Former PCT chief appointed to chair STP
The Worcestershire and Herefordshire sustainability and transformation partnership has appointed veteran NHS manager Charles Waddicor as its independent chair.
Significant savings from mental and physical health integration pioneers
Providing talking therapies to patients with long term conditions saved nearly £200,000 for physical health services in one trailblazing site, data shared exclusively with HSJ shows.
Seven more CCGs approved to merge in nationwide shake-up
NHS England has approved clinical commissioning mergers in a further two areas, bringing together seven more CCGs.
First nine 'accountable care systems' revealed
NHS England has announced the nine areas most likely to evolve into “accountable care systems”.
Exclusive: Where mental health spending misses national target
Four sustainability and transformation plan regions have failed to raise mental health spending as mandated by national leaders, HSJ can reveal.
Private provider withdraws from regional urgent care deal
Care UK has pulled out of a contract to provide NHS 111 and out of hours services across several clinical commissioning group areas six weeks after it was awarded, putting the intended launch date of the service at risk.
STP-wide commissioning team to take powers from CCGs
A new commissioning executive is to be formed to overcome the “significant challenge” of commissioning across a sustainability and transformation plan footprint in the East of England, and will take powers from seven clinical commissioning groups.
Chair appointed to 'facilitate' accountable care system
An independent chair has been appointed to Berkshire West’s accountable care system to help ensure the parties involved are held “mutually to account”.
'Accountable care system' plan revealed for Berkshire
NHS leaders have revealed plans to establish an “accountable care system” serving the population around Reading and west Berkshire.
Ambitious patient record sharing project secures IT partner
Commissioners have brought in a specialist IT firm to integrate all the patient care record systems across Berkshire, as part of one of the NHS’s largest joined up patient record projects.
Supplement: Think on your feet for the best diabetes care
Give medicines optimisation a chance
Four trusts in pathology merger talks
STRUCTURE: Four trusts in the south of England are in detailed discussions about merging their pathology services.
Berkshire trust emergency performance worsens
PERFORMANCE: Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust’s performance against the national waiting standard for accident and emergency worsened in February, with 92.1 per cent of patients being treated or discharged within four hours.
Trust sees staff turnover rise for the third year in a row
WORKFORCE: Staff turnover at Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust has risen for three years in a row. It stood at 17.1 per cent for January.
GPs privately urged to prescribe Tamiflu despite concerns
WORKFORCE: NHS England is encouraging GPs to prescribe Tamiflu to care and nursing home patients as a preventative measure, despite concerns about its effectiveness.
CCGs ditch merger proposal
STRUCTURE: Four clinical commissioning groups in west Berkshire have dropped proposals to merge into one organisation, HSJ has learned.
Berkshire CCGs explore merger
STRUCTURE: Four clinical commissioning groups in west Berkshire are considering merging into a single organisation amid concerns GPs’ time is being ‘wasted’ on board meetings.
Optum scoops £150m contract in Thames Valley and Wessex
COMMERCIAL: Private provider Optum has won a three-year contract to carry out acute commissioning services for 18 Wessex and the Thames Valley clinical commissioning groups.
Two CSUs announce formal merger
STRUCTURE: Two commissioning support units have announced they are entering into a formal merger.
Analysed: The commissioning workforce post transition
The size of the commissioning workforce