Health Service Journal
Steve Ford

Steve Ford is contributing news editor on HSJ.

Live patient feedback system at East Surrey Hospital

4-Jun-2013
PERFORMANCE: Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has introduced a new patient experience management programme, which its manufacturers claim is “set to take patient feedback to a new level”.
BME applicants 'less likely to win NHS jobs'

4-Jun-2013
Black and minority ethnic applicants are discriminated against in NHS recruitment processes, the author of a new report has claimed.
Sussex Partnership facing ‘toughest year ever’

3-Jun-2013
STRUCTURE: Demand led Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust to open extra beds over the bank holiday at the end of May, its chief executive has stated.
Improved weekend patient care in East Kent

13-May-2013
PERFORMANCE: Patients at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust are getting better, safer care thanks to an initiative to improve the training and supervision of junior medical staff, especially at weekends.
East Kent steps down from major incident status

16-Apr-2013
PERFORMANCE: An unexpected and unexplained peak in inpatient demand is starting to ease at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust.
Analysed: mental health providers for the South East Coast

15-Apr-2013
This week’s HSJ Local Briefing investigates the changing picture of mental health services across the South East Coast region
Kent and Medway closes Trinity Road facility

20-Mar-2013
STRUCTURE: Kent and Medway Partnership NHS and Social Care Foundation Trust has vacated one of its properties because it has judged it is not fit for purpose.
New managing director sought by Sussex Partnership

20-Mar-2013
WORKFORCE: Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking applicants for a new post of managing director of adult mental health services.
Trust acknowledges errors in care of patient found hanged

7-Mar-2013
PERFORMANCE: Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust has said it “sincerely regrets” the shortcomings in the care provided to a man with mental health problems who was found dead at his home last year.
East Kent Hospitals FT notes improvement in food

5-Mar-2013
PERFORMANCE: Improvements in food at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust have resulted from a new ward oven system.
Kent community provider signs IT deal

26-Feb-2013
COMMERCIAL: Kent Community Health Trust has purchased an advanced patient management system focused on mobile working.
New medical director for Ashford and St Peter’s

25-Feb-2013
WORKFORCE: Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals Foundation Trust has appointed Dr David Fluck as substantive medical director.
Maidstone and Tunbridge CIPs ‘under-delivering’

25-Feb-2013
FINANCE: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is at significant risk of failing to hit its savings target for cost improvement plans, according to board papers.
Surrey Heath CCG authorised with seven conditions

25-Feb-2013
STRUCTURE: Surrey Heath Clinical Commissioning Group has been authorised but with seven conditions.
Hastings and Rother CCG authorised with conditions

25-Feb-2013
STRUCTURE: Hastings and Rother Clinical Commissioning Group has been authorised but with seven conditions.
Conditional authorisation for Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford CCG

25-Feb-2013
STRUCTURE: Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford Clinical Commissioning Group has been authorised but with 13 conditions.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hit by hike in mixed sex breaches

25-Feb-2013
PERFORMANCE: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust breached the Department of Health’s regulations for mixed sex accommodation in January.
Wilson made permanent chief executive at SASH

21-Feb-2013
WORKFORCE: Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust has appointed its chief executive on a substantive basis after more than two years as an interim.
Hunt warns against 'defensive culture' in letter to NHS

18-Feb-2013
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has written to trusts warning them against having a “defensive culture” over patient safety and whistleblowing.
Medway faces scrutiny from Keogh over high mortality rate

13-Feb-2013
PERFORMANCE: Medway Foundation Trust has been confirmed as one of 14 acute sector organisations that are to be investigated for high mortality rates.
Unison accepts Agenda for Change proposals

6-Feb-2013
Unison has become the latest health union to accept proposals to dilute the Agenda for Change pay framework, marking a significant step towards their introduction.
RCN 'acutely aware' of lessons from Francis report

6-Feb-2013
The Royal College of Nursing has acknowledged it has “lessons to learn” from the way it handled events surrounding the care failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust.
Chief nurse role should be 'kept under review', says Francis report

6-Feb-2013
The government’s splitting of the chief nursing officer role in England into two positions should be “kept under review”, according to the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust public inquiry report.
Wards dangerously understaffed, warn more than half of nurses

3-Feb-2013
Nearly a quarter of nurses say their trust is at risk of a Mid Staffordshire-style care breakdown
Trust announces internal inquiry into maternity services

29-Jan-2013
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust is to hold an independent internal inquiry into its maternity and neonatal services, after a series of infant and maternal deaths.
Analysed: the integration of health and social care in Kent

8-Jan-2013
This week’s HSJ Local Briefing looks at the Kent and Medway health economy, which is in the process of integrating its community health and social care services.
National nursing strategy set for launch

4-Dec-2012
The new national strategy for nursing in England is due to be launched later today at a conference of senior nurses.
'Whistleblowing' charter launched

16-Oct-2012
A whistleblowing charter has been signed by health unions, employers and regulators, which pledges to support staff who raise concerns.
Nurses 'warned children about Savile'

11-Oct-2012
Nurses advised young patients to “pretend to be asleep” when Sir Jimmy Savile was visiting their hospital, it has been claimed.
Media Watch: cuts, porridge and pigeons

11 October 2012
There was a mixed bag of health stories across the nationals on Monday
Burnham vows to repeal Health Act

4-Oct-2012
Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has promised to repeal the controversial Health Act should Labour win the next election, scheduled for 2015.
Ward rounds being neglected - RCP/RCN

4-Oct-2012
Short term gains from reducing ward rounds are outweighed by the improvements they bring to patient safety and timely discharge, according to clinical leaders.
Media Watch: retire - then return

27 September 2012
The NHS Confederation gained widespread coverage of its report into how much the health service was spending on care for older patients.
Minister opposes reconfiguration plans

20 September 2012
A government minister has criticised East Sussex Healthcare Trust’s service restructuring plans..
Analysed: Accident and Emergency performance in Surrey

5-Sep-2012
This briefing looks at how the economy will improve Surrey’s A&E performance
Media Watch: post-Olympic silliness reigns

23 August 2012
Season sees health coverage slow and shift to the silly
Media Watch: NHS in the Olympics

2-Aug-2012
Papers have been fervently discussing the Olympic opening ceremony
Room for manoeuvre on public health funding formula

26 July 2012
Controversial proposals for distributing public health funding that would see a major transfer of resources from poor to rich areas could yet be significantly changed, it has emerged.
Trust says it has 'learnt lessons' from stabbing case

12-Jul-2012
PERFORMANCE: Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust missed three chances to identify the risk to the public posed by a patient who went on to stab a woman in a supermarket, according to an independent review
HealthWatch board will have appointed local members

3-Jul-2012
Up to a third of HealthWatch England’s committee members look set to be appointed from local branches of the new public scrutiny body.
Review concludes NMC is failing 'at every level'

3-Jul-2012
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has problems “at every level”, according to a highly critical report into the regulator published today.
New integrated provider on cards for London

29-Jun-2012
Two councils and a community trust in London are to consider plans to integrate provision of health and social care services.
NICE: trusts must offer DVT tests within 24 hours

27-Jun-2012
Hospitals have been set “challenging” new clinical targets to provide a “seven-days-a-week” service for patients presenting with a suspected venous thromboembolism.
Exclusive: private franchise tops first 'friends and family' chart

26-Jun-2012
Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust has been rated joint top in the inaugural results of “friends and family” patient satisfaction test, recently endorsed by the prime minister.
North Kent trusts look to London to boost market share

19-Jun-2012
Two Kent trusts will seek to expand their market share in surrounding health economies, including becoming the main acute provider for a London borough, if their merger bid is successful.
Analysed: a new shape for acute services in north Kent

19-Jun-2012
HSJ Local Briefing is our new in-depth analysis of key issues facing some of the major NHS health economies. This week we examine how acute providers in north Kent are being reshaped to ensure long term viability for acute services in the region.
Death rate to be used to determine public health funding

14-Jun-2012
Department of Health publishes plans to distribute money according to need
Media Watch: green fingers could help push figures into the red

31-May-2012
Health policy in the media this week.
Media Watch: rare agreement on good policy move

24 May 2012
The Department of Health sold its NHS information strategy to the national press with the promise of patients being able to book GP appointments online.
New infection threats emerging to replace MRSA and C difficile

23-May-2012
A third of healthcare associated infections are now caused by bacteria that need to be tackled with different infection control techniques to MRSA and C difficile, a report has warned.
Nurses and midwives face 60pc hike in registration fee

17-May-2012
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has proposed increasing the annual registrants’ fee to £120 from the start of next year.
Schools could have health and wellbeing board role - Lansley

16-May-2012
The health secretary has hinted that he would welcome the inclusion of schools among those represented on health and wellbeing boards.
Miliband: attacks on nursing are 'totally unfair'

16-May-2012
Attacking the nursing profession over isolated examples of bad practice “is totally unfair”, Labour leader Ed Miliband has told HSJ’s sister title.
Ed Miliband calls on local wellbeing boards to 'defend NHS'

15-May-2012
Labour leader Ed Miliband has called on health and wellbeing boards to “defend the NHS” from privatisation and increasing competition.
RCN chief 'fears' for commissioners negotiating with private sector

14-May-2012
NHS commissioners will be “taken to the cleaners” by private sector providers, the head of the Royal College of Nursing has claimed.
RCN warns of treatment in corridors and long trolley waits

14-May-2012
Patients are being routinely left on trolleys for hours and treated in corridors and other inappropriate areas, the Royal College of Nursing has warned in the wake of new survey results.
Seeing GP of choice would cut elective admissions - study

10 May 2012
Significant hospital savings could result from ensuring patients see the doctor of their choice when they visit their GP, latest research findings suggest.
Social care bill delay sparks backlash

9-May-2012
Health and social care organisations have warned the government not to kick the issue of social care funding “into the long grass”, following the absence of a full bill on the issue from today’s Queen’s Speech.
Pearson to head Health Education England

2-May-2012
NHS Confederation chair Sir Keith Pearson is to head up the new body being set up to oversee the education of health professionals, it has been announced.
Warning of 'deep unease' about safeguarding fragmentation

1-May-2012
Safeguarding arrangements for vulnerable children could become “more confusing, fragmented and possibly riskier” under government reforms, the NHS Confederation has warned.
First ever fine handed to NHS for data breach

30-Apr-2012
A Welsh health board has become the first NHS organisation to be fined following a serious breach of the Data Protection Act.
Public health leader quitting NHS for Canada role

23-Apr-2012
One of the country’s leading public health directors will be leaving the NHS for Canada next month, HSJ can reveal.
Sefton public health director takes on national role

19 April 2012
Janet Atherton has been named as the next president of the Association of the Directors of Public Health.
Analysed: the foundation trust pipeline in Sussex

17-Apr-2012
HSJ Local Briefing is our new in-depth analysis of the key issues facing the NHS’s major health economies. This week: the challenges facing provider organisations in Sussex as they progress along the foundation trust pipeline.
Brighton acute chief to lead Public Health England

5-Apr-2012
Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, has been named as chief executive designate of Public Health England.
English nurses more confident in managers than European peers

27-Mar-2012
Despite a high degree of scepticism, nurses in England appear to have more confidence in their managers than their counterparts in other countries, researchers have revealed.
Charity challenges CQC over critical report

26-Mar-2012
A charity has challenged the findings of a critical Care Quality Commission report on one of its homes for young people with learning disabilities.
Integrated care has no 'significant impact' on hospital costs

26-Mar-2012
The greater integration of care has no significant impact on the cost of secondary care, with benefits cancelled out by “unexpected” increases in emergency admissions, a major review has found.
Health Bill will widen inequalities says experts' 'risk register'

