Operating model launched for specialised commissioning and the rest of today’s news

  • Specialised commissioning model launched
  • HSJ Award winners announced
  • Chief medical officer warns of increase in liver disease
  • Hospitals must improve emergency care for cancer patients, say colleges

 

15.01 Ian Dalton, the board’s deputy chief executive, said: “This improved system will ensure national consistency in accessing services, reduce variation, and set clear quality standards leading to better health outcomes for patients. It will also allow us to start developing an outcomes framework for rare and specialised conditions, thus starting to move the focus of our discussions with providers from contract inputs to health outcomes.” Follow @Davewwest for further updates.

2.55pm The operating model for commissioning specialised services has been launched by the NHS Commissioning Board. Patients requiring specialised treatment can look forward to the same level and standards of care for the first time, the board said.

10.34am Hospitals must improve the emergency care offered to cancer patients, according to a new report by the royal colleges of physicians and radiologists.

Many cancer patients who are admitted to hospital when their condition suddenly deteriorates receive “fragmented care”, the colleges said.

10.31am The number of people suffering from liver disease is on the increase in England while other European countries it is decreasing, the UK’s chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies has said. Obesity, undiagnosed hepatitis infections and harmful alcohol use are among the causes for the rising tide of disease.

9.54am The winners of this year’s HSJ Awards were announced last night at a glittering ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

Among the winners in the event presented by newsreader Huw Edwards were Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital Foundation Trust, which was provider trust of the year, and Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group, which was commissioning organisation of the year.

A full list of award winnners can be found here.

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan writes: “The abiding message of the HSJ Awards is that, despite the instability created by the reorganisation of the commissioning landscape, widespread reconfiguration of the hospital sector and the looming shadow of the Francis report, the NHS and its partners continue to innovate and excel across almost every aspect of healthcare.”