupcon of light r
Over my dead body

14-Jun-2001
NEWS FOCUS: One of CHI's first reviews deals with the bodies-in-the-chapel 'scandal'. The man who paid the price, Ken Williams, talked exclusively to Laura Donnelly
Off message

7-Jun-2001
The departure of the DoH's communications director has led to accusations of ministerial control-freakery over media relations.Could this be a sign of things to come, asks Laura Donnelly It is almost exactly a month since Tony Blair said today would be polling day. In one fell swoop, the civil service was silenced.
Media chief quits over 'total' ministerial control

31-May-2001
Department of Health communications director Helen McCallum has left her high-profile Whilehall job because of the 'frightening level of ministerial control' thwarting her ideals.
Plane speaking

26-Apr-2001
Will a National Patient Safety Agency create confusion in the clinical governance era? Chief medical officer Professor Liam Donaldson speaks exclusively to Laura Donnelly about why urgent action was needed
Coming clean

19-Apr-2001
The number of 'red'dirty hospitals has fallen after being named and shamed, but those in trouble still get the headlines, writes Laura Donnelly
Socket to them

19-Apr-2001
The NHS does an outstanding job making artificial eyes for patients who need them. But, as Laura Donnelly discovered, There is a lot more to the service than that
Warnings of 'changes in style'as new broooms sweep key regions

15-Mar-2001
Acting regional directors John Bacon and Ruth Carnall have been appointed to take up substantive posts in London and the South East.
Livingstone holds on to bulk of budget plan

8-Mar-2001
The London Assembly has resisted its last chance to force the mayor to make cuts to his budget on health, housing and social exclusion.
Turning the tables

1-Feb-2001
Private companies are making nice profits from producing highly contentious hospital league tables. is not it time the NHS built up its own expertise in collating performance data? Laura Donnelly reports
Experts query hospital rankings data

18-Jan-2001
The launch of a consumer hospital guide ranking hospitals by death rates has sparked attacks on the quality of its data and the workload imposed on the NHS by private publishing company Dr Foster.
Tears for fears

18-Jan-2001
With chief executives running around in circles trying to meet the demands of the modernisation agenda, no wonder so many posts go unfilled. Laura Donnelly takes a reading of the top people's gloomometer
High risks, scarce talent leave NHS fighting to fill top jobs

11-Jan-2001
One in four top NHS jobs is vacant - and the gaps at the 'top table' of management mirror recruitment concerns at trusts across the country, HSJ sources have warned.
Strategy for HIV remains elusive despite an extra £41m in funding

7-Dec-2000
Public health minister Yvette Cooper has announced an extra £41m next year to tackle soaring numbers of people living with HIV and AIDS. But there is still no sign of the long-delayed draft sexual health and HIV strategy, which is now not expected until the new year.
Cost index sparks familiar rows on data

30-Nov-2000
The NHS index of reference costs has come under attack for its use of faulty data and a 'continued lack of sophistication' in the way costs are measured.
Reeves to quit NHS on a fiscal high note

23-Nov-2000
NHS director of finance and performance management Colin Reeves is to leave the service after 16 years, seven of which were on its top board. His departure in spring 2001 will follow a shake-up of the NHS Executive's finance function.
Talking point

23-Nov-2000
To combine his twin NHS roles of permanent secretary and chief executive, Nigel Crisp has to pull off a tricky balancing act. But he is determined to be accessible - and communicative - he tells Laura Donnelly in an exclusive interview
Stocking's tops

9-Nov-2000
The newly appointed director of the NHS Modernisation Agency takes up her job with a reputation as a thoroughly 'modern'woman at one with the ethos of New Labour. Laura Donnelly reports
Cloud on the silver lining

26-Oct-2000
The brighter outlook for those diagnosed with HIV is putting a financial strain on long-term support services. Laura Donnelly reports on how they are coping
Mental health 'czar'demands zero suicides on acute wards

19-Oct-2000
National mental health director Professor Louis Appleby has ordered the NHS to take 'immediate action' to meet targets for zero suicides on acute psychiatric wards by the end of March 2002.
'No need to panic' over who will replace the London region 'hard hitter' says his stand-in

19-Oct-2000
London regional chair Ian Mills says there is 'no need to panic' over the appointment of a permanent successor to the departing Nigel Crisp.
Trial and error

19-Oct-2000
A typicals for treating schizophrenia received the thumbs-up at an HSJ debate, but some condemned trials backing their use. Laura Donnelly was there
More Londoners are killed by pollution than die on roads

12-Oct-2000
A report launched at the first meeting of the London Health Commission, set up by mayor Ken Livingstone, today claims that more people die from transport-related pollution than road accidents in the capital.
Would you like cash back?