19-Mar-2012
The Health Bill will widen health inequalities, increase healthcare costs, reduce quality of care and the lead to the loss of a comprehensive NHS, according to an alternative “risk register” drawn up by the Faculty of Public Health.
Care homes struggling for access to health services

7-Mar-2012
More than half of primary care trusts do not offer access to the full range of health services care home residents may need, according to analysis of data collected by the Care Quality Commission.
DH mental health strategy 'at risk', warns Farrar

7-Mar-2012
The government’s mental health strategy is at risk of stalling because the necessary “basic building blocks” to make it a success are not in place, the head of the NHS Confederation has warned.
Bill will leave public health 'compromised, weaker and less safe'

5-Mar-2012
The Health Bill represents a “danger to the public’s health” and should be dropped, despite government insistence that public health is one of its priorities, a group of specialists has claimed.
Health regulators face legal overhaul

1-Mar-2012
Provisional plans have been drawn up that would give the Nursing and Midwifery Council and other professional regulators increased flexibility to use their powers while also making them more accountable.
DH appoints three new director generals

29-Feb-2012
Three new director generals have been appointed by the Department of Health, covering public health, external relations and group operations and assurance.
RCN stalls on pensions decision after low vote turnout

28-Feb-2012
The Royal College of Nursing’s council has held back from rejecting the government’s latest pensions offer after a poor ballot turnout among members.
Paediatricians become latest college to reject bill

23-Feb-2012
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has become the latest professional organisation to call on the government to withdraw the Health and Social Care Bill.
Surrey backs reforms ahead of public health push

9 February 2012
Issues of public health past and present have emerged in Surrey and its surrounding area.
NHS manager launches care home rating website

9 February 2012
An NHS manager hopes to improve national care standards by launching what she says is the first live, independent ratings website for care homes.
Royal Surrey manager resigns following sacking of husband

8-Feb-2012
WORKFORCE: A senior manager at the Royal Surrey County Hospital Foundation Trust has resigned following the sacking of her husband who was a director at the trust.
Faculty of Public Health calls for withdrawal of bill

8-Feb-2012
The Faculty of Public Health has joined the growing list of professional bodies calling for the Health Bill to be withdrawn.
Government risks going backwards on integration, warn MPs

8-Feb-2012
Financial pressures and the government’s reforms risk the level of integration between health and social care actually diminishing, despite ministers restating their commitment to the policy, according to MPs.
Ideas to improve quality and safety in care homes sought

1-Feb-2012
Nurses are being asked for ideas on how to improve patient care and working conditions in care homes, as part of a new programme of work by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.
Government orders nursing regulator review

26-Jan-2012
The Nursing and Midwifery Council is to undergo a strategic review due to its failure to deal with a long standing backlog of fitness to practise cases, it has been confirmed.
Doubts cast over size of topline public health budgets

24-Jan-2012
Warnings have already been sounded that the £2.2bn funding due to be ringfenced for councils to spend on public health will be insufficient for them to achieve better results than primary care trusts.
Government announces £5.2bn public health spend

23-Jan-2012
The government has announced £5.2bn will be spent on public health next year, and published its first Public Health Outcomes Framework.
South East trusts fall short on information practises

19-Jan-2012
The importance of providing accurate information has come home to roost at one acute trust in the South East.
Media Watch: regional pay deals return to the fore while PIP implant saga rumbles on

19 January 2012
It was reported on Monday that the coalition faced a “growing rebellion” from Liberal Democrat MPs against moves by chancellor George Osborne towards setting regional pay.
No 'structural merger' of health and social care, MPs told

17-Jan-2012
There will be no government drive to merge health and social care organisations across the country, health minister Paul Burstow has told MPs.
DH plans to allow councils to take on public health functions early

16-Jan-2012
The Department of Health is considering “arrangements” that will allow councils to take over the management of public health functions before the legal transition of responsibility in 2013.
Nursing regulator chief executive resigns

12-Jan-2012
The chief executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Dickon Weir-Hughes has resigned from his post with immediate effect.
Scabies outbreak halts admissions for 48 hours

12 January 2012
PERFORMANCE: Two wards at a hospital in Sussex had to be closed to new admissions for 48 hours last year after an outbreak of scabies.
DH advertises for future leader of Public Health England

11-Jan-2012
The Department of Health has begun advertising for a chief executive designate for its new executive agency Public Health England.
NHS chief executives should be 'held to account' for improving staff health

10-Jan-2012
Senior managers should be held to account for improving the health and wellbeing of their workforce, the NHS Future Forum has recommended.
Integrated care needs 'ambitious' target to succeed, DH told

5-Jan-2012
Ministers will be in a “difficult position” if they ignore advice to set a national target to drive integrated care, the chief executive of the King’s Fund has warned.
South East trusts face contrasting outlooks for 2012

5 January 2012
Western Sussex Hospitals Trust will probably be happy to see the back of 2011.
Birmingham chief executive made a dame in new year's honours

3-Jan-2012
The chief executive of University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust has been made a dame in the new year’s honours list.
Sexual health services should offer alcohol advice

30-Dec-2011
GP commissioners and councils should in future ensure sexual health services include interventions targeted at cutting alcohol consumption among young people, according to a report published today.
Macmillan chief appointed non exec for commissioning board

22-Dec-2011
Macmillian Cancer Support chief executive Ciarán Devane has been confirmed as a non executive director of the NHS Commissioning Board.
Survey: public health hit by loss of expertise

20-Dec-2011
There has been considerable loss of public health capacity over the last 12 months, a workforce survey suggests.
Public health needs new 'business model'

20-Dec-2011
Public health professionals will need to “radically” change their approach to working with others when they move from primary care trusts to local authorities, a group of specialists has advised.
DH signs up 'trusted' agencies for PR campaigns

20-Dec-2011
The Department of Health has appointed two media agencies to manage its public health awareness campaigns in a bid to “streamline” its approach to communications.
Public health director to be statutory council post

20-Dec-2011
Department of Health to issue statutory guidance on responsibilities
DH reveals plans for Public Health England structure

20-Dec-2011
Public Health England will have four regional “hubs”, a series of local “units”, and employ around 5,000 staff, according to latest Department of Health documents.
Cameron warned Health Bill will 'widen inequalities'

20-Dec-2011
A group of leading public health specialists has written to the prime minster claiming the Health Bill will widen health inequalities, and should be reconsidered or withdrawn.
Mergers will not make unviable trusts sustainable, warn MPs

15-Dec-2011
The takeover or merger of troubled trusts in order for them to achieve foundation status “is not a convincing solution” that will ensure their future sustainability, according to MPs.
Specialist care housing model costs NHS less

15 December 2011
Specialist housing integrated with care provision puts less strain on the NHS than residential care homes, according to an independent evaluation for the Department of Health.
PCTs to receive flat 2.8pc increase next year

14-Dec-2011
Primary care trusts will receive the same allocation in 2012-13 as this year, plus an across the board 2.8 per cent increase, the Department of Health has announced.
Southend FT found in 'significant breach' by Monitor

13-Dec-2011
PERFORMANCE: Southend University Hospital Foundation Trust has been found in significant breach of its FT authorisation due to governance failings on data quality and targets for cancer treatment and infection control.
Media Watch: pensions play second fiddle patient privacy

8 December 2011
The NHS has been all over the front pages during the past week or so, and not all of it to do with public sector strikes.
Lung cancer services audit reveals little improvement

7-Dec-2011
Much of the progress in lung cancer treatment has stalled, with major variations still evident in remaining service provision, NHS Information Centre data suggests.
Pension talks set to continue on Friday

1-Dec-2011
The government and health unions are set to hold their latest round of talks today over changes to pensions in the wake of yesterday’s strike.
Media Watch: the most wonderful time of the year

1 December 2011
It is that time of year again, when the national media celebrate the annual publication of the Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2011.
Police charge 10 in Winterbourne case

28-Nov-2011
Police have charged 10 people in connection with the abuse of residents with learning disabilities at the Winterbourne View care home near Bristol.
PCTs to be monitored to protect against public health cuts

24-Nov-2011
Primary care trusts will be monitored to ensure they are maintaining “appropriate” investment in local public health services during the transition to council control.
Reconfiguration attention turns to acute services in the South East

24 November 2011
Just as the dust was settling on the reconfiguration of community services in the South East Coast region, manoeuvring in the acute sector looks set to throw things up in the air once again.
PCT public health spending revealed

23-Nov-2011
Primary care trusts spent just 4.6 per cent of their total funding allocation on public health last year, analysis by HSJ suggests.
Media Watch: for Lansley, the wait is over

17 November 2011
The big story on Monday was the expected announcement by Andrew Lansley of a ban on setting minimum waiting times for certain treatments.
South East trusts confident on improving mixed sex performance

3 November 2011
The Department of Health this month jubilantly announced “record” success in its efforts to reduce mixed sex accommodation.
Lack of hospital surgery networks risking more child deaths

3 November 2011
It is “vital” that paediatric surgery networks are established across the country to reduce the risk of child mortality, according to a major patient safety report.
Funding 'confusion' undermining public health reforms, warn MPs

2-Nov-2011
Confusion surrounding the government’s public health budget is “undermining confidence” in its ability to deliver a competent strategy in this area, the Commons health committee has warned.
Chair appointed to HEE steering group

27-Oct-2011
A chair has been appointed to oversee the development of the new body that will be responsible for NHS workforce education and training.
Media Watch: there's no news like old news

27 October 2011
Some of the nationals could be forgiven this week for getting their definition of the word “news” a little tangled.
Specialist care housing model losing funding

26-Oct-2011
Specialist housing integrated with care provision may not survive as a long term model for providing care for older people, a report has warned.
Dilnot social care proposals are 'regressive', says Lansley

26-Oct-2011
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has told a meeting of councillors that he believes the Dilnot Commission’s proposals on care funding reform are “regressive”, HSJ understands.
NHS Institute chair announces departure

25-Oct-2011
The chair of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has resigned ahead of its reconfiguration as part of the government’s quango cull.
'An important moment in public health history'

20-Oct-2011
Ruth Hussey, the woman at the heart of smoothing the public health shake-up, says there will be great gains after the strains. She talks to HSJ deputy news editor Steve Ford.
Public health workforce 'dispirited' as uncertainty goes on

20 October 2011
The government’s lack of action to dispel uncertainty about the future of the public health workforce is “dispiriting” and poses the “real risk” of losing expert staff, the Faculty of Public Health has said.
Media Watch: calls to 'kill bill' go unheeded

13 October 2011
On Monday the national press speculated on the fate of the Health Bill before its appearance in the Lords later in the week.
Three South East coast trusts singled out for security slip ups

13 October 2011
The government may be promising an NHS information “revolution” but events suggest Kent and Surrey is not quite ready to storm the Bastille.
Consultant choice benefits based on 'limited evidence'

12-Oct-2011
The benefits of enabling patients to choose consultant-led teams is based on “limited” evidence, the Department of Health has admitted.
Media Watch: all of NHS life appears in the papers

6 October 2011
Most types of health professional featured in the media this week, though some more positively than others.
Public health engagement group to steer DH policy

6 October 2011
An engagement team has been set up to road test government policy on public health over the coming months.
DH issues warning over use of flu vaccine in children

27-Sep-2011
Directors of public health have been advised that the influenza vaccine Viroflu should not be used in children under five years old due to an increased risk of fever.
DH stockpiles 400,000 doses of flu jab

23-Sep-2011
The government has purchased a stockpile of 400,000 flu vaccine doses in order to try and head off any supply problems similar to those encountered last year.
Reconfiguration plans grow in confidence in the South East

22-Sep-2011
With reconfiguration no longer a dirty word following the approval of plans for Chase Farm Hospital, other trusts may be more confident in getting service changes through while a Whitehall wind is seemingly behind them.
Media Watch: notes on a sandal

