Health Service Journal
August 2006
View all stories from this issue.
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A picture of progress: payment by results in mental health
Differences in diagnosis and treatment mean there are special challenges in developing payment by results in mental health. Now a group of trusts in the North are pioneering a 'whole life' approach which could hold the solution. Emma Dent reports -
Anger over NICE colon cancer drug verdict
Charities have reacted angrily to the decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence not to recommend the use of two colon cancer drugs. -
Asylum inquiry
The Joint Committee on Human Rights has announced an inquiry into how asylum seekers are treated in the UK. -
Background in tobacco and confectionery casts doubt over London SHA chief suitability
Patient groups and campaigners have questioned the suitability of George Greener as chair of London strategic health authority. -
Ballot on NHS Logistics strike
Workers at the NHS Logistics Authority, which supplies the NHS across England, are set to ballot for strike action in opposition to the awarding of a £4bn supplies contract to Texas-based company Novation and its German partner DHL -
Big variations in PCT disease spending
An analysis of primary care trust spending on different diseases has revealed a number of stark variations, with some PCTs spending up to seven times as much as others in key areas. -
Bishop condemns chaplain redundancies
The Bishop of Worcester has described as a 'piece of destruction' proposals by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals trust to make six chaplains redundant as part of plans to tackle an underlying £30m deficit. -
BMA warning on research cuts
The British Medical Association has expressed serious concern that a Treasury-driven shake-up of medical research could lead to a £300m drop in research funding. -
Booking system in crash chaos
Staff in hospitals and primary care trusts across the Midlands and the North West have had to record patient movement using pens and paper following a 48-hour blackout of their booking system. -
Cancer networks should coordinate commissioning, say charities
A coalition of 29 cancer charities has produced a consultation green paper urging the government to create a new national cancer plan. -
Caroline Flint backs 'consumers' on public health choices
Before Tony Blair arrived, the audience sat around tables to discuss key questions on public health - or what the prime minister now likes to refer to as 'healthy living' - on the role of the state in tackling obesity, encouraging greater participation in sport and tackling alcohol abuse. -
Cash-strapped capital gets team of temporary heads as Nicholson moves to top job
Ruth Carnall has been appointed interim chief executive of London strategic health authority, pending a permanent appointment. -
Cash-strapped Pennine trust to sell off HQ in financial recovery drive
Pennine Acute Hospitals trust is set to sell off its headquarters in a bid to slash a £21m debt.The trust has brought in a financial recovery programme which will also see the loss of over 300 posts and 250 beds. Managers are hoping to raise 'significant capital' from the sale of the Oldham site and have said staff will be transferred to the trust's four other hospitals. -
Caught up in the network
The funding promised to 31 teaching primary care trusts will soon arrive and, with big plans in the pipeline, it comes at just the right time. Daloni Carlisle reports -
Cautious welcome for mental health commissioning guidance
Charities and mental health managers have welcomed new commissioning guidance designed to improve the physical health of people with mental health problems. But they have warned of the ?huge task ahead?. -
Chief dental officer named
The Department of Health has confirmed Barry Cockroft as the new chief dental officer for England. -
Chief executive says decision on UnitedHealth contract is a lesson for all PCTs
The chief executive of the primary care trust which had its contract with UnitedHealth Europe quashed by the Court of Appeal has urged the rest of the NHS to learn from the case. -
Community foundation trusts - market forces or forced markets?
