Clare Lomas
NewsPatient safety agency cut involvement cash
The National Patient Safety Agency more than halved its spending on patient and public involvement over the last four years.
NewsControversial urgent care unit will not revert to full A&E status
Burnley urgent care centre will not return to full accident and emergency status but will be upgraded to treat more emergency patients.
NewsQuality vascular surgery ‘requires centralisation’
Vascular surgery should be centralised before strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are abolished, the president of the Vascular Society has argued. Cliff Shearman’s comments follow the publication of an audit calling for greater centralisation to improve quality.
NewsCentralising stroke services improves care, says NHS London
The centralisation of stroke services across London has more than tripled the number of patients receiving life-saving clot busting treatment in just five months, according to latest figures from NHS London.
NewsNHS South Central defends decision to fluoridate water supplies
NHS South Central has defended its decision to fluoridate the local water supply after opponents seized on the government’s invitation to nominate laws they would like to see axed.
NewsConsultants criticise white paper's lack of acute focus
Senior hospital clinicians have criticised the white paper for overlooking the role of the acute sector in the commissioning of services for patients.
NewsNICE publishes first quality standards
Trusts should screen all stroke patients for cognitive impairment within six weeks of diagnosis, according to the first set of quality standards to be published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
NewsPCTs to 'road test' direct payments to patients
Primary care trusts in London and Liverpool will be among the first to “road test” direct payments for personal health budgets, care services minister Paul Burstow announced today.
NewsTrusts warned over instrument checks
Trusts not performing quality assurance checks on surgical instruments before use could risk litigation and endanger patients’ lives, HSJ has been told.
NewsChoice more important to patients than doctors
GPs resistant to offering choice of hospital treatment are underestimating its importance to patients and undermining its ability to improve quality of care.
NewsC diff deaths at Salford Royal
An investigation is under way at one of the country’s top performing trusts following an outbreak of C difficile.
News‘Patient safety must survive quango cull’
Health Foundation chief executive Stephen Thornton has urged health secretary Andrew Lansley to put patient safety “centre stage” and to “cull [NHS] quangos with care”.
NewsNHS management consultancy bill defended
A trust facing the loss of up to 600 staff has defended its decision to spend £3.4m on management consultants in three years.
NewsDame Sally Davies appointed as interim CMO
Professor Dame Sally Davies has been appointed as interim chief medical officer for England, HSJ understands.
NewsBurnley A&E campaigner loses seat
Labour MP Gordon Prentice has lost his Pendle seat to the Conservatives.
NewsTargeted treatments could reduce long term NHS costs
The NHS could make significant cost savings if it made better use of diagnostic tests and patient information to tailor treatment to individual patient groups, according to a report by international researchers.
NewsClusters show potential to halve number of PCTs
New commissioning “clusters” could foretell a reduction in the number of primary care trust of up to 50 per cent, HSJ has been told.
NewsVolcanic ash cloud affects cancer drug supplies
The fallout from the volcanic eruption in Iceland has left cancer patients in the UK without life-extending drug treatment and vital stem cells for bone marrow transplants.
NewsWest Midlands fares worst on patient dignity target
NHS West Midlands has mounted a robust defence of trusts in the region which failed to meet the target on delivering same sex accommodation.