22 September 2011
No single, major health story seemed to grab the attention of the national media at the start of this week – the papers instead mostly opted to write about nurses’ shoes and a missing filing cabinet.
Transfer of public health services to councils in doubt

22 September 2011
Many local authorities are not ready to take on public health budgets and responsibility from primary care trusts, according to research exclusively shared with HSJ and sister title Local Government Chronicle.
Leading doctor calls for more clinically-led reconfigurations

22-Sep-2011
Getting local clinicians to drive reconfiguration plans will reduce “overall system costs” and the number of letters sent to local MPs and newspapers, according to a hospital doctor leader.
Blood donor reforms ‘don’t go far enough’

20-Sep-2011
Blood donation eligibility criteria should be based on individual behaviour, backed by advanced screening, not on sexuality, the Liberal Democrats conference has heard.
Ministers should be allowed to intervene in another Southern Cross, says Burstow

20-Sep-2011
Health minister Paul Burstow has hinted the government may seek to introduce legislative changes allowing it to directly intervene in any future cases similar to the collapse of Southern Cross.
Social enterprise loses out in £450m community services contract

19-Sep-2011
A nurse and therapist-run social enterprise praised by the Cabinet Office for cutting costs has lost out to a private provider for a £450m contract.
Kent PCT sends patient data CD to the tip

19-Sep-2011
PERFORMANCE: NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent accidentally sent a CD containing the personal details of 1.6 million patients to a landfill site in March.
Rebecca Leighton returned to nursing register but with restrictions

14-Sep-2011
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has issued Stepping Hill nurse Rebecca Leighton with an interim order allowing her to work as a nurse but restricting her practice while it carries out a full investigation into the theft of drugs.
Chase Farm to remain open but loses A&E unit

12-Sep-2011
STRUCTURE: The health secretary has rubber stamped plans to downgrade Chase Farm Hospital’s emergency department and take forward a possible merger with North Middlesex University Hospital Trust.
Only two hospitals rated 'poor' in annual PEAT scores

6-Sep-2011
Just two hospital sites across the NHS and private sector were rated “poor” in this year’s patient environment action team inspection results, published by the NHS Information Centre.
Media Watch: onset of autumn provides a gloomy filter for health news

1 September 2011
Maybe it was the autumnal August Bank Holiday weather that meant the national media largely looked at health through a gloomy lens this week.
Handful of trusts let down South East Coast on performance checks

1 September 2011
Two sets of national checks and balances have revealed the South East Coast’s A* performers and those that “must try harder” when it comes to issues of patient experience.
Social enterprise denies Twitter claims it is closing down

26-Aug-2011
A social enterprise came under cyber attack this week in an apparent ruse designed to suggest the organisation was closing down.
PCTs told to provide accounts for cash transferred to councils

26-Aug-2011
Primary care trusts have been told to report how funding transferred to councils for integrated health and social care activities is being spent.
Cross-party approach 'only way' for public health policy

26-Aug-2011
The only way public health outcomes can be improved in the long term is to develop a cross-party approach, according to a think-tank report.
Media Watch: malnutrition nourishes the Mail

25 August 2011
A mixed bag of health media coverage this week from the nationals, with the Daily Mail especially prolific.
Listening exercise workstreams continue to identify concerns

24-Aug-2011
Four clear areas for recommendations will take forward the NHS Future Forum’s remit to inform the government’s reforms.
Patient volume forces East Surrey to close A&E

23-Aug-2011
PERFORMANCE: Patient volumes forced the accident and emergency department at East Surrey Hospital to close for five hours last month in a situation more akin to winter pressures.
Maidstone and Barts have most mixed sex breaches

18-Aug-2011
Mixed sex accommodation breaches have reached their lowest level since the collection of monthly data, but 30 per cent of acute trusts are still failing to comply.
South Coast trusts forecast 2011-12 performance, predict £77m overspend

18-Aug-2011
Trying to predict the future for the NHS is always difficult, as there always seems to be a reorganisation or a winter crisis just round the corner. However, primary care trusts in Sussex have given it a go.
Media Watch: riots ensure a quiet week for the NHS

18 August 2011
The aftermath of the riots continued to dominate the national media at the expense of everything else, including health, but then August is traditionally a quiet month for the NHS.
Commissioners ordered to redo public health accounts amid 'gaming' concerns

16-Aug-2011
Sir David Nicholson has ordered NHS commissioners to submit complete spending returns for 2010-11 in just six weeks amid controversy as “unexpected values and omissions” relating to public health were uncovered.
Call for probe into GP transfer of SW London care home patients

12-Aug-2011
PERFORMANCE: One of the leading lights of the government’s GP commissioning reforms has been drawn into a row which has seen the primary care trust cluster for south west London investigate claims care home patients were “dumped” by a GP practice.
GPs back specialist nursing post after pressure from charity

28 July 2011
WORKFORCE: A specialist Parkinson’s nurse has been secured for West Sussex after an emerging clinical commissioning group previously advised a primary care trust to put recruitment to the post “on hold”.
Commissioning Board will dish out public health funds

21 July 2011
The NHS Commissioning Board will have access to funding from the public health budget to commission “appropriate” programmes, the government has said.
Registered nurse arrested over Stepping Hill deaths named

20-Jul-2011
A woman has been arrested by detectives investigating the deaths of three patients at Stepping Hill hospital, Greater Manchester Police have said.
250 Southern Cross homes to be rescued

19-Jul-2011
Southern Cross’ largest landlord has announced plans to run 249 of the care homes operated by the collapsed provider.
Commissioning Board will get funds from public health budget

14-Jul-2011
The NHS Commissioning Board will have access to funding from the public health budget to commission “appropriate” programmes, the government has said.
PHE chief exec to be appointed by April 2012

14-Jul-2011
The government says it expects to have a Public Health England chief executive in post by next April.
Public health directors 'expected' to report directly to council chief execs, says DH

14-Jul-2011
The government has confirmed that it “expects” directors of public health to be directly accountable to council chief executives when public health functions transfer to local authorities.
More NHS complaints upheld by ombudsman

14 July 2011
Significantly more patient complaints about the NHS were upheld last year by the health service ombudsman, despite there being only a slight increase in complaints received overall.
Easton to steer NHS Institute transition following Crump departure

11-Jul-2011
The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has unveiled interim leadership arrangements, which will see the Department of Health taking a more active role in its work.
Public health must be on managers' agenda, says Confed chief exec

11-Jul-2011
Public health should be considered the “mainstream agenda” for NHS managers and not an “add on”, according to NHS Confederation chief executive Mike Farrar.
NICE wants to produce guidance for health and wellbeing boards

11-Jul-2011
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence would welcome the chance to help fill knowledge gaps for new health and wellbeing boards, according to one of its directors.
Managers urged to support nurses in drive to make savings safely

11-Jul-2011
Managers are urged to support their nurses in a national programme intended to give the profession a major say in improving quality of care while at the same time improving efficiency – so that safety is not compromised.
Chase Farm is 'signal' ministers will not back major NHS change, says Hunt

7-Jul-2011
The government’s intervention into the future of Chase Farm Hospital was “the signal” it would not support “courageous” decommissioning decisions, according to a former health minister.
Public health policy 'update' paper expected next week

7-Jul-2011
An “update” on the government’s public health proposals is due to be published next week, health secretary Andrew Lansley has said.
Lansley outlines new work for Future Forum

7-Jul-2011
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has set out likely topics to feature in a continuing programme of work for the NHS Future Forum.
Community staff setting 'rubbish' example on public health

7-Jul-2011
District nurses often set a “rubbish” example to patients about healthy lifestyles, according to the head of community services in Leicester.
Big ambitions cause dilemma on the South East Coast

7 July 2011
The South East Coast region is home to several large and ambitious mental health foundation trusts but evidence suggests that there has been a victim of one trust’s success.
Mental health trusts pose 'challenge' to integration with community

6-Jul-2011
Mental health trusts are a major barrier to developing mental health wellbeing services in community settings, a GP specialist in the field has said.
Government 'expects' DPHs to report to council chief execs

6-Jul-2011
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has said it is his “expectation” that directors of public health will report directly to council chief executives.
CMO to 'twist arms' over public health medic job crisis

5-Jul-2011
Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies has said she will try and “twist some arms” to find a solution to the unemployment crisis facing the public health medical workforce.
Future Forum chair warns small CCGs they will have to merge

5-Jul-2011
Many clinical commissioning groups are currently “too small to survive”, NHS Future Forum chair Steve Field has warned.
DH commits funds to support health and wellbeing board development

1-Jul-2011
The government announced today it was committing £985,000 to support the development of health and wellbeing boards.
Public health expertise losses begin to bite

30 June 2011
Local public health expertise is starting to drain away as budget cuts bite and staff await transfer to local authorities, evidence presented to HSJ reveals.
DH comms director general is latest to announce departure

28-Jun-2011
The Department of Health director general of communications has become the fourth senior figure to signal their departure from the NHS or DH in the space of a week.
Bernard Crump to leave NHS Institute

27-Jun-2011
The chief executive of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement is to take early retirement, HSJ understands.
Health secretary and NCB will only intervene when failure is 'significant'

20-Jun-2011
The health secretary will only have powers to intervene directly in the running of national NHS bodies where failure is deemed to be “significant”, the government has stated.
Commissioners will have duty to tell patients about waiting time rights

20-Jun-2011
Commissioning groups will have a duty to ensure patients are aware of their rights to access services within maximum waiting times, the government’s full response to the Future Forum has said.
Media Watch: a Lib Dem battle victory in reform war

16 June 2011
Never mind that the “pause” was supposed to be about allaying the concerns of clinicians, apparently the amendments to the Health Bill are in fact a Liberal Democrat victory.
Consortia rebrand required to 'clearly link' with locality

16 June 2011
The creative names chosen by many shadow commissioning consortia – now rebranded clinical commissioning groups – are to disappear under the amendments to the Health Bill.
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.
Beefed up health and wellbeing boards extend council powers

14-Jun-2011
Councils have been handed greater influence over healthcare commissioning following the government’s decision to bolster the power of health and wellbeing boards.
Future Forum recommends dilution of Monitor role and public accountability for consortia

13-Jun-2011
The health secretary must remain “ultimately” accountable for the NHS, Monitor’s proposed role in promoting competition should be “diluted” and consortia must have a governing body that meets in public, the Future Forum has recommended.
South East Coast trusts chasing foundation status

2-Jun-2011
Like many trusts around the country, those in the South East Coast are busy considering ways of getting themselves to the holy grail of foundation status.
Media Watch: waiting for the pause to fast forward

2 June 2011
Every paper told a different story at the start of this week, despite speculation growing ahead of the arrival of the Future Forum’s recommended amendments to the Health Bill.
Health and wellbeing boards 'lack real influence'

2 June 2011
“Weak” health and wellbeing boards could result in the NHS Commissioning Board playing the leading role in driving the performance of GP consortia, the King’s Fund has warned in a report.
New guidance warns of higher bar for JSNAs

2 June 2011
The new “enhanced” joint strategic needs assessment does not represent “business as usual” for the NHS, guidelines have warned.
Public health funding cut threatens skilled staff

26-May-2011
Valuable health intelligence expertise is facing “fragmentation and dissolution”, following a 30 per cent cut in the core funding of public health observatories, MPs have been warned.
Media Watch: Health Bill pause doesn't halt continuing coverage

26 May 2011
As the coalition’s “pause” rumbles on so do the stories surrounding the fate of the Health and Social Care Bill.
DH remains committed to personal health budgets

26 May 2011
The Department of Health has indicated its determination to roll out personal health budgets despite NHS managers warning they result in increased bureaucracy and run counter to the need to control costs.
Commissioning debate centres on the South