28-Sep-2000
Yes, please, says the BMA - about 14 per cent would do nicely. As the annual pay review tussle hots up, Laura Donnelly and Tash Shifrin find out who wants what, and how badly
'Extra resources needed' to meet future demands on mental health

21-Sep-2000
An interim strategy examining how the NHS can build a mental health workforce to meet the demands of the national service framework and NHS plan says extra resources will still be needed.
Toolkit will help trusts judge beds capacity

21-Sep-2000
Trusts and health authorities will receive 'prescriptive' guidance next month showing them how to get their share of 2,100 extra acute and general beds promised in the NHS plan.
Bastards let us down: NHS Direct bidder

14-Sep-2000
The main rivals for the software contract to complete the roll-out of NHS Direct have reacted bitterly to news that French insurance company Axa Assistance has won the £68m-a-year deal.
This man wants to lose his job

14-Sep-2000
The GP charged with spreading good practice in primary care is looking forward to redundancy - it will mean his job is done, writes Laura Donnelly
Blair and Milburn split on criteria for new chief executive of NHS

7-Sep-2000
Health secretary Alan Milburn is caught in a row between the Department of Health and Number 10 over who to appoint as NHS chief executive, HSJ understands.
Less is more

31-Aug-2000
That the NHS plan has so little to say on mental health is actually a sign that the government is pretty much on the ball in this area. Laura Donnelly explains the paradox
Sweeter than Honey

17-Aug-2000
The new chief executive of the troubled London Ambulance Service has come in for universal praise. What's his secret, wonders Laura Donnelly
Action promised as LAS admits failure to meet modest targets

10-Aug-2000
London Ambulance Service trust has promised action after admitting that it has failed to meet 'even modest performance targets' and cannot always provide a clinically safe service.
Conspicuous consumption

10-Aug-2000
TB is perceived as a poverty-related disease of the distant past, but it is making a comeback, especially in London, writes Laura Donnelly
Talking it through

10-Aug-2000
Nurses found a lot to like in the NHS plan, but. . . Laura Donnelly reports from a summer school for nurse leaders on the profession's worries for the future
Livingstone heads for fluoride dispute

3-Aug-2000
Cracks have appeared in the relationship between the Greater London Assembly and London regional office over whether to put fluoride in the capital's water.
Make or break

3-Aug-2000
Was it worth the wait? HSJ opens its six-page analysis of the NHS plan with the Commons announcement - a crucial day for the government, as Laura Donnelly, Tash Shifrin, Lyn Whitfield and Kaye McIntosh report
Trusts sidelined cancer funds out of research, MPs discover

3-Aug-2000
MPs have accused trusts of funnelling away funds earmarked for research on cancer.
Mental health strategy damned as MPs call for hospital closures

27-Jul-2000
The Commons health select committee has launched a fierce attack on key strands of government policy on mental health.
Paddington plans laid bare

20-Jul-2000
An ambitious scheme to transform heart and lung services at one site in west London will shake up hospitals in the capital. Laura Donnelly reports
Beyond the pale

13-Jul-2000
Ken Livingstone may have appointed a health adviser, but his bold campaign pledges about a healthier London have made way for more cautious words. Laura Donnelly meets the mayor
Trusts clamp down on free condoms

13-Jul-2000
Two community trusts have defended decisions to stop providing free condoms to prostitutes and HIV-positive gay men, at a time when infection has reached record levels nationwide.
Something in the air

8-Jun-2000
It's a tricky role, but the head of the new Health Development Agency is confident that success is within his grasp. Laura Donnelly met him
Government may press on with a 'closer-to-home' beds strategy

25-May-2000
The government looks set to push a long-term strategy to expand 'closer to-home' intermediate care services - despite a lack of evidence about whether such schemes actually work.
When it's time to get even

25-May-2000
A pioneering scheme offering support for staff with mental health problems has put one trust ahead of the rest on employment opportunities. Laura Donnelly looks at the scheme in the light of last week's guidance by the Department of Health
Survey will seek to address NHS discrimination against disabled

18-May-2000
An NHS drive to increase the number of staff with disabilities will include a national survey to establish the extent of discrimination at board level.
Delays in HIV funding attacked

11-May-2000
The government has come under fire over delays dogging both this year's funding and the national strategy for HIV and AIDS, promised three years ago.
Liddell departs for Internet job

11-May-2000
NHS director of planning Alasdair Liddell has resigned to join a new Internet company specialising in communications between government and business.
Ambulance chief says extra cash is for 'failure to change'

