Comment archive – Page 391
-
Leader
Care is still a long way from the community
This week’s HSJ revelation of the huge scale of primary care trusts’ overspend on acute care exposes the distance between the desire to move more care into the community and delivering it.
-
CommentKen Jarrold on getting the best from staff
If the NHS is to improve public health and provide high quality services to patients, it must look after its staff, including chief executives and senior managers.
-
CommentClinical mistakes: how to respond
A new approach to handling NHS complaints has been introduced. Joan Saddler, director of patient and public affairs at the Department of Health, explains what it means for clinicians and managers
-
LeaderNew look hsj.co.uk will give you much more
HSJ’s website has relaunched. The new service at hsj.co.uk features simpler navigation, a more powerful search engine and vastly more links to related articles.
-
LeaderNHS commissioners hold the secret to thriving beyond the recession
With even the chancellor having to admit his forecast was woefully wide of the mark, the NHS could be forgiven for basing its financial planning on sunny spells rather than torrential rain.
-
CommentAndrea Sutcliffe: advice on delivering effective NHS care
As the Healthcare Commission cleared the decks in preparation for the launch of the Care Quality Commission on 1 April, some of its final reports made chastening reading for all of us involved in the delivery of healthcare that should be safe, effective and a good experience for patients.
-
CommentDavid Peat on PCT provider arms
The proposed division of primary care trusts’ provider and commissioner arms reminds me of the old legal concept of “one roof with separate rooms”.
-
CommentAngela Greatley on community mental health treatment
Supervised community treatment was one of the most controversial aspects of the 2007 Mental Health Act. The new powers were introduced in November 2008, since which time some 1,200 requests for second opinions to ratify such orders have already been made.
-
CommentStephen Eames on patients driving change
Delivering radical reform in public services was the government’s battle cry in last month’s white paper Working Together - Public Services on Your Side. Given the parlous state of the country’s finances, the message will be exactly the same from any future government.
-
CommentHumble Servant bids the Healthcare Commission adieu
‘We will all miss the traffic lights and star ratings, its mission to condemn and flagellate, and the valuable role it has fulfilled for the Department of Health in shutting stable doors after horses have bolted’
-
CommentMichael White on the recent political populism
Watch out for political populism in troubled times. Most of us have been indulging in banker-bashing, but such enjoyably bad habits can be contagious and beneficial chiefly to extremists on the prowl. I spotted two crowd-pleasers that affect HSJ readers only this weekend.
-
Comment
Richard Lewis and Matthew Bell on healthcare market stimulation
Commissioners will have to sharpen their understanding of healthcare markets and see carefully managed competition as a tool that works for the benefit of patients
-
CommentLeading patient journeys: challenging stereotypes and perceptions
Clinical leadership is urgently needed to improve the care older people receive. Steve Feast explains
-
CommentSheila Williams: management coaching can stop problems escalating
I was facilitating a workshop on performance management with a group of experienced NHS managers recently. I got to the part about dealing with performance problems when they arise and how using a coaching approach often prevents the problem from escalating.
-
CommentHilary Thomas: NHS branding vs NHS trust
After more than two decades in the NHS, the concept of a brand had never consumed much of my intellectual energy. However, over the past year, I have been involved in two different re-branding exercises and have been thinking about what it really means.
-
CommentWhat makes a good NHS non-executive director?
NHS non-executive directors used to be unfairly portrayed as part of the “old boys network” - cronies and fat cats who needed to fill their time between trips to the golf club - or as well intentioned members of the community who, when they were not at the hospital, were ...
-
Leader
Resource centre: a commitment to helping you be the best
This week HSJ launches a new five page section - Resource Centre - offering managers practical advice for your personal development and to help you do your job even better.
-
LeaderFoundations are older and wiser, but have they flown the cage yet?
This week marks five years since the launch of foundation trusts.
-
CommentNoel Plumridge on foundation trusts
Are foundation trusts here to stay? Five years have passed since the prototypes first saw the light of day. Once controversial enough to bring the government’s very survival into question, how far has this radically new and politically controversial way of organising NHS hospitals simply become normal?
-
CommentPaul Corrigan: foundations are the future
Opponents of foundations say that their success and financial strength is the result of unequal advantages - but that should not stop them helping weaker trusts