All Primary care contracts and commissioning articles – Page 39
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NewsPCTs neglect value in general practice
Primary care trusts are doing little to tackle the huge variation in the cost and quality of their GP services, the results of a confidential internal NHS survey suggest.
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NewsCan the Conservatives mix cutting and caring?
Editor Richard Vize discusses whether the health policies of a Conservative government would deliver the right improvements for the NHS long after the applause of the voters has faded away
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NewsGP contract: 'clunky’ deal holds back quality
Primary care trusts blame the “weak and clunky” GP contract for slow progress on improving quality in primary care and unacceptable variations in cost.
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NewsMcKinsey report: politicians accused of not facing reality
The NHS Confederation has warned that the febrile political environment has “left behind all rational debate” over health service funding over the next five years.
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News'Organic' reduction in PCTs under Tories
The number of primary care trusts in England could be significantly reduced under Conservative health plans, HSJ has learnt.
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NewsSwine flu pandemic: PCTs must prepare to pay extra GP costs
Primary care trusts must be prepared to pick up the tab for extra GP services during an escalation of the swine flu pandemic, the Department of Health has warned.
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NewsGPs could hand commissioning to private firms under Tories
GPs could be given the opportunity to bypass primary care trusts and hand commissioning to private sector organisations under Conservative plans.
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HSJ KnowledgeKnow the figures behind the facts on health inequalities
In an age of information overload, the need for relevant data is growing as boards face tough decisions on reducing health inequalities, as Stuart Shepherd explains
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NewsPractice based commissioning relationships finally paying off
Primary care trusts’ efforts to formalise practice based commissioning relationships are finally paying off.
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HSJ KnowledgeOne year on: Darzi's long and winding road
Only 12 months into Lord Darzi’s 10-15 year vision, it is no surprise that little real progress has been seen. But the forthcoming public spending squeeze could be a large and unexpected obstacle in the road to improved quality, safety and innovation.
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HSJ KnowledgeGP phone-line jams create more hospital admissions
Few things are more frustrating than an automated message saying your phone call is in a queue and will be answered shortly -or just getting the engaged tone. When you are ill, it can be rather more than just one of life’s little irritations, writes Kaye McIntosh.
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NewsPCTs find there are no shortcuts to freedom
Pursuing the rewards for world class commissioning unveiled by the Department of Health this week looks likely to prove a test of every PCT’s whole operational strategy. Helen Crump reports
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CommentA guide to clinical champions and commissioning
Building effective clinical leadership and engagement is the key to improving services, writes Jackie Kay
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NewsPilot will boost patient role in GP service plans
Private companies will tell GPs how to make their services more customer friendly under plans to boost patients’ role in shaping primary care services.
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HSJ KnowledgeThe provider-commissioner split: getting it right
A new King’s Fund report warns the chance to improve services could be missed if PCTs do not prepare for shedding their provider role. Ingrid Torjesen explains
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NewsGP pay changes: worst hit PCTs revealed
The Department of Health has published a list of the primary care trusts which will be most disadvantaged as a result of changes to the way GP pay is allocated.
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NewsGP quality: the final frontier for inspectors
So far general practice has remained impervious to the expanding remit of the inspectors. This week the King’s Fund revealed proposals for a new GP quality inquiry that has even won backing from the profession. Helen Mooney reports
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NewsAcute overspending raises questions over PCT plans
Primary care trusts have overspent against acute contracts by hundreds of millions of pounds, raising questions over the success of efforts to deliver care more cheaply in the community.
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NewsCan integrated care usher in a new age of risk taking?
A speedy selection process has led to 16 projects being picked for integrated care pilots. Can they improve quality and test bold ideas or have we seen it all before, asks Helen Crump