4-May-2000
'Maverick' ambulance chief executive Roger Thayne has attacked the government for 'rewarding the reluctance of the service to change' - weeks after receiving official recognition for his 'pioneering' work to cut emergency response times.
Stranger than friction

27-Apr-2000
Number-crunching former chief executive Jim Waits encountered political infighting at close range. Now he has written a novel about it. Laura Donnelly reports
Experts query role of mental health 'czar'

20-Apr-2000
The government has at last appointed a mental health 'czar' - six months after launching the national service framework.
NHS 'masterplan' teams are sworn to secrecy - or else

20-Apr-2000
The government has launched three months of consultation ahead of 'a national plan for the NHS' by urging the modernisation action teams involved to keep their talks under wraps.
No way out

20-Apr-2000
Government plans to lock up dangerous people with severe personality disorders have met with almost blanket opposition from mental health professionals. So where to now? Laura Donnelly reports
Government has 'ducked' thorny issues in Mental Health Act plans

13-Apr-2000
The expert committee charged with advising the government on reform of the Mental Health Act has attacked its green paper for 'ducking some fundamental questions' to chase a tabloid agenda on public safety.
Public health experts fear hidden R&D cuts

16-Mar-2000
Experts in public health have expressed fears that the health secretary's vow to 'take public health out of the ghetto' is a 'cover' for short-term cuts in research and education.
The second coming

9-Mar-2000
A rise in cases of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases has led to talk of a time-bomb more reminiscent of the mid-1980s. Laura Donnelly asks how services will cope
GU clinics told to turn n patients away - until April

2-Mar-2000
'Overperforming' genito-urinary clinics at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals, south London, have been ordered to turn patients away until the new financial year.
Knock knock

2-Mar-2000
Presenting mental health in a good light is an uphill struggle to combat negative press coverage. Laura Donnelly reports
Acute beds on the up - or the down

17-Feb-2000
Acute bed numbers could be increased by 35,000 in the next 20 years - or cut by 23,000 - according to a longawaited report by the government's national beds inquiry.
All things to all men

17-Feb-2000
The long-awaited national beds inquiry report seems to cater for all tastes. Primary, intermediate, acute. . . you can have it all. Or can you? Laura Donnelly reports
Association will 'confront forces inhibiting public health progress'

17-Feb-2000
The UK Public Health Association will 'confront and expose forces inhibiting the government's intentions to act progressively', if necessary, new chief executive John Nicholson said this week.
Reforms 'on the cheap' for mental health

10-Feb-2000
This Week
Two-day target for access to doctors criticised as 'harsh'

10-Feb-2000
Primary care leaders have given a lukewarm response to governmentbacked targets for rapid access to GPs.
Wired for sound

10-Feb-2000
Clashes between medical professionals and 'survivors' kept the temperature rising at a debate on ECT. Laura Donnelly was there
New tier of care for elderly set to follow national beds inquiry

3-Feb-2000
A new tier of healthcare for elderly people was due to be announced yesterday as part of health secretary Alan Milburn's modernisation crusade.
Public health body to end contract culture

20-Jan-2000
The demise of the Health Education Authority will end contract culture and poor co-ordination in public health, the head of its slimline successor has pledged.
Fallon fallout

13-Jan-2000
The battering meted out to Ashworth Hospital by the Fallon inquiry may have led to other establishments facing tougher regimes, writes Laura Donnelly
Take a long, hard look

6-Jan-2000
A film recording peoples experiences of mental health services through the 20th century makes grim, and sometimes shocking, viewing. And its long - but not in the context of participants lives, writes Laura Donnelly
Government hits back over north-south 'gap'

9-Dec-1999
The government this week launched an offensive against claims that its social exclusion agenda has done little to tackle the root causes of poverty and a widening north-south divide.
'Widening gap' is blow to public health policy

2-Dec-1999
The government's public health programme has come under fire after research found the 'biggest health gap' ever measured between the richest and poorest households.
Commons committee backs 'no-fault' plan

25-Nov-1999
The Commons health select committee has given its backing to calls for the introduction of no-fault compensation schemes for the NHS.
Healthy living centres kick off with £1m plan

25-Nov-1999
One of the government's earliest health policy ideas is showing signs of coming to fruition with the announcement of the first healthy living centre to be funded by the National Lottery.
May the force be with you

25-Nov-1999
Mental health service users may find themselves facing a harsh new treatment regime under green paper proposals now out for consultation. Laura Donnelly reports
Inspiration, not perspiration

