All Health Service Journal articles in 3 March 2011 – Page 13
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NewsCommissioning funds used to pay for GP basics
GPs have been able to boost their take-home pay by using commissioning funds rather than their general contractors’ income to buy basic medical equipment and fund practice refurbishments, an HSJ investigation reveals.
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Comment'Without a firm battle plan, consortia might find themselves neither here nor there'
The grand old health secretary risks getting the new consortia stuck on the hill, unless a change in strategy to push them higher up the slope of success is attempted.
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HSJ Local
Patients who should have been discharged kept unnecessarily in mental health wards
PERFORMANCE: Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust saw the number of delayed transfer of care nearly double in one borough because of a lack of suitable accomodation for patients with ongoing care needs.
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HSJ Local
Foundation blames PCT in payment dispute
FINANCE: A foundation trust that received an £18m loan from the Department of Health is now embroiled in a dispute over the “failure” of commissioners to manage demand.
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News'Sensible boundary' needed on GP competition rules, says Monitor
Monitor has stressed the need to avoid an overly restrictive approach to regulating competition issues affecting GP commissioners.
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NewsBreast screening programme a success
The National Breast Screening Programme detected nearly 6,000 cancers last year which would otherwise have been missed, according to data from the NHS Information Centre.
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HSJ Knowledge
The spirit of independent enterprise still requires sustainable business planning
Employee- and community-led services are still battling to change the philosophy and approach of staff and trusts alike, but the benefits these organisations could bring to service delivery are worth the effort, argues Kevin Jacquiss.
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HSJ Local
West Midlands PCTs underperforming on cancer referral times
PERFORMANCE: Eleven primary care trusts in the West Midlands are underperforming on cancer referral time targets.
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HSJ Local
'Stark' differences in capital's chlamydia screening effectiveness
PERFORMANCE: An NHS London report has highlighted “stark” differences in the effectiveness of chlamydia screening programmes across its primary care trusts.
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NewsConfed warns over EU purchase rule change
Proposals to scrap the barrier protecting health services from European procurement rules could place a “significant administrative burden” on NHS organisations, the NHS Confederation has warned.
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CommentSouth east coast PCTs face uncertain financial futures
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.
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NewsNicholson must 'prove he trusts' GP commissioners
Potential consortium leaders will “walk away” unless they are handed sufficient autonomy, leading GP commissioners have warned the NHS chief executive.
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HSJ KnowledgeThe role of patient panels in consortia commissioning
The ability for local people to influence healthcare services in their region should be an important focus for commissioning consortia - and patient panels provide a perfect opportunity.
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HSJ Local
Wirral strikes early commissioning support deal with GPs
STRUCTURE: NHS Wirral has struck a deal to provide nearly 120 of its staff as “commissioning support” for GP consortia. It has told those employees their future could be in a private sector joint venture.
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NewsPublic health 'confusion' for GPs
There is an “urgent need” to clarify the relationship between commissioning consortia and public health structures, according to experts.
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NewsManagers told to 'relax' over online criticism
Managers have been told to respond more honestly to critical feedback on the internet in order to improve services, following an analysis of online comments.
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NewsPCTs will decide 'never event' fines for providers
Primary care trusts have been given freedom to set the level of financial penalty imposed on providers for serious failings “that should never happen”.
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CommentEffective 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.”
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NewsHalf of PCTs employing temporary executives
Almost half of primary care trusts have executive directors working in an “interim” or “acting” capacity, an HSJ investigation has revealed.
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LeaderRegulating managers will not resolve the issues they face
Is the regulation of health service managers a good idea? The man who watches the watchers - Harry Cayton, chief executive of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence - does not think so.