Health Service Journal
20 September 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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Acute overspend worries Herts Valleys
FINANCE: A £2.9m overspend on acute services in the first three months of the financial year is causing concern at Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group. -
Ambulance chief: savings targets will be missed until urgent care improves
Ambulance trusts will not achieve planned levels of savings unless demand is brought under control and a “coherent” urgent care system developed, the outgoing chief executive of London Ambulance Service has warned. -
Analysed: North West’s vascular controversy spreads to Lancashire and Cumbria
Political discontent came to a head in summer 2012 over plans to reconfigure vascular services in Cheshire and Merseyside. This briefing examines how this controversy has spread to other parts of the North West. -
Analysis reveals 12pc drop in nurse training places
Nurse training places have been cut by more than 2,500 in three years, an investigation has revealed, sparking one expert to warn of a “national disaster” in care. -
AQP contract offered for Sussex hearing services
COMMERCIAL: Commissioners in Sussex have issued a tender for the provision of adult hearing services, under the any qualified provider policy. -
As easy as ABC?: a special report on organisational change
This special report on organisational change looks at the deep scepticism of the health service’s ability to handle change in accordance with an exclusive HSJ survey and how large-scale transformation is a complicated combination of science and art. -
Building of new Sussex cancer screening unit set to begin
STRUCTURE: Building work on the new West Sussex Breast Cancer Screening Service should begin this autumn, with completion anticipated by autumn 2013. -
Burstow admits to budget cuts
Former health minister Paul Burstow has admitted there were cuts to mental health services under his watch at the Department of Health. -
Business services quango set to employ 8,000 commissioning staff
The 8,000-strong commissioning support workforce is set to be employed by the NHS Business Services Authority, HSJ has learned. -
Cambridge makes £800k loss
FINANCE: Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust made a loss of £800,000 in the first four months of the financial year. -
Cambridge University Hospitals called into regulator's office
PERFORMANCE: Monitor has called Cambridge University Hospitals to its offices to discuss whether the foundation trust is in significant breach of the terms of its authorisation. -
CCG to unveil plans at Northants AGM
PERFORMANCE: NHS Northamptonshire will be holding its annual general meeting on Septmber 27 where the Nene Clinical Commissioning Group will outline its vision for the future commissioning of health services in the region. -
Chaplaincy in end of life care
The introduction of the Liverpool Care Pathway strives to ensure that we recognise the imminent approach of natural death, and it is fully explained to the patient and/or the patient’s family. -
Chesterfield Royal sings up to Mencap charter
WORKFORCE: Chesterfield Royal Hospital Foundation Trust has signed up to Mencap’s ‘Getting it right’ charter for patients with learning disabilities. -
Commissioning board to 'lift and shift' staff
The NHS Commissioning Board is likely to delay some management cuts until 2013-14 and take on interim staff under emergency measures sparked by delays in the transition to new NHS structures. -
Community trusts in FT delay
More than half of the community trusts hoping to achieve foundation status have had their authorisation applications delayed, HSJ analysis reveals. -
Cornish staff 'unconvinced' by strategic partnership plans
WORKFORCE: Staff representatives at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust are “unconvinced” by plans to work with other public sector organisations in the county to deliver back of house services. -
Dementia strategy author joins Sussex Partnership
WORKFORCE: A well-respected psychiatrist involved in improving the care of people with dementia is to take up a senior research post in Sussex. -
Doctors working at smaller trusts attract more complaints
Smaller hospital trusts have higher number of complaints per doctor than larger organisations, a new analysis of data from the General Medical Council has revealed. -
Down's sufferer takes action over 'no resuscitation' order
A man with Down’s Syndrome is taking legal action against a trust after a do not resuscitate (DNR) order was put on his file without the knowledge of his next of kin. -
Early warning tool used by Basildon after CQC warning
PERFORMANCE: Basildon Hospital has made changes in response to a critical Care Quality Commission report. -
East Kent pilots improved training for trainee docs
WORKFORCE: East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust is one of 16 trusts that have received investment in pilot schemes to improve doctor training. -
Employment claims: a high stakes game
The government is attempting to discourage employment tribunal claims by increasing the risk of heavy costs. Will it work, ask Jean Sapeta -
Energy bills: off with the overheads
Partnerships with energy suppliers could help trusts trim their bills – without risk. Randall Bowen of British Gas explains -
Exclusive: Mid Staffs inquiry report delayed further
The long awaited final report of the public inquiry into the scandal at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust is set to be further delayed, HSJ has learnt. -
Exclusive: Private franchise not ruled out as trust seeks merger
STRUCTURE: West Middlesex University Hospital Trust has become the latest district general hospital to say it cannot make foundation trust status on its own and seek a merger partner. It has not ruled out a private franchise management deal. -
Following the leader towards future success
The recent Cabinet reshuffle, and subsequent change to the political leaders of NHS reform, offers us an opportunity to consider the pitfalls that can be associated with leadership and the necessary combination of skill, environment and followership that is needed to achieve success as a leader. -
Forty wasted years?
