Health Service Journal
Simon Lewis
Simon Lewis is an HSJ and Nursing Times reporter. Simon's focus for HSJ is on primary care trusts and mental health, while on Nursing Times he covers learning disability, mental health and substance misuse.
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Gulf in class: how Qatar is driving excellence by investing in academic research
6-Dec-2011
Standing out among countries in the Middle East, Qatar is investing in an academic health research partnership on the US health science centre model. Simon Lewis reports. -
East of England pays close attention to QIPP plans
17 November 2011
The East of England is often cited as a vanguard region in the NHS, with its strategic health authority providing the bulk of the leadership - seven of the 11 executives - of the new NHS Midlands and East behemoth. -
Media Watch: fighting over the financials
10 November 2011
Sunday’s Observer once again turned its eye to McKinsey and Company, claiming its consultants had been drawn into a “conflict of interest row”. -
FT chair forced out over alleged poor care
10 November 2011
The chair of James Paget Hospitals Foundation Trust in Great Yarmouth has resigned following a political storm over alleged poor care. -
GPs underperforming on quality and outcomes face 'serious questions'
3-Nov-2011
Scores of GP practices in deprived areas are consistently failing to demonstrate clinical quality under a national incentive scheme, analysis by HSJ has found. -
CQC investigation finds improvements still needed at the Pilgrim Hospital
3-Nov-2011
There is still a risk of patients “being exposed to poor care” at the Pilgrim Hospital in Lincolnshire, according to the Care Quality Commission. -
Social enterprise staff deals could create 'two tier workforce'
3 November 2011
Health unions are warning of a growing “two tier workforce” as social enterprises replace NHS terms and conditions with their own employment packages. -
Rising discharge delays blamed on NHS, not local authorities
27 October 2011
Delays in discharging patients from acute hospitals are increasingly being blamed on the NHS rather than local authorities, data suggests, despite large cuts to social services budgets. -
NHS estate spend rising despite lower bed numbers
26-Oct-2011
Spending on maintaining buildings, cleaning hospitals and feeding patients in the NHS has risen by nearly 8 per cent in a year despite a fall in the number of beds, Department of Health figures reveal. -
MPs back 'comply or explain' procurement rule
25-Oct-2011
MPs have backed a plan to force hospital trusts to “explain” if they do not buy high value equipment through agreed contracts, in a report critical of the Department of Health for allowing waste. -
Guidance 'misconstrued' as commissioners restrict drugs
24-Oct-2011
Primary care trusts are “misconstruing” official drugs guidance in order to restrict access to treatments, a coalition of patient bodies has warned. -
Personal budget holders need more information, says DH report
21-Oct-2011
Patients given control of their own health budgets need more information about the size of their funds and how they can be spent, a Department of Health report has found. -
DH ruling puts paid to rotating chairs in the East
20 October 2011
The South Essex primary care trust cluster is planning to make £300m of savings in the next four years, so it probably does not want to be playing musical chairs with its board. -
Media Watch: Lansley faces the flack after Question Time attack
19-Oct-2011
Monday’s Daily Mail treated readers not only to “Cliff [Richard]: ‘why I’d consider euthanasia’” but a bumper column from Melanie Phillips on nursing. -
Mental health patient recalls rise as community teams struggle
19-Oct-2011
A dramatic rise in the number of people with serious mental illness being recalled to hospital has led to concern that community mental health teams are overstretched. -
Stepping Hill poisoning cases hit seventeen
17-Oct-2011
Seventeen patients at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport were affected by saline poisoning, police have revealed. -
Information commissioner calls for greater powers to audit NHS
14-Oct-2011
The information watchdog has demanded greater powers to audit NHS organisations, which account for more than four in 10 serious data breaches. -
Bennett warns against 'second guessing' merger rulings
14-Oct-2011
Trusts involved in mergers should not “second guess” Monitor’s decisions or they risk having to “unwind” arrangements at taxpayers’ expense, the regulator’s boss has warned. -
Commissioners may struggle with 'tight' PbR timescales for mental health
14-Oct-2011
Plans to bring in payment by results for mental health next year could be delayed by the reorganisation of NHS commissioning structures, the NHS Confederation has warned. -
PCTs ordered to adopt single cluster board model
13-Oct-2011
Primary care trust clusters must have a single board, executive team and chair, the Department of Health has said. -
Monitor sanctions mental health merger
12-Oct-2011
STRUCTURE: Monitor will allow a mental health trust in the East of England to be taken over despite a Cooperation and Competition Panel ruling against the acquisition. -
DH to 'bring in line' commissioners who ration treatments
12-Oct-2011
The Department of Health is moving to “bring into line” commissioners who are increasingly restricting access to treatments and medicine, HSJ has learned. -
NHS London offers GPs training to smooth passage into CCGs
11-Oct-2011
London’s GPs are being offered management training worth £7m in an attempt to smooth their passage to becoming clinical commissioning groups. -
Exclusive: Keogh warns NHS against 'blanket' treatment bans
10-Oct-2011
NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh has warned that commissioners must not bring in “outright bans” on treatments or interventions. -
Burnham moves back to health in shadow cabinet reshuffle
7-Oct-2011
Andy Burnham has been confirmed as John Healey’s replacement as shadow health secretary. -
Lansley's 'shining example' forced to deny rationing claims
6-Oct-2011
A social enterprise held up as a “shining example” by Andrew Lansley has been accused of “rationing” physiotherapy services through its use of the flagship any qualified provider policy. -
John Healey steps down as shadow health secretary