19 May 2011
NHS Surrey this month found itself at the centre of the debate on commissioning reform.
Media Watch: Cameron's speech grabs headlines, but offers little more

19 May 2011
The papers all had a bit to say ahead of prime minister David Cameron’s speech about how reforming the NHS is apparently the only way to save it.
Government public health response held until July

12-May-2011
A government response to the public health white paper consultation will not be published until July, Department of Health officials have told MPs.
Media Watch: Clegg back in the spotlight after veto pledge

12 May 2011
Unsurprisingly one health story dominated the papers at the start of the week.
Cross border mental health contracts emerge in the South East

28 April 2011
The mental health providers of the South East coast region are currently keen to engage in some cross border commercial activity.
Media Watch: worries over 'rationed' availability of treatments

21 April 2011
After last week’s universal coverage of the health secretary’s will he/won’t he appearance at the Royal College of Nursing congress, the media headed towards the Easter break with a fairly united front over the availability of NHS treatments.
DH plugs public health and pharma gaps on review panel

21 April 2011
The Department of Health has confirmed it is to appoint a public health expert and a pharmacist to plug holes in its reform review panel.
Trust in public health advice could be compromised by reforms

20-Apr-2011
The perceived independence of public health advice could be compromised if Public Health England becomes an integrated government department, existing agencies have warned.
SHA director appointed to leading post at Public Health England

12-Apr-2011
NHS North West regional director of public health Ruth Hussey has been appointed to a leading role in Public Health England.
DH taking notice of work on the South East coast

7 April 2011
NHS West Sussex has lately been recognised as a leading light on crossing the health and social care divide. The primary care trust’s board has just approved the creation of a joint commissioning unit with West Sussex County Council.
'Clarity' needed on consortia public health rules

7 April 2011
A public health leader has called for commissioning consortia to be compelled to “work through” health inequality plans with public health specialists once they transfer to local councils.
First integrated acute, community and social care trust created

7 April 2011
STRUCTURE: Wye Valley NHS Trust has become the first organisation in England to provide integrated acute, community and social services previously provided separately by a local authority, acute trust and primary care trust.
Health and wellbeing boards' powers in doubt

7 April 2011
Local authority health and wellbeing boards must have stronger powers to ensure cooperation from commissioning consortia, the government has been warned.
NHS London predicts five trusts will end year in deficit

31 March 2011
FINANCE: Five acutes and one primary care trust in London are expected to finish the financial year in deficit, according to strategic health authority board papers.
Care home sector faces bed capacity lottery

31 March 2011
Parts of the country will face a massive shortfall in care bed capacity over the next 10 years, an analysis shared with HSJ has warned.
Public health transition 'road map' underway

21-Mar-2011
A “mapping exercise” is underway to indicate how the public health workforce will be moved over to local authorities, the Department of Health has said.
Mergers making their mark on the South East Coast

17 March 2011
Merger is the name of the game in Kent at the moment.
King's Fund calls to unite health and social care budgets

17 March 2011
The government must adopt a single budget for £121bn of health and social care funding to stop the two systems fighting against each other, the King’s Fund has warned.
Brighton GPs plan to cut commissioning teeth on mental health

10 March 2011
COMMERCIAL: “Brave” GPs in Brighton have provisionally chosen mental health as the area they would like to commission first.
Mental health merger ruled against over competition concerns

10 March 2011
The Cooperation and Competition Panel has ruled outright against a merger between two trusts for the first time.
South east coast PCTs face uncertain financial futures

3 March 2011
Heading towards the end of the 2010-11, the financial situation for primary care trusts in the South East Coast differs markedly across the region.
Public health 'confusion' for GPs

3 March 2011
There is an “urgent need” to clarify the relationship between commissioning consortia and public health structures, according to experts.
CQC identifies concerns at Lincolnshire mental health FT

1-Mar-2011
A mental health foundation trust in Lincolnshire has been told to address “major concerns” relating to the safety of its premises for patients.
Public health directors warned of cool welcome

24 February 2011
Not all public health directors and their teams will be welcomed by local authorities, the Local Government Association has warned.
Scrutiny of problem GPs raises concerns

24 February 2011
A vital gap in the governance of GPs could open once primary care trusts are abolished, the head of the National Clinical Assessment Service has warned.
NHS warned to expect surge in clinical negligence claims

23-Feb-2011
The NHS faces a “massive” increase in clinical negligence claims this year, the chief executive of the NHS Litigation Authority has told MPs.
PCT cluster retracts threat to cut public health posts

22-Feb-2011
A primary care trust cluster in London has retracted letters sent to public health staff warning them their posts were “at risk”, after a minister publicly said it was wrong.
Media Watch: drunks and royals give NHS staff little cause to raise a glass

17 February 2011
One health story got the attention of all of the nationals this week - an Alcohol Concern report on the pressure placed on the NHS by drinking.
Media Watch: papers picking up on dismissals

10 February 2011
The tale of two advisers, both of whom have lost the ear of the government, was making the headlines at the start of this week.
Kent PCT cluster appoints future chief exec

3-Feb-2011
A chief executive has been appointed to lead the cluster of primary care trusts due to form in Kent.
Media Watch: Cameron and Lansley spring into action

3 February 2011
The week kicked off with the health secretary and prime minister both going into action to defend the Health and Social Care Bill, ahead of its second reading in parliament on Monday.
Government invites councils to pilot health and wellbeing boards

27 January 2011
The Department of Health has written to local authority leaders inviting them to become pilots for health and wellbeing boards.
Media Watch: health bill reaction reiterates 'chorus of concern'

27 January 2011
Perhaps the most noticeable thing about the national media’s coverage of the Health Bill was its apparent reluctance to really analyse the detail and instead focus on the responses from the various detractors among the unions and interested parties.
Staff bullying claim denied by FT

27 January 2011
A foundation trust has taken the “unusual” step of writing to staff about its whistleblowing policy after an MP published allegations of bullying made by trust staff.
NHS Surrey invites offers for £650m community services contract

21-Jan-2011
One of the largest primary care trusts in the country has put its community health provider arm out for tender at a value of up to £650m.
Health secretary to have extensive powers to 'prescribe' public health functions

20-Jan-2011
The Health and Social Care Bill includes wide and varied powers for the secretary of state to dictate council’s public health activities.
Public health directors in grip of health secretary

19-Jan-2011
The health secretary will have the final say over the appointment and dismissal of directors of public health.
Make-up and duties of health and wellbeing boards revealed

19-Jan-2011
The precise make-up of the new health and wellbeing boards has been set out in the Health and Social Care Bill.
DH ordered to disclose cost of swine flu vaccine

19-Jan-2011
The Department of Health has been ordered to release data on the costs of last year’s swine flu vaccination programme, after it failed to comply fully with a Freedom of Information Act request.
Public health agenda more important than NHS, says Lansley

19-Jan-2011
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has criticised the “obsessive” focus on commissioning consortia, ahead of the publication of the health and social care bill later today.
The health bill in the news

19-Jan-2011
The NHS was everywhere this week, with heavy coverage ahead of Wednesday’s Health Bill.
Tory peer almost 'lost will to live' working on Change4Life campaign

18-Jan-2011
A Conservative peer has given a highly critical assessment of her experience of working with the Department of Health on public health campaigns.
Minister fires warning shot over cuts to PCT public health posts

17-Jan-2011
Public health minister Anne Milton has told primary care trusts not to cut public health capacity, ahead of their transfer to local authorities as part of the government’s health reforms.
Media Watch: 'Patients should do more than lounge around in their pyjamas'

13 January 2011
The acute sector was the early focus of the media this week, with local papers across the country running stories on hospitals affected by flu and national coverage of two reports written by doctors.
South Central unveils PCT cluster plan

12-Jan-2011
Nine primary care trusts in the south central region are to be amalgamated into three clusters, their strategic health authority has announced.
East Sussex chair to step down

10-Jan-2011
The chair of a struggling trust is to step down because she does not want to commit to seeing it through foundation trust status.
Nurses cynical about increment freeze offer

6-Jan-2011
More than 80 per cent of nurses believe their trust would fail to honour a proposed deal not to make compulsory redundancies over the next two years if they agreed to forego a pay rise, according to an poll by HSJ’s sister title Nursing Times.
Media Watch: Managers under fire

6 January 2011
The New Year may have only just begun but NHS managers are already in the firing line.
Trusts warned not to neglect patient experience

6 January 2011
Hospital trusts should not neglect efforts to improve patient experience, as it can lead to savings and also improve quality, according to the NHS Confederation.
An austere Christmas for the public sector

24-Dec-2010
There was little Christmas cheer in the approach to the festive season as the media focused on cuts and austerity in the public sector.
Norfolk community provider gets new chair

23-Dec-2010
The community health services provider for Norfolk has appointed a new chair.
PCT chair leaves for role at mental health trust

22-Dec-2010
The chair of Bassetlaw primary care trust has announced he is to join its local mental health service provider – one of the largest in the country.
CQC lifts conditions on Heatherwood and Wexham Park FT

22-Dec-2010
The Care Quality Commission has lifted all the registration conditions previously imposed on a foundation trust in Buckinghamshire.
London mental health trust given all clear by CQC

22-Dec-2010
The Care Quality Commission has lifted the final two conditions imposed on West London Mental Health Trust, after it improved staffing levels and the assessment and monitoring of service quality.
CQC lifts half of conditions at east London hospital trust

22-Dec-2010
Half of the registration conditions imposed on Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust have now been lifted by the Care Quality Commission.
Government sets out who will commission public health services

21-Dec-2010
Immunisation, screening and public health for the under fives will in future be commissioned by the NHS Commissioning Board, under latest government proposals.
New chair for Cheshire PCT

20-Dec-2010
A Cheshire primary care trust has chosen a new chair.
PCTs identify roles to hand on speedily

17 December 2010
Primary care trusts should be allowed to give up responsibility for maintaining lists of all GPs working in their area, as well as a range of other duties, as soon as possible, according to the Primary Care Trust Network.
RCN 'extremely disappointed' at lack of nurse inclusion in reforms

16-Dec-2010
Government reforms will “struggle to succeed” without more engagement with nurses, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.
Consortia should not inherit debts from PCTs, says government

15-Dec-2010
Commissioning consortia will not inherit debts from primary care trusts when they take over in 2013, the government has announced in its white paper response.
PCTs given average 3 per cent rise in funding

15-Dec-2010
Primary care trusts will receive an extra £2.6bn next year to spend on commissioning, the government has announced.
Consortia to get £25-35 per head for running costs

15-Dec-2010
Commissioning consortia will have an allowance for running costs in the range of £25-35 per head of population by 2014-15, the government has announced.
White paper response: 'We were right to embark on this journey'

15-Dec-2010
The government has handed maternity to commissioning consortia and given councils formal scrutiny powers to cover NHS funded services in changes outlined in its response to the white paper consultation.
Chief exec takes on extra PCT for no extra pay

14-Dec-2010
The new joint chief executive of two primary care trusts has taken on the role for no extra salary.
Public-private partnerships market growing to £1.8 trillion

9 December 2010
The UK market for public private partnerships will potentially be worth £1.8 trillion over the next decade, according to analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
MP questions strategic health planning base

9 December 2010
It remains unclear who would be responsible for vital strategic health planning during the transition to commissioning consortia and beyond, a shadow health minister has warned.
The hospital guide and NHS whistleblowers

9 December 2010
Last week The Observer had its exclusive on the Dr Foster Hospital Guide, this week it got a telling off about it.
Bolton trust to change its name

6-Dec-2010
Royal Bolton Hospital Foundation Trust is to change its name from April 2011, with the public being asked to vote on alternatives.
Ashford achieves foundation status, as Royal Free starts application

1-Dec-2010
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals Trust has been authorised to become a foundation.
Speech therapy saves NHS £13.3m a year

