Recovery Watch: The trusts going Further, Faster
Recovering services from the covid crisis is a big task for NHS leaders for the foreseeable future. The Recovery Watch newsletter tracks prospects and progress. This week by bureau chief James Illman.
Thirty trusts report more 12-hour waits, despite national improvement
Long A&E waits have got worse at more than one in five acute trusts, despite an improving trend nationally.
NHSE intervenes as ICS flags worsening financial deficit
An integrated care system deemed to be a relatively strong performer is now forecasting a £25m deficit, after signing up to a breakeven plan at the start of the year, its CEO has said.
Trusts to award £500m pathology contract after legal challenge dropped
A pharma and diagnostics firm has dropped its bid to reverse a decision by three acute trusts to award a multimillion pound pathology contract to a competitor.
Three trusts taken to High Court in £475m contract row
A private provider has accused three acute trusts of breaking procurement rules over how they handled bids for a contract worth up to £475m to supply them with managed pathology services.
Enshrining visiting rights in law
Julia Jones highlights the proposed bill granting patients the right to a care supporter, emphasising patient choice while elaborating on the cross-party support and endorsements from various organisations
University ‘exploring’ providing NHS diagnostics
A university is ‘exploring’ a move into providing NHS diagnostic services after spending £1.5m on equipment to train its radiography students.
Exclusive: the trusts offering thousands of staff inferior pensions
Trusts are regularly denying staff employed by their wholly owned subsidiary companies access to the NHS pension and providing them with schemes which are significantly less generous.
Eight trusts win place on elective recovery project
Eight trusts have been awarded roles trialling a new accreditation scheme for surgical hubs as part of an NHS England pilot that will run until March.
Four in five trusts yet to reach digitisation target
Only one in five trusts has reached the level of digitisation required by 2025 – more than three years after the target was set, tech chiefs have revealed.
Trusts failing on waiting list ask told to ‘get act together’
Trusts have been told to ‘get their act together’ on health inequalities, after HSJ research suggested only a small minority have so far published data on disparities in waiting times between different patient groups.
Fair, not fast, should be the watchword when reducing waiting lists
Alongside the operational challenge of tackling backlogs inclusively, clarity will be needed about how systems are held to account for tackling inequalities when there are competing priorities. By Ruth Robertson
ICS leader appointed trust chief executive
A west Yorkshire trust has appointed a new chief executive from a nearby integrated care system.
Revealed: The evidence which shows poorer and ethnic minority patients wait longer for NHS care
The significantly longer waiting times suffered by patients from minority ethnic groups and in more deprived areas for a range of elective procedures have been laid bare in NHS analysis shared with HSJ.
Steep increase in number of trusts struggling with long stay patients
Acute trusts are reporting increasing numbers of long stay patients as NHS England highlights the number of ‘medically fit’ patients who do not need to be in hospital.
Acute chief moves to head up neighbouring trust
A West Yorkshire acute trust has appointed a new chief executive, who will join from a neighbouring organisation after its previous leader left to head up a large hospital group.
HSJ podcast: Summer, salaries, systems and shielding
This week’s NHS Health Check podcast is dedicated to all matters staffing: The Agenda for Change pay deal, how much integrated care system chiefs should get paid, and shielding staff not getting risk assessments.
HSJ podcast: How the government is trying to build back cheaper
A letter obtained by HSJ’s Nick Carding revealed the government has told eight of the most advanced “40 new hospitals” trusts to put produce plans to build much more cheaply — he discusses what it means on the HSJ Health Check podcast.
HSJ podcast: Why the NHS needs fewer chairs and chiefs than ever
The sharp increase in shared NHS trust chairs and CEOs has been notable in recent months, with more key appointments made in London and the North West just this week.
Hospital group appoints CEO
A large hospital group in Greater Manchester has appointed a new chief executive with a background in business and local government.