18-Nov-1999
The Ambulance Service Association's members don't balk at more millennium planning - they seem to relish it. Laura Donnelly reports
Mental health green paper includes forcible treatment

18-Nov-1999
'Radical' reforms to mental health law will mean forcible treatment for community patients who refuse to take their medication.
Arts surgery

4-Nov-1999
A new national council aims to promote the use of music, dance, drama and painting in the health service. Laura Donnelly tunes in
Service framework 'needs more money'

4-Nov-1999
Four in five managers charged with implementing the national service framework for mental health are not convinced it can be done without extra money, according to a survey of health authorities and trusts.
Schizophrenia patients face denial of new drug treatments

21-Oct-1999
People with schizophrenia could be denied modern drugs as a first-line treatment under controversial draft guidelines commissioned by the Department of Health.
Trust's ex-chair rejects damning report as 'biased and inaccurate'

21-Oct-1999
The former chair of Eastbourne Hospitals trust has launched a scathing counter-attack on a regional review that criticised the trust's 'autocratic, centralist and controlling' management style.
You ain't seen nothing yet

21-Oct-1999
Normal new year A&E preparations are small beer compared with this year's activity. But will it be enough? Laura Donnelly reports
GPs reluctant to deal with mental health

14-Oct-1999
GPs are reluctant to meet a rising mental health workload that is taking up almost a third of their time, according to a national survey by mental health charity MACA.
Huge rise in market share for 'big three' private operators

14-Oct-1999
The 'big three' private hospital operators have seen a 'dramatic' leap in market share which has left them with 60 per cent of the market, according to industry analysts.
NHS emergency plans stand up to Paddington pressures

14-Oct-1999
Early verdicts on the Paddington rail crash, which killed up to 40 people and injured 150, are that NHS emergency plans stood up to the pressures of 'a classic major incident'.
Standard issue

14-Oct-1999
The new national service framework for mental health sets out standards without specifying in detail how they should be achieved. Is this a good or bad thing? Laura Donnelly encounters a mixed response
A marriage made in. . . Southport

7-Oct-1999
After a long courtship, the IHSM and the AMGP sealed the knot last week amid scenes of faded seaside glamour. Laura Donnelly wonders how long it will be before Relate's services are required
Private hospital chief slams insurance 'fix'

7-Oct-1999
Private hospital network schemes have come under attack from rival providers and consultants, who claim medical insurance companies are disguising anti-competitive tactics beneath 'a cloak of unnecessary secrecy'.
Audit reveals uneven services for children

23-Sep-1999
news
Millennium team in 'random' visits to oversee winter plans

23-Sep-1999
news
Spanner in the works

16-Sep-1999
news focus:
Treasury blocks coronary framework

16-Sep-1999
Wrangles between the Treasury and the Department of Health have been 'central' to lengthy delays in publishing a national service framework for coronary heart disease, according to HSJ sources.
Audit reveals uneven services for children

9-Sep-1999
Spending on mental health services for children and adolescents varies seven-fold across England and Wales, according to an Audit Commission report that finds 'little relation' between spending and need.
Millennium team in 'random' visits to oversee winter plans

9-Sep-1999
news
Consultants hit out at threat of PFI bed loss

2-Sep-1999
News
Mental health trusts 'run scared' from PCTs

2-Sep-1999
News
Government told to wake up over 'internal' beds review

26-Aug-1999
this week
In the rudest of health

26-Aug-1999
news focus:
'7-up' leadership programme aims to put fizz into managers

19-Aug-1999
this week
NICE list prompts calls for more muscle

12-Aug-1999
this week
Service 'reduced to custodial care'

12-Aug-1999
news
You can stuff the canapes

12-Aug-1999
news focus:
Landmark cases bring threat of massive bills

5-Aug-1999
news
2000 throws up PR nightmares

29-Jul-1999
Tales of millennium revellers 'vomiting to death' make 'bad PR', a year 2000 communications workshop heard last week.
Balancing act

29-Jul-1999
Campaigners are launching a CD-ROM and website to help the media provide more balanced coverage of mental health issues. Laura Donnelly reports
Troubled mental health trust to lose three of its top executives

29-Jul-1999
A mental health trust which came under fire for poor conditions and a 'lack of financial control' is to lose half its executive directors.
Experts dub personality disorder imprisonment proposals 'flawed'

22-Jul-1999
Proposals to lock up 'dangerous people with severe personality disorder' indefinitely are 'fundamentally flawed', according to mental health experts.
Twinned with Byzantium

22-Jul-1999
Real results may be some time coming for Plymouth health action zone, despite copious sub-committees. Laura Donnelly continues our occasional series
Mental health experts greet merger plans with scepticism