6-Oct-2011
Shadow health secretary John Healey has resigned from the shadow cabinet, HSJ has learned. -
Lansley told to produce evidence that personal budgets work
6-Oct-2011
The government must produce evidence that personal health budgets improve outcomes, cost and patient experience before they are fully rolled out, according to a report. -
Supply chain faces challenges on two fronts over legal concerns
6-Oct-2011
The procurement service for the NHS is facing challenges on two fronts, HSJ can reveal, amid claims some of its frameworks could put trusts at risk of legal action. -
IT decisions 'down to trusts' despite contracts
5-Oct-2011
The NHS IT scheme’s remaining contracts will not stop the government from devolving decisions locally, the Department of Health’s new informatics chief has claimed. -
Media Watch: Labour's legacy looms large during conference season
29 September 2011
In recent months the government has faced an onslaught in the media over the Health Bill, waiting times and privatisation in theNHS. -
'Accelerated' demise of IT scheme needs clarity for involved businesses
29 September 2011
IT professionals have called for clarity after the government announced an “acceleration” in the dismantling of the national IT scheme. -
Legal costs could see CCGs allowances 'wiped out'
15-Sep-2011
Clinical commissioning groups are being warned they could be “wiped out” by legal challenges made by providers or resulting from service reconfigurations, treatment decisions and contract awards. -
Exclusive: fixed costs leave CCGs just £9 per head for commissioning
8-Sep-2011
The average clinical commissioning group could be left with just £9 per head of population to spend on the commissioning process, once fixed costs have been accounted for, according to HSJ analysis. -
Mental health savings scheme putting patients in 'inappropriate services'
8 September 2011
A national scheme intended to drive savings in mental health is leading to some patients being “warehoused in inappropriate services”, a senior private sector clinician has warned. -
Reforms will curtail access to information, say campaigners
6-Sep-2011
Public access to information may be “increasingly restricted” because NHS reforms could increase the involvement of independent providers, campaigners have warned. -
DH in talks for 'international players' to take on struggling hospitals
5-Sep-2011
The Department of Health has held discussions about “international players” running up to 20 NHS hospitals, according to confidential emails. -
Ministers set out FT failure regime
1-Sep-2011
Foundation status could no longer be withdrawn from trusts in the event of financial failure under new amendments to the Health Bill. -
Exclusive: Medics resist plan to attach pay to PROMs
30-Aug-2011
One of the country’s leading clinicians has claimed a flagship government policy to link payment by results to the quality of outcomes could deny care to those “who need it most”. -
PCTs urged to fill alcohol treatment gap in prisons
30-Aug-2011
Commissioners are being urged to extend the range of services on offer for prisoners with alcohol addiction, in light of charity research suggesting current provision is insufficient. -
FTs will be compelled to report complaints by DH
25-Aug-2011
Rules will be tightened to force foundation trusts to pass on patients’ complaints to the government, the Department of Health has revealed to HSJ. -
Lung disease costs to rise in retirement hotspots
25-Aug-2011
Health commissioners for seaside retirement communities are being urged to adopt the latest guidance on the treatment of lung disease to buttress themselves against a predicted surge in the cost of the illness in these areas. -
Transforming trust aims high in the East of England
25 August 2011
Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust’s ambitious aim to “become one of the best local hospitals in the country” is revealed in a “transformation programme” report in its most recent board papers. -
Cluster chief resigns
18-Aug-2011
The chief executive of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire primary care trust cluster has resigned, HSJ has learned. -
NHS-university partnerships can 'resist' competition, says chair
18-Aug-2011
NHS providers which have formed partnerships with universities can better “resist” competition from the independent sector, according to a senior clinician. -
One in seven CCG populations too small for authorisation
18 August 2011
One in seven emerging clinical commissioning groups could be asked to reform because they are too small, HSJ research suggests. -
Mental health personalisation campaign 'losing momentum'
18 August 2011
The drive to personalise mental health care could become a “damp squib”, campaigners have warned after research suggested a lack of appetite for change among service users. -
DH confirms delay to GP practice registration
12-Aug-2011
The government has confirmed it is delaying the deadline for the registration of GP practices with the Care Quality Commission by a year. -
NHS organisations treat equality duty as 'tick box' exercise
4-Aug-2011
The majority of the NHS organisations are treating duties to reduce inequalities as a “box ticking exercise”, a report by the Equality and Human Right Commission has found. -
DH wants more transparency in NHS procurement
4 August 2011
The Department of Health has signalled a move to more transparent NHS procurement system in its response to a public accounts committee report that claimed it offered poor value. -
Mental health incentives could be removed
1-Aug-2011
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s recommendation that financial incentives for GPs to support patients with depression should be axed has sparked concern from the mental health sector. -
Acutes target community assets worth almost £3bn
28-Jul-2011
Acute trusts – many of them financially troubled – are set to inherit community service assets worth £2.7bn, creating the possibility property will be offloaded to hit short term savings targets, HSJ can reveal. -
Concern over 'red risk' providers in East of England
28 July 2011
A performance report from NHS East of England this month showed a mixed picture. While referrals are down in the region, activity for both elective and non-elective procedures is nearly 2 per cent higher than last year. -
