Primary Care – Page 316
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News
Care heads for the high street as Blair courts retail kings
Tony Blair seems to have given his blessing to the expansion of companies like Boots into the healthcare market. As ideological rows about the involvement of the private sector hot up, Jennifer Trueland asks what the high street could offer the NHS.
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HSJ Knowledge
Refer to sender
With a clamour of suspicion from GPs over referral scrutiny systems, Daloni Carlisle examines a voluntary scheme which has met with widespread approval
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News
Exclusive: 14 private firms win place on choice menu in £200m deal
The Department of Health has signed a deal worth £200m with 14 independent healthcare companies to carry out thousands of additional elective care procedures, HSJhas learned.
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PCT leaders fail to secure chief exec posts in West Midlands
Just two of the chief executive jobs running eight new primary care trusts in the West Midlands, the former fiefdom of new NHS chief executive David Nicholson, have gone to incumbent chief executives.
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Chief executive says decision on UnitedHealth contract is a lesson for all PCTs
The chief executive of the primary care trust which had its contract with UnitedHealth Europe quashed by the Court of Appeal has urged the rest of the NHS to learn from the case.
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Exclusive: Monitor says spending cuts could slow 18-week progress
The independent foundation trust regulator has warned that progress towards the 18-week target could be slowed down by primary care trusts attempting to cut spending.
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Comment
Comment: PCTs need certainty of consultations to innovate
'You cannot be certain of a consultation's outcome, however important to you, but that makes it all the more vital you are certain of the process.'
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Comment
Comment: Trusts feel squeeze from PCTs' tight grip
'Foundations should not be surprised if PCTs prove fierce negotiators this year. However, their complaint is about a lack of planning.'
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News
Comment: Anger as fitness for purpose programme fails on fairness
'Rather than PCTs being helped to consider and work on weaknesses in a supported way, they are in effect invited to merely record what they already know.'
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News
Government consults ahead of new choice framework
The Department of Health has vowed to involve 'as many people as possible' in a national listening exercise about how to expand choice beyond elective care.
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News
DoH warning over childbirth target
The NHS could miss its target to expand choice in childbirth, the chair of the Department of Health's choice reference group has warned.
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News
Don't let NHS get 'hamstrung' by choice, warns Nigel Edwards
The success or failure of policies on choice will be difficult to measure if they are allowed to fragment, warned NHS Confederation policy director Nigel Edwards.
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News
Anger over NICE colon cancer drug verdict
Charities have reacted angrily to the decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence not to recommend the use of two colon cancer drugs.
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News
New DoH panel for COPD
Health secretary Patricia Hewitt has unveiled a panel of 19 experts to help shape improved standards and greater choice for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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News
Fresh food roll-out
A new pilot scheme to give freshfood vouchers to low-income families has been judged a success and will be rolled out nationally in November.
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News
Yorkshire and Humber fills five of nine top PCT posts
Profiles of cohort of new PCT chief executives
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SNP to review free care policy
Scotland's main opposition party has pledged a review of the flagship free personal care policy if it wins power in next year's Scottish Parliament elections.
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News
Community foundation trusts - market forces or forced markets?
The government has backtracked from plans to force the commissioner/provider split, but for PCTs that do make the break, could community foundation trusts be the answer? Jennifer Trueland looks at the next stage of the foundation revolution.
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News
Only half of PCT top jobs go to old guard
As HSJ went to press, 26 of 47 posts running new PCTs across five SHAs have been filled by PCT chief executives.
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News
Staffordshire ambulance chief defends figures after response time probe
Staffordshire Ambulance Service trust acting chief executive Geoff Catling has defended his organisation following a probe into allegations that 999 response times were being fiddled.