Latest Health Service News
PCTs bend pay rules to fill senior jobs
Primary care trusts are being forced to bend official pay rules to fill board level posts at a time when recruitment problems are predicted to deepen.
CQC plans ‘live’ ratings system
The Care Quality Commission will publish six traffic light ratings for each health provider later this year, chief executive Cynthia Bower has revealed.
Judgement reserved in Rose Gibb appeal case
The final outcome of the Rose Gibb case may not be known until after the election, after judgement was reserved today in her Appeal Court hearing.
World class commissioning scores to top charts
The Department of Health is expecting the best primary care trusts to receive the highest score available under world class commissioning this year for the first time.
SHAs pressurising PCTs into vertical integration
Primary care trusts in at least four regions are under pressure from their strategic health authorities to vertically integrate their provider arms with acute or mental health trusts, HSJ has learned.
NHS IT milestone ‘on track’ to meet target date
A milestone in the national programme for IT is “on track” to be met, one of the software suppliers announced this week.
DH ignores own advice on digital engagement
The Department of Health was advised to merge NHS Choices, NHS Direct and HealthSpace into a single agency a year ago by research it commissioned itself then did not publish.
Questions over national cold weather plan
Calls for the creation of a national “cold weather plan” have sparked concerns over who should deliver it among health and social care, and primary and acute care.
DH lead warns against ‘results only’ pathology
A “results only” pathology service could lead to a “dumbing down” of the workforce and inappropriate diagnostic testing, the national clinical director for pathology has warned.
Social care integration drive
Joint commissioning of social care by primary care trusts and local authorities is likely to be made mandatory.
Race inequality on the rise
Black and minority ethnic people are experiencing declining health and poorer NHS and social care provision, according to a report from charity the Afiya Trust.
Norfolk records major drop in bed blocking
There were up to 75 per cent fewer patients waiting for discharge on any one day across Norfolk this winter, following the introduction of a “capacity plan” to reduce bed blocking across the county.
Dementia funding being diverted
Health trusts are spending money intended for dementia on other things, an MPs’ report has said.
Trust questioned closely in court over Rose Gibb pay out
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust’s decision not to pay its former chief executive an agreed pay-off came under intense scrutiny today.
DH advocacy of integration ‘not credible’
The Department of Health is rarely a “credible advocate” for the integration of health and social care services because its policies are often contradictory, say senior NHS managers with dual local authority roles.
Patient groups back closure of hospitals
Dozens of patient organisations are backing plans to close hospital services in coming years, but fear they will be let down by bad public engagement.
Rose Gibb returns to court to battle for pay-off
Rose Gibb returns to the courts today in her battle to get a £175,000 pay off - two and a half years after she left her job as chief executive at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust.
Less than half of NHS staff think managers work well with others
Just under half of NHS staff think that healthcare professionals and management work well together, figures from the 2009 NHS staff survey reveal.
Sussex chief to step down without notice
The chief executive of a Sussex acute trust is to leave at the end of the month without working out her notice.
Close hospital beds to save money, says report
Some regions of the country should close more than a quarter of their hospital beds to save on running costs and improve care for individual patients, a think tank has said.
Bill Moyes teams with Paul Corrigan in policy talks
Two heavyweights of Labour’s health policy have teamed up with a think tank close to the Conservatives to argue for a curtailing of the Department of Health’s power and remit.
DH action needed to fill gaps in NHS data
Filling huge gaps in primary care data is vital if commissioning is to become more effective, public health experts have warned.
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King's Fund sets out social care funding proposals
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Public sector budget cut warning
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Rape victims 'need more NHS support'
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Assault reporting scheme rolled out
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Nick Clegg warns against 'ramming through cuts'
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CMO's report: national plan needed to cut winter death toll
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Alistair Darling rules out Budget spending cuts
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Business group warns on public finances
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Poor hospital communication criticised in coroner's report
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'Major changes' after avoidable hospital deaths
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Trust 'named and shamed' over plans to cut beds
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Research points to huge out of hours spending variations
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NHS staff need training to deal with domestic violence
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£8.4bn funding for Scottish NHS
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Test EU doctors' English competency, GMC urges
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CQC completes non-executive board line up
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Chief exec swaps Norfolk for Channel Islands
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DH spent £2m on first class travel
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‘Preferred provider’ policy unravels
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NHS managers demand power to fire GPs
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Staff vetting scheme fears are discouraging referrals
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Confed calls for action on tough political choices
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NHS Manchester tables complex community restructuring plan
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UKIP would scrap PCTs and make managers ‘happier’
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A&E wait is not being gamed, new data suggests
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First patient reported outcomes due in April
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£21bn spent on health inequalities has had little impact
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Plans made for deauthorising failing FTs
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Out of hours GP contracts need greater transparency
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Andrew Lansley backs Burnley crusade
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Kidney profiles published
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UK health policy differences hamper services
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A&E waiting times not misreported deliberately, says chief
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PCTs' spending on carers under scrutiny
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PCT provider plan deadline stands
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Senior NHS managers' pay to be frozen
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Budget set for 24 March
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PCTs preparing for cuts not savings, warn GPs
News by sector
News analysis
NHS is yet to capture the wealth of the net
Texting appointment reminders is a good start but the health service lags far behind leading industries in exploiting the rich potential of the digital revolution, reports Dave West
US healthcare: a proposal that speaks to the heart of America
Despite recent setbacks, Barack Obama still holds out audacious hope for US healthcare. But as opposition continues to undermine his position, the president has a monumental battle on his hands to get meaningful reform, says Douglas Noble
Marmot might be fair, but will it be feasible?
The Marmot report, probably the most important document on health inequalities for 30 years, was published last month. But can its recommendations become reality? Steve Ford reports
NHS managers may be heroes of the moment
Despite their endless depiction by the media and politicians as a scourge on the health service, research is showing that where numbers of NHS managers are strong, efficiency is often found working alongside quality. Charlotte Santry reports
NHS car parking: driven to distraction
Hospital car parking has become an impassioned talking point. While it may seem a side issue to the real work of healthcare, the heated arguments over charging won’t subside until policies are seen as fair and fixed, writes Joe Farrington-Douglas
Andrew Lansley points to joint powers in public health
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley wants a Conservative government to keep a firm hand on public health. In a joint interview with HSJ and sister title Local Government Chronicle, he tells Rebecca Evans how local collaboration will be vital
NHS quality accounts: quality is becoming an accountable business
This year will see the first tranche of reports intended to show how trusts are engaging with quality across all their services. Dave West looks at how this could represent a step change in health organisations’ accountability
Bill Moyes takes pride in rocking the foundations
Monitor executive chair Bill Moyes leaves the foundation trust regulator this week with no regrets about his stormy journey, as he tells Sally Gainsbury in his final interview
