Daily Insight: New chief knows his patch

The abrupt departure of James Kent from the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West integrated care system excited HSJ readers early this week.

But many will be reassured that Steve McManus, chief executive of the Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust, will take on the interim role for six months from 24 October.

Mr McManus, who seems to plan to continue to do his old job, knows the area well and has established relationships with many of the local players. He hopes to bring those networks, including both academia (the area has several universities and not just the dreaming spires one) and local government. He also understands the strengths and challenges of the ICS.

It may not be an easy few months for the ICS. It has financial difficulties looming – including a developing deficit at its powerful tertiary provider, Oxford University Hospitals FT – and is still struggling on some access measures, although some mutual aid is beginning to develop between the trusts and across the wider cancer alliance.

The change of leader may give a fresh impetus to finding some of the solutions – but it may not make them any easier.

Patient confidentiality vs public safety

The need to report patients at risk of “being groomed into terrorist activity” should supersede fears over the sharing of personal data, says government guidance.

The advice has been developed in response to clinicians’ concerns raised about information sharing without consent, sparked by the anti-terror Prevent and Channel programmes.

It says the decision for making a referral without someone’s informed consent should be subject to a “case-by-case” basis assessment, and based on the clinician’s opinion that there are “tangible public interest or best interest considerations involved”.

The new guidance has said that although consent to share personal data is “always the gold standard”, there are times when it is “essential” to share information to safeguard individuals or others from harm”.