15-Jul-1999
Guidance fleshing out plans to merge Britain's high-security hospitals with NHS trusts will do little to tackle 'entrenched problems' of recruitment, size and morale, according to mental health experts.
'People power' halts PFI projects

15-Jul-1999
Local campaign groups have claimed that the failure of two major hospital projects to win private finance initiative approval as a victory for 'people power'.
Criminal intent

1-Jul-1999
news focus:
DoH floats suspensions time limit

24-Jun-1999
The government's review of consultant suspensions is considering proposals for a 12-month limit to control the 'inordinate amount of time' devoted to some cases.
Trial and error

24-Jun-1999
The methods for best caring for people with severe mental illness are in the dock, but the evidence on assertive outreach and personality disorder is sadly lacking, reports Laura Donnelly
Head of HEA resigns as new era dawns

17-Jun-1999
news
Chief executive sacked after Dobson dismisses his board

10-Jun-1999
this week
Special hospital hours now 'dangerous'

10-Jun-1999
news
Hospital review follows deaths

3-Jun-1999
Nursing care at Eastbourne District General Hospital is to be reviewed after the deaths of two patients and concerns over staffing levels, health minister John Hutton announced last week.
The IHSM's newly appointed director has an impressive track record in health service management.

6-May-1999
news focus
Blood errors spark code call

11-Mar-1999
news
Dangerous precedent

25-Feb-1999
Home secretary Jack Straw's proposals for locking away people with 'severe personality disorders', in case they commit a crime, have enraged mental health campaigners. Laura Donnelly reports
GP deputising 'failures' added to holiday crisis

18-Feb-1999
Two studies have been launched into claims that failures in GP deputising services added to pressure on accident and emergency services at Christmas.
Astronomical problems as services face hordes

11-Feb-1999
Acute services in Devon and Cornwall are drawing up drastic contingency measures to cope with a mass influx of visitors for the solar eclipse in six months' time.
Confederation's subs go up to prevent 'ruin'

11-Feb-1999
The NHS Confederation is planning a big hike in membership rates at the end of a year in which its chief executive admits it faced 'potential financial ruin'.
Sound post

4-Feb-1999
In the second of an occasional series on the progress of Plymouth's health action zone, Laura Donnelly finds that the pressure to deliver means targets are not always as radical as they might be
Hutton is derided for 'pandering to tabloids'

28-Jan-1999
The government's stance on community care came under fire from new quarters last week when junior health minister John Hutton faced more than 300 professionals and activists.
PCG polls 'should not be run by HA'

21-Jan-1999
An investigation into a botched primary care group election in Birmingham has recommended that future polls should not be handled by health authority officers.
Psychiatrists reject 'failure' of care policy

14-Jan-1999
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has challenged popular public assumptions that care in the community has failed.
Bridge over troubled waters

3-Dec-1998
Relations between the NHS and the local council in Solihull were difficult - but the borough now has a joint public health director. Laura Donnelly reports
Commissioner points to 'early warning role'

26-Nov-1998
The health service commissioner's first report covering clinical complaints has highlighted the office's potential role as an 'early warning system'.
Clinical governance needs 'extra powers'

5-Nov-1998
Only six per cent of top healthcare professionals are confident that managers have 'sufficient powers' over healthcare teams to tackle poor clinical practice.
National cost index sparks controversy

5-Nov-1998
Managers leading trusts named as the most expensive in the country have accused league tables published this week of not comparing like with like.
Government offers no funds for Welsh public health plans

29-Oct-1998
Main points of the framework
Unions will scrutinise PFI firms' track record

29-Oct-1998
Health minister Alan Milburn has issued details of a 'three-point plan' to 'better protect staff' involved in private finance initiative projects.
Ministers plan to keep special hospitals open

15-Oct-1998
Ministers want to maintain high security hospitals at Ashworth, Rampton and Broadmoor - but are planning legislation so they can become NHS trusts.
Continuity announcements

8-Oct-1998
Scottish trust chairs have their work cut out carrying forward health improvement programmes amid major reorganisation. Laura Donnelly reports
Joint winter funding is 'lopsided' - Thornton

1-Oct-1998
Inter-agency partnerships to tackle winter pressures will be 'lopsided' unless the government plans a long-term cash injection for social services, NHS Confederation chief executive Stephen Thornton warned last week.
Time limit on healthy living Lottery funds

24-Sep-1998
Healthy living centres will have to support themselves when Lottery grants run out, the government's new Lottery body said last week.

Editor's Comment

Health Service JournalLaura Donnelly

Health Service Journal
Laura Donnelly