Health Service Journal
10 December 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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A costing system where every patient counts
Patient-level information and costing collects data in a way that engages clinicians in improving efficiency. Louise Ross and Jennifer Butcher explain -
Ambulance trust to put bonuses for top team on hold
The chief executive of an ambulance trust has pledged there will be no bonuses for its top team after it was given just two weeks to make substantial improvements to cleanliness and infection control by the Care Quality Commission. -
Angela Greatley: mental health services are moving on
The asylums have long since closed - we need to maintain the pressure for better care so people with mental health problems can lead productive, positive lives -
Ash-en faced
Publications have to be terribly careful about the adverts they place next to stories, as a bungled decision can lead to a storm of angry letters. -
Beware of patient Belfield
While there is much debate over the correlation, or lack thereof, between Dr Foster’s mortality risk stats and Care Quality Commission findings, there does appear to be one sure way of predicting trouble at your trust. -
BMA calls for an end to 'slash and burn' policies
The British Medical Association has launched its general election “manifesto”, which says political parties must not adopt a “slash and burn” approach to NHS finances and services. -
Book Review: Now you see it
Look here for tips on dashboards that simply do their job, says Stephen Black -
Both regulators leaderless as Monitor fails to appoint chair
Attempts to find a successor for Monitor executive chair Bill Moyes have stalled, leaving both major NHS regulators without a permanent chair. -
Call for continued NHS investment
The Royal College of Nursing is calling for the government to maintain investment levels in the NHS to keep standards of patient care from dropping. -
Call to cut a million public sector jobs
A million public sector jobs, including frontline roles in the NHS and the police, must be axed if the government is to cut its deficit, a think tank has said today. -
Cancer Patient Experience Survey Programme
Department of Health -
Commissioners must be more 'ambitious' in CQUIN schemes
Commissioners will be told to be more ambitious and avoid duplication when setting their commissioning for quality and innovation (CQUIN) framework goals for next year. -
CONTRACT FOR A PRIMARY CARE LIAISON NURSES SERVICE
NHS Kensington and Chelsea -
Cynthia Bower: CQC is clear on its role
The Care Quality Commission will not succumb to pressure to increase regulation and is “absolutely clear” about its role, chief executive Cynthia Bower has insisted. -
Domestic abuse action team for Birmingham hospital
A multi-agency team is moving into Birmingham’s Sandwell Hospital to help identify and support victims of domestic abuse. -
Experts attack plans for mandatory error reports
Patient safety experts have attacked plans to punish trusts that fail to report errors resulting in harm to patients. -
Expressions of Interest - Community Dermatology Service
NHS Camden -
Foundation governors 'must be key in reconfiguration'
The Foundation Trust Governors’ Association has said its members must be central to making major service changes as investment cuts hit. -
Gas explosion at Manchester hospital
Two gas explosions have ripped through the site of the former Withington Hospital in Greater Manchester. -
Gordon Brown moves to curb public sector pay
Moves to curb a “culture of excess” in public sector pay have been unveiled by Gordon Brown as part of a bid to slash £12bn from spending over the next four years. -
Groundhog day
Politicians do tend to reannounce sexy policies, and there is certainly a need for a bit of glitz at the moment. -
Hospital criticised ahead of Baby P report
Baby Peter could have been saved if managers at a hospital where he was treated had listened to fears raised by senior doctors more than a year before the toddler’s death, a consultant paediatrician has claimed. -
How to defeat procrastination at work
Putting things off is a bad habit - and fundamental to breaking it are recognising the stages of how we act on problems and working out what’s stopping progress -
How to develop professional networks
Many who feel their career or performance is faltering are sometimes wary of networking. For the more introverted, networking is daunting. For others it conjures up images of currying favour along corridors of power for personal gain and so is unacceptable. -
How to get the best staff in acute trusts
Have you registered your organisation for the 2010 Healthcare 100? HSJ and Nursing Times have come together with NHS Employers and the Department of Health to identify the top healthcare providers to work for in the UK. Helen Mooney looks at one of last year’s winners -
How to get the best staff in ambulance trusts
Have you registered your organisation for the 2010 Healthcare 100? HSJ and Nursing Times have come together with NHS Employers and the Department of Health to identify the top healthcare providers to work for in the UK. Helen Mooney looks at one of last year’s winners -
How to get the best staff in large organisations
Have you registered your organisation for the 2010 Healthcare 100? HSJ and Nursing Times have come together with NHS Employers and the Department of Health to identify the top healthcare providers to work for in the UK. Helen Mooney looks at one of last year’s winners -
How to get the best staff in mental health
Have you registered your organisation for the 2010 Healthcare 100? HSJ and Nursing Times have come together with NHS Employers and the Department of Health to identify the top healthcare providers to work for in the UK. Helen Mooney looks at one of last year’s winners -
How to get the best staff in primary care
Have you registered your organisation for the 2010 Healthcare 100? HSJ and Nursing Times have come together with NHS Employers and the Department of Health to identify the top healthcare providers to work for in the UK. Helen Mooney looks at one of last year’s winners -
How to get the best staff in the North West
Have you registered your organisation for the 2010 Healthcare 100? HSJ and Nursing Times have come together with NHS Employers and the Department of Health to identify the top healthcare providers to work for in the UK. Helen Mooney looks at one of last year’s winners -
HSJ exclusive: NHS to take responsibility for social care
The NHS is to be given far greater responsibility for social care under plans expected to be announced by the government in coming days, HSJ understands. -
Ian Dalton's swine flu update - vaccine uptake
In his weekly update for HSJ and Nursing Times, national director for NHS flu resilience Ian Dalton discusses the latest developments in UK swine flu preparations -
Labour plan puts adult social care in NHS hands as ministers seek savings