Application of liberty safeguards 'inconsistent'
28 July 2011
Legislation designed to safeguard people deemed incapable of making decisions is being applied inconsistently across England, figures suggest. -
Mental health patient suicides halve in volume
28 July 2011
Suicide among NHS inpatients in England with mental health problems has more than halved in 11 years, figures show. -
Cancer tsar calls for radiotherapy investment
27-Jul-2011
Investment is needed in new radiotherapy technology but both commissioners and the public need to be convinced of the benefits, according to the cancer tsar. -
Choice plans are 'enforced competition', say GPs
22-Jul-2011
The government’s plans to extend choice in the NHS amount to “enforced competition”, GPs have said, as they call for clarity on changes to the Health Bill. -
Government launches provider choice for community and mental health services
20-Jul-2011
Commissioners have been told to offer a choice of “any qualified provider” for some community and mental health services from next year. It is part of government plans which amount to a slowing down of the extension of choice in the NHS. -
Mental health strategy needs plan, say managers
14 July 2011
Mental health managers have demanded the Department of Health reveals how the mental health strategy would be implemented, amid warnings of growing “frustration” and government cuts hitting services. -
South West Essex urged to take ‘firm line’ on provider quality
14 July 2011
PERFORMANCE: NHS South West Essex should “consider alternative providers” if care at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust does not improve, its strategic health authority has warned. -
East of England raises concerns in accountability reviews
14 July 2011
The East of England has been doing its annual round of accountability reviews at its primary care trusts. As well as South West Essex, Great Yarmouth and Waveney have had a visit. -
Media Watch: migraines, babies and social care, oh my
14 July 2011
Any newspaper-reading migraine sufferers might conclude that the NHS could soon use Botox to prevent their headaches - but only at the expense of making them unrecognisable to their babies. -
Minister sets out OFT's role in hospital mergers
13-Jul-2011
The Office of Fair Trading will consider most foundation trust mergers under the terms of the Health Bill, it has emerged. -
Patients paying premium for surgery calls, say MPs
13-Jul-2011
MPs have raised concerns that patients are facing “additional charges” to call GP surgeries, despite the practice being banned by the government. -
Demand management schemes 'not proven'
8-Jul-2011
Schemes being used to manage demand for hospital care have “limited evidence” and some may increase costs, NHS managers have been told. -
Mental health facing 'critical window' of opportunity
7-Jul-2011
The mental health sector needs to take advantage of a “critical window” to be involved in the changes to the NHS, Department of Health figures have said. -
Warning over social care integration 'barriers'
7-Jul-2011
The barriers to integration between health and social care have worsened in the last year, the president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has said. -
Media Watch: backstreet operations and the threat to Human Rights
7 July 2011
The “milking of the health service” was the message coming loud and clear from Monday’s Daily Mail as it accused the NHS of a “fertility free for all”. -
Suffolk mental health trust risks £2m arbitration
7 July 2011
COMMERCIAL: A mental health trust in the East of England may be “heading to arbitration” over the terms of its talking therapies programme, having failed to sign its contract for the current financial year. -
Data shows mixed results in reducing 'low value' treatments
7 July 2011
The NHS has reduced activity related to some “ineffective” treatments, but has not managed to stop the rise in other “low clinical value” procedures, according to data analysed for HSJ. -
Fears over mental health gap in commissioning knowledge
7 July 2011
Revisions to the Health Bill have failed to address concerns that mental health will be under-represented in commissioning, a trust chief executive has warned. -
Flory highlights 'unacceptable' waiting times
4-Jul-2011
Improvement is expected after “unacceptable” waiting times this winter, the NHS deputy chief executive has said. -
‘Specialist’ doctors on CCG boards could be GPs
29-Jun-2011
The “hospital doctors” due to sit on the boards of clinical commissioning groups will not have to be currently working in acute care and may even be serving GPs, HSJ has learned. -
Health secretary gains powers over NHS Commissioning Board in amended bill
29-Jun-2011
The health secretary is to be given the power to intervene in “particular cases” of “significant failure” by the NHS Commissioning Board, under the newly amended Health Bill. -
Commissioning groups that cross boundaries may have to reform
22-Jun-2011
Eleven commissioning groups crossing local authority boundaries may have to reform due to new rules announced by the government, HSJ has found. -
Recommendations on new allocation formula expected in July
22-Jun-2011
The government intends to give clinical commissioning groups shadow budget allocations this year, despite removing the deadline for the groups to take on their full financial responsibility in April 2013. -
Groups to commission for 'their whole population'
20-Jun-2011
The Health Bill will make explicit that clinical commissioning groups must commission for “whole populations, not just registered patients”, the government has said. -
Board membership requirements to be set out in regulations
20-Jun-2011
Key changes to the NHS reforms to widen clinical involvement in commissioning will not be written into legislation. -
Circle floats on stock market
17-Jun-2011
The independent healthcare company set to run Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust as the first UK hospital franchise was floated last week on AIM, a part of the London Stock Exchange. -
Lansley: 'We want to take people with us'
16-Jun-2011
Concessions in the NHS reforms were made under pressure from the medical professions, health secretary Andrew Lansley admitted in a speech to GPs yesterday. -
Rare cancer drugs budget underspent by nearly half
