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4.34pm: The Department of Health has released a statement on the cost to it and other NHS organisations on providing evidence to the Francis Inquiry. The cost totalled six million pounds. Legal costs incurred was £5,227 and other costs included staff related expenses such as travel and subsistence.

3.25pm: To see photos from HSJ 50 Most Inspirational Women in healthcare event click here.

2.46pm: The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management has said it backs the findings of the Keogh Review.

“Inevitably one is left comparing the efficacy of this review of 14 hospitals, costing just over £3 million and taking six months, with much more costly reviews.

“Our conclusion is that this Keogh review is a positive endorsement of asking clinicians to lead and take ownership of reviews into clinical failings,” says Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management medical director Mr Peter Lees.

12.10pm:The Guardian reports that ministers will today publish plans for a universal state-backed insurance system for elderly care in England, with an excess set at £72,000.

Elderly people will pay “premiums”, priced depending their wealth and whether they are looked after at home or in a care home, to ensure their costs for assistance and accommodation will be capped at £72,000.  

11.59am: On HSJ last week we had an article on whether Tesco boss Leahy would make a great NHS Leader. There’s been a lot of response to it.

11.23am: Sky News reports that a firm once led by Mitt Romney, the former US Presidential candidate, is to buy an NHS supplier in a £200m deal. The private equity firm Bain Capital is to buy an 80% stake in Plasma Resources UK (PRUK), the major blood plasma supplier to the NHS.

The Government will retain a 20% stake in PRUK, and has insisted on warrants giving it a share of potential future profits.

11.05am: A report commissioned by the former NHS Midlands and East Strategic Health Authority, calls for a new national framework. It wants to see NHS England, GPs, clinical commissioning groups, professional bodies and patient groups all come together to shape the evolution of primary care.

11.02am: Tweet from HSJ reporter Shaun Lintern

10.58am:

10.45am: HSJ has an exclusive on the names of 16 emergency departments which the General Medical Council has significant concerns about.

The watchdog is worried about standards of training and supervision for junior doctors, out-of-hours staffing and rotas, handover arrangements, workload and, in some cases, the behaviour of individuals at the trusts.

10.30am: A major analysis by HSJ has found women are still massively underrepresented in senior leadership positions in the NHS. Just 37 per cent of senior roles on clinical commissioning group governing bodies and NHS provider boards are held by women. Where women hold executive level responsibilities these tend to be traditional female roles such as lead nurse or director of human resources. In contrast, three quarters of NHS finance directors are male.

10.25am: The Telegraph carries a report on the chief inspector of hospitals’ plan for an overhaul of the Care Quality Commission’s inspection regime under the headline “Scandal hit watchdog wants patients to join ranks of inspectors”. The story on page four focuses on plans to recruit a “small army” of inspectors.

On page 12 it reports that the co-chairman of the Department of Health’s alcohol network Nick Sheron has resigned after the government failed to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol.

Cancer Research UK, The Faculty of Public Health and the UK Health Forum have also pulled out of the network, the paper reports. In a joint statement they said they were “extremely disappointed” prime minister David Cameron had abandoned the plan to “save lives” by banning the sale of the cheapest drinks.

10.20am: The Medical Protection Society and the British Medical Association have witten a joint letter to health secretary Jeremy Hunt calling for the Chief Inspector of Hospitals role to be to be “demonstrably independent of politics” to ensure public confidence.

10.09am: Eighteen acute NHS trusts are to be inspected by the Care Quality Commission over the next three months as part of the first wave of inspections under the chief inspector of hospitals Sir Mike Richards.

 The first wave will effectively form a pilot of the new style CQC inspection which will build on the system used by the Keogh Review. Read HSJ’s interview with Sir Mike.

10.02am: Tweet from Royal College of Psychiatrists

9.55am:

8:40am: Last night HSJ launched its list of 50 most inspirational women in healthcare. In case you missed it, click here to see the entire list.

Also, give your feedback or join the debate by commenting here.