Duncan Selbie’s view that the NHS has done little to improve the public’s health over the last 38 years will upset some. -
Gloucestershire patients rate telehealth
PERFORMANCE: Almost 90 per cent of patients receiving telehealth services in Gloucestershire would recommend the service to their friends and family, an anonymous survey by NHS Gloucestershire has found. -
Good directions - an HSJ commissioning supplement
This commissioning supplement looks at the data we need to steer the NHS in terms of service redesign, service improvement, and vital commissioning information. -
GP commissioners: sole traders or private governments?
GP practices traditionally operate as small business, but soon they will have to get used to being part of a statutory body. Jon Glasby and Chris Skelcher outline what the change means -
Growing gap between rich and poor trusts
An audit of NHS organisations’ 2011-12 accounts has found a widening gap between the trusts with healthy finances and those that are struggling. -
Health workers trained to spot human trafficking
Doctors and nurses are being given advice on how to spot the victims of human trafficking. -
Herts Community Trust finds care home solution to intermediate care
SERVICES: People requiring intermediate care are being looked after in three care homes in parts of Hertfordshire with expert input from the NHS. -
Herts Community Trust has four Clostridium difficile cases
PERFORMANCE: Hertfordshire Community Trust had four clostridium difficile cases in July -
Homing in on improved care
Following research into the use of emergency beds by over-65s, Candace Imison considers what can be done to realise the vision of ‘care closer to home’. -
Hospitals' superbug death payouts revealed
Families of people who died after contracting superbugs in Scottish hospitals have been awarded £660,000 by NHS boards. -
HSJ Awards 2012: the shortlist in full
The shortlist for the HSJ Awards 2012 -
Japanese visitors take inspiration from Cambridgeshire's rehabilitation unit
WORKFORCE: A renowned rehabilitation unit has played host to Japanese visitors who wanted to find out about its pioneering programme. -
Jeremy Hunt not reviewing reconfiguration plans
The incoming health secretary is not carrying out a review of hospital reconfiguration plans, contrary to a report, HSJ understands. -
Just 71pc of James Paget patients treated within 18 weeks
PERFORMANCE: Only 71 per cent of admitted patients were treated within the 18 weeks standard at James Paget University Hospitals Foundation Trust in July, the board heard. -
Leadership conversations
Developing dialogue to drive change and collaboration is a key challenge confronting leaders. But, as Sharon Millar and Amanda Ridings report, help is now at hand. -
Lighten the checklist load
Up and down the country, there are millions of people providing vital health and social care for our communities. -
Major survey finds increased support for public spending
The results of the British Social Survey have been published, showing the proportion of people who want to see more public spending has increased for the first time in nearly a decade. -
Map a course to quality
The NHS was founded on the principal of equality, and variation in healthcare within the NHS has long been a source of controversy. However, measuring and understanding the reasons for variations can be a powerful tool for quality improvement. -
Media Watch: minister for laughs
Just a week after annoying the Daily Mail with some forthright opinions on assisted suicide, new minister Anna Soubry bolstered her reputation as the most entertaining new minister at the Department of Health over the weekend. -
Michael White: a quiet start
Two weeks into his new job and Jeremy Hunt has barely uttered a word in public that I have caught, even though the healthcare furniture is falling about all around him in the usual noisy way. -
Mid Cheshire plans £6.9m cost reductions
FINANCE: The £168m turnover foundation trust has planned for £6.9m of cost reductions this year and £0.7m of income growth, its latest three year plan shows. -
Mid Staffs inquiry report delayed until January
The completion of the report of the public inquiry into care failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has been delayed until January, it was confirmed today. -
Mid Yorkshire appoints new chairman
WORKFORCE: Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust has appointed a new chair. -
Minister opposes reconfiguration plans
A government minister has criticised East Sussex Healthcare Trust’s service restructuring plans.. -
Minister wades in against East Sussex reconfig plans
STRUCTURE: East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has attracted opposition from a transport minister to its plans to restructure some services between its two main hospitals. -
Mobile working in the NHS
It’s a challenging time for the NHS but one that presents many opportunities to review and improve the ways we deliver healthcare. -
Never event at Queen Elizabeth