16-Jun-2011
Only 56 per cent of the money allocated for cancer drugs normally unavailable on the NHS was spent in the first six months of a high profile fund, a report has found. -
PFI rethink stalls hospital building plans
16-Jun-2011
Plans to build a number of new hospitals have stalled as trusts await a ministerial decision on whether the government will underwrite private finance initiative deals. -
Fears raised over two-tier commissioning system
15-Jun-2011
The Department of Health must set target dates for handing budgets to local commissioning groups or an unworkable two-tier system will emerge, senior figures have told HSJ. -
Clinical senates to advise commissioners
14-Jun-2011
“Clinical senates” will be established to advise on commissioning in the NHS and will play a role in the authorisation of commissioning groups, the government has announced. -
In full: government responds to NHS Future Forum
14-Jun-2011
The government has responded to the NHS Future Forum, confirming agreed changes to its overhaul of the service. -
Consortia should have governing bodies, says Future Forum
13-Jun-2011
The Health Bill should be amended to require commissioning consortia to have “a governing body that meets in public”, the NHS Future Forum has said. -
Foundation blames contractor for power cut which cancelled 150 operations
9 June 2011
PERFORMANCE: Luton and Dunstable Hospital Foundation Trust has blamed “hidden” damage to a cable by a private contractor for a power cut that hit the hospital at the end of last year. -
Monitor duty to support integration of care
7-Jun-2011
Monitor will be given a new duty to consider integration within the NHS and with social care, as part of the government’s changes to the Health Bill. -
Squeezed trusts received £28m in 'sweetener' loans
26-May-2011
Three struggling acute providers set to be acquired by other trusts received £28m of “sweetener” loans from the Department of Health, HSJ can disclose. -
Mental health PbR to be reviewed
26 May 2011
The government is to review the much-delayed drive to introduce payment by results to mental healthcare. -
More patients waiting longer for diagnostic tests
26 May 2011
The number of patients waiting more than six weeks for diagnostic tests has almost tripled in the past year. -
Fast-tracked treatment for armed forces to be law
19 May 2011
Commissioners face further pressure not to restrict treatments following a move to enshrine in law preferential access to care for the armed forces. -
Early intervention could be 'crowded out'
19 May 2011
Early intervention mental health services lauded in a government strategy are at risk of cuts due to a shortage of incentives for commissioners, according to a report. -
NHS is undermanaged not overmanaged, finds major report
18-May-2011
A major study has called for the government to “rethink” cuts to administration and management after finding no substantive evidence that the NHS is over-managed. -
Recent fall in NHS board numbers
18-May-2011
The amount of NHS board members in England has fallen steeply in recent years, despite the rise in the total number of managers. -
Cameron defends NHS reforms
16-May-2011
The prime minister has restated the case for the government’s NHS reforms and sought to clarify the plans for competition in the NHS. -
MORI poll shows confidence in NHS 'eroded'
13-May-2011
Public confidence in the NHS has shown “signs of erosion” since the government’s reforms were proposed, according to a poll for the Department of Health. -
PCTs withholding consortia funding, claims NAPC
12-May-2011
Primary care trusts could be setting commissioning consortia up to fail by denying them development funding, the National Association of Primary Care has claimed. -
East of England PCT scrapes together year-end surplus
12 May 2011
NHS South West Essex predicted in the autumn it was heading for a £43m overspend on its budget, but it limped over the year-end line with a small surplus. How did it manage it? -
Future Forum warns over training levy changes
12 May 2011
Changes to NHS training funding could undermine the ability of trusts to deliver required efficiency savings, the education lead on the government’s NHS reform “listening exercise” has warned. -
Prescriptions bill up £300m despite improved value for money
4-May-2011
The overall cost to the NHS of prescriptions rose by £300m in 2009-10, despite a slight fall in the average cost of individual items, according to NHS Information Centre data. -
Making room for meddling in the East
28 April 2011
While strategic health authorities wind down to their abolition – now slightly delayed – clustering has begun to meddle with the map. -
No hospital doctors on consortia boards
27-Apr-2011
Patients and other health professionals are being excluded from the “closed shop” of GP commissioning consortium boards, an HSJ investigation has found. -
Media Watch: Lansley listens while Tories tell
14 April 2011
Despite embarking on a “listening exercise” to hear concerns about the reforms, the health secretary tried his best to avoid confrontation with nurses last week, the Independent reported. -
Pressure on local authority funds raising risk of legal action
14 April 2011
The financial pressures facing local authorities are increasing legal disputes with the NHS, say healthcare lawyers. -
Confederation must be heard - Farrar
12-Apr-2011
The NHS Confederation must make its voice heard during the listening period for the Health Bill, the body’s new chief executive has said. -
Lord Howe: 'Unsustainable' NHS needs reforms
7-Apr-2011
The government’s modernisation plans are necessary if the NHS is to survive, Lord Howe has said. -
Health Bill amendments 'soften' competition rules
7 April 2011
Government amendments to the Health Bill made during the committee stage have further “softened” rules aimed at encouraging competition, according to legal analysis for HSJ. -
Secure mental health beds blocked
7 April 2011
A lack of “step down” services is adding to pressures on secure mental health services, say researchers. -
Commissioning Board control of GP contracts would be 'disaster'
5-Apr-2011
It will be a “disaster” if primary care services are performance managed centrally, a senior GP has warned. -
Health committee proposes strengthened 'commissioning authorities'
5-Apr-2011
