All Primary care articles – Page 218
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News
GP referrals up by 300,000, statistics show
The number of GP referrals has shot up by nearly 300,000 compared with the same period last year, official statistics released today reveal.GP referrals made in the quarter ending 30 September have risen by 12.6 per cent, while other referrals have increased by 9.2 per cent.
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Comment
Mark Hackett on healthcare and customer confidence
Some years ago our commissioners grasped the reality of market dynamics and sought to break traditional monopolies in healthcare provision. Cue the local opening of one of the country's largest independent sector treatment centres.
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News
Social enterprise given three year shield from competition
New social enterprises in the health sector will be offered uncontested contracts for up to three years.
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HSJ KnowledgeWhat is causing GP referrals to rise?
The 15 per cent growth in GP referrals to hospital in quarter one 2008-09 is putting pressure on both providers and commissioners (see first graph).
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News
Trusts pressed to prepare for credit crisis blues
Commissioners must 'ramp up' capacity in psychological therapies to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of people being made redundant in the credit crunch.
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Comment
Frank Atherton on the financial crisis and public health
The health and well-being of communities and individuals in the UK will not be immune from the effects of the evolving economic downturn in which we are now enmeshed.
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News
Person based allocations could help tackle health inequalities
Department of Health officials are drawing up a system to target health inequality funding towards the most deprived individuals in primary care trusts' areas, health secretary Alan Johnson has revealed.
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News
Quality accounts: pressure on to pick a winning combination
In 18 months, trusts will have to produce their first quality accounts, based on a selection from hundreds of indicators. Dave West asks how trusts should choose their criteria, and how to act on what they find
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News
NHS braced for worst of Alistair Darling's £5bn spending cuts
The NHS must prepare for a substantial cut in planned funding from the year after next.Chancellor Alistair Darling's pre-Budget report set out plans to cut £5bn from government spending plans for 2010-11 - and the NHS is the largest of 12 areas that could be hit.
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News
Social care funding split could lead to schemes based on age
Health chiefs are considering splitting social care funding into separate schemes for people of working age and those in retirement.
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News
Failings in end of life care waste £100m every year
Failings in the commissioning and provision of end of life care services are costing the NHS more than £100m every year.A damning National Audit Office report has found massive service variations, with a difference of more than £1,500 per death between the highest and lowest spending primary care trusts.
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News
Over a quarter of people in UK with HIV unaware of it, says HPA
Twenty-eight per cent of people living with HIV in the UK are unaware they are infected, the Health Protection Agency has said.
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Comment
Andrew Jones on healthcare in a recession
We might not officially be in recession, but few would doubt the inevitability of a second quarter of negative growth being confirmed by the Office for National Statistics.
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News
Scotland slashes diagnostic waiting times
The Scottish NHS has slashed diagnostic waiting times but must now ensure that services are as efficient as possible.
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HSJ Knowledge
Mapping health inequalities unmasks variations
For the first time comprehensive local health and well-being data has been compiled across Ireland.
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News
Obesity leaves eating disorders in the shade
While national guidelines have stimulated change in crisis areas of mental health, eating disorders are only just beginning to receive the attention and specialist services sufferers need. Alison Moore reports
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News
UK risks a weaker role in EU health decisions
Devolution is weakening the UK's ability to influence the EU's growing hold over health policy, a report from the Nuffield Trust warns.
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News
GP commissioning costs lots and delivers little
A major study into practice based commissioning has found it to be an 'expensive investment' that has delivered little in terms of better services for patients or financial savings.
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Leader
Data tsunami will swamp trusts unless commissioners get a say
The clinical data revolution came closer this week with the unveiling of the approach for improving quality and a survey on what to include in quality accounts.
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News
Local NHS managers will get free choice of quality measures
The Department of Health has published an ambitious framework for improving the quality of NHS care but its architect Lord Darzi has warned it is likely to get off to a slow start.