North by North West: Skin in the game
Essential insight into NHS matters in the North West of England. Contact me in confidence here.
NHSE recovery target in doubt as 18-month elective waits continue to rise
The number of 78-week breaches on the NHS waiting list has risen for the sixth consecutive month, despite a fall in 65-week waiters and the overall list size, according to official data published today.
Bid to speed up selected ‘new hospitals’
Some of the schemes within the “40 new hospitals” programme could be allowed to abandon the requirement for standard design and centralised procurement, in a bid to speed the projects up.
Trust finally launches review into consultancy contract that was never tendered
A major trust has launched an external review into a decade-long consultancy contract that was never subject to a public tender process.
‘Same day’ emergency care drops at 40 trusts, despite NHSE push
A third of acute trusts are doing proportionally less “same day emergency care” activity than a year ago, despite this being a key pillar of NHS England’s recovery plan, data suggests.
Stiffer stroke target introduced – despite failure to meet old standard
The failure of trusts to offer stroke patients the level of rehab required by standards introduced 10 years ago has not prevented the publication of new guidance which demands even higher performance.
Revealed: Official data masking long waits for the sickest patients
Several trusts are failing to admit their sickest emergency patients in a timely fashion, despite performing well in official waiting time statistics, HSJ can reveal.
Headcount rise of 4,000 ‘not readily explainable’ by troubled ICS
The hiring of several thousand staff in a financially troubled health system was found to be ‘not readily explainable’ and well beyond the increases reported by similar areas.
North by North West: Criticising your own team’s a risky tactic
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North by North West: Trust backed into corner as strikes escalate
Essential insight into NHS matters in the North West of England. Contact me in confidence here.
Hospitals close areas after discovering RAAC planks
More hospitals have closed parts of their site after discovering potentially unsafe concrete had been used in the building structures, HSJ has learned.
Major blow to NHSE recovery plan as 65-week waits rise
The number of elective care waits over 65 weeks rose by nearly 13,000 between July and August – the biggest monthly increase in over two years, according to official data published today.
More trusts find RAAC concrete on estates
At least seven more trusts have confirmed lightweight concrete on their estates following NHS England-ordered reviews and widespread safety concerns, HSJ has found.
Exclusive: Site-level A&E performance revealed for the first time
The true scale of poor performance against the four-hour waiting time target at individual A&E sites, which is often masked by the official trust-level data, has been laid bare for the first time by information acquired by HSJ.
Thousands of women left waiting for induction due to staff shortages
Thousands of women are having induction of labour delayed because of a shortage of staff, raising concerns about the safety of them and their babies, HSJ has found.
North by North West: Unsanctioned CEO payoff the least bad option
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Shelford trusts now paying consultants up to £269 an hour to cover strike night shifts
Seven of the 10 largest teaching trusts are understood to have acquiesced to demands by the British Medical Association to pay consultants higher overtime rates for covering August’s junior doctors’ strike.
Former regulator chief drafted in to tackle poor performance at ICS
A former regulator who created a ‘failure regime’ for trusts has been drafted in to address performance problems in a high-profile integrated care system.
North by North West: ‘We are being watched’
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NHSE must target cash-rich trusts for savings, as well as strugglers, says ex-DH boss
Regulators are trying to squeeze cost savings out of some of the most financially challenged trusts and should focus more heavily on organisations with healthier balance sheets, says a former Department of Health director.