MPs have proposed major amendments to the Health Bill to increase the accountability of commissioning organisations. -
Peer warns of upper house opposition to Health Bill
31-Mar-2011
Government concessions over the Health Bill may be insufficient to dispel “profound disquiet” over the legislation in the House of Lords, which could significantly delay its passage, a senior peer has warned. -
Leading GP groups risk creation of 'sink estate' consortia
31 March 2011
GPs are forming commissioning groups that do not cover a defined geographic area, sometimes excluding lower performing practices. -
Lansley: reform criticisms 'not valid'
24-Mar-2011
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has hit back at critics of his health reforms, saying some concerns were “not valid” and opposition from unions was “not necessarily representative” of the health professions. -
Lansley switches to 'any qualified provider'
24-Mar-2011
Health secretary Andrew Lansley appears to have made a change in the rhetoric of the health reforms to further quell concerns over competition in the NHS. -
Monitor predicts 20 FT contract disputes
24 March 2011
Rows over 2010-11 contracts could increase foundation trusts’ risk ratings by the end of this year, Monitor has predicted. -
West Midlands cluster chiefs announced
17-Mar-2011
NHS West Midlands has announced who will be leading the region’s five primary care trust clusters. -
MPs told of budget topslicing 'risk'
17 March 2011
Providers could face financial difficulties if commissioning consortia decide to topslice their budgets to create risk pools, the Commons health committee has heard. -
Monitor 'happy' with Mid Staffs death toll
17 March 2011
A former board director at Mid Staffordshire has spoken of his “amazement” that Monitor did not pick up on the hospital’s problems during its authorisation process to become a foundation trust. -
Doctors give verdict on health reform
16-Mar-2011
Doctors have made clear the opposition to the Health Bill within the profession, but stopped short of opposing the bill in its entirety. -
GMS agreement to reward GPs for saving money
11-Mar-2011
Nearly a tenth of practices’ performance related pay could be linked to the rationing of NHS resources from April under an agreement between GPs and NHS Employers. -
Functions guidance for consortia published by DH
10-Mar-2011
The Department of Health has published a “working document” to clarify what functions commissioning consortia will have to perform. -
East of England commissioners transfer financial pressures to providers
10 March 2011
Struggling commissioners in the East of England are putting pressure on providers. -
Review found surgery at Mid Staffs 'inadequate'
9-Mar-2011
A review into general surgery at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust found the service “inadequate, unsafe and at times frankly dangerous”, the public inquiry into care failings at the trust was told. -
CQC warning over safety of maternity services at trust
4-Mar-2011
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust has been warned after inspectors found it was not ensuring the safety of women in its maternity unit. -
Media Watch: abortion, obesity and homosexuality proivde perfect storm
3 March 2011
The Sunday Telegraph found something of a perfect storm in its story about gay NHS managers being sent on a “luxury junket”. -
Half of PCTs employing temporary executives
3 March 2011
Almost half of primary care trusts have executive directors working in an “interim” or “acting” capacity, an HSJ investigation has revealed. -
Foundation blames PCT in payment dispute
3 March 2011
FINANCE: A foundation trust that received an £18m loan from the Department of Health is now embroiled in a dispute over the “failure” of commissioners to manage demand. -
Breast screening programme a success
3 March 2011
The National Breast Screening Programme detected nearly 6,000 cancers last year which would otherwise have been missed, according to data from the NHS Information Centre. -
Consortia decisions could be voted on via mobiles
2-Mar-2011
New X Factor-style technology could allow GPs to vote on decisions about health service commissioning and service redesign using their mobile phones. -
Lansley sets out best practice tariff plans
2-Mar-2011
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has laid out his plans for a best practice tariff, aimed at encouraging greater patient choice and control. -
Burns: London A&Es may not be 'designated'
1-Mar-2011
Health minister Simon Burns has suggested accident and emergency services in London may not be subject to restrictions on closures under the Health Bill reforms. -
Up to £800m GP income could be linked to commissioning
1-Mar-2011
Some £800m of GP practice income could be linked to commissioning performance. -
Alcohol causes 7 per cent of hospital admissions
24-Feb-2011
More than 7 per cent of hospital admissions in 2009-10 were caused by alcohol, according to data analysis by Dr Foster Intelligence for HSJ. -
Luton and Dunstable FT looks at radical workforce savings
24 February 2011
WORKFORCE: Luton and Dunstable Hospital Foundation Trust is looking at measures such as reducing workers’ annual leave and sick pay entitlement to meet savings targets. -
Buckinghamshire trust rejects PCT waiting times plea
24 February 2011
PERFORMANCE: Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust has rejected a request from the local primary care trust to extend waiting times for first appointments. -
GPC calls for consortia provider lists
18-Feb-2011
The British Medical Association’s General Practitioners’ Committee is asking for an amendment to the Health Bill that would allow commissioning consortia to draw up lists of preferred providers. -
Quality and finance problems evident in the East
17 February 2011
There have been problems of late for acute providers in the East, with two of its foundation trusts in trouble with the Care Quality Commission and another being scrutinised by the strategic health authority. -
Essex PCTs to tackle child safety together
17 February 2011
STRUCTURE: Essex’s primary care trusts are expected to come together to form a county-wide clinical network for safeguarding children. -
Joint surgery redesign could save trusts £664m
17 February 2011
