NHS England chief executive job description revealed, how to stop the whole hospital being slowed down and the rest of today’s news and analysis
3.12pm: Shane Gordon, clinical chief officer at North East Essex CCG, argues on our opinion channel that referral management centres will exacerbate the issue of costly and | unnecessary referrals. Instead GPs need better support so it’s easier for them make the right decision the first time.
3.28pm: Jane Kirby, PA health correspondent, tweets: “People suffering from anxiety or depression face a longer wait for NHS treatment compared to a year ago - HSCIC figures.”
3.18pm: Management of the Lister Surgicentre is due to transfer from private sector firm ClinicentaCarillion to the NHS, an MP has reported.
Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland said in a statement: “I am absolutely delighted with the news that the Lister Surgicentre will now be managed by our local Lister Hospital. It has been a long and difficult campaign, but I have persuaded Jeremy Hunt the Secretary of State for Health that ClinicentaCarillion just had to go so patients can be safe.”
It follows a series of concerns about the services.
2.51pm: NHS Employers chief executive Dean Royles has written a piece discussing the organisation’s working longer review and call for evidence. He says:
“Many NHS staff work well beyond 65; at our last estimate there were 19,000 staff over 65 and 3,000 staff over 70… this will become more widespread, and some staff may have to work longer, not just want to work longer. How do we ensure they are productive, valued and enjoy their work?”
Under his alternative plan, four local hospitals – Stafford, Cannock, University Hospital of North Staffordshire and Queen’s Hospital in Burton Upon Trent – would be merged into a single acute trust.
12.02pm: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published its recommendations for indicators to be included in the CCG Outcomes Indicators Set for 2014-15. They will be selected for inclusion by NHS England later in the year. Those put forward by NICE include the proportion of cases of cancer diagnosed in an emergency route, as opposed to by a planned and normally earlier-stage route.
11.10am: Nuffield Trust chief executive Jennifer Dixon, who is leaving to the same role at the Health Foundation in October, has written a blog on NHS politics and the use of evidence.
11am: We have published a story today on the latest on the CQC and Grant Thornton issue. Sarah Calkin has an exclusive interview with former chief executive Cynthia Bower. She reports: “The Former Care Quality Commission executives were “hung out to dry” by a “flawed process” after chief executive David Behan ignored warnings about potential problems with the work of an independent review, it has been alleged.”
10.47am: Former MP and co-leader of the National Health Action Party Dr Richard Taylor has announced he will stand at the 2015 general election. A statement said: “The ex-member of the Health Select Committee says he’s been forced into action by the government’s disastrous NHS reforms.
“It was intense anger over the inappropriate and drastic downgrading of the charter- marked Kidderminster hospital that led Dr Taylor to run for the Wyre Forest constituency in 2001 . He won the seat with an 18,000 majority. He went on to hold the seat in 2005 but lost to the Tories in 2010 after boundary changes.” He will stand in Wyre Forest again.
10.46am: The Guardian reports that Jeremy Hunt’s plans to reduce services at Lewisham hospital were declared unlawful and were quashed by a high court judge. Mr Justice Silber ruled that Hunt had acted outside his powers and had unlawfully breached the provisions of the National Health Services Act 2006.
Rosa Curling from the law firm Leigh Day, which represented the Save Lewisham Hospital group, said: “Real questions must now be asked about the decisions being taken by this government in relation to healthcare.” A Department of Health of spokesman said it was disappointed by the decision , as the South London Healthcare trust has made losses of £1m a week, money that has to be redirected from other services.
10.39am: The Financial Times has a short piece on page 3 this morning that covers a number of reconfiguration decisions.It links yesterday’s High Court ruling on Lewisham hospital and the Stafford hospital downgrade recommendations.
“Meanwhile”, it says, “Barts Health has halted plans to build a specialist cardiovascular unit at St Bartholomew’s Hospital as it looks to eradicate a £50m deficit”.The differing fortunes for each hospital trust give a glimpse of the problems likely to plague the NHS as managers struggle to save an estimated £30bn by 2020.
10.33am: It has also published a blog by chief executive Sir David Nicholson on “Seeing compassion in practice”.
10.32am: NHS England has published the latest chief nursing officer bulletin newsletter.
10.15am: We have published a story on a major backlog of complaints about primary care which has built up at NHS England since the commissioning reform transition.
NHS England has apologised “unreservedly”.
10.06am: The health editor for the Guardian, Sarah Boseley, reports that the Stafford hospital is to be downgraded under proposals from the trust’s special administrator.
It will lose its maternity and children’s ward, but will keep its consultant-led A&E service from 8am to 10pm seven days a week. The downgrading is intended to reduce the trust deficit which is nearly £20m. Julie Bailey, founder of the group Cure the NHS, which campaigned for the investigations into the poor quality of care at Stafford hospital said: “I have every faith that the administrators are making the right proposals.” However, shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham criticised the downgrading saying, “it will feel like a kick in the teeth for the people of Stafford”.
You can catch up with HSJ’s coverage from yesterday of the Mid Staffs decision.
10am: We have published, exclusively, the full job description for the job of NHS England chief executive, and a short piece about it.
It follows our interview with the organisation’s chair, Sir Malcolm Grant, last week on the search for someone to replace Sir David Nicholson.
8:14am: Good morning, the increasing use of diagnostics has been prompted, perversely, by faster turnaround, along with the growing fear among clinicians of litigation, the easier access provided by electronic ordering systems and the increased use of junior doctors in requesting diagnostics.
While it seems that the steady increase in demand will continue, there are ways to maintain a high quality and economic imaging service. Today on HSJ’s innovation and efficiency section, Paul Johnson says while there is no slowing down in the rising demand for diagnostics, there are ways to stop this delaying the whole hospital.
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