All articles by Charlotte Santry -
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News
Family doctors should prescribe English lessons, Royal College of GPs chair proposes
GPs should be able to prescribe language lessons to patients who struggle with English, the chair of the Royal College of GPs has urged.
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Healthcare Commission finds hygiene code is 'not hitting the headlines' in acute trusts
Acute trust boards are not taking enough responsibility for controlling infection in their hospitals, the healthcare watchdog has warned.Spot checks on 43 hospitals by the Healthcare Commission have revealed concerns that boards are not regularly discussing opportunities for improvement or ensuring infection control data is analysed effectively.
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Ministers face accusation of burying report
The government has been accused of trying to bury a report criticising the failed Medical Training Application Service.
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Criminal checks fail to exclude staff
Most people who fail criminal background checks while applying for NHS roles are being allowed to keep their jobs.
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Agenda for Change aims 'unfulfilled'
The majority of managers have been found to support Agenda for Change even though it overspent by millions of pounds and has failed to increase productivity.
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Infection control leads not qualified
Only half of senior managers in charge of tackling superbugs have a qualification in infection control.
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Clarity needed on 'stealth' social enterprise bodies
Social enterprises working in the health service are becoming unaccountable and bureaucratic as they move away from their community-focused roots, academics have warned.
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Cash not the secret to hitting 18-week target
Trusts do not need major investment to achieve the 18-week waiting-time target, a study has found.
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Inspector calls for reviews of commissioning
The Healthcare Commission is calling on prime minister Gordon Brown to include independent assessments of commissioners in the health and social care bill.
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Donaldson warns off budget raiders
The chief medical officer has pledged to clamp down on 'smash and grab raids' of public health money.
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Hospital viruses could pose terrorism threat
Lax hospital security could give terrorists working in the NHS easy access to potentially deadly materials, including viruses.
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Cabinet reshuffle: private sector fights to stay on agenda
Private providers have called on the new health secretary to clarify his commitment to independent sector expansion amid fears it will slip down the political agenda.
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NICE advice drives up treatment costs
Commissioners are being pushed into spending too much money on life-saving drugs by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, economists have warned.
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£500,000 pay-off for former PCT chief
A former primary care trust chief executive was given a pay-off of nearly half a million pounds after failing to secure a new full-time post following reconfiguration.
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Union leader to stand as a Labour MP
Unison's head of health has insisted she will retain an independent voice even though she has been selected to stand as a Labour MP in the next general election.
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NHS Confederation rolling news: good staff management 'saves lives'
Good staff management can have a significant impact on the number of lives saved, research has shown.
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Website offers chance to rate NHS
Patients are being asked to rate and comment on NHS services on a website launched this week.
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NHS Confederation rolling news: staff quality challenged
Managers have been told to take more responsibility for the quality of their staff.
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Weekly scrutiny for SHAs: junior doctor recruitment will be top priority
Strategic health authorities are to be scrutinised each week over their handling of the next round of the controversial recruitment process for junior doctors.
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Scientists join row over access to patient records
Medical researchers were branded 'cavalier and arrogant' while giving evidence to the health select committee's electronic patient records inquiry last week. The researchers, answering questions from MPs, argued that they should not always be obliged to ask patients' permission to see their medical records.