NHS Trusts can save £664m from the total they spend on joint surgery over the next 10 years, according to an exclusive analysis made available on hsj.co.uk. -
Trust falls foul of CQC twice in nine months
17 February 2011
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust has failed to address concerns raised 10 months ago, according to the Care Quality Commission. -
A&E waiting times worst since 2004
11-Feb-2011
Accident and emergency waiting times in England are at their worst since September 2004, according to data from the Department of Health. -
Politicians to hold GMC to account
8-Feb-2011
The Commons health committee plans to expand its role by holding the General Medical Council to account. -
Adviser says he was sacked for therapy views
7-Feb-2011
A government mental health adviser has said he was sacked after raising concerns about the £400m committed by the government to extend talking therapies. -
PCT cluster discussions revealed
3-Feb-2011
HSJ has obtained details of how primary care trusts plan to form the 50-odd clusters tasked with leading the local transition to consortium commissioning. -
'New' talk therapy cash to come from existing NHS budget
3-Feb-2011
The £400m the government is putting into extending access to talking therapies will come from the wider NHS budget. -
Government launches £400m talk therapy strategy
3 February 2011
Access to taking therapies will be extended to an extra million people the government’s mental health strategy was expected to say. -
Small consortia will reduce savings, warns DH
19-Jan-2011
More than a third of the expected savings from transferring commissioning from primary care trusts to consortia will be lost if consortia cover small populations, the Department of Health’s impact assessment says. -
Commissioning transition to cost £1.2bn
19-Jan-2011
The transfer of commissioning to consortia and the NHS commissioning board will cost £1.2bn in the next two years, according to the Department of Health’s impact assessment of the Health and Social Care Bill. -
Marmot voices 'nudge' doubts
19-Jan-2011
The president of the British Medical Association has voiced doubts over the government’s “nudge” approach to public health. -
Cameron steps in to defend health reforms
17-Jan-2011
The prime minister has defended his government’s NHS reform proposals, saying there is “no quiet life option”. -
Deprivation of liberty order use rises
13 January 2011
The number of people being deprived of liberty under recent mental health legislation has risen by 39 per cent from last year, according to data from the NHS Information Centre. -
Plan for local approach to NHS fraud
12-Jan-2011
The NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service is to be reorganised in to a body called “NHS Protect” with up to 20 redundancies expected, HSJ has learned. -
Quitters to sign contracts in smoking cessation scheme
6 January 2011
The government is looking at a wide range of schemes to “nudge” people into adopting healthier lifestyles. -
Lansley reassures over flu rise
4-Jan-2011
The health secretary has said that the NHS is “coping well” with the severe weather and flu, despite a rise in consultations related to flu and an increase in deaths. -
Mental health contracts 'seriously vulnerable' to tariff changes
16-Dec-2010
Changes to the tariff “discriminate” against mental health trusts, the Mental Health Network has warned. -
More criminals will get psychiatric help
17 December 2010
Teams to divert criminal offenders with mental health needs to NHS services will be rolled out nationally by 2014, the government has announced. -
Key details added to radical reform plan
15-Dec-2010
The government has added key details to its plans for wholesale reform of the NHS, while committing to pressing ahead with the changes. -
DH sticks to guns on removal of FT income cap and borrowing controls
15-Dec-2010
The government will push ahead with plans to free up foundation trusts from control, according to its response to the white paper consultation. -
Monitor to keep intervention powers during transition
15-Dec-2010
The transition to a new set of functions for Monitor will be “longer and more phased”, the Department of Health has said in its response to the white paper consultation. -
Survey finds support for Labour health record
13-Dec-2010
Public satisfaction with the NHS reached an all time high last year, according to a national survey of opinion. -
Report highlights productivity savings in mental health
9 December 2010
There are “significant opportunities” for savings to be made in mental health while improving patient care, according to the King’s Fund. -
British back lifestyle nudge
9 December 2010
Most people are happy for the government to influence behaviour to encourage healthy lifestyles, according to international research. -
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies will get outcomes link
9 December 2010
The government plans to extend the previous government’s talking therapies programme and “link” it to the NHS outcomes framework. -
Primary care organisations welcome variation in pathfinders
8-Dec-2010
Variation among the Department of Health’s pathfinder commissioning consortia will help the government to learn lessons about potential models, according to stakeholder organisations. -
Bigger consortia safer from risk, say consultants
7-Dec-2010
The deputy chief executive of the NHS has said that commissioning consortia are likely to be “fewer and bigger” than the 500 to 600 figure often cited. -
Pathfinder consortia revealed
7-Dec-2010
HSJ has obtained the names of the 54 organisations that will spearhead the government’s plans to hand commissioning over to GP consortia. -
Open clinical data to public, urges Lansley adviser
25 November 2010
Writing in this week’s HSJ, future adviser to the health secretary David Kerr argues that opening up clinical data to the public will drive better outcomes. -
Britnell warns on NHS efficiency
25 November 2010
Changes in the economic mix will result in less room for manoeuvre in the NHS, according to KPMG global head of health Mark Britnell. -
Data shows DH consultancy spending fall
25 November 2010
Department of Health spending on management consultants fell by 69 per cent in the first five months of the new government, according to data released under its open government policy. -
Patients need single online NHS information hub, says Which?