30-Nov-2010
Every £1 invested in speech and language therapy for stroke patients with swallowing problems – dysphagia – generates £2.3 in savings through avoided chest infections, a report shows.
London to fund development pot for pathfinders

30-Nov-2010
NHS London is to pay pathfinder commissioning consortia £1.66 per registered patient to support their development.
PCT grip on local priorities being 'eroded'

30-Nov-2010
The PCT Network has called on the Department of Health to reduce the “central direction” of primary care trusts to a minimum in the operating framework.
PCT stroke spending at odds with outcomes

30-Nov-2010
London primary care trusts that spend similar amounts on stroke achieve vastly differing outcomes, data analysis shows.
Southern PCTs least efficient at referral

25 November 2010
Primary care trusts in the South experience more unnecessary referrals than those in the Midlands and the North, data analysis by Dr Foster and HSJ suggests.
Don't lose sight of productivity during winter, warns Nicholson

24-Nov-2010
NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson has warned managers they need to “maintain a strong grip” on productivity and performance during the coming winter pressures.
Confed and RCGP to set up network for consortia

23-Nov-2010
The NHS Confederation and the Royal College of GPs are to form a joint network to represent commissioning consortia.
Media Watch: targets and treatment

19-Nov-2010
The last week and a half proved a good few days for journalists, but a less good few days for NHS managers and their staff.
DH confirms sale of Dr Foster Intelligence

11-Nov-2010
The Department of Health has announced it is seeking to sell its stake in information analysts Dr Foster Intelligence.
Former NHS chief attacks private health insurance 'lottery'

11-Nov-2010
Former NHS chief executive Lord Nigel Crisp has attacked a lack of transparency in private health insurance policies, which he claims has created a “private healthcare lottery”.
The Mid Staffs inquiry and NHS redundancies

11 November 2010
The national media’s week was not surprisingly dominated by the start of the Mid Staffs public inquiry.
Hakin warns against consortia using PCTs for commissioning support

9-Nov-2010
GP consortia should not just purchase management support from recreated primary care trusts, Department of Health managing director of commissioning and development Barbara Hakin has warned.
MPs to investigate NHS complaints and legal costs

5-Nov-2010
The Commons health committee is to investigate rising complaints against the NHS and how much it is costing the service in litigation.
New Birmingham hospital clears further hurdle and gains name

5-Nov-2010
Plans to build a “super hospital” in Birmingham have been given the go ahead by NHS West Midlands but with 60 fewer beds than originally intended.
Kent PCT to delay referrals in order to dodge overspend

4-Nov-2010
A primary care trust in Kent has become the latest to announce it is reducing funding for IVF and low priority procedures this year in order to tackle rising acute activity, which risks a £40m overspend.
Practice based commissioning academy gets rebranded

4 November 2010
The NHS Alliance and its private sector partner Humana have rebadged their so called practice based commissioning academy to appeal to fledgling GP consortia.
Voluntary MARS pay-off plan attracts very few takers

3-Nov-2010
A key government initiative to reduce NHS management costs is heading for failure, HSJ research suggests
Worcestershire chief exec to retire via MARS

1-Nov-2010
The chief executive of NHS Worcestershire is to step down at the end of the year via the health service’s lump sum pay off deal.
Seven provider arms achieve NHS trust status

29-Oct-2010
Seven primary care trust provider arms took the next step towards becoming community foundation trusts when they become NHS trusts today.
GPs 'outraged' at central commissioning of maternity services

29-Oct-2010
GPs say it is “outrageous” that maternity services will be commissioned centrally and not by local consortia.
Commissioning tools launched for neuro conditions and cardiac rehab

29-Oct-2010
Three charities have developed an online support tool for GP consortia to commission neurological services.
PCT chief exec steps down via MARS

28-Oct-2010
A Shropshire chief executive is to leave his primary care trust at the end of the month via the government’s scheme to streamline management cuts.
No evidence GP consortia will be better than PCTs

28 October 2010
Primary care trusts should be allowed to “merge or demerge” into more successful commissioning organisations , rather than being swept away and replaced by smaller GP consortia, a think tank has said.
White paper fears will not lead to GP exodus, says BMA

27-Oct-2010
Concerns about the white paper and taking on commissioning will not result in a “mass exodus” of GPs into retirement, according to the leader of the British Medical Association’s GP committee.
Yorkshire PCT announces 'unpalatable' measures to tackle overspend

26-Oct-2010
A Yorkshire primary care trust has suspended contracts with local GPs for simple procedures and returned them to acute settings, as part of immediate measures to address “serious financial pressures”.
PCT halts funding for over 30 procedures to 'remain sustainable'

26-Oct-2010
A Midlands primary care trust has halted funding for a raft of routine procedures, including cataract removal and hip replacements, in order to remain financially viable over the winter.
Consortia management allowance will be in operating framework, says Nicholson

21-Oct-2010
The government hopes to reveal the value of the GP consortia management allowance in the operating framework in December, NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson has said.
Slow down will 'strangle' reforms, warns NAPC

21-Oct-2010
Any slowing of the white paper reforms risks “strangling the life out of them”, the chair of the National Association of Primary Care has warned.
Britnell sets up commissioning academy with NAPC

20-Oct-2010
A GP commissioning “academy” has been launched by the National Association of Primary Care, in partnership with consultants KPMG.
Risk management will be flash point for PCTs and GP consortia

20-Oct-2010
The management of risk will be the main area of tension between fledging GP consortia and primary care trusts over the coming months, a report on the lessons learnt from practice based commissioning suggests.
Leicester PCTs to make five senior posts redundant in merger plan

19-Oct-2010
A merged management structure for two primary care trusts in Leicestershire has been unveiled.
RCGP to launch commissioning support centre

19-Oct-2010
The Royal College of GPs is to set up a centre for commissioning in order to support GPs in their new role as budget holders.
GP takes over at North East Lincs

19-Oct-2010
A local GP has been appointed interim chief executive of North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus to oversee the transition to consortia.
London trusts top of patient complaints list

19-Oct-2010
London hospitals are the subject of more serious patient complaints than any other type of secondary care trust, a review by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Ann Abraham reveals.
Chief exec of second Essex PCT cluster named

14-Oct-2010
Three primary care trusts in Essex have confirmed the appointment of a single chief executive.
Salisbury chief seconded to DH provider role

14-Oct-2010
Salisbury Foundation Trust chief executive Matthew Kershaw has been appointed director of provider delivery at the Department of Health.
Cuts, car parks and care records

14 October 2010
The media gave a good few pages over to the NHS this week, taking in cuts, car parks and care records, but no obvious mention of the other C word: commissioning.
College to lobby for inclusion of secondary care in consortia

13-Oct-2010
The government must formally acknowledge the vital role consultants can play in commissioning, the Royal College of Physicians has said in its white paper response.
Alliance warns that consortia must be 'coordinated, not directed'

13-Oct-2010
Primary care trusts must centrally coordinate the transition to GP consortia, but not dictate, according to the NHS Alliance.
Government outlines greater protection for NHS whistleblowers

12-Oct-2010
Health service employers will have to pledge to support whistleblowers, under proposed amendments to the NHS constitution in the wake to the Mid Staffs scandal.
Essex PCT plans to shed over 220 staff in £5.7m savings bid

12-Oct-2010
NHS South West Essex has set out plans to make 224 staff redundant in order to save £5.7m over the next financial year.
Shadow health secretary wastes no time in attacking NHS cuts

12-Oct-2010
Newly appointed Labour shadow health secretary John Healey has targeted trust’s plans to cut accident and emergency, and maternity services in his first attack on the government.
Lansley plays down 'scale and pace' concerns over GP commissioning

12-Oct-2010
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has attempted to play down the scale and pace of the white paper changes, following widespread concerns expressed in response to the consultation.
Future RCGP leader issues warning on 'market expansion'

11-Oct-2010
The government’s planned expansion of the “any willing provider” is the biggest issue concerning GPs, according to the chair elect of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Lansley confirms summary care record roll-out will proceed

11-Oct-2010
The national roll-out of patient summary care records will continue, health secretary Andrew Lansley has said.
Climate change is 'cholera of our time', says public health expert

11-Oct-2010
The transfer of commissioning from primary care trusts to GPs should be used to help drive environmentally friendly policies, according to the head of the NHS sustainable development unit.
Lansley warned on 'disenfranchised' salaried GPs

8-Oct-2010
One of the country’s leading GPs has advised the health secretary to ensure younger doctors are incentivised to get involved in commissioning, or risk losing them to the private sector.
King's Fund warns about 'scale and pace' of reforms

7-Oct-2010
The government must reconsider the “speed and scale” of its white paper reforms, the King’s Fund has warned.
GP consortium pioneer says PCTs are vital safety net

7 October 2010
Handing commissioning control to clinicians but maintaining primary care trusts to support them would be the “dream ticket”, rather than abolition, according to a chief executive pioneering the idea.
PCT functions 'need clarification'

7 October 2010
The Primary Care Trust Network has urged the Department of Health to quickly sort out which PCT statutory functions can be stopped in order to reduce pressure on managers during the transition to GP consortia.
Consortia may boost GP data

6-Oct-2010
GP consortia would have more incentive to collect data on patient comorbidities, the Nuffield Trust suggests.
Out of hours performance variation to be made public

6-Oct-2010
Primary care trusts are to be named and shamed for the first time on the performance of their out of hours provider.
Union launches anti-white paper campaign

4-Oct-2010
The union Unite has launched a campaign against the government’s white paper, which it says has no “democratic mandate” and represent the most significant move yet towards privatisation.
South Essex PCTs confirm creation of cluster

1-Oct-2010
NHS South East Essex and NHS South West Essex have formed a cluster under the leadership of a single chief executive.
List of PCT functions drawn up to aid formation of GP consortia

30-Sep-2010
A list of their functions has been sent to primary care trusts to aid discussions over the future transfer of commissioning powers with fledgling GP consortia.
First GP consortia launched in Cambridgeshire

30-Sep-2010
The country’s first commissioning consortia developed by GPs have been launched today in Cambridgeshire.
Essex PCTs to unveil single chief executive

30 September 2010
A cluster of three Essex primary care trusts will next week appoint a single chief executive.
PCT spending by disease to be analysed

30 September 2010
Primary care trusts will be sent information on how much they spend on different conditions and their “value related outcomes” next month.
Lansley seeks to reassure GPs on commissioning

29-Sep-2010
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has written to all GPs in England in an apparent bid to allay concerns about their future role in commissioning
NHS reform deadlines 'unrealistic'

28-Sep-2010
More than half of GPs and commissioning managers do not think they will meet the government’s timetable for developing GP commissioning, survey findings shared with HSJ show.
Lansley attempts to kick start GPs on commissioning

24-Sep-2010
Commissioning consortia set up now in shadow form will not be “set in stone” for the long term, the health secretary has told GPs in an apparent attempt to drive forward his reforms.
Unison welcomes 'positive indication' on white paper legal challenge

23-Sep-2010
Unison, the major public sector union, says it has been given a “positive indication” the High Court will allow it to challenge the legality of the white paper reforms.
Whistleblowers and freezing fat

23 September 2010
One story united the media in its health coverage at the start of this week. A whistleblower who raised concerns about a clinic involved in the Baby Peter case is to sue the NHS for £100,000.
New chief exec takes over at Hertfordshire PCT

22-Sep-2010
NHS Hertfordshire has announced that its deputy chief executive has been appointed chief executive.
Barbara Young appointed head of diabetes charity

21-Sep-2010
Former chair of the Care Quality Commission Dame Barbara Young has been appointed chief executive of the charity Diabetes UK.
Superbug risk from hospital sinks

3-Sep-2010
The Department of Health has issued an alert warning that hospital wash basins have been identified as a source of gram negative bacteria.
Patients ‘should be able to complain by email’