The government has backtracked from plans to force the commissioner/provider split, but for PCTs that do make the break, could community foundation trusts be the answer? Jennifer Trueland looks at the next stage of the foundation revolution. -
CRE warning over NHS failure on race information
Trusts could face action from the Commission for Racial Equality after just 1 per cent were found to have complied with race equality legislation. -
David Nicholson: the service insider who puts taxpayers first
The man appointed to lead the NHS was the only public sector candidate on the shortlist. But as Laura Donnelly reports, he believes the market is the route to equity equity -
David Woodhead on public health
'We were facing our just desert for all the desserts we had just crammed in out faces' -
Dental disputes
The number of unresolved NHS dental contracts has fallen from 2,222 in May to 1,922 in June, according to figures published by the Department of Health. -
Did-not-attends reach 1 in 10
Patients missed one in 10 of 45 million outpatient appointments in England last year, according to new figures from NHS Information Centre for health and social care. -
Doctors not ready to cope with major incidents
Doctors are not prepared for major incidents, according to the results of a survey by a team from Wycombe Hospital in Buckinghamshire. -
DoH selects six preferred bidders for diagnostics
The Department of Health has selected preferred bidders for six of its seven diagnostics schemes. -
DoH to clarify stance on revealing HIV status
Patients with HIV or serious sexually transmitted infections might be told they can expect to have their condition revealed to others, depending on the results of a Department of Health consultation. -
DoH warning over childbirth target
The NHS could miss its target to expand choice in childbirth, the chair of the Department of Health's choice reference group has warned. -
Don't let NHS get 'hamstrung' by choice, warns Nigel Edwards
The success or failure of policies on choice will be difficult to measure if they are allowed to fragment, warned NHS Confederation policy director Nigel Edwards. -
Dr Raj Persaud: mind games
'Confidence in the effectiveness of your own communication skills and general abilities can be enormously helpful in situations where you are dealing with difficult subjects.' -
Emma Dent on summer
I can only bring myself to write about the heat now because it has cooled right down. This time last week I was out and about for most of the day. -
Employee contributions rise in bid to save final salary pension
Pension contributions for senior managers will rise by as much as £140 a month under new proposals. -
European Commission consults on cross-border treatment
The European Commission is to run a public consultation on encouraging patients to cross EU borders for treatment. -
Exclusive: 14 private firms win place on choice menu in £200m deal
The Department of Health has signed a deal worth £200m with 14 independent healthcare companies to carry out thousands of additional elective care procedures, HSJhas learned. -
Exclusive: Monitor says spending cuts could slow 18-week progress
The independent foundation trust regulator has warned that progress towards the 18-week target could be slowed down by primary care trusts attempting to cut spending. -
Fresh food roll-out
A new pilot scheme to give freshfood vouchers to low-income families has been judged a success and will be rolled out nationally in November. -
FT merger verdict
Foundation trusts are 'extremely unlikely' to be involved in any mergers under guidance published last week by Monitor, according to the Foundation Trust Network -
Government consults ahead of new choice framework
The Department of Health has vowed to involve 'as many people as possible' in a national listening exercise about how to expand choice beyond elective care. -
Healthcare Commission gives maternity unit safety warning
The Healthcare Commission has reminded all NHS trusts to check they have 'robust systems' for monitoring the safety of maternity units following its report into the deaths of 10 women who gave birth at Northwick Park Hospital, London. -
HR boss - a job in a million
Good human resources practice can lead to lower costs and reduced waiting times. Carol Harris reports on a conference for NHS HR management training scheme graduates -
HSJ barometer: elective activity
The major shift in the latest Barometer survey of acute trust chief executives was a slowdown in elective activity. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they did less activity than planned in July, while 24 per cent did the same amount. This compared with 8 per cent and 48 per cent in the May survey. -
IT programme at 'risk' due to i-Soft problems, says review
A review of one of the key software products being developed for the national IT programme has warned that it is not only delayed but presents a 'significant risk' of not meeting requirements. -
IT recovery
NHS Connecting for Health has reported that the recovery of computer services in the North West and West Midlands is now 'largely complete'. -
IT review confirms iSoft woes
Troubled software firm iSoft has announced massive losses and admitted it is in dispute with its partners. -
Managers in Partnership sounds alarm as boards lose autonomy over directors' pay
Union Managers in Partnership has slammed the new pay deal for very senior NHS managers. The union says it has no confidence that the long-awaited deal published by the government last week 'will deliver remuneration that is fair, open and delivers equal pay for work of equal value'. -
Mental health choice about culture not venue, says Prior
Choice of treatment is more important than choice of venue in mental health, according to Cliff Prior, chief executive of mental health charity Rethink. -
Mental health consent review
The Mental Health Act Commission is reviewing its service which gives a second opinion to patients who refuse consent for treatment or are incapable of giving it. -
Mental health payment by results could cover 85 per cent of users
A new system of payment by results for mental health could result in care for 85 per cent of service users being covered by the system. -
Monitor lays down law on foundations' acquisitions and mergers
Foundation trusts will only be able to merge with, or take over, other trusts if they have a healthy financial risk rating, Monitor has said. -
Moorfields' new vision for Dubai
Moorfields Eye Hospital is set to open a hospital in Dubai, HSJunderstands. -
Netcare lead bidder for Manchester integrated clinical assessment and treatment services
The Department of Health has named Netcare and Partnership Health Group - in partnership with Alliance Medical - as preferred bidders for its controversial integrated clinical assessment and treatment services in Manchester, HSJhas learnt. -
New DoH panel for COPD
Health secretary Patricia Hewitt has unveiled a panel of 19 experts to help shape improved standards and greater choice for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. -
News analysis: The kids are alright, but are they ready to be governors?
