Health Service Journal
4 March 2010
View all stories from this issue.
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‘Blairite’ policy champion joins Tories as an adviser
A former Labourite, doctor and passionate defender of service reconfiguration has become a Conservative Party adviser. -
‘NHS tourism’ under review
Plans to deter “health tourists” from coming to England for NHS treatment have been outlined in a consultation launched by the Department of Health. -
17-language NHS guide available
A guide on Scotland’s health services is to be translated into 17 languages in a bid to put all patients at the “heart of the NHS”, it has been announced. -
Basildon 'guilty' over patient death
Officials at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust in Essex have today pleaded guilty to health and safety failings that led to the death of a patient with learning disabilities. -
Book Review: Crossing the Chasm
You can surmount resistance to change, say Jonathan Bloor and Edward Miles -
Call for expressions of interest for the provision of Community Skin Health and Disease Services in Kensington and Chelsea.
NHS Kensington and Chelsea -
Chair scare
East of England managers watch out - Monitor policy director Robert Harris is planning to take a hard line in his upcoming role as the strategic health authority’s director of commissioning. -
Civil service preparing for hung Parliament
Gordon Brown has given the go-ahead for civil servants to provide information to the opposition parties during negotiations to form a new government if the general election results in a hung parliament, it has been disclosed. -
Clinical staff 'not to blame' for majority of Mid Staffs failings
Staff contributions confirm that there was a “pattern of sub-standard service delivery” at Mid Staffs rather than isolated incidents, according to the Robert Francis inquiry into the trust. -
Colchester chief to step down
The chief executive of a hospital trust has announced he is stepping down - three months after the trust’s chair was sacked by Monitor. -
Conservatives pledge autumn spending cuts
Shadow chancellor George Osborne has promised to publish detailed departmental spending cuts by the autumn if the Tories win the forthcoming general election. -
CONTRACT FOR MENTAL HEALTH PRIMARY CARE LIAISON NURSES SERVICE
NHS Kensington and Chelsea -
CQC will register Mid Staffs but with caveats
The Care Quality Commission says it intends to add Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust to its new register – but with conditions. -
Crushing blow
After speaking at a conference for trust chairs last week, NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson invited questions from the floor, like a lamb to the slaughter. -
David Nicholson calls for 'more urgency' in stroke care
NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson has said trusts must put “more urgency” into meeting the requirements of the national stroke strategy. -
Deficient provision of food and water at Mid Staffs, inquiry found
“Unacceptable standards of care as a result of systemic failings” led to deficient provision of food and water to patients at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, the independent inquiry has found. -
DH accused of 'backroom deal' over preferred provider case
Primary care trusts in the East of England have been ordered by the Department of Health to suspend all procurements for community services. -
DH publishes list of top NHS leaders and roles
A list of the most important NHS leaders and management posts has been published by the Department of Health. -
Don't use death rates to predict real deaths, Mid Staffs inquiry warns
The independent inquiry into failings at Mid Staffordshire has found hospital standardised mortality ratios should not be used to predict real numbers of avoidable deaths at the trust. -
Emergency medical retrieval service to be extended
Scotland’s Emergency Medical Retrieval Service will be extended to cover all of remote and rural Scotland, health secretary Nicola Sturgeon has announced. -
Excluding independent sector from NHS services 'potentially unlawful'
Excluding the independent sector from bidding to provide NHS services is “unacceptable and potentially unlawful”, the NHS Confederation Partners Network has said. -
Failures in Mid Staffs continence care 'totally unacceptable'
Failures in continence care at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust would have been unlikely if there had been “an adequately implemented system of nursing and ward management”, the independent inquiry has concluded. -
Families of Mid Staffs victims still want public inquiry
An independent inquiry into the Mid Staffs scandal, more damning than that of the Healthcare Commission, was presented to the families of its patients today. -
Francis complains Mid Staffs nurse numbers still not high enough
The number of nurses employed at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust is still not high enough, the head of the independent inquiry into failings at the trust has warned. -
Francis report criticises SHA's mortality research
The Francis inquiry has added to the heated debate on how the NHS should use hospital standardised mortality ratios. -
FTs must meet in public, Burnham says as Mid Staffs inquiry reports
All foundation trust boards must meet in public, health secretary Andy Burnham has said in a parliamentary statement about today’s report on Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust. -
Give nursing directors greater say on care at board level, says PM's commission
Directors of nursing must be fully accountable for the quality of care provided by nurses in their service or organisation, according to a major report on the future of nursing. -
GMC opens consultation on doctor revalidation
Doctors will have to be tested on their performance and undergo annual appraisals under plans to overhaul medical regulation being put out to consultation. -
Gordon Brown’s knee-jerk reaction to Mid Staffs is doomed to failure
Gordon Brown wants the power to strike you off. -
GPs to debate patient data safeguards
Family doctors are to debate for the first time safeguards for a system to share patient data across Scotland, it has been disclosed. -
Hertfordshire PCTs merge into one