2 September 2010
Patients should be able to make complaints to the health service ombudsman about NHS services via email or telephone, the Law Commission has proposed.
Poor data reporting skews palliative care spending picture

1-Sep-2010
A government report has pointed to significant variations in the amount primary care trusts spend on end of life care.
Ex Cornwall chief exec wins £1.2m compensation

1-Sep-2010
The former chief executive of Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has been awarded £1.2m in compensation for unfair dismissal over whistleblowing.
BMA warned position on GP consortia may be illegal

26 August 2010
GP consortia would be “unwise” and potentially acting illegally if they picked NHS organisations as providers of choice, the NHS Confederation has warned.
Union carries out legal threat on white paper reforms

24-Aug-2010
Unison has applied to the high court for a judicial review, claiming the Department of Health has begun implementing white paper proposals without proper consultation.
BMA sets out principles for GP commissioning

20-Aug-2010
GPs must not be allowed to profit personally from commissioning, according to the British Medical Association.
Consultant bonus scheme to be reviewed

20-Aug-2010
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has announced a review into bonus payments given to NHS consultants across the UK.
PCT support agency will look beyond London

19 August 2010
The organisation set up to support the capital’s primary care trust commissioners is looking to offer its services beyond London, its chair has told HSJ.
PCTs rein in management consultant spending

19 August 2010
There is significant variation in the use of management consultancy this financial year by primary care trusts, information collected by HSJ reveals.
Think tank questions feasibility of planned NHS cuts

19 August 2010
The feasibility of government plans to slash 45 per cent of NHS management costs in four years has been called into question by a think tank close to the Conservative Party.
Competition scrutiny for North West

19 August 2010
The Cooperation and Competition Panel has escalated an investigation into specialised commissioning for mental health services in the North West.
FTs favour male nurse directors

18-Aug-2010
Foundation trusts are more likely to give senior nursing posts to men than acute trusts without foundation status, an investigation by HSJ’s sister title Nursing Times has found.
PCT and UnitedHealth end deal

18-Aug-2010
NHS Northamptonshire has terminated its contract for commissioning support with UnitedHealth UK a year early.
'Postcode lottery in end of life care provision'

11-Aug-2010
A postcode lottery exists in whether patients approaching the end of their life are able to die in hospital or at home, a major piece of research shows.
PCT trains GP commissioners

11-Aug-2010
A primary care trust in Kent is rolling out a training scheme that gives trainee GPs first hand experience of commissioning.
PCT chief exec calls time on NHS career due to illness

9-Aug-2010
NHS Suffolk chief executive Carole Taylor-Brown announced she is stepping down at the end of September due to health reasons.
Struggling PCT appoints second interim CEO this year

9-Aug-2010
Dr Paul Zollinger-Read, chief executive of NHS Cambridgeshire, has taken over as interim chief executive of NHS Peterborough, the PCT announced.
PCTs improve commissioning performance

5 August 2010
Primary care trusts have improved their commissioning performance across the board despite government plans to phase them out from 2013.
PCTs begin planning to reinvent their business

5 August 2010
Primary care trust chief executives have begun planning how they can transform themselves into organisations providing support to GP commissioning consortia.
Union threatens judicial review over pace of NHS change

5 August 2010
Unison has threatened to take the government to judicial review if the white paper reforms are implemented without proper consultation.
Uncertainty still dogs PCTs during transfer of power

29 July 2010
Major uncertainties about the rapid transfer of commissioning from primary care trusts to fledgling GP consortia could lead to chaos, managers have warned.
MPs to revisit commissioning with inquiry

27-Jul-2010
The Commons health committee is to carry out a follow up inquiry into commissioning, which it hopes will contribute to the white paper reforms.
Model for managing consortia financial risk remains unclear

22-Jul-2010
How GP consortia manage the financial risks associated with commissioning will be left to “evolve over time”, the government has said.
Consortia to 'challenge' GP practices on quality and productivity

22-Jul-2010
The NHS commissioning board will be able to delegate its role of ensuring GP practices improve on quality of care and financial management to consortia themselves, the Department of Health has said.
DH asks if size limits should be set for GP consortia

22-Jul-2010
The Department of Health will not be “unduly prescriptive” about the size of GP consortia, but has asked whether there should be a minimum or maximum population size set for the new bodies.
PCTs told to hand over resources to GP commissioners

22-Jul-2010
The government has told primary care trusts they will “increasingly” be required to put management resources at the disposal of GP consortia while they are implemented.
PCTs should ‘reinvent’ themselves, says Britnell

22 July 2010
Primary care trusts should seek to reinvent themselves as social enterprises providing commissioning support to GP consortia, according to the architect of the world class commissioning programme.
Concerns over standard of specialist care

22 July 2010
There are concerns over how specialised service commissioning will be controlled at regional level after strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are abolished.
NHS Bury appoints former newspaper editor as chair

21-Jul-2010
A struggling primary care trust has turned to a former journalist to help turn it round.
GP consortia will be a ‘minority’ interest

21-Jul-2010
The burden of commissioning will fall on a relatively small number of GPs, a leading member of a right wing medical think tank has warned.
East Sussex chief exec made permanent

20-Jul-2010
East Sussex Hospitals Trust has appointed a chief executive.
Long term care funding commission set terms of reference

20-Jul-2010
The government has set out the terms of reference for a commission on the funding of care and support, which will consider a range of methods including voluntary insurance and partnership schemes.
NHS Employers keeps £1.8m surplus in new DH deal

15 July 2010
The Department of Health has agreed NHS Employers can use a £1.8m surplus from its core contract “to assist their cash flow and balance sheet position” and has signed a new deal with the organisation.
NHS Kingston gains permission for social enterprise

14-Jul-2010
The provider arm of NHS Kingston is to become a social enterprise on 1 August after two years of planning.
Norfolk community service provider appoints chair

14-Jul-2010
Carrie Armitage has been appointed shadow chair of the provider arm of NHS Norfolk, which is seeking to become a community foundation trust.
Trust may take PFI option for 'axed' hospital

1-Jul-2010
A foundation trust which had central funding for a major hospital building plan cancelled last week is looking at alternative ways of financing the project, including private finance.
PCTs lose right to stay as direct providers

30-Jun-2010
The Department of Health has reversed its December decision to let six primary care trusts continue as direct providers of their community services.
Do not cut specialist roles, warns SHA chief

30-Jun-2010
Specialist members of the NHS workforce must not be sacrificed in order to find efficiency savings, a government advisor and strategic health authority chief executive has warned.
GPs should be given commissioning budgets now

29-Jun-2010
GPs who want them should be given hard budgets now, with the details of national policy filled in later, according to a report from the NHS Alliance.
FT pioneers lifestyle intervention for acute patients

26-Jun-2010
A foundation trust has begun a service targeting the lifestyle of its patients while they are in hospital, which it hopes will result in future financial benefits.
NHS Surrey attracts Hertfordshire chief exec

25-Jun-2010
NHS Surrey has appointed Anne Walker as its new chief executive.
Obama’s ‘chief mobiliser’ working with NHS

25-Jun-2010
The man behind Barack Obama’s presidential election campaign is working with the NHS Institute on a campaign to engage frontline staff on improving productivity.
Productivity gains unlikely without clinician 'buy in' and better information

24-Jun-2010
Improving information quality and getting clinicians “on board” are crucial if the NHS is to improve its productivity, a management consultant has warned.
Tell boards 'patient stories' to keep safety on agenda

24-Jun-2010
Getting boards to listen to “patient stories” about safety breakdowns can be a powerful tool for engagement, according to a manager who is pioneering the approach at her hospital.
FTs urged to use governors on incident inquiry panels

24-Jun-2010
Patient safety can ‘benefit’ when governors sit on serious incident inquiry panels, according to non-executive director at the country’s first mental health foundation trust.
Managers need to be 'open' with staff about redundancy risk

24-Jun-2010
NHS managers must be honest with staff about the possibility of redundancies when they talk to them about the need to improve productivity, workforce experts have told delegates.
PCTs will be able to 'park' provider arms

24 June 2010
Primary care trusts will be allowed to “park” their provider arms with other NHS organisations in order to meet the deadlines for transforming community services, under the revised operating framework.
Membership model failure has made Confed 'stronger', says chair

23-Jun-2010
The NHS Confederation has emerged from the failure of the NHS Employers’ membership scheme a stronger organisation, according to its chair Sir Keith Pearson.
Pool NHS and social care budgets, says Confed acting chief exec

23-Jun-2010
Pooled health and social care budgets should be considered in order to help get through the public sector spending squeeze, NHS Confederation acting chief executive Nigel Edwards has said.
Flood hit Cumbrian town seeks new community hospital

23-Jun-2010
NHS Cumbria has submitted a planning application for a community hospital in Cockermouth.
SW Essex community services to integrate with FT

23-Jun-2010
The provider arm of NHS South West Essex is to be vertically integrated with North East London Foundation Trust, under the transforming community services programme.
Government must heed restructuring lessons, says Confed

23-Jun-2010
The government should be “held accountable” for the results of its plans to restructure the health service, the NHS Confederation has said.
County wide leadership role for Essex chief exec

22-Jun-2010
NHS South West Essex chief executive Pam Court is to lead a county wide programme of service transformation, including preparing for GP commissioning and reducing management costs.
Operating framework: management costs to be slashed by £220m this year

21-Jun-2010
The government has published its revised NHS operating framework, setting tough goals for reducing management costs and removing key performance targets.
Tees hospital project axed in government spending review

17-Jun-2010
The proposed £460m new North Tees and Hartlepool hospital has been axed by the government, as part of a spending review.
UK lagging on health efficiency efforts

17 June 2010
The NHS is less efficient than other similar healthcare systems around the world, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Former manager jailed for funding private stud farm with NHS money

10-Jun-2010
A former NHS manager who bought horse semen, thoroughbred horses and numerous other goods and services for her private stud business with NHS funds has been jailed for two years and nine months.
Chair steps down at PCT with £12.8m overspend

10 June 2010
A primary care trust under pressure to save £20m this year has lost two members of its board.
PCTs falling out of love with management consultants

10 June 2010
More than half of primary care trusts feel they “rarely” or “only sometimes” get an acceptable return on their investment in commissioning advice from management consultants.
First ISTCs lose activity guarantees

10 June 2010
Care UK looks set to secure a 25 year deal on one of its independent sector treatment centres. It plans to operate the centre without a guaranteed activity contract.
Spearhead PCTs achieve limited success on cancer survival

10 June 2010
GPs should receive incentive payments to help improve cancer survival rates in deprived areas, according to a think tank close to the Conservatives.
Hard budgets for GPs – profit or productivity?