PERFORMANCE: The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Foundation Trust reported a never event in July. -
New health ministers' portfolios unveiled
The Department of Health has announced the full ministerial portfolios for its new team of junior ministers. -
New minister admits government 'screwed up' on NHS reform
A newly-promoted health minister has admitted the government “screwed up” its handling of its controversial NHS reforms. -
New nursing director confirmed at East Sussex Healthcare
WORKFORCE: East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has appointed Alice Webster as its new director of nursing after a stint as interim. -
New providers gain AQP responsibilities in Hertfordshire
SERVICES: New providers will be delivering services under any qualified provider in Hertfordshire from next month. -
New risk emerges for Cambridgeshire Community Services
PERFORMANCE: The risk that Cambridgeshire Community Services Trust will not be able to realise change from the “multiple important initiatives” it is engaged in has been added to the board assurance framework. -
Norfolk Community Health exceeds MRSA target
PERFORMANCE: Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust has already exceeded its MRSA target for the year. -
Norovirus drives increase in C diff at South Devon
PERFORMANCE: South Devon Healthcare Foundation Trust has warned it is likely to exceed the limit for cases of Clostridium difficile in 2012-13. -
North Bristol FD to take up job in Wales
WORKFORCE: North Bristol Trust deputy chief executive and finance director Steve Webster is leaving the trust to become finance director at the Cwm Taf Health Board in South Wales. -
North Essex consultant designs anti-anxiety app
SERVICES: An iPhone app to help people cope with anxiety and panic attacks has been designed by a consultant from North Essex Partnership Foundation Trust. -
North west trusts look to improve complaints handling
PERFORMANCE: Four north west hospitals are among a group of ten acute trusts that have come together to work on improving their complaints handling ahead of the publication of the report Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust public inquiry. -
Nottingham to open 80 new beds after cancellations surge
Nottingham University Hospitals Trust is to invest more than £4m to open 80 new beds, after it was forced to cancel an “unprecedented” number of operations. -
Nottingham University Hospitals to examine complaints handling
PERFORMANCE: Nottingham University Hospitals Trust is taking part in a Patients Association project to imrove complaints handling ahead of the publication of the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust public inquiry report. -
Nurse-led alcohol and drug liaison team at Chesterfield Royal
WORKFORCE: A nurse led team at Chesterfield Roya Hospital is supporting trust staff to ensure patients with alcohol or drug related illnesses and injuries are given the highest quality of care. -
Parking improvements at Worcestershire hospitals
PERFORMANCE: Plans to improve care parking at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre and the Worcester Royal Hospital have been approved. -
Patient data may give NHS an unfair edge
Powerful patient-level costing systems may give NHS hospital providers an unfair advantage in contract negotiations unless they are required to share their data with commissioners. -
Pioneering gastro unit opens at Brighton and Sussex
STRUCTURE: A pioneering investigation unit that will enhance gastro-intestinal services for children has been officially opened at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital. -
Queen Elizabeth expects savings underachievement of £1.5m
FINANCE: The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Foundation Trust made a deficit of £167,000 in the year to date, its board heard. -
Radiology unit modernised at Princes Alexandra
SERVICES: Modernisation of the radiology unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow is offering patients a better environment and service. -
Readers' letters - 20 September 2012
CCG authorisation conditions should be framed in a way that helps the new organisations focus on the areas they can reasonably influence, says Matthew Harker -
Regulator steps in at Sherwood Forest Hospitals
FINANCE: Foundation trust regulator Monitor today found Sherwood Forest Hospitals in significant breach of its terms of authorisation following a further deterioration in the FT’s finances. -
Royal Cornwall A&E performance back on track
PERFORMANCE: Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust achieved the four-hour accident and emergency target for the first time in 2012-13 during July. -
Sally Gainsbury: conspiracy and coincidence
Reforms to the way the £5bn clinical and medical training budget is allocated to hospitals have been kicked repeatedly into the long grass since their latest iteration as part of Lord Darzi’s next stage review in 2008. -
Scottish government approves new hospital
Plans to build a replacement city hospital for sick children have been approved by the Scottish government. -