Hertfordshire will have one primary care trust from next month, following approval from the health secretary to merge the county’s two PCTs. -
High incidence of falls at Mid Staffs due to 'insufficiently qualified' staff
Insufficiently qualified or inadequate numbers of staff probably contributed to the high incidence of falls at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, the independent inquiry has concluded. -
Inconsistent risk assessment led to pressure ulcers at Mid Staffs, inquiry finds
Inconsistent assessment of the risk of pressure areas is likely to have been one of the causes of pressure ulcers among people who contacted the independent inquiry into Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust. -
Innovation - harnessing the power of communities
Charles Leadbeater is the co-founder of Participle, which innovates new approaches to public services. -
Investigation into NHS regulation announced
An investigation into NHS regulation and performance management is being launched, health secretary Andy Burnham has announced. -
Jenny Owen on a new solution to health and social care funding
A solution to social care funding must be agreed to get the most benefit from joint working -
Jenny Rogers on NHS staff engagement
Every half decade or so, a new wonder idea comes along in management - for instance, learning organisations, business process re-engineering, total quality management, or - aeons ago - management by objectives. -
Labour urged to suspend NHS IT programme
A storm is brewing over government efforts to secure a quick fix for the controversial and much-delayed £12.7bn NHS IT revamp before the general election. -
Making best use of allied health professionals
Allied health professionals are a key part of the NHS workforce - but are you using yours to best effect? Register for HSJ’s free online masterclass to find out more. -
Management quality: recommendations
Recommendations of the advisory group on assuring the quality of senior NHS managers. -
Managers in court over hospital death
Officials at a hospital where a severely disabled man died are today due in court accused of breaching health and safety law. -
Marmot might be fair, but will it be feasible?
The Marmot report, probably the most important document on health inequalities for 30 years, was published last month. But can its recommendations become reality? Steve Ford reports -
Media Watch: Mid Staffs in the papers
It hasn’t been a good week for NHS PR, with the report on failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust filling tabloids and broadsheets alike on Thursday and Friday, and the weekend papers coming back for a second helping. -
Mental health trusts best at patient involvement
Mental health trusts have made the greatest efforts to reflect patients’ views in the precursors to formal quality accounts, the Foundation Trust Network has found. -
Michael White on the Mid Staffs inquiry
An anecdote and a think tank boffin came to mind as I ploughed through the undimmed horrors of Robert Francis QC’s report on the disaster at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust. -
Mid Staffs ‘sobering account’ of leadership failure, says NHS Confederation
Responding to the Francis report on failings at Stafford Hospital, NHS Confederation chief executive Steve Barnett said managers had to focus on quality, as well as targets. -
Mid Staffs 'a warning on staff shortages'
The independent inquiry into serious failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust should act as a “siren” across the NHS to show the consequences of focusing on “process over patients”, the RCN has said. -
Mid Staffs board to consider further action against individuals
The board of Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust is to consider whether further action is needed against individuals at the trust following the publication of the Francis report. -
Mid Staffs families to sue for manslaughter
Families affected by failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust have said they are planning to sue NHS managers for corporate manslaughter. -
Mid Staffs report calls for regulation of managers
An independent inquiry into serious failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has called for NHS board members to be regulated against a national set of standards. -
Mid Staffs staff experienced 'culture of fear', Francis says
The head of the independent inquiry into the failures at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has criticised its “culture of denial”. -
Misdiagnosis led to death of patient at Mid Staffs
The Mid Staffs inquiry heard of a number of cases of clear misdiagnosis, including failure to diagnose a serious injury in a young man who later died as a result. -
Monitor claims its quality bar is now set high enough
The new system of regulation will stand up to the scrutiny of a new inquiry into its role around Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, Monitor believes. -
Monitor intervenes at Milton Keynes over maternity care
Monitor has ordered Milton Keynes Foundation Trust to hire external clinical experts to speed up improvements to its maternity care. -
Monitor names interim chief
Monitor has appointed David Bennett as its interim chief executive. -
New chief executive in post
The new chief executive for NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale has begun work this week. -
NHS care 'under threat' from working time directive
The quality of NHS care may be under threat from restrictions placed on junior doctors by the introduction of the 48-hour working week, it has been claimed. -
NHS leaders on manager regulation
“I don’t think any regulatory process should be punitive, that’s not its purpose.” - General Medical Council chief executive Niall Dickson “There are a million ways to do the job which are short of statutory regulation.” - MiP chief executive Jon Restell -
NHS Leadership Spring Debates: Positive action
Should the NHS identify potential leaders for development in order to build representative talent pools or is this best left to individual aspiration? -
NHS market reforms are not linked with better care
The introduction of competition to the NHS cannot be shown to have improved the health service, and may have produced extra costs. -
NHS top leaders: from good to great
An introduction to the Top Leaders programme and a list of the leaders selected so far -
