Staff shortages leaving women in ‘barbaric’ pain
Patient safety campaigners have said ‘too many women’ are still not being offered a general anaesthetic for a diagnostic test because of staff shortages, leaving them in severe pain.
Exclusive: Ambulance service will collapse by August, predicts its nursing director
A struggling ambulance trust could face a ‘Titanic moment’ and collapse entirely this summer if the region’s worsening problems with hospital handover delays are not taken more seriously, its nursing director has told HSJ.
Recovery Watch: Move two-year waiters to trusts which can cope
Recovering services from the covid crisis is the big task for NHS leaders for the foreseeable future. The Recovery Watch newsletter tracks prospects and progress. This week by HSJ bureau chief and performance lead James Illman.
Majority of ‘last resort’ ambulance diverts reported by only two trusts
Two acute trusts account for almost two-thirds of emergency department ‘diverts’ reported over the last two months.
Region’s hospitals expect covid pressure to rise for another two weeks
Another two weeks of rising covid admissions have been forecast for one of the country’s hardest-hit regions for hospital cases, with senior sources telling HSJ they expect staff absences ‘to get worse before they get better’ and culminate in an end-of-January peak.
Leak reveals hour-long ambulance delays have quadrupled in 12 months
Ambulance handover delays lasting more than 60 minutes have quadrupled compared to this time last year, according to internal NHS data.
Three trusts fall back into ‘improvement programme’
Three trusts whose struggling maternity departments were supported and supposedly improved by a national safety programme have since fallen back into the scheme.
Embedding digital in the ICS landscape
As integrated care systems take shape across England, how can they ensure that digital is firmly embedded in their plans – and what should their digital priorities be? An HSJ webinar, supported by Cisco, explored these important questions. Jen Trueland reports
‘Secretive’ safety findings set to be revealed direct to CQC
The Care Quality Commission may in future be notified when ‘secretive’ external reviews have looked at patient safety issues within trusts.
Planning guidance: New elective and cancer targets revealed
Integrated care systems will be eligible for a share of a £1bn ‘recovery fund’ in 2021-22 by achieving certain elective activity targets based on pre-covid levels.
Revealed: The seven trusts getting £6m each for tech improvements
Seven trusts will receive £6m each over the next three years in the second phase of Matt Hancock’s plan to improve IT infrastructure in the health service.
Former NHS chief executive to chair hospital trust
Sir David Nicholson, former NHS England chief executive, has been appointed to chair a second acute trust in the Midlands, it has been announced.
Regulator steps in after staff claim trust ignored concerns
Staff at a Midlands hospital trust told regulators they had repeatedly raised safety concerns internally without action being taken.
Stevens condemns videoing of ‘empty’ hospitals
NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has launched a blistering attack on people who post videos of ‘empty’ hospitals online claiming they show the NHS is not under pressure from covid.
The Ward Round: Leaders must stand up for staff and denounce covid deniers
Staffing is the issue keeping NHS leaders awake at night — and which consumes two-thirds of trusts’ spending. The fortnightly The Ward Round newsletter, by HSJ workforce correspondent Annabelle Collins, ensures you are tuned in to the daily pressures on staff, and the wider trends and policies shaping the workforce. ...
David Nicholson: Support staff and respond vigorously to covid deniers
The previous chief executive of the NHS has said “we need to support our staff and make sure we respond vigorously to people who deny there is a problem” with covid, as pressure on the service in most areas continues to grow.
10 new hospital vaccine sites revealed
Ten more hospitals are to start giving the Pfizer covid vaccine, including two in coronavirus ‘hot spots’.
NHS management 'seen as slow and inward looking', David Nicholson warns
Former NHS chief Sir David Nicholson says NHS management needs to be ‘a bit more creative’ to rebuild despite covid-19, and to disprove government perceptions that it is ‘slow and inward looking’.
Bullying, bad behaviour and broken IT uncovered at worst trusts for junior doctors
Regulators have uncovered multiple examples of patients being put at risk when junior doctors are left with tasks they are not trained for, lacking support, and facing bullying and inappropriate behaviour.
Chief appeals to system as CQC rates two A&Es ‘inadequate’
The Care Quality Commission has downgraded two emergency departments run by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust to “inadequate” ratings amid quality concerns and consistently poor ambulance handovers.