10 June 2010
The coalition government’s plans for revamping practice based commissioning with ‘real’ budgets are dominated by concerns over ensuring the policy will incentivise service improvement and not simply produce wealthier GPs. Steve Ford reports
NHS Hull completes move to social enterprise

9-Jun-2010
NHS Hull has become the first primary care trust to complete the transfer of its provider arm into a stand alone social enterprise.
GOSH chief exec has 'support' of board following resignation calls

9-Jun-2010
Managers at Great Ormond Street have hit back against calls for their chief executive to resign.
Basildon handed fine over death of disabled patient

8-Jun-2010
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust has been fined £50,000 plus £40,000 costs following the death of a patient with cerebral palsy.
BMA questions 'costly venture' of removing practice boundaries

27 May 2010
Removing general practice boundaries will increase bureaucracy and costs at a time when the new government is under pressure to make savings, doctors’ leaders have warned.
NHS Confederation chief executive Steve Barnett resigns

26-May-2010
Steve Barnett, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, has resigned and will step down next month.
Liverpool Foundation Trust faces 200 damages claims

13 May 2010
Liverpool Women’s Foundation Trust is currently facing damages claims from more than 200 women operated on by a consultant, who claimed he was “overwhelmed” by his workload.
New government must give rapid clarity on community service plans

12-May-2010
Primary care trusts’ plans for their provider services could end up back on the drawing board if the new government fails to act decisively to keep it on track.
Parties agree on need to tell patients about NHS service costs

30-Apr-2010
All three main parties support ways of making the public more aware of the cost of NHS treatment and services, such as putting drug prices on prescriptions.
Media Watch: the Liberal Democrats

29 April 2010
The Liberal Democrats may be flavour of the month in the media but their latest effort may not go down well with managers.
A&E departments have fewer than half the consultants they need

28-Apr-2010
Accident and emergency departments have fewer than half the consultants they need to cope with demand, the College of Emergency Medicine has warned.
PCTs depend on commissioning support

22 April 2010
The majority of primary care trust managers believe they cannot achieve top scores for their commissioning without outside help, according to research by the King’s Fund.
Commissioning has 'singularly failed' on long term conditions

21-Apr-2010
Improving commissioning for long term conditions is vital to the health service’s survival, NHS Alliance chief executive Michael Sobanja has warned.
'Trust' key to joint working between PCTs and pharma

21-Apr-2010
Mutual trust and transparency is the key to successful joint working between primary care trusts and the pharmaceutical industry, according to a medical director who has worked for both sides.
Disputed branch surgery gets go-ahead from government

14-Apr-2010
The Department of Health has sanctioned the opening of a branch surgery at the centre of a long running dispute between NHS Kingston and local GPs.
Out of hours GP vetting needs clarity

14-Apr-2010
Primary care trusts lack sufficient guidance on how to ensure overseas out of hours GPs have adequate English language skills, the PCT Network has warned.
New finance lead for Barking and Dagenham

9-Apr-2010
NHS Barking and Dagenham has appointed a finance director.
PCT pushes on with community hospital plan

9-Apr-2010
NHS Mid Essex has decided to press on with plans to develop a new community hospital despite the current pressures on public finances.
London merger plans revealed

8 April 2010
Two thirds of primary care trust provider arms in London plan to vertically integrate with either an acute or mental health trust, HSJ can reveal.
Media Watch: election promises and English lessons

8 April 2010
Before the election officially kicked off, the newspapers found space to devote to goings on in the NHS.
Essex PCTs diverge on community provider plans

1-Apr-2010
Primary care trusts in Essex have opted to go their separate ways on transforming community services following a brief flirtation with plans for a joint social enterprise.
Hillingdon and Enfield to integrate with mental health sector

1-Apr-2010
NHS Hillingdon looks set to vertically integrate its provider arm with Central and North West London Foundation Trust.
‘Aggressive’ PCTs provoke legal threat

1-Apr-2010
The National Association of Primary Care is considering legal action against primary care trusts taking an aggressive stance when renegotiating personal medical services contracts to make savings.
Media Watch: budget cut déjà vu

1-Apr-2010
HSJ readers may have been forgiven for getting a sense of déjà vu when reading the national press this week. The Daily Telegraph front page on Saturday warned its readers to expect “Hospital wards to shut in secret NHS cuts”.
NHS uniform rethink

1-Apr-2010
The Department of Health has amended its guidance on NHS uniforms and workwear to address concerns that Muslim clinicians and students were facing discrimination because of universal policies requiring them to dress “bare below the elbows”.
Royal College of Physicians elects president

31-Mar-2010
Sir Richard Thompson has been elected president of the Royal College of Physicians.
Six PCTs allowed to keep status quo on structure

31-Mar-2010
Six primary care trusts have been given approval in principle by the government to continue as direct provider organisations.
PCTs 'too passive on commissioning'

30-Mar-2010
Primary care trusts are “too passive and lack the clinical knowledge” to commission services effectively, according to a damning report from MPs.
Royal College of GPs elects first female chair in 50 years

29-Mar-2010
The Royal College of GPs has elected its first female chair in 50 years.
Lambeth and Southwark provider arms to integrate with Guy's and St Thomas’

26-Mar-2010
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust is to take over the running of community services in Lambeth and Southwark.
Specialised commissioning advisory body to be created

25 March 2010
A national advisory body is to be created for commissioning specialised services and treatments for extremely rare conditions.
Media Watch: CQC registration and the staff survey

25 March 2010
Obama and Jade Goody topped the pre-Budget headlines this week, but last week ended with two stories of interest to NHS managers: the first trusts to register with the Care Quality Commission and the NHS staff survey.
Cambridgeshire PCT provider arm to become first 'community NHS trust'

23-Mar-2010
The provider arm of Cambridgeshire primary care trust is to become the country’s first community NHS trust on its journey towards foundation status.
RCGP sets out post election wish list

23-Mar-2010
The Royal College of GPs has called for longer consultation times and longer GP training in a manifesto targeted at whichever party wins the election.
SHAs pressurising PCTs into vertical integration

18 March 2010
Primary care trusts in at least four regions are under pressure from their strategic health authorities to vertically integrate their provider arms with acute or mental health trusts, HSJ has learned.
World class commissioning scores to top charts

18 March 2010
The Department of Health is expecting the best primary care trusts to receive the highest score available under world class commissioning this year for the first time.
DH advocacy of integration ‘not credible’

17-Mar-2010
The Department of Health is rarely a “credible advocate” for the integration of health and social care services because its policies are often contradictory, say senior NHS managers with dual local authority roles.
DH action needed to fill gaps in NHS data

16-Mar-2010
Filling huge gaps in primary care data is vital if commissioning is to become more effective, public health experts have warned.
Chief exec swaps Norfolk for Channel Islands

12-Mar-2010
The chief executive of NHS Norfolk has announced she is to step down in order to take up a post in the Channel Islands.
Research points to huge out of hours spending variations

12-Mar-2010
The Patients Association has criticised primary care trusts over significant variations in out of hours spending.
NHS Manchester tables complex community restructuring plan

11-Mar-2010
Community services in Manchester look set to be split up and integrated among a wide range of providers under a complex set of proposals.
Out of hours GP contracts need greater transparency

11 March 2010
A network of small out of hours providers has criticised primary care trusts for “trading off” contracts to other providers without retendering.
Media Watch: CQC ratings fiddles

11 March 2010
They say variety is the spice of life, and it was certainly true that there was an assortment of health stories in the media this week.
PCTs' spending on carers under scrutiny

10-Mar-2010
Primary care trusts will have to prove they are spending enough on supporting carers, care services minister Phil Hope has said.
PCT provider plan deadline stands

10-Mar-2010
The Department of Health will not extend the deadline for primary care trusts to finalise plans for their provider arms.
PCTs preparing for cuts not savings, warn GPs

10-Mar-2010
Senior GPs have claimed primary care trusts are feeling pressured to make budget cuts rather than find efficiency savings.
Marmot might be fair, but will it be feasible?

4 March 2010
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
Hertfordshire PCTs merge into one

3-Mar-2010
Hertfordshire will have one primary care trust from next month, following approval from the health secretary to merge the county’s two PCTs.
Give nursing directors greater say on care at board level, says PM's commission

2-Mar-2010
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.
Community care plans could lead to a new generation of NHS organisations

25 February 2010
Plans underway for community services look set to lead to a new generation of NHS organisations.
PCTs call for lighter commissioning assessment

25 February 2010
Primary care trust chief executives are calling for “lighter touch” assessment of their progress on commissioning, despite efforts made by the Department of Health to ease the process.
Mid Staffs ‘sobering account’ of leadership failure, says NHS Confederation

24-Feb-2010
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 board to consider further action against individuals

24-Feb-2010
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.
CQC will register Mid Staffs but with caveats

24-Feb-2010
The Care Quality Commission says it intends to add Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust to its new register – but with conditions.
Fresh investigations stall Kingston branch surgery plans

24-Feb-2010
The Department of Health has not yet approved the opening of a Kingston GP group’s new branch surgery - two months after the cooperation and competition panel said it should go ahead.
Hull social enterprise plan back on track

22-Feb-2010
A legal challenge preventing the transfer of community services to a social enterprise has been dropped.
Bucks PCT set for vertical integration

22-Feb-2010
The provider arm of NHS Buckinghamshire is set to vertically integrate with Buckinghamshire Hospitals Trust.
Media Watch: social care funding fight

18 February 2010
A toe-to-toe row between health secretary Andy Burnham and his Tory counterpart Andrew Lansley in the Commons injected some colour into the papers last week.
Blackburn care trust plus given go ahead

17-Feb-2010
The Department of Health has approved plans for NHS Blackburn with Darwen to become a care trust plus.
New deputy chief exec for South Downs

15-Feb-2010
South Downs Health Trust has appointed Clodagh Warde-Robinson as its new deputy chief executive.
London councils call for PCT budget control

4 February 2010
Primary care trust budgets for non-acute care should be integrated with all other local care services, according to a manifesto produced by the lobby group London Councils.
Mid Essex chief takes on dual role at Peterborough

3-Feb-2010
The chief executive of NHS Mid Essex is to help turn around the financially challenged NHS Peterborough, it has been announced.
DH to expand integrated care pilots through 'good will'

2-Feb-2010
The Department of Health is looking to expand its integrated care pilot scheme by “harnessing good will”.
Out of hours GP variations 'unacceptable'

2-Feb-2010
An unacceptable variation exists between doctors’ out of hours services around the country, Mike O’Brien has admitted.
SHA steps in to GP branch row

28 January 2010
NHS London has been criticised for delaying the opening of a branch surgery in Kingston, despite the cooperation and competition panel having already recommended its go-ahead.
Provider arms given timetable to vertically integrate

27-Jan-2010
Most primary care trust provider arms will be expected to integrate with acute or mental health trusts by the end of March 2011, HSJ has learned.
Essex PCT to begin offloading GP surgeries

26-Jan-2010
NHS South West Essex is seeking alternative providers to take over and run some of its general practices.
PCT benefits from ambitious knowledge and skills framework redesign

22-Jan-2010
A Yorkshire primary care trust has successfully transformed the knowledge and skills framework into a tool to aid workforce planning and boost productivity.
Rise in acute admissions will be ‘unsustainable’ for PCTs

21 January 2010
Just 10 per cent of primary care trusts have successfully reduced emergency admissions to their local acute trusts.
Managers' pay rises and cold weather costs

21 January 2010
Managers in Scotland will have taken cover this week, especially from junior nurses, after their salary increases were revealed by the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Nottingham trust named best in NHS for gay and lesbian staff

18-Jan-2010
Five NHS organisations appeared in the annual list of the UK’s top 100 lesbian, gay, and bisexual friendly employers, published by charity Stonewall.
DH drawn into row over GP practice expansion

14 January 2010
The Department of Health has been dragged into a row between NHS Kingston and one of its GP practices.
PCTs face redesign backlashes as cost cuts loom

14 January 2010
Primary care trusts face a tough year attempting to convince the public that service redesigns are in the best interests of patients and cost-saving measures are inevitable.
NHS Stockport chief executive starts joint role

12-Jan-2010
The chief executive of NHS Stockport has begun a combined role as a senior member of the local council.
Chief medical officer supported over tough line on drink pricing

6-Jan-2010
Introducing minimum pricing for alcohol should be the priority of chief medical officer for England Sir Liam Donaldson during his last months in post, say public health directors.
Four SHAs have swine flu jab deals in place

6-Jan-2010
Four strategic health authorities have now agreed regional deals with GPs for delivering swine flu vaccine to the under fives.
Demand for veterans PTSD service on the rise

23-Dec-2009
A groundbreaking pilot scheme for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is to continue in the next year if it can secure long-term funding.
East of England reaches deal on swine flu vaccine

