All Commissioning articles – Page 249

  • Comment

    David Lee on integrating care

    2008-08-25T09:00:00Z

    Two recent phone calls from different parts of the country got me thinking about what good management can do to make mental health and social care systems tick.

  • News

    East of England bolsters IVF provision

    2008-08-22T11:18:00Z

    Primary care trusts in the East of England have agreed a new fertility policy that will raise and standardise the number of IVF treatment cycles offered.

  • News

    PCTs fight for local decision making on controversial drugs

    2008-08-21T09:00:00Z

    Primary care trusts must retain their right to decide whether patients receive controversial drugs in exceptional circumstances, PCT leaders have warned.

  • Comment

    NICE chairman hits back at critics

    2008-08-18T09:00:00Z

    Some recent criticisms of NICE's work ignore the realities of modern healthcare and misrepresent the facts. Institute chairman Sir Michael Rawlins sets the record straight

  • News

    IT may change funding plans

    2008-08-14T09:00:00Z

    A new IT system could pave the way for a substantial change in the way primary care trusts and GPs are funded, HSJ has been told.

  • News

    Guilty by emission as carbon cuts loom large

    2008-08-14T09:00:00Z

    The NHS emits a million tonnes of carbon a year, but it must cut this figure drastically. Helen Crump asks whether trusts are giving this issue the priority it requires and highlights some innovative ideas.

  • News

    Sophia Christie on the Naomi Campbell effect

    2008-08-14T09:00:00Z

    At a recent House of Commons gathering to discuss the role of commissioning in delivering improvement, there was silence on the application of world class standards to the commissioning of primary care.

  • News

    PCTs suspect trusts may be allowing top ups

    2008-08-14T09:00:00Z

    Primary care trusts have received few requests from patients wishing to 'top up' their care but are concerned that hospitals are doing so without their permission.

  • News

    Patients with rarer cancers face 'postcode lottery'

    2008-08-11T11:56:00Z

    Patients with rarer cancers face a postcode lottery over whether their 'exceptional requests' for NHS treatment are granted, the charity Rarer Cancers Forum has claimed.The charity is calling for national guidance on how primary care trusts should make such decisions.

  • HSJ Partners

    Housing support 'is cost effective'

    2008-08-05T09:00:00Z

    Hot on the heels of the Darzi review, the Integrated Care Network has published a study that suggests health and social care investment in housing support is cost-effective and can transform lives.

  • HSJ Knowledge

    Delivering Darzi's vision for primary prevention

    2008-08-01T09:00:00Z

    Knowsley PCT's public health practitioner model shows how GPs can become champions of prevention in primary care and deliver on Lord Darzi's public health promise. Matt Kearney explains

  • News

    People with learning disabilities let down by trusts

    2008-07-31T09:00:00Z

    People with learning disabilities are facing unnecessary suffering and even death because existing laws and guidance are not being followed by trusts.

  • News

    Report finds targets boost progress for sexual health

    2008-07-31T09:00:00Z

    Primary care trusts must undertake five-yearly comprehensive sexual health needs assessments of their area, set local targets and make someone at board level accountable for their strategy, according to a progress report on the national strategy for sexual health and HIV.

  • News

    Joint appointment smooths way for Kingston merger

    2008-07-31T09:00:00Z

    Kingston primary care trust and council are consulting on plans to integrate. The PCT and local authority have appointed the first joint director of finance as part of a move to promote greater partnership working.

  • News

    Cornwall's one-site cancer plans run aground

    2008-07-31T09:00:00Z

    A primary care trust's aim to centralise specialised cancer services has been derailed by the council's overview and scrutiny committee, which wants a full public consultation.

  • News

    People with learning disabilities let down by NHS, inquiry finds

    2008-07-30T12:28:00Z

    The independent inquiry into access to healthcare for people with learning disabilities has published its findings and its recommendations have been welcomed by the NHS Confederation.Healthcare For All says people with learning disabilities have higher levels of unmet need and receive less effective treatment, despite the Disability Discrimination Act and ...

  • News

    Welsh trust told to review its performance

    2008-07-30T12:02:00Z

    Welsh health minister Edwina Hart has told Cardiff and Vale trust to undertake reviews of its processes, leadership and governance, as well as its waiting list management.

  • HSJ Partners

    Online guide offers support to commissioners

    2008-07-29T09:00:00Z

    A booklet detailing the key NHS information services available to support commissioners has been launched by the NHS Information Centre.

  • HSJ Partners

    Supporting world class commissioning

    2008-07-29T09:00:00Z

    Primary care trusts and practice-based commissioning clusters need accurate, up-to-date information to develop better services for patients. Work is under way to ensure the Secondary Uses Service delivers what they need, writes Tim Straughan

  • News

    Inpatient mental health slammed as commissioners neglect services

    2008-07-24T09:00:00Z

    Commissioners are neglecting mental health inpatient services despite endemic levels of violence, overcrowding and untrained staff, a damning review has found.Nearly a quarter of mental health inpatient beds are in trusts rated weak by inspectors, according to the first Healthcare Commission review focused on mental health inpatient services.