Andy McKeon
Rise in PCTs reporting above-average costs
The past financial year saw a sharp rise in the proportion of primary care trusts reporting above-average costs for providing NHS services, new Department of Health figures show.
Poor NHS cost data will delay national pricing, Audit Commission warns
Costing data in the NHS is too poor to establish fixed national prices for new acute and community services, an Audit Commission review has found.
Quarter of NHS trusts 'have weaknesses in securing financial resilience'
Almost a quarter of NHS trusts have notable weaknesses in their arrangements for securing financial resilience or challenging how they secure value for money, their auditors have warned.
DH to 'rely' on local pricing to extend community services competition
The Department of Health will be “heavily reliant” on locally set prices to encourage competition from “any qualified provider” in community services, it said this week.
Audit Commission finds social care services improving
Local councils are improving their adult social care but need to pick up the pace, a watchdog has said.
Acute trusts' FT plans slip back a year
More than a quarter of the acute trusts still bidding for foundation status have seen their application date slip by over a year.
Trusts set 'unlikely' savings targets for 2011-12
England’s acute trusts have increased the scale of their cost improvement programmes by nearly a third in 2011-12, an HSJ analysis reveals.
MPs told of budget topslicing 'risk'
Providers could face financial difficulties if commissioning consortia decide to topslice their budgets to create risk pools, the Commons health committee has heard.
Sick leave 'more likely' in junior staff
Lower paid NHS staff and junior workers are more likely to go off sick than senior colleagues, according to a new report.
Absence savings targets will be hard to achieve, says Audit Commission
NHS organisations should be realistic about the savings they can make by tackling sickness absence, the Audit Commission has said.
Rigorous approach needed to improve QOF payments, report says
The Audit Commission has found significant variation among primary care trusts’ management of GP performance payments.
Community foundation trusts may buy premises with Treasury cash
Aspirant community foundation trusts will be able to acquire the primary care trust estate they operate from with Treasury resources, the Department of Health has said.
Productivity gains elude NHS trusts
The NHS failed at the twin challenges of reducing emergency admissions and providing more care outside hospital in the last financial year, according to an Audit Commission report.
Mental health hit by integration issues
Mental health patients are failing to benefit from personal care budgets because of poor inter-agency working.
Councils 'lagging' on social care personal budgets plan
Local authorities face a major challenge to implement personal budgets for social care with some already “lagging behind”, an Audit Commission report has warned.
NHS improves financial grip
The NHS has significantly improved its financial management since the deficit period of 2005-06, the Audit Commission has said.
HSJ100: Staying power is at the heart of NHS influence
As we prepare our list of the most influential people in health in 2010, Alastair McLellan and Darius McQuaid look back at who has wielded most power in the NHS during the last four years
Clinical coding improving, says Audit Commission
The accuracy of hospital trusts’ clinical coding has improved significantly in the past three years, but remains very poor at some organisations, according to the Audit Commission.
Financial fears as axe falls on Audit Commission
The abolition of the Audit Commission has heightened concern about the NHS losing control of financial management as the government cuts growth and overhauls commissioning.
Congratulations - you're the new health secretary
You are responsible for a £110bn budget and the health of the nation, but with an average of only two years in the job there is no time to lose. Andy McKeon describes what you should expect in your first days as secretary of state for health
'Reconfiguration may do more harm than good'
History warns us that reconfiguration is not the panacea it’s cracked up to be, says Andy McKeon.
The NHS Commissioning Board: biggest of the big spenders
The NHS Commissioning Board’s greatest influence on quality will be through how it splashes its cash
Andy McKeon: why money could not unravel the NHS red tape
Whoever wins the forthcoming election will have some unfinished business on health policy to attend to, even if it is possible to declare victory over waiting lists.
Andy McKeon: NHS cash alone won’t end health inequalities
One strategy every six months under Labour has failed to produce results for children under five
Andy McKeon on NHS efficiency and pre-election sparring
The pre-election sparring has begun and the NHS will not escape some cuts. How tough things get will be a true test of how well money has been spent recently
Andy McKeon: saving £15bn-£20bn will be no summer holiday
This summer senior NHS managers have been set a problem they will still be studying for months ahead - how to save £15bn-£20bn over three years from 2011.