Selbie: NHS has not 'done much good'
The new chief executive of Public Health England has said the NHS’s effort to improve health and reduce illness over the past four decades “hasn’t worked and has not been sufficient”. -
Slow start for Colchester on savings plan
FINANCE: Colchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust made a surplus of £0.3m in the first quarter - slightly ahead of the planned £0.2m - but its cost improvement plans for the year have got off to a slow start. -
South Devon plans evening and weekend lists to tackle RTT backlog
PERFORMANCE: South Devon Healthcare Foundation Trust is transferring some patients to an independent provider and planning to run weekend clinics in order to reduce its referral to treatment backlog in some specialties. -
Southampton trust pioneers new cerebral palsy rehab treatment
RESEARCH: A new rehabilitation programme pioneered in Southampton can halve the recovery time for children with cerebral palsy who have undergone hip surgery. -
Southend makes £2.3m surplus
FINANCE: Southend University Hospital Foundation Trust made a surplus of £2.3m for the first four months of this financial year - £1m more than planned. -
Southend struggles with 62-day target
PERFORMANCE: Southend University Hospital is struggled with the 62 day GP referral target for cancer patients. -
Southern Health takeover of Ridgeway Partnership approved
STRUCTURE: The Cooperation and Competition Panel has approved the merger of Southern Health Foundation Trust and Oxfordshire Learning Disabilities Trust. -
Steering a safe course to success
So what exactly did the Greeks do for us? -
Taunton and Somerset takes part in complaints handling project
PERFORMANCE: Taunton and Somerset Foundation Trust is taking part in a Patients Association project to improve complaints handling. -
The God Delusion
The NHS is one of the most respected healthcare delivery systems in the developed world. -
The importance of reflective practices
A whole systems approach to developing reflective practice across healthcare organisations. -
The NHS has failed in efforts to improve health and reduce illness
The new chief of Public Health England tells Nick Golding why councils’ broad world view makes them the right choice to take over responsibility for health improvement from a failing NHS. -
Thoracic surgery innovation hailed at Papworth
SERVICES: Surgeons at Papworth Hospital have become the first in the world to use new technology which allows them to control scopes used in keyhole thoracic surgery. -
Three care assistants charged with neglect at Whipp's Cross
WORKFORCE: Three care assistants at Whipps Cross University Hospital have been charged with neglect. -
Too many 'risk pools' could force organisations into failure, Nicholson warns
The decentralising of financial control under the NHS reforms poses a risk that agencies could hold too much funding back from frontline care and force organisations “into failure”, Sir David Nicholson has warned. -
Trust criticised over new Pembury bus deal
FINANCE: A Kent NHS trust has come under fire for reneging on a deal to fund buses bringing patients to its new hospital, saying it needed the money for frontline services. -
Two of George Eliot's suitors announce alliance
Two of the bidders to take over the management of a district general hospital trust have announced a partnership deal. -
Unions issue ultimatum over ‘pay cartel’
Unions have threatened to walk away from national talks on changes to pay and terms and conditions unless employers stop the South West “pay cartel”. -
Vascular controversy spreads to Lancashire
Political discontent came to a head in summer 2012 over plans to reconfigure vascular services in Cheshire and Merseyside. Now controversy has spread to other parts of the North West. -
Vision support service is launched in Scotland
A new service that aims to help people come to terms with losing their sight has been officially launched. -
West Herts appoints contractor for Watford Health Campus
COMMERCIAL: Kier Property has been appointed as the preferred private sector partner on the Watford Health Campus. -
West Midlands trusts working on complaints handling
PERFORMANCE: Three west midlands hospitals are among a group of ten acute trusts that have come together to work on improving their complaints handling ahead of the publication of the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust public inquiry report. -
When it pays to join together
In the first of a series of articles from the Foundation Trust Network, Mary Edwards and Jane Hogg discuss why acquisitions can be good for the NHS. -
Worcestershire service review delayed
STRUCTURE: A review of acute services in Worcestershire has been delayed after NHS managers said they needed more time to draw up the short-list of options. -
Wye Valley Trust appoints new CEO
WORKFORCE: Wye Valley Trust has appointed Derek Smith as its interim chief executive to replace outgoing boss Martin Woodford following his retirement.
