Annual Health Check
Heart check target surpassed
The target for heart check-ups in Scotland last year was smashed as the NHS screened 75 per cent more people than expected.
CQC chief welcomes 'formalisation' of relationship with Monitor
The Care Quality Commission is to become a “quality inspectorate” focusing solely on the safety and quality of providers.
Government tells CQC to drop annual health check reviews
The government has told the Care Quality Commission to scrap its annual review of health service organisations immediately, HSJ has learned.
Tougher version of CQC annual health check scrapped
A tougher version of the annual health check that would have branded struggling trusts “poor” has been scrapped in light of the change of government and revised operating framework.
North-South health divide remains
There is still a North-South divide on health in England despite attempts to promote wellbeing for all, according to figures published today.
CQC tries to dispel 'live ratings' fears
The Care Quality Commission has attempted to reassure trusts its soon-to-go-live regulation system is “not a rating, not a ranking and not a league table”.
CQC plans ‘live’ ratings system
The Care Quality Commission will publish six traffic light ratings for each health provider later this year, chief executive Cynthia Bower has revealed.
Rescue plan for ailing hospitals in doubt
The government’s aspiration for foundation trusts to take over failing hospitals appears in significant doubt, a month away from the deadline for agreeing the future for all acutes.
NHS quality strongly linked to increases in managers
NHS leaders have been told to consider how to reduce management costs without compromising services, after an HSJ analysis revealed a strong link between quality scores and increases in manager numbers.
Stroke action falls short of CQC standards
Many stroke patients are still not spending enough of their hospital stay on a specialist stroke unit or having a brain scan within 24 hours, a National Audit Office report has revealed.
Stroke care gets better since health check
Latest figures from the Department of Health indicate hospital trusts have improved stroke care since the Care Quality Commission undertook the 2008-09 annual health check.
Sir Ian Kennedy champions ‘fearless’ NHS regulator
Former Healthcare Commission chair Sir Ian Kennedy has accused MPs of “shooting the messenger” in a Commons health committee report on patient safety.
Trusts fail to keep up pace on stroke targets
Fewer than 40 per cent of acute and specialist trusts are achieving the required standards of stroke care.
CQC will face ‘tricky decisions’ on failing services
The Care Quality Commission has some “tricky decisions” ahead on using its powers to shut down failing services, its chair has admitted.
Annual health check: impact of targets and FTs seen in acute score slide
The stroke target, winter pressures and the increasing number of foundation trusts are being blamed for the slide in acute trusts’ annual health check performance.
Health check shows NHS is not focusing on quality - Andrew Lansley
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the annual health check showed there was not enough focus on improving quality in the NHS.
Health check improvements mask decline in acute trust performance
The performance of acute trusts in the annual health check has dropped for the first time despite overall improvements in service quality across the NHS.
PCTs show improvement in annual health check but a slide in excellence
Primary care trusts have improved their overall performance in the 2008-09 annual health check but have slipped back on achieving excellence.
Mental health trusts shine in annual health check despite tougher tests
More than three quarters of mental health trusts have received good or excellent annual health check scores for service quality, despite far more rigorous assessment this year.
Annual health check - best and worst
Thirty-eight NHS organisations scored excellent in both quality and finance. Figures in brackets show the number of consecutive years the trust has held a double excellent score. Only one trust has scored a double weak this year.
More on the annual health check
How town planners can help integrate better health practices into the community
A new online guide highlights how spatial planners can integrate health into local plans and practice to help improve public health in the local area, as Richard Powell and Andrew Ross explain.
Effective regulation needs the right touch, at the right time
The chief executive of a troubled NHS trust recently remarked to me: “The problem was, we thought we worked for the regulators, not for our patients.”
Neil Churchill: advice for managers on giving criticism
As a manager, you are meant to give three pieces of praise for every piece of criticism. That’s the minimum ratio experts believe is effective in encouraging good performance.
Are death rates fair? You decide
Drip, drip, drip. No, not the sound of a hospital “deep clean” in action, but the horror-on-horror, day-by-day reporting in the run-up to and wake of the publication of Dr Foster’s annual Hospital Guide.
Hospitals are blocking stroke care progress, and patients are bearing the cost
HSJ’s analysis of trusts’ performance on stroke care shows there is a long, long way to go.
