News – Page 1592
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NewsNicholson warns of tightening central grip over PCTs and providers
The Department of Health will seek to assert strong financial controls over foundation trusts as well as primary care trusts during the transition period to implement last week’s health white paper.
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NewsPCTs told to hand over resources to GP commissioners
The government has told primary care trusts they will “increasingly” be required to put management resources at the disposal of GP consortia while they are implemented.
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NewsNew outcomes measures may be de facto targets
A draft NHS outcomes framework is being welcomed despite fears it could amount to a set of “proxy targets”.
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NewsBMA GP leader lends support to managers
GPs and senior executives in the NHS have this week looked afresh at the skills of primary care trust managers as the scale of the changes implied by the Liberating the NHS white paper becomes apparent.
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NewsQuality vascular surgery ‘requires centralisation’
Vascular surgery should be centralised before strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are abolished, the president of the Vascular Society has argued. Cliff Shearman’s comments follow the publication of an audit calling for greater centralisation to improve quality.
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NewsSir David praises 'heroic' PCT and SHA managers
Sir David Nicholson is “incredibly proud” of the “remarkable work” done by primary care trust and strategic health authority managers.
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GP consortia management budgets could be as low as £9 per person
GP consortia could receive an annual management allowance of £9 per head of population, HSJ has been told. The figure represents an even larger cut in management costs than previously proposed.
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King's Fund seeks clarity on NHS cost pressures
Pay freezes, the removal of waiting time targets and slowing hospital improvements could reduce the total of NHS efficiency savings needed from £21bn to £14bn, the King’s Fund has estimated.
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NewsPCTs should ‘reinvent’ themselves, says Britnell
Primary care trusts should seek to reinvent themselves as social enterprises providing commissioning support to GP consortia, according to the architect of the world class commissioning programme.
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NewsDon’t sideline sexual health, warn clinicians
Leading figures in sexual health have called on health secretary Andrew Lansley not to ignore the sector.
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NewsConcerns over standard of specialist care
There are concerns over how specialised service commissioning will be controlled at regional level after strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are abolished.
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NewsControversial urgent care unit will not revert to full A&E status
Burnley urgent care centre will not return to full accident and emergency status but will be upgraded to treat more emergency patients.
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NewsNHS IT programme faces further cost cutting
The government is expected to confirm a further scaling back of the NHS IT programme as part of central cost cutting measures announced in the emergency budget.
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NewsGPs ‘won’t guarantee out of hours quality’
Transferring commissioning of out of hours services to GPs will not generate improved quality, primary care representatives have warned. The caution came in the wake of a damning report into the out of hours provider Take Care Now.
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NewsKnown unknowns form the white paper’s core
Last week’s white paper poses many more questions than it answers about how GPs and providers will manage their new freedom. The solution, says Andy McKeon, is to find the right balance between independence and accountability
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NewsNHS Bury appoints former newspaper editor as chair
A struggling primary care trust has turned to a former journalist to help turn it round.
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NewsHard-nosed Lansley will be no ‘softie’ in negotiations
Health secretary Andrew Lansley told MPs he will not be a “softie” when it comes to dealing with GPs, in his first health committee appearance since the election.
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NewsGP consortia will be a ‘minority’ interest
The burden of commissioning will fall on a relatively small number of GPs, a leading member of a right wing medical think tank has warned.
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NewsAccess to kidney transplants 'varies widely across UK'
An organ donation manager has welcomed a study that reveals wide differences in kidney patients’ access to life-saving organs.
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NewsLansley refuses to rule out GP pay rise
The health secretary declined to rule out a pay rise for GPs as he discussed plans to hand them most of the NHS budget.