Radical proposals to give the NHS responsibility for social care are expected to be at the heart of a government “vision” of how the health service will be able to thrive in the context of restricted funding. -
Lesbians 'suffer healthcare bias'
Lesbians experience varying degrees of bias from their doctors, according to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. -
Let's pretend
End Game has found some peculiar interpretations of the commissioning for quality and innovation (CQUIN) payment for performance framework. -
London NHS commissioners reply to cost criticisms
London’s central commissioning support body has insisted it is responding to concerns about its cost. -
Lung cancer treatment 'varies hugely'
NHS treatment for lung cancer varies hugely depending on where the patient lives, according to the latest National Lung Cancer Audit. -
Mental health co-ordinators to be based in jobcentres
Mental health co-ordinators are to be based in jobcentres under plans for a “radical overhaul” of support for people with mental health conditions. -
Michael White on NHS regulation
Is there enough real news to fill all those newspapers and dedicated TV news channels? In most years there are only two or three serious news items, ones that will be remembered, I sometimes joke. -
NHS boards react to Gordon Brown’s salary shame threat
Forcing organisations to publicly justify the salary of every manager earning more than £150,000 would damage the NHS, boards have warned. -
NHS IT programme to be scaled back in pre-Budget report
The multi-billion pound NHS IT programme is to be dramatically scaled back in the pre-Budget report. -
NHS managers on a mission in Sandhurst manoeuvres
The foundation trust regulator asked Sandhurst Academy to give managers an insight into the military ‘chain of understanding’. Helen Mooney reports for duty -
NHS North East backs £464m hospital build plan
A strategic health authority has backed a new £464m hospital planned for Teesside. -
NHS 'not helped' by confused messages on future of PCTs
Confused messages from the Department of Health over the future of community services configuration are “not helping the NHS”, the Primary Care Trust Network has warned. -
NHS operating framework hits hard
The NHS operating framework for 2010-11 is expected to include “hard hitting” measures to cut the cost and number of hospital procedures and tackle inefficiencies in community health services. -
NHS regulatory turmoil distracts from the real business of care
Regulation has become politically dangerous territory for health secretary Andy Burnham. Just at the moment when the recent furore over death rates and patient safety has shaken public confidence in the NHS, the two regulators at the centre of the storm are about to be left leaderless. -
NHS SHEFFIELD TENDER OPPORTUNITIES
NHS Sheffield -
NICE issues guide on commissioning high quality services
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published a new guide on commissioning NHS services. -
No funds promised with New Horizons mental health strategy
A cross-governmental action plan has set out a framework for the next decade of mental health policy - but without targets or a funding commitment. -
Osborne attacks Darling pledge to increase spending on frontline services
The Conservatives have accused the chancellor of trying to “ring fence a black hole” over his pledge to protect spending on frontline services in the pre-Budget report. -
Paramedic union anger at stab vest move
A paramedics’ union has accused NHS ambulance service bosses of being “in denial” over the level of danger crews face on the job after one service in Essex decided to phase out the use of stab vests. -
PCTs left to vaccinate under fives against swine flu after GPs reject deal
Primary care trusts have been landed with responsibility for vaccinating all children aged between six months and five years against swine flu, after a deal could not be reached with GP leaders. -
Personal health budgets under fire
The NHS Confederation has criticised unsubstantiated “fervour” for personal health budgets. -
Pharmacists acting as 'safety net'
Pharmacists are regularly correcting doctors’ mistakes with medicines, according to research. -
Populist blame culture stifles openness
The introduction of mandatory safety breach reporting has superficial voter appeal, but problems lurk beneath. -
Recession forces Birmingham PCTs to consider merger
The commissioning arms of the three primary care trusts in Birmingham are to consider merging as a result of the impending public spending freeze. -
Report examines value of public sector pensions
Public sector pensions, including those in the NHS, are more generous than similar private sector schemes, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. -
Satisfaction or your life back
On the day the media was full of horror stories about Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust, End Game was unsurprised to receive an email from the Essex County Council and NHS South West Essex press offices. -
Scottish NHS breaks even
The health service in Scotland achieved financial balance last year, according to NHS Scotland chief executive Kevin Woods’ annual report for 2008-09. -
Stephen Eames on quality vs cost
One thing I have learnt over the years is the propensity of strategic development, planning and associated processes to dominate and consume inordinate amounts of time, often with limited output. -
Three trusts given equality compliance notices
Three trusts face legal action for breaching the Race Relations Act unless they take prompt steps to address racial inequality, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned. -
Tory pledge on NHS targets might not hit the spot
As the Conservatives promise voters a shift from targets to a service shaped by outcome measures and what patients say about their healthcare experience, Alison Moore looks at why many managers are sceptical about the idea -
Treasury may sell DH’s stakes in LIFT schemes
The Treasury is considering selling the Department of Health’s equity stakes in local improvement finance trust schemes. -
Understand the staff vetting and barring system
The scheme for ensuring people have appropriate credentials for working with vulnerable people have been updated. Shirley Wright outlines the changes -
University Hospitals of Leicester names new finance chief
University Hospitals of Leicester Trust has appointed Andrew Seddon as its new finance director. -
Website puts PCTs under fresh public spotlight
The public can now monitor how their primary care trust and other local public services are performing against priority areas for improvement using one website. -
'You don't have to be insensitive to work here, but it helps'
New Horizons, launched on Monday, got a pleasing amount of coverage for a mental health story. -
Your Humble Servant: regulation...
‘What’s important is that if you’re crap you own up and if you’re fabulous you live to fail another day’