22-Nov-2010
Online information for patients should be delivered by a single provider, according to consumer group Which?. -
Details of how DH has spent £1.85bn since election revealed
19-Nov-2010
The details of £1.85bn of Department of Health spending since the coalition government came to power has been revealed. -
Andrew Lansley defends NHS reforms
16-Nov-2010
The health secretary has defended the government’s plans reform the NHS and insisted that there will be accountability in the new commissioning structure. -
Private sector gets 6pc of big ticket NHS spend
4 November 2010
Some 6 per cent of big ticket spending in the NHS is with the private sector, analysis by HSJ suggests. -
Patients will move between commissioners, warns GP
4 November 2010
Patients will “get on a bus” to find care denied by GP commissioners, a senior doctor has told MPs and peers. -
College of Medicine denies link to homeopathy charity
4 November 2010
The new College Of Medicine has denied it is linked to Prince Charles’s Foundation for Integrated Health, which controversially folded this year. -
Mental health hit by integration issues
4 November 2010
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
28-Oct-2010
Local authorities face a major challenge to implement personal budgets for social care with some already “lagging behind”, an Audit Commission report has warned. -
More choice needed in end of life care, says King's fund report
28 October 2010
More should be done to give patients and carers choice about end of life care, according to a report by the King’s Fund. -
GPs in the driving seat?
28 October 2010
It seems GPs are not really up for being put “in the driving seat” of NHS reform. -
Public health plans must deal with mental health, say psychiatrists
26-Oct-2010
Mental health must be “at the heart” of the upcoming public health white paper, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has said. -
Late payment rules eased
21 October 2010
The European parliament has voted to soften the EU late payment directive, which could have led to over £100m in fines for NHS organisations. -
Media Watch: digital drive and damaging cuts
21 October 2010
After cloth merchant Sir Philip Green got backs up last week with talk of waste, Martha Lane Fox is the latest entrepreneur to try telling public servants how to do their jobs. -
Budget increase will not be passed down to services, says King's Fund
20-Oct-2010
The real terms increase in health funding will be “swallowed up” by rising costs in the NHS, John Appleby has warned in response to the spending review. -
Nicholson explains spending review settlement
20-Oct-2010
NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson has written to NHS managers to explain the spending review settlement allocated by the treasury. -
Confed responds to spending review
20-Oct-2010
The spending review settlement is “as good as the NHS could have hoped for”, according to the NHS Confederation. -
Treasury raids NHS capital budget to fund social care
20-Oct-2010
£1bn of NHS funding will be transferred to social care by 2014-15 the chancellor said today, starting with £800m next financial year. -
Make-up of DH revealed
19-Oct-2010
The government has released details of the make-up of all departments, including organisation maps and pay details. -
Shadow health team confirmed
18-Oct-2010
The Labour Party has confirmed the ministerial responsibilities that will be covered by its shadow health team. -
NHS not safe from cuts, Confed warns
18-Oct-2010
Cut backs in social care will cause “major problems”, the NHS Confederation has warned ahead of the comprehensive spending review. -
Public finance adviser joins Mid Staffs inquiry
15-Oct-2010
Former public finance adviser to the treasury Sir Adrian Montague has been appointed onto the Mid Staffordshire public inquiry team. -
Quango cuts confirmed
14-Oct-2010
The government has confirmed that 30 of the Department of Health’s arm’s-length bodies will be abolished. -
Patient care record plan is scaled back
14 October 2010
Patient summary care records will not include more information than necessary to ensure safe treatment in emergencies and unplanned care, it has been announced. -
Charities demand a bigger role in public health
14 October 2010
The third sector must play a greater role in public health, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations has argued. -
Rise in mental health detentions
14 October 2010
The number of people being given compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act rose by 3.5 per cent last year, data has revealed. -
Talk therapy offer ‘patchy’
14 October 2010
One in five patients wait over a year for talking therapy despite the nationwide scheme to promote it. -
Transition plan 'risky' says Confed
12-Oct-2010
The proposed transition to a reformed health service will lead to “very real” risks, the NHS Confederation has said. -
Breast cancer screening not meeting digital switchover target
8-Oct-2010
Over a third of breast cancer screening programmes are yet to meet a commitment to upgrade to digital mammography screening by this year. -
Community nurses have 'serious concerns' about GP commissioning
7-Oct-2010
The move to GP commissioning could exclude other clinicians from decision making while increased competition in the NHS will lead to cost cutting, reductions in quality and greater inequalities, according to the Queen’s Nursing Institute. -
Media Watch: the Conservative Party conference
7 October 2010
Unsurprisingly the health coverage this week was largely concerned with the blue half of the government ahead of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. -
NHS managers hit back at reforms
6-Oct-2010
The reforms to the NHS are “too fast and furious”, Managers in Partnership has warned. -