23-Dec-2009
NHS East of England has become the latest strategic health authority to agree a regional deal with its GPs for delivering swine flu vaccine to the under fives.
Search for next Monitor chair to begin again in 2010

23-Dec-2009
The post of Monitor chair is to be re-advertised next year, the Department of Health has said.
Cross-sector clusters set up to fast-track NHS innovation

22-Dec-2009
The government has announced the creation of 17 new bodies designed to help speed up the implementation of innovative ideas at the frontline.
Yorkshire acute trust appoints chair

22-Dec-2009
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust has appointed a new chair for the next four years.
PCT loses out to GPs in battle over branch surgery

21-Dec-2009
The co-operation and competition panel has ruled against a primary care trust in a dispute with one of its local GP practices.
NHS Alliance predicts positive results from changes to tariff

17-Dec-2009
Altering the tariff to a maximum price system should result in “very positive” outcomes for both the NHS and the taxpayer, according to the NHS Alliance.
Tariff change may up transaction costs

17-Dec-2009
Commissioners will have to keep a close on transaction costs once changes to the tariff come into play in 2011, the King’s Fund has warned.
Call to be proactive on measuring patient experience

17-Dec-2009
Financial rewards to hospitals for improving patient experience should be based around seven “core” areas of care, according to the patient charity the Picker Institute.
Media Watch: Good to Great, generic drugs and swine flu

17 December 2009
Not of a lot of festive cheer in evidence just yet: the health secretary’s latest strategy for the NHS, intended to take it from “good to great”, was met with a determined lack of enthusiasm from The Daily Telegraph, Independent and Financial Times. They all took the view that it meant hospitals face a four year spending squeeze.
David Nicholson tells NHS: improve first, then prove it

16-Dec-2009
NHS chief executive David Nicholson has told primary care trusts to focus on improving commissioning, rather than on gathering evidence about it.
Osborne attacks Darling pledge to increase spending on frontline services

9-Dec-2009
The Conservatives have accused the chancellor of trying to “ring fence a black hole” over his pledge to protect spending on frontline services in the pre-Budget report.
Website puts PCTs under fresh public spotlight

9-Dec-2009
The public can now monitor how their primary care trust and other local public services are performing against priority areas for improvement using one website.
Recession forces Birmingham PCTs to consider merger

9-Dec-2009
The commissioning arms of the three primary care trusts in Birmingham are to consider merging as a result of the impending public spending freeze.
PCTs left to vaccinate under fives against swine flu after GPs reject deal

8-Dec-2009
Primary care trusts have been landed with responsibility for vaccinating all children aged between six months and five years against swine flu, after a deal could not be reached with GP leaders.
Gas explosion at Manchester hospital

8-Dec-2009
Two gas explosions have ripped through the site of the former Withington Hospital in Greater Manchester.
Commissioners must be more 'ambitious' in CQUIN schemes

8-Dec-2009
Commissioners will be told to be more ambitious and avoid duplication when setting their commissioning for quality and innovation (CQUIN) framework goals for next year.
NHS 'not helped' by confused messages on future of PCTs

8-Dec-2009
Confused messages from the Department of Health over the future of community services configuration are “not helping the NHS”, the Primary Care Trust Network has warned.
Lincolnshire to reward cheaper GP prescribing

3 December 2009
GPs in Lincolnshire are being offered incentives worth up to £2 per head of practice population to cut antibiotic prescribing and increase use of generic drugs.
No Bury and Salford PCT merger, states chief

3 December 2009
The joint chief executive of Bury and Salford primary care trusts has ruled out a merger of the two, saying they are “culturally very distinct”.
Trusts told to focus on ambulance handovers

2-Dec-2009
The government has instructed strategic health authorities to ensure trusts focus on reducing ambulance to hospital handover waits as part of planning for winter pressures.
GP spending role debated

26 November 2009
Practice based commissioning should be replaced by consortia with “real” budgets but comprising clinicians from both primary and secondary care, according to a think tank report.
Media Watch: couples therapy

26 November 2009
One story got blanket coverage in the papers this week, largely down to it having what is known in the trade as a good news “hook”.
Charities warn Andy Burnham of preferred provider fears

25-Nov-2009
Health secretary Andy Burnham has been warned he is risking the future stability of the voluntary sector by abandoning the “any willing provider” model.
South Essex provider shortlist cut to three

25-Nov-2009
South Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust has withdrawn from a contest to take over the management of the provider arm of NHS South West Essex.
NHS planners told to be more green

19 November 2009
Managers need to “think beyond the inside of the building” when planning the design and location of services, according to the government’s adviser on architecture and design.
Essex PCT shortlists FTs to take over community services

19 November 2009
A primary care trust in Essex has shortlisted four foundation trusts to take over its provider arm in the first such service transfer of its type.
Media Watch: patient records

19 November 2009
Medical records and their security, or lack of, was the main topic likely to pique NHS managers’ interest in the news this week - if, that is, you discount stories about the “miracle jab for snorers” and the “mindbend potheads” who are apparently flooding the NHS.
Data security lapses prompt pledges from PCTs

17-Nov-2009
Two primary care trusts have been rapped for data security breakdowns, bringing the total number of NHS organisations in trouble over such lapses to three already this month.
Media Watch: private patients, statins and scurvy

12 November 2009
Although the row over the sacking of government drugs adviser David Nutt continued to dominate the headlines, many health correspondents sought their fixes elsewhere this week.
Zitron: scrap PCTs and cut bureaucracy

5 November 2009
The chair of a London primary care trust has proposed scrapping PCTs. He said giving their commissioning role to local authorities would be an “excellent” way of reducing bureaucracy and bringing health services closer to the public.
CQC will face ‘tricky decisions’ on failing services

29 October 2009
The Care Quality Commission has some “tricky decisions” ahead on using its powers to shut down failing services, its chair has admitted.
Tories pledge marginal pricing under PbR tariff

28-Oct-2009
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has promised the payment by results tariff would allow “marginal pricing” under a Conservative government.
Tory plan could give GPs interest bonanza

22 October 2009
GP practices could earn thousands of pounds a year in interest payments under Conservative plans to turn practice based commissioning budgets into “hard cash”.
Andy Burnham extends preferred provider vow

22 October 2009
Non-NHS providers of services will only be contracted as a last resort, the health secretary has assured the general secretary of the TUC.
NHS efficiency tsar: recession is a chance for change

22 October 2009
The financial squeeze could finally force the NHS to restructure itself around community services, according to national director for improvement and efficiency Jim Easton.
Working time directive reprieve granted to more acute rotas

22 October 2009
The European working time directive scrutiny panel has recommended a further 73 acute medical rotas be granted derogation from compliance with the 48 hour week, bringing the total to 273.
PCTs show improvement in annual health check but a slide in excellence

15 October 2009
Primary care trusts have improved their overall performance in the 2008-09 annual health check but have slipped back on achieving excellence.
Media Watch: working time menace

15 October 2009
The apparent failure of the second swine flu surge to turn into a plague of biblical proportions - touch wood - has left the media searching for a new killer.
GP commissioning shows little sign of life - David Colin-Thomé

14-Oct-2009
The government’s primary care tsar has admitted that efforts to “resuscitate” the “corpse” of practice based commissioning have had little effect.
Two thirds of PCTs still to agree provider model

8 October 2009
Two thirds of primary care trust provider arms have not yet had their future form agreed by their board and strategic health authority, a survey suggests.
Media Watch: party conference season

8 October 2009
Unsurprisingly with the party conference season in full swing, there is plenty of NHS politics in the papers this week.
Pressure to follow NICE guidelines 'will increase'

29-Sep-2009
The public spending squeeze means primary care trusts are likely to come under greater scrutiny over their following of recommendations in National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines and technology appraisals.
Peer review NHS management consultants' work - King's Fund

29-Sep-2009
Government-commissioned reports from management consultants should be peer reviewed to ensure they deliver value for money, according to King’s Fund chief economist Professor John Appleby.
Andy Burnham promises to protect primary care budgets

29-Sep-2009
Health secretary Andy Burnham has promised to do “everything he can” to protect primary care budgets from public sector spending cuts.
Surgery productivity tool could save trusts £1.6m a year

24 September 2009
Trusts could save over £1.5m a year by implementing a programme that encourages operating theatre staff to work more productively.
World class commissioning: efficiency made a core competency

23-Sep-2009
Assessing how effectively NHS commissioners spend their funding receives greater importance in the latest government guidance on world class commissioning.
Commissioners must use more 'nous'

17 September 2009
Local managers will have to “use a bit more nous” when commissioning services in order to ride out the recession, according to health minister Mike O’Brien.
CQC warns 'laggards' over core standards deadline

17 September 2009
The NHS in England faces a big challenge in meeting the Care Quality Commission’s deadline for registering against its new set of core standards, the regulator’s chair has warned.
Former minister suffers art attack

17 September 2009
The Department of Health has been economising on its art collection - although whether by accident or as part of a planned recession busting measure remains unclear.
GPs win 'unbelievable' deal over swine flu vaccination

17 September 2009
Questions have been raised over whether the deal brokered by GPs and the government to deliver swine flu vaccination represents “good value for money”.
London NHS should 'prescribe' debt prevention services

17 September 2009
Primary care trusts and local councils in London should “prescribe debt advice” to help patients through the recession, according to a report published today by the London Health Forum.
London PCT and council consider merger

17 September 2009
Waltham Forest council is attempting to merge with NHS Waltham Forest in a bid to protect the primary care trust before a potential reorganisation of London’s health structures.
Media Watch: Andy Burnham and patient experience

17 September 2009
This week the press went to town on how health secretary Andy Burnham is planning to shackle hospital budgets to patient experience for the first time.
NHS must focus on primary care

17 September 2009
The focus of the NHS must fundamentally shift from acute care to primary care to survive, according to the NHS Alliance.
Premium rate call charges to be outlawed in NHS

17 September 2009
The Department of Health is to issue trusts and GPs with guidance on reviewing their current contractual arrangements for telephony services.
King's Fund: higher NHS productivity could need investment up front

10 September 2009
Reducing variations in NHS productivity would in some cases require more investment in services rather than less, the King’s Fund has suggested.
Think tanks vie to produce new ideas on controlling NHS costs

10 September 2009
Giving clinicians responsibility for how to spend money and more central control over NHS procurement have been proposed by think tanks as alternative answers to making savings.
Swine flu overtime hours must be put on record

9-Sep-2009
Managers will have to ensure that doctors who volunteer to work more than 48 hours a week during any resurgence of the flu pandemic have it “agreed in writing”.
NHS Great Yarmouth unveils doctor as new chief executive

8-Sep-2009
NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney has appointed a doctor, Sushil Jathanna, 52, as its new chief executive.
South Central SHA appoints new chief executive

8-Sep-2009
South Central strategic health authority has appointed Andrea Young as its new chief executive. She will replace current chief executive Jim Easton on 1 October.
DH to review ‘penalty’ for day case payments

2-Sep-2009
The Department of Health is to review the way day case patients are funded under the payment by results tariff.
Media Watch: sick leave row

27 August 2009
The news that some of the health service’s most poorly paid staff get an “overly generous” deal while on sick leave during the recession was the focus of the media spotlight in some quarters this week.
PCTs decide on swine flu vaccine priority

20 August 2009
Primary care trusts have been left to decide which frontline staff they should immunise against swine flu first, risking local variation and dispute.
Lost funds provoke outrage among Christie Hospital staff

13-May-2009
Nurses from Manchester’s Christie Hospital joined with patients and MPs last week in a march on Whitehall.
Patient outcomes linked to nursing staff levels

31-Mar-2009
The more nurses that a trust employs per bed the fewer of its patients are likely to die or to experience long hospital stays.

Alastair McLellan

Health Service JournalSteve Ford

Health Service Journal
Steve Ford