All Quality and performance articles
See all articles with this subject.
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CommentThe variable quality of senior doctors is harming patients and the NHS
Inconsistent consultant standards in the NHS risk inefficiency, higher costs, delayed discharges, and reduced patient flow – clearer national criteria is needed
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NewsStabbing ‘could have been avoided’ with better care
A mental health trust discharged a patient without reviewing his risk level, a month before he went on to stab a man.
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NewsNHSE rows back on controversial target
NHS England has rowed back on what was widely understood to be a new target for the proportion of patients it wanted “diverted” away from waiting lists, after accusations it was rationing care.
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CommentBoards should not rely on assurance reports when assessing cyber risk
The people who prepare the NHS England assurance reports dealing with risks such as cyber attacks are good at their jobs. Unfortunately, that is the problem
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NewsMapped: RTT waiting times
An interactive map of local NHS waits around England in February 2026, showing the pressures, with links to all the details by organisation and specialty.
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NewsFourteen trusts rated red for ‘capability’
NHS England has rated 14 trusts “red” for “capability” – meaning their management has been unable to “grip” long-running problems.
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NewsNHS ‘a cat’s whisker’ from hitting headline targets
The NHS was within touching distance of its headline urgent and emergency care targets in March – falling just short of the key asks in A&E and ambulance wait times.
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CommentManagers can prevent another contaminated blood scandal
On the eve of a national memorial, NHS leaders must confront preventable transfusion harm, embed safer practice, and deliver change
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CommentHow boards handle pressure is more important than any plan
Boards are constantly balancing two roles: translating external demands into something coherent, and transmitting those demands to maintain assurance. How that balance shifts under pressure has profound consequences for behaviour, learning and improvement
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NewsTrust advised to bolster governance after serious incidents
A mental health trust had “significant” problems with governance and safety assurance, according to a review commissioned in response to care quality concerns.
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Expert BriefingMackey: ‘Contentious’ model can drive ‘hockey stick’ recovery
Elective recovery and returning the NHS to meeting the 18-week standard by 2029 is the government’s main performance priority. The Recovery Watch newsletter tracks prospects and progress against this goal. By bureau chief James Illman.
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News‘Outstanding’ unit struggling with excess demand
An “outstanding”-rated maternity department is seeking help from other providers to deal with soaring demand.
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NewsExclusive: Deaths linked to ‘overwhelmed’ department
At least eight cancer patients were harmed – and in some cases potentially died – because of operational and admin failures in an “overwhelmed” hospital department, HSJ has learned.
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NewsICBs axe crisis car service
Most of London is to lose its mental health response cars after three integrated care boards withdrew funding.
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CommentThe artificial slowdown in the use of private sector providers must end
NHS elective recovery targets risk being undermined by late-year activity caps and funding constraints, highlighting the need for stable, strategic partnerships with independent providers
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NewsMapped: RTT waiting times
An interactive map of local NHS waits around England in January 2026, showing the pressures, with links to all the details by organisation and specialty.
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CommentThe NHS does not know where it is succeeding or failing
The 10-Year Health Plan’s promise to spread best practice through greater transparency risks falling short. Many ICBs lack the basic data needed to track whether services meet national standards or identify what works best
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NewsCEO blames group model for trusts’ collapse
Bringing two trusts together in a group led to problems with governance, accountability and the visibility of leaders, the organisations’ interim chief executive has admitted.
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NewsMackey delays two more EPR launches
NHS England has intervened to delay the roll-out of electronic patient record systems at two trusts, due to major concerns over the operational impact.
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NewsExclusive: Nine trusts put in NHSE turnaround regime
Nine trusts have been placed in NHS England’s new turnaround regime for the country’s most challenged trusts, HSJ can reveal.