NHS warned of 'crippling' PFI charges over the next decade
The NHS has been warned of “crippling” finance charges from its PFI contracts over the next decade, when aggregate repayments on the deals will reach their peak.
Cyber-attack cost NHS £92m – DHSC
The WannaCry ransomware attack cost the NHS £92m in disruption to services and IT upgrades, the Department of Health and Social Care estimates.
Barts aims to deliver near breakeven financial plan
Barts Health Trust is aiming for a deficit of just £1.9m after sustainability funding with a “highly demanding” budget plan for the year.
Fewer locums opted to work during heatwave
A major London trust reported workforce shortages in July because fewer locums wanted to work during the heatwave.
New chief executive for London trust
A London hospital trust has appointed a new chief executive.
Trust paid interim manager £311,000 for six months work
An acute trust paid an interim manager more than £300,000 for six months work – despite a national crackdown on excessive pay rates, HSJ can reveal.
Teaching trust offers higher rates than 'mandated' bank cap
A London teaching trust is offering higher pay than those “mandated” by the London-wide bank rates for medical locums following feedback from staff.
Major acute trust appoints new chief
North West Anglia Foundation Trust has appointed a new chief executive following the retirement of Stephen Graves.
Trust had 2,000 patients wait more than a year for treatment
A hospital trust had 2,000 patients wait more than a year for elective treatment, HSJ can reveal.
Senior manager at major trust loses fraud whistleblowing claim
A senior manager responsible for clinical coding at a large trust, who alleged a firm of contractors had fiddled their results, has lost her employment tribunal.
Waiting list probe abandoned as officials not given 'right of reply'
A probe into why a £1bn turnover trust failed to recover its waiting times was halted after witnesses could not, or would not, co-operate with investigators, HSJ can reveal.
Biggest ever RTT waiting list
The NHS has now failed to keep up with demand since RTT records began, writes Rob Findlay
London Eye: Back to elective waiting times
Essential insight into England’s biggest health economy, by Ben Clover
Trust chief leaves to take deputy role at larger trust
The chief executive of a London trust is leaving to take up a deputy chief executive role at Barts Health Trust.
Winners revealed for HSJ Value Awards 2018
Twenty organisations have been honoured in the 2018 HSJ Value Awards – which recognise and celebrate outstanding improvements in care quality and efficiency made by NHS staff.
Updated: Trust with worst financial performance aims for £156m deficit this year
The trust with the worst financial performance in the country is looking to end 2018-19 with a deficit of £156m, HSJ has learned.
Exclusive: Chief named for biggest group of CCGs
An accountable officer has been appointed across eight clinical commissioning groups in London, covering the most populous patch of any chief officer.
Financial performance: Best and worst of 2017-18
Twenty NHS providers accounted for almost £600m of deterioration against the trust sector’s financial plans in 2017-18.
Trust sector reports 'window dressing' deficit of almost £1bn
NHS trusts ended last year with a combined deficit of £960m, according to accounting data published by regulators.
Trust misses finance target by £60m but keeps access to STF
A large acute trust in London has missed its original financial target for last year by £60m, but has still been awarded most of its sustainability and transformation funding.
Staff shortages delay new locum rates rollout
Attempts to reduce locum medical spending in London are being hampered by concerns over staffing shortages, with one major trust delaying adoption of new lower pay rates.
Trusts singled out for failing at 'bog standard' IT
The failure of parts of the NHS to use “bog standard” IT is undermining the case to Treasury for more technology funding, an NHS England director has said.
Waiting times blow out to 22 weeks as elective admissions falter
Waiting times rose again, and the longest waits were hardest hit. Continued, severe and widespread capacity pressures are the likely culprit. By Rob Findlay
Vaunted health tech firm forced to act on misleading marketing
A much vaunted digital health firm that has partnered with Uber has been forced to remove incorrect claims about NHS partnerships from its marketing, and to launch a probe of fake five star reviews allegedly posted by employees.
Long waits soar as hospitals struggle to admit
Over one year waiters shot up by 20 per cent, as admission rates slumped in the face of record A&E pressures.
How much could private units contribute to NHS financial recovery?
While there are undoubtedly opportunities for private patient units, careful market due diligence needs to be undertaken and the optimal strategy needs to be considered to make them more lucrative. By Hugh Risebrow
Fire and IT risks heightened as capital squeeze 'comes home to roost'
NHS trusts have been forced to rein in plans for “essential” maintenance and infrastructure projects – leading to “significantly higher” fire risks and IT system vulnerability.
HSJ Partnership Awards 2018: Recruitment Services Provider of the Year
WINNER: Bank Partners (Part of the Independent Clinical Services Group): Reduction of Agency Spend at the Royal London Hospital (part of Barts Health Trust)
London Eye: Decision time for property disposals
Essential insight into England’s biggest health economy, by Ben Clover
Following the Money: £780m bonanza for trusts that stay on target
HSJ’s expert briefing on NHS finances, savings and efforts to get the health service back in the black.
More trusts using estates 'wheeze' to boost their finances
NHS trusts are increasingly revaluing their estate in a way that boosts their reported financial position, under encouragement from NHS Improvement.
Analysis: How top trusts saved money by revaluing their estate
HSJ finance correspondent Lawrence Dunhill explains “modern equivalent asset” revaluations - an accounting “wheeze” being used increasingly by NHS trusts.
In full: Pathology network proposals
HSJ approached the 29 pathology networks proposed by NHS Improvement to ask if local trusts had signed up. In most cases the proposed “hub” trust was able to answer on behalf of its network.
Shocking deterioration in RTT waiting times
Elective RTT waiting times shot up by over a week in December, in the fastest monthly increase since 2010, notes Rob Findlay
Trusts face cyber attack inspections amid widespread weaknesses
Trusts with lax data security are receiving additional unannounced inspections, as regulators try to patch security vulnerabilities in the wake of the Wannacry cyber attack.
Exclusive: NHS makes little progress cutting specialised income 'long tail'
The spread of specialised services across English hospital trusts has remained relatively unchanged over the last four years, despite a consensus that greater consolidation is needed in some areas.
Revealed: Best and worst trusts for maternity care experience
Thirteen trusts are providing women with a poorer care experience than expected in more than one core area of maternity services, according to the latest data from the Care Quality Commission.
Waiting times steady despite slowdown in admissions
Yet another large trust stopped reporting its referral to treatment data, which clouded the picture for the latest November figures and raised non-reported waiting lists to a new record.
NHS trusts forced to find new transport services as firms exit market
London hospital trusts have been forced to bring patient transport services in house or re-tender them as incumbent firms exit the market.