All Acute care articles – Page 406

  • News

    Foundation failures upset Monitor

    2008-06-19T09:00:00Z

    An increasing number of applications for foundation trust status are being turned down first time round because they are not up to scratch, it has emerged.

  • Comment

    Updating top-up rules need not be a dagger to the heart of NHS

    2008-06-19T09:00:00Z

    Just days before its 60th birthday the NHS is being forced to re-evaluate its founding principle - that treatment is based on clinical need not the ability to pay.

  • News

    Top-up review set to question core NHS principles

    2008-06-19T09:00:00Z

    The 'founding principles of the NHS' are to be revisited after the government launched a review of the ban preventing patients making 'top-up' payments for drugs.

  • News

    Regions braced for change as plans put Darzi's vision on map

    2008-06-19T09:00:00Z

    The strategic health authorities have set out their stalls but is there anything new in the proposals and are they likely to make regional variations in care inevitable? Alison Moore investigates

  • News

    DH backs down on care record consent

    2008-06-19T09:00:00Z

    The Department of Health is considering making it easier for patients to opt out of the electronic care record service, officials told a Commons committee this week.

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    HSJ Knowledge

    Elective procedures: all in a day's work?

    2008-06-19T09:00:00Z

    In July 2005, the Healthcare Commission set a target for all elective procedures: 75 per cent had to be day-case rates. While trusts should be striving to approach this figure, some still fall far short of this target.

  • News

    Tougher indicators aim at fairer comparisons

    2008-06-19T09:00:00Z

    Annual performance ratings are being beefed up for some NHS sectors to make fairer comparisons possible across the service.

  • News

    Neonatal unit failures spark calls for action

    2008-06-19T09:00:00Z

    A failure to meet demand for neo-natal services has prompted calls for greater performance management and changes to commissioning.

  • News

    Hygiene code failures a 'wake-up call' says Healthcare Commission

    2008-06-16T16:11:00Z

    NHS trusts have been served with a 'wake-up call' to improve hygiene standards or risk service closures, following the latest annual health check declarations.More than a quarter of trusts have told the Healthcare Commission they failed to comply fully with the hygiene code in 2007-08.

  • HSJ Knowledge

    How to generate staff enthusiasm

    2008-06-16T09:00:00Z

    Which qualities are needed in those who lead their organisation's services transformation? Triona Buckley sets out one trust's formula

  • Comment

    Ken Jarrold on why Darzi needs nurses

    2008-06-16T09:00:00Z

    Last November, commenting on the first Darzi report, I pointed out that only a crusade for nursing and a focus on team leaders would improve patient experience.

  • News

    DH evades Treasury cap on central budgets

    2008-06-13T14:56:03Z

    The Department of Health will use part of its own internal underspend to release itself from Treasury-imposed cut backs in administrative spending. As part of the comprehensive spending review the Treasury imposed a two per cent (£5m) reduction each year to the DH’s central budget of£225m. But in its business ...

  • HSJ Knowledge

    Legal briefing: patients ineligible for NHS treatment

    2008-06-13T09:00:00Z

    What do you do if a patient who is not entitled to free treatment comes to you for help? Melea McFarlane explores the practicalities

  • News

    Workforce contracts under fire

    2008-06-12T09:00:00Z

    NHS workforce contracts represent a 'missed opportunity' for change, today's joint report from the Healthcare Commission and Audit Commission concludes.

  • Leader

    Sacking managers may attract headlines but won't fix problems

    2008-06-12T09:00:00Z

    After 11 years of public service reform, the government's record is still dogged by poor performance. The failure regime unveiled last week shows ministers are running out of patience.

  • News

    Acquisitions need to be more attractive says takeover chief

    2008-06-12T09:00:00Z

    The chief executive of England's only foundation trust to take over a failing hospital has urged the government to make acquisitions more attractive.In an exclusive article for HSJ, Heart of England foundation trust chief executive Mark Goldman warns ministers not to rely on 'heroism'. His comments follow plans to replace ...

  • News

    Senior doctors back plans for 360-degree patient appraisals

    2008-06-12T09:00:00Z

    Senior doctors' leaders are backing plans to allow patients to rate consultants' personalities as part of '360-degree appraisals'.

  • Comment

    Maggi Rose on clinical supervision

    2008-06-11T09:00:00Z

    While NHS organisations often get caught up in documenting the benefits and justifying the expense of clinical supervision, the most important thing to keep sight of are the benefits to the people directly involved the process

  • HSJ Knowledge

    Solving the staff morale equation

    2008-06-10T09:00:00Z

    Your trust's performance is improving, staff vacancies and turnover are low and absenteeism is going down. So why is morale still low? Blair McPherson looks at the factors that affect how staff see their jobs and their organisation

  • HSJ Partners

    Freeing bottlenecks in vital services

    2008-06-10T09:00:00Z

    When you have highly qualified, expert staff in costly facilities, the last thing service managers need are bottlenecks that make it difficult for patients to access vital services quickly, writes Christina Pond