Young people should be allowed to act as governors, argue children's trusts, with some suggesting children as young as 10 could have a useful input. But foundation trust regulator Monitor disagrees. Kaye McIntosh examines the arguments -
NICE calls in experts
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is seeking applications for membership of seven 'expert consideration panels' to assess focus of future guidance. -
NICE issues training guidance for parents of children with 'conduct disorders'
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has unveiled joint guidelines on training programmes for parents of children with 'conduct disorders'. -
NPSA chief executives put on leave
The joint chief executives of the National Patient Safety Agency have been put on 'extended leave' while an inquiry takes place into the running and structure of the organisation. -
Only half of PCT top jobs go to old guard
As HSJ went to press, 26 of 47 posts running new PCTs across five SHAs have been filled by PCT chief executives. -
Pathology progress
Health minister Lord Warner has announced the government will set aside £1m to support 12 pilots for new ways of providing pathology services. -
PCT leaders fail to secure chief exec posts in West Midlands
Just two of the chief executive jobs running eight new primary care trusts in the West Midlands, the former fiefdom of new NHS chief executive David Nicholson, have gone to incumbent chief executives. -
Pension scheme outsourcing delay
The Public and Commercial Services Union has welcomed an announcement by the NHS Business Services Authority that it is to shelve any decision on outsourcing its pension scheme to the private sector until the new NHS scheme has been successfully implemented. -
Pioneer diagnostics and treatement centre to shut its doors
One of the first-wave diagnostic and treatment centres set up to cut orthopaedic waiting lists has closed due to a lack of patients. -
Press man quits
The health board press officer hired on the basis of a controversial strategy document which criticised politicians and said GPs had egos the size of mountains has quit his post. -
Prime minister outlines limits of state intervention in healthcare
The hall of the Djanogly City Academy in Nottingham is a perfect Blairite space - a postmodern steel-framed rectangle built by local philanthropist Harry Djanogly, who made his fortune in the textile industry. -
Procurement deals in danger in key pilot sites as PCT financial pressures take their toll
Emergency discussions are due to take place today over the viability of a key part of the £3.8m national procurement programme for under-doctored areas as rumours circulate that half the scheme could be scrapped. -
Reid loses A&E row in Scotland
Former health secretary John Reid's local hospital is to lose its accident and emergency department under a £300m reorganisation of health services in Lanarkshire. -
Rocky patch: deficits are straining relationships between health and social care
The boundaries between health and social care are shifting and PCT cuts are leaving local authorities with funding gaps. In a joint feature with HSJ sister title Local Government Chronicle, Nick Golding looks at the pressures they face -
Rural GP vacancies increase despite improving recruitment
Vacancy rates for GPs in rural areas of England and Wales have increased despite improving rates of recruitment of GPs overall, figures released by the NHS information centre for health and social care reveal. -
Select committee to examine claims of £30m bailout using mental health cash
The Commons health select committee has promised to investigate claims that more than £30m has been plundered from mental health budgets to bail out deficits in other sectors. -
Self-assess pilots
The government has announced the launch of 11 pilot schemes to test self-assessment for people with long-term needs. -
SHA investigation into chief executive's contract
East of England strategic health authority is attempting to resolve investigations into the contractual arrangements of an interim primary care trust chief executive. -
Sir Liam's damning verdict heralds new dawn of regulation
The chief medical officer has proposed a total overhaul of the way doctors are scrutinised and rogue medics struck off. But relationships between regulators and the regulated will have to be carefully managed to avoid confrontation. Kaye McIntosh reports -
Six new hospitals approved in £1.5bn PFI spree
The government has approved six NHS private finance initiative hospital developments worth almost £1.5bn. -
SNP to review free care policy
Scotland's main opposition party has pledged a review of the flagship free personal care policy if it wins power in next year's Scottish Parliament elections. -
