Tom Norton
Tom joined HSJ in October 2019 and covers NHS finance, elective care, cancer care and diagnostic care. He worked for several years at the Nottingham Post, including as its health correspondent, and was also a member of the Advertising Standards Authority’s investigations unit.
Contact info
- Tel:
- 0207 324 2303
NewsNHSE refers ex trust CEO and CFO for ‘fit and proper person’ review over £46m accounting failure
The former chief executive and chief financial officer of a major acute trust have been referred to the Care Quality Commission under the ‘fit and proper person’ process, after an ‘unprecedented’ failure to provide true and fair accounts.
NewsNHS England told to cancel ‘tone-deaf’ fines on elective performance
NHS England has been criticised for its ‘tone-deaf’ attempts to maintain financial incentives on elective care, even as the service deals with extreme pressures from coronavirus.
HSJ LocalTrust boss warns region faces ‘absolute crisis’ with trusts ‘hanging on by their fingernails’
Hospital chiefs in the South West have warned the region will not avoid the extreme pressures felt by other parts of the NHS, amid rapidly rising numbers of covid-19 inpatients.
NewsCCG accused of ‘colluding’ to evict charity at centre of PFI dispute
A clinical commissioning group has been accused of ‘colluding’ with an NHS facilities company to evict a children’s centre.
NewsClash between NHS England and local NHS plan left covid hotspot without vaccines
One of the areas worst hit by covid-19 is without vaccinations this week because of a clash between local and central plans, and confusion over national booking software which is not yet ready, HSJ has been told.
- News
Exclusive: NHS pleas for covid upgrade funds went unmet ahead of second wave
Local NHS requests for hundreds of millions of pounds of government funding to help deal with covid pressures have gone unanswered throughout the pandemic, an HSJ investigation has found.
NewsCovid vaccine will be rolled out at ‘60pc of optimum capacity’ during first week
The covid-19 vaccine will be delivered at almost half of planned capacity when the vaccination programme is rolled out tomorrow, according to new national guidance.
NewsSteep capital spending rise still falls £1bn short of NHS ask
The health service’s capital budget is to increase by almost a third on its pre-covid level, although still lags behind previous calls to put healthcare spending in line with that of other advanced nations.
NewsCovid deaths surge at ‘special measures’ trust which ‘escaped’ first wave
Covid deaths at a small Midlands hospital trust have quadrupled in less than two weeks, putting it higher than nearly all its peers.
- HSJ Local
NHS England set to accelerate ‘radical’ changes to payment tariffs
NHS England is proposing to accelerate ‘radical’ changes to the way funding is distributed to providers, in a move that would hasten the demise of activity-based payments.
NewsTwo Midlands trusts curb electives as covid patients rise
Two major Midlands trusts have begun cancelling planned care, including cancer surgeries, with one seeing its number of covid patients reach levels seen during April.
HSJ LocalCCG lead condemns ‘heartbreaking’ visiting rule at local hospitals
A GP commissioning leader has publicly criticised hospital visiting rules at local hospitals, after hearing that a stroke patient was denied seeing family or friends for six weeks.
- News
Exclusive: Taxpayers cash could be used to fill hole created by fall in NHS private work
Taxpayers may have to make up for millions of pounds lost in NHS private patient income during the covid pandemic, HSJ can reveal.
NewsNHS England claims victory on early ‘recovery’ target
New figures show the NHS has hit a key target for recovering activity, but questions remain about whether it can continue to increase despite infection control and rising covid cases.
NewsNHS England will ‘trust local leaders’ to handle second wave, says chief
There will be more regional flexibility in managing NHS services in coming months than during the spring covid-19 peak, NHS England’s deputy chief executive has said, promising to ‘trust our local leaders to do the right thing’.
News‘Radical’ expansion of diagnostic capacity urgently needed, claims NHSE report
The NHS must make ‘radical changes’ to transform its diagnostics capacity, which was close to ‘tipping point’ even before the pandemic, a major report has found.
HSJ LocalTeaching trust reopens five years of accounts after £50m ‘discrepancy’
A teaching trust has had to adjust five years’ worth of financial accounts after an error which meant one of its hospitals was undervalued by £50m.
Expert Briefing‘Please hold, your spending review is important to us’
HSJ’s expert briefing on NHS finances, this week by correspondent Tom Norton.
NewsLeading trust chief brands NHSE’s new financial regime as ‘very risky’
A leading chief executive has described NHS England’s major changes to the financial architecture as ‘very risky’, amid a number of wider concerns from local leaders.
NewsHistoric shift from market principles as NHSE sets out new system-level funding
New financial allocations have been issued to local leaders as part of a historic shift away from market principles and towards system-level working in the NHS.