Community Services
Government benefits clampdown 'increasing disability abuse'
Charities have warned that disabled people are increasingly being subjected to abuse as a result of the government’s focus on alleged fraud and over-claiming to justify benfits cuts.
Ideas to improve quality and safety in care homes sought
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.
DH warns over severe weather
The Department of Health has warned people to keep an eye on local weather reports as forecasters warn that scattered snow showers and freezing temperatures are on their way to the UK.
Warning as social care funding falls £0.5bn
Spending on older people’s social care in England has fallen by half a billion pounds, according to a new report.
Biggest health and social care provider given the 'green light'
Plans for the biggest joint provider of health and social care in England have been approved by NHS Midlands and East, HSJ has been told.
DH considers year-of-care tariff for patients with long term conditions
The Department of Health is considering a year-of-care tariff for telehealth technology which varies according to the number and severity of a patient’s long-term conditions.
NHS Confederation home care call backed
The NHS Confederation’s call to prioritise treating people in their home rather than hospital has been backed by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Government unveils extra £150m for home care
The government has announced an extra £150m for patients to receive care at home rather than in hospital.
Sexual health services should offer alcohol advice
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.
NHS Confederation calls for end to hospital-or-bust NHS
At least one in four NHS patients would be better off being treated at home under new community-based services, the head of the NHS Confederation has said.
Leading integrated care provider requests financial help
One of the NHS’s leading integrated care providers has sought financial help from its strategic health authority cluster after reporting a “precarious” cashflow position.
Cost of rising emergency dementia admissions revealed
There has been a 12 per cent growth over five years in the number of people with dementia admitted to hospital as an emergency, according to a report exclusively shared with HSJ.
Southern Cross care homes transfer ends
The care homes formerly run by Southern Cross have all been transferred to new operators, the government has announced.
Warning over status of nurses involved in NHS commissioning
Nurses involved in emerging clinical commissioning groups are being given little time and support and are being paid less than GP peers, according to an authoritative report published today.
Private sector could take £2bn slice of community services
The private sector could secure a fifth of the annual £8.5bn market for NHS community services by 2016, analysts have predicted.
Trust spending on carers to be scrutinised
NHS trusts will be forced by the government to say how they spend cash intended for carers after research suggests it does not always reach the frontline.
Rise in PCTs reporting above-average costs
The past financial year saw a sharp rise in the proportion of primary care trusts reporting above-average costs for providing NHS services, new Department of Health figures show.
Government public health plans 'ineffective', says study
Many of the government’s plans for tackling public health lack robust evidence and in some cases have been shown not to work, new research suggests
Obesity experts were axed after policy disagreements
The advisory group on obesity was disbanded by the government after clashes over the direction of policy, it has emerged.
Clusters ordered to begin stocktake of 75,000 service contracts
Primary care trust clusters will have to complete a detailed stocktake of their 75,000 service contracts by the end of March 2012, in preparation for transferring them to successor commissioning bodies the following year.
More on Community Services
How to prioritise disinvestment in support services
A tool to help assess disinvestment in support services can help organisations validate their difficult decisions in this area, as Marion Bain, Hester Ward and Simon Belfer explain.
Could Hinchingbrooke set a benchmark for health organisation ownership?
Circle’s takeover of Hinchingbrooke hospital has opened a debate on hospital ownership and management, which could, Kevin Jacquiss says, inspire the government to look at new ideas to secure a sustainable future for health service organisations.
'Reconfiguration may do more harm than good'
History warns us that reconfiguration is not the panacea it’s cracked up to be, says Andy McKeon.
Why it's vital to improve patient access to information
In an age of instant access to news and data, on the go and 24 hours a day, patient access to healthcare information and decisions remains unreliable and poorly connected. An independent council in Northern Ireland is trying to change this, as Maeve Hully explains.
Five integral steps to support commissioning headache services
A framework to support commissioning headache services that champions intermittent care headache clinics led by a GP with a special interest in headache offers important benefits to both patients and commissioners, says Dr David Kernick.
'Local healthcare cannot be delivered by giant commissioning bodies'
The key to healthcare delivery models lies within natural communities – not in bloated commissioning organisations, says Charles Alessi.
