£500m outsourcing deal finalised after confidential settlement
System leaders in Hertfordshire have settled a lawsuit brought by two companies part owned by an NHS trust in a neighbouring area, allowing a £500m pathology contract to be awarded to their preferred supplier.
The Integrator: Doing more to fix general practice
Insider tales and must-read analysis on how integration is reshaping health and care systems, NHS providers, primary care, and commissioning. This week by deputy editor Dave West.
‘Untenable stalemate’ is halting GP practice upgrades, say ICBs
An “untenable stalemate” in funding has virtually halted GP practice building work, despite national commitments to expand primary care, multiple NHS organisations are warning.
‘Inadequate’ action on cap-ex changes leading to ‘suboptimal’ decisions
Capital spending plans in some health systems are being adversely impacted by an accounting change that was not supposed to affect operational decisions.
NHSE acts as performance deteriorates in five systems
Five integrated care systems face escalations in central scrutiny and support following “deterioration” against key urgent and emergency care targets.
Revealed: The ICBs paying a third of care home bills late
Several commissioning boards have been routinely failing to pay the money they owe to care homes in a timely fashion.
ICB sued by trust over £500m deal
A company part-run by an NHS trust has launched a legal challenge against a neighbouring integrated care board over a £500m pathology contract.
Core bed numbers fall in seven systems, despite NHSE plan
The number of ‘core’ acute beds has fallen in seven health systems since the summer, according to official sitrep data.
Trust boss: Minority staff ‘could be put off applying’ for teams which lack diversity
A trust chief executive has said people from minority ethnic backgrounds “could be put off applying” for roles in teams which lack diversity.
Exclusive: Government and NHS in talks over £1bn funding gap
Government is in talks with national NHS leaders over how to fill an urgent funding gap of at least £1bn this financial year, HSJ has learned, as new analysis shows all 42 local integrated care systems were behind their own plans less than halfway through 2023-24.
ICB drops procurement legally challenged by supplier
An integrated care board has dropped its procurement of a digital system after a health technology supplier launched a legal challenge accusing the ICB of breaking purchasing rules.
‘New approach’ to GP contract will ‘increase resilience’, says ICB
An integrated care board is set to replace a company which has been running a GP practice on a short-term deal, with a long-term contract held by a local primary care network, under a ‘new approach’ it says will ‘increase resilience, capacity and value for money’.
Managers wrongly dismissed doctor with PTSD, tribunal rules
A trust breached its own internal illness policy when managers sacked a doctor who had PTSD and had been drunk at work, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Revealed: First ICS digital maturity ratings
HSJ can reveal the first ratings given to every integrated care system for the ‘digital maturity’ of its NHS providers.
ICSs most ‘off target’ on recovery named by NHS England
Seven integrated care systems and one ambulance trust have been placed in ‘intensive support’ because of their performance against urgent and emergency care metrics.
Revealed: the tenfold regional difference in access to GP records
Fewer than one in 10 GP practices offers patients access to their records in several areas of England, with significant variation across England, six months ahead of a new deadline.
Hospital manager took bribes from suppliers
A hospital manager in Hertfordshire has been convicted after accepting bribes for his trust to procure medical equipment from particular companies.
Revealed: two out of five ICSs lack a digital strategy
Over 40 per cent of integrated care systems are yet to establish digital strategies, HSJ research has discovered.
‘Insufficient leadership’ as maternity unit drops two ratings to ‘inadequate’
A maternity service has been served a warning notice by the Care Quality Commission and downgraded from “good” to “inadequate”.
‘Commercial barriers’ stop ICS buying private hospital
A health system has dropped a bid to buy a private hospital in its area, saying there were ‘commercial barriers’ to the deal.