Spent forces: who pulls the levers on local funding
The King's Fund report on variations in primary care trust spending demonstrates that the 'postcode lottery' stretches far beyond the availability of drugs. But are PCT priorities really at the heart of decision making? Tash Shifrin reports -
Staffordshire ambulance chief defends figures after response time probe
Staffordshire Ambulance Service trust acting chief executive Geoff Catling has defended his organisation following a probe into allegations that 999 response times were being fiddled. -
Stockport PCT denies limiting choice to independent sector
Stockport primary care trust has denied claims that it is limiting patient choice for orthopaedic patients to the local private sector. -
Strategy overhaul for end-of-life care
Choice at the end of life, funding for hospices and palliative care, improved quality of care and better cross-agency working for those with terminal illness could be overhauled following a high-level review. -
Stroke audit
Emergency services for stroke are still not up to standard, despite an increase in the number of specialist units. -
Syphilis surge in North West prompts warning to look for early symptoms
An upsurge of syphilis in the North West has prompted the region's health protection agency to tell doctors and dentists to be on the lookout for early symptoms. -
The anatomy of learning
A choice of modules provides a flexible education that suits both individuals and services. Peter Rolland and Sue Staples describe how an academic pathway was set up -
Tony Blair calls for empowerment not nannying in public health
The prime minister was on the public health campaign trail last week, attending two public events in Nottingham to share visions of a fitter, happier nation and the private sector's role in supporting it. Laura Donnelly listened in -
Training and public health hit for £350m to recover deficits
The NHS will only balance its books next year thanks to £350m raided from budgets for public health, training and education, under current plans. -
Trusts risk tribunal payouts over rights of oldest workers
Trusts could face huge compensation bills handed out by employment tribunals if they do not get to grips with the new age discrimination legislation that comes into force in October, NHS Employers has warned. -
Trusts warned as 'choice of scan' takes shape
Trusts have been warned not to delay urgent diagnostic tests as part of efforts to reduce overall waiting times. The warning came in guidance on 'choice of scan': the policy to offer patients alternative providers of diagnostics in order to shorten waiting times. -
Union hits out at 'back-door' privatisation of ambulance service
A new NHS procurement agency has been accused of attempting a 'back-door privatisation' of East Midlands Ambulance Service trust. -
Wait pressures no excuse for using emergency plans
NHS organisations have been warned not to use contingency plans designed to cope with incidents like terrorist attacks as a way to tackle other pressures in the system. -
Waiting time figures for May and June
The Department of Health has published monthly waiting-time statistics covering May and June of this year for 15 procedures including MRI and CT scans, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, cardiology and audiology. -
Walk the talk: are expanded talking therapies the way forward?
Two talking therapy pilot schemes aim to deliver accessible treatment programmes to those with mild to moderate mental health problems. But are they simply a catch-all solution for a wide range of conditions? Emma Dent reports -
Walk-in centres have little effect on inequalities, says report
NHS walk-in centres are having little impact on unequal access to primary care services, with the majority of users being affluent, young and/or white, according to a survey of global evidence and research. -
Warning on Agenda for Change
Health minister Lord Warner has written to all senior managers in the NHS expressing concerns at the slow progress of ensuring contract staff in catering, cleaning and ancillary services are on contracts that give them parity with Agenda for Change terms and conditions. -
Welsh Ambulance Service gets third chief executive in as many months
The Welsh Ambulance Services trust has appointed a turnaround expert as its permanent chief executive. -
Western Isles health board chief executive quits
The chair of the troubled Western Isles health board has resigned and a trouble-shooting team sent in 'to assist' managers and clinicians, it was announced on Tuesday. -
Yorkshire and Humber fills five of nine top PCT posts
Profiles of cohort of new PCT chief executives