NHS West Midlands faces review of its services
NHS services across the West Midlands are to be reviewed by a panel of senior doctors following last week’s damning report into Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust. -
NICE guidance: support for commissioners
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence supports commissioners in both preparing for and implementing its guidance, explains Jennifer Taylor -
'No excuse' for privacy and dignity failings at Mid Staffs
The report investigating serious failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has said there is ‘no excuse’ for the many cases where patients’ dignity was affected, as reported by patients and their families. -
Noel Plumridge on the rules of payment by results
A rules-based system. That was the aspiration in 2004 when payment by results was introduced to England’s NHS. -
One in 10 concerned about own trust's care standards
One in 10 NHS staff believe the poor care seen at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust may be experienced by patients at their own trust, an HSJ poll suggests. -
Oxfordshire chief exec appointed
Sonia Mills has taken over as chief executive of NHS Oxfordshire. -
Pennine Lancashire DEXA Service
NHS East Lancashire and NHS Blackburn -
Poll shows narrowing gap between Tories and Labour
The Tories’ general election prospects were dealt a blow today as a second poll in three days suggested Labour was on course to beat them into second place. -
Pressure to discharge 'should not influence decisions', says Mid Staffs report
Patients and their families made 96 complaints about discharge from Mid Staffs Foundation Trust, including complaints of discharge from accident and emergency without proper diagnosis or management, discharge at an inappropriate time or with the patient in an inappropriate condition, and a failure to provide sufficient support. -
Regulator starts separate inquiry into Mid Staffs
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has begun an investigation into events relating to nursing at Mid Staffs. -
Relatives had to 'alter faults in medical records' at Mid Staffs
The inquiry into serious failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust examined medical records, and heard from patients and their families of concerns about record-keeping. -
Remit announced for investigation of regulatory bodies post Mid Staffs
Senior figures from the NHS and regulatory world are likely to have to appear before a new independent investigation of commissioning, supervisory and regulatory bodies that was announced today. -
Royal Berks chief takes up post
Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust’s new chief executive Edward Donald began work this week, although he does not assume official responsibility for running the trust until 1 April. -
Staff at Mid Staffs 'lacked compassion'
There was a lack of compassion for patients at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, as well as a lack of information provided about patients’ condition, and insensitivity when staff were communicating with patients and their families, the inquiry into the trust found. -
Staff attitudes 'left much to be desired', says Mid Staffs report
Clinical staff at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust did not completely escape criticism in Robert Francis’ report on care failings at the trust. -
Survey: How good is the care in your trust?
As the NHS considers the implications of the report on care at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, HSJ is keen to hear from health service staff about their experiences in their own organisations. Please take two minutes to respond to our anonymous survey. -
The Francis report's 18 recommendations
The conclusions of the inquiry into Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust. -
Timeline: NHS manager scandals
1999 Robert Francis QC acts as counsel for United Bristol Healthcare Trust chief executive Dr John Roylance after he is struck off by the GMC, following the Bristol babies heart scandal. Mr Francis stresses Dr Roylance was not criticised for his work as a practising doctor, but as a manager.October 2007 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust chief executive Rose Gibb stands down, days before a report into a C difficile outbreak. Health secretary Alan John -
Tories outline hospital efficiency plans
Hospitals could be forced to offer treatments at the same price as more “efficient” competitors under plans outlined by the Conservatives. -
Trust given foundation status
South Warwickshire General Hospitals Trust has been awarded foundation status by regulator Monitor. -
Union calls for tougher regulation after Mid Staffs
Unison has called for action to be taken on the “shocking” Mid Staffordshire inquiry report to be taken immediately. -
'Unsuccessful management' of Mid Staffs criticised
The previous management of Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has been criticised as unsuccessful by the independent inquiry into failings at the trust. -
Viewpoint: 'Merit and individual aspiration must be the overriding factors'
Merit and individual aspiration must be the overriding factors in deciding who to appoint to leadership positions in the NHS - and who should be offered leadership development opportunities. -
Viewpoint: 'To drive up quality we must release diverse leadership talent'
The NHS needs high quality leadership to deliver high quality care for patients. -
Weak hygiene practices found at Mid Staffs
The independent inquiry into failures at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has highlighted weaknesses in hygiene practice among staff. -
Weak NHS managers could be ‘struck off’
Plans to “strike off” underperforming managers have been announced by Gordon Brown as a way of dealing with failures such as the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust scandal. -
Weird corner
And the prize for weirdest press release of the week goes to… The Stroke Association, which has formed an unlikely partnership with “evergreen collectable toy brand” Sylvanian Families. -
Why NHS volunteering is all round value
Aintree is one of many trusts that both benefit from and give advantages to volunteers, reports Alison Moore -
Your Humble Servant: a strange whiff of familiarity...
You’ve never had it so good!