NHS must not 'slide back' during transition period, warn pharmacists
5-Oct-2010
The NHS must not wait until GP commissioning arrangements are up and running before starting to try and achieve improved clinical outcomes, the National Pharmacy Association has warned. -
Midwives warn increasing competition in NHS could destabilise services
5-Oct-2010
The government’s proposals for an increasingly pro market NHS could result in the “disintegration” of the maternity care pathway, the Royal College of Midwives has warned. -
Councils call for free rein on public health spending
5-Oct-2010
Public health funding should not be ring-fenced by the government when it is moved over to local council control, according to the Local Government Group. -
Psychiatrists back removal of private income cap for FTs
5-Oct-2010
Removing the cap on private income for foundation trusts would release those in mental health to be more innovative and entrepreneurial, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. -
GPs have significant concerns around 'scale, pace and cost' of NHS reforms
4-Oct-2010
GPs support the government’s plans for clinical commissioning but warn the “scale, pace and cost” of the reforms may not be justified, according to the Royal College of General Practitioners. -
Physiotherapists warn white paper will fragment services
4-Oct-2010
Department of Health plans for the NHS put separate government proposals to enable benefit claimants to return to work at “severe risk”, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. -
GP commissioners must not ignore specialist advice, surgeons warn
4-Oct-2010
GP consortia could struggle to commission specialist services such as surgery if they fail to consult with colleagues in the acute sector, the Royal College of Surgeons of England has warned. -
New DH permanent secretary announced
4-Oct-2010
Una O’Brien has been announced as the new permanent secretary at the DH. -
Health students' doubts over NHS reforms
4-Oct-2010
Student doctors and nurses are sceptical of the government’s reform plans for the NHS, according to a survey. -
Burnham tells Lansley to back down on health reforms
1-Oct-2010
The government should back down on its white paper reforms in response to “fierce criticism” from professional bodies, the shadow health secretary has said. -
Unison given date for NHS judicial review hearing
1-Oct-2010
Unison has been given a date for a hearing to decide whether a judicial review will be held over the lack of consultation on the NHS white paper. -
Quango cuts could cost 800 jobs
30 September 2010
Government plans to cut arm’s length bodies could reduce Department of Health spending by £250m and cost 800 jobs, HSJ has estimated. -
HSE issues ambulance trust warning
30 September 2010
The Health and Safety Executive has warned an ambulance trust after it found measures had not been taken to assess the risk to crews from violence and aggression. -
Trusts to be tested on dementia care standards
29-Sep-2010
NHS organisations will have to publish details about the care they provide for people with dementia to improve local accountability, the government has announced. -
Quality payment targets centred on patient safety
23 September 2010
The majority of local quality payment targets given to hospital trusts are focused on patient safety, analysis by HSJ has found. -
Clinicians dominate NHS top pay list
22-Sep-2010
Just 7 per cent of the highest paid individuals in the NHS are in non-clinical roles, according to an analysis by HSJ of the latest figures on public sector pay. -
Pay database reveals top earners
22-Sep-2010
More than 26,000 NHS staff earn over £100,000, according to a comprehensive public pay database. -
Concerns at ‘one legged’ public health restructure
16 September 2010
Public health doctors and directors have expressed serious concerns over the government’s restructuring plans in a survey shared exclusively by HSJ. -
Bigger role for pharmacists could save £800m
16 September 2010
More than £800m could be saved from NHS budgets by making more use of the skills of pharmacists, according to an influential think tank. -
Cosmetic surgery providers breach CQC rules
16 September 2010
Hundreds of cosmetic surgery providers have breached Care Quality Commission rules by failing to respond to a national inquiry into patient outcomes and deaths. -
CQUIN used for minimum achievements
16 September 2010
The Commissioning for Quality and Innovation framework is being used to reward the achievement of minimum standards rather than high quality care, research has found. -
Media Watch: When is a U-turn not a U-turn?
16 September 2010
When is a U-turn not a U-turn? When the policy being revised belongs to the previous government, argues Tory health minister Simon Burns, not without reason. -
Scottish adviser recommends charging for NHS services
10-Sep-2010
A senior advisor the Scottish Parliament’s finance committee has said that patients should pay for NHS services to help out health budgets. -
DH to have veto over DPH appointments
8-Sep-2010
The new “public health service” will “not be a separate legal entity from the DH” and its directors will be jointly appointed by the Department of Heath and local authorities, a DH briefing document seen by HSJ states. -
Talking therapies access falls short of expectations
18-Aug-2010
Most patients treated during the first year of a scheme designed to improve access to talking therapies received less treatment than recommended in guidelines, according to a progress review. -
World class commissioning: PCTs raise the bar in final assurance test
12 August 2010
Primary care trusts have set out their stall as support agencies for GP consortia by significantly improving their performance against the standards and competencies assessed in the second - and last ever - world class commissioning assurance test.
