All articles by Sophie Barnes

  • David Cameron
    News

    Fifteen trusts asked to pay executives more than prime minister

    2016-02-03T07:00:00Z

    Fifteen trusts applied for permission to pay an executive more than the prime minister Providers must get Treasury approval for salaries above £142,500 NHS Improvement leaders say finding the right managers is biggest problem facing providers Fifteen trusts have applied for permission to pay at least one board ...

  • INTEGRATION
    HSJ Local

    Possible legal challenge over better care fund millions

    2015-12-03T07:00:00Z

    Council calls for CCG to release £2.3m payment for performance element of fund CCG withholding payment to council “in line with the national guidance” Auditors found “no evidence” that funds provided for additional adult social care “has been used for this purpose” FINANCE: Wiltshire Council could make a ...

  • snow_tree.jpg
    News

    Warning A&Es will 'fly blind' with less performance data this winter

    2015-12-01T11:15:00Z

    NHS England winter daily situation reports will not include key performance data Royal College of Emergency Medicine president says “somebody has decided to glaze over the windscreen” NHS England says less weekly data will “minimise the bureaucratic burden on frontline hospitals and GPs” NHS England will not publish ...

  • Doctor looking at x-ray
    HSJ Local

    Staff felt 'failure was not an option' at specialist trust

    2015-11-30T12:24:00Z

    “Inhibited” culture among trust leadership, independent review into referral to treatment waiting times finds Staff said they felt “failure was not an option” Monitor’s investigation into patients waiting too long for treatment is ongoing PERFORMANCE: A “pressurised” culture at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital Trust led ...

  • Ambulance
    HSJ Local

    First ambulance service placed in special measures

    2015-11-27T00:01:00Z

    London Ambulance Service put in special measures Trust chief says extra staff recruited and board members regularly visit front line Staff reported feeling stressed and fatigued PERFORMANCE: London Ambulance Service Trust has been put in special measures after an inspection that found staff did not feel supported and ...

  • London
    HSJ Local

    Interview: Ambulance service fully prepared for terror attack, says chief executive

    2015-11-27T00:01:00Z

    The chief executive of the first ambulance service to be placed in special measures has told HSJ the trust is prepared for a major incident in the same vein as the recent Paris terror attacks.

  • Matthew Kershaw
    HSJ Local

    New chief executive for East Kent

    2015-11-26T12:11:00Z

    Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals chief Matthew Kershaw will take on role East Kent in special measures but new board has been praised by CQC Mr Kershaw said it was with “very mixed emotions” he would be leaving BSUH WORKFORCE: East Kent University Hospitals Foundation Trust has appointed ...

  • CT Brain scan
    News

    Government wants 'long term partnerships' between NHS and private sector

    2015-11-25T16:19:00Z

    Spending review calls for “long term partnerships” between NHS and private sector on new care models and diagnostics Involvement could follow the model of a PET-CT scanning contract awarded this year Private sector could offer capacity and finance in return for a share in any improvements made The ...

  • Dubai
    HSJ Local

    Leading London trust to open India and Dubai hospitals

    2015-11-20T11:02:00Z

    King’s College Hospital’s commercial arm has negotiated deals in Dubai and India Revenue over 15 years could come to £40m The trust will provide “clinical governance” and will have “final say” over patient safety or clinical procedure issues COMMERCIAL: King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust will open two international ...

  • Ballot box
    HSJ Local

    BME network calls for trust board members to step down

    2015-11-18T07:00:00Z

    Local BME network says it has “no confidence” in Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust’s board amid racial discrimination claims Trust spokesman “strongly refutes” the allegations Nine BME staff at the trust seeking to appeal the outcome of investigation WORKFORCE: The Black and Minority Ethnic Network at ...

  • Emergency department
    News

    London urgent and emergency care services to be recategorised

    2015-11-17T12:03:00Z

    Services will be given one of three designations by 2020 Urgent and emergency care networks will decide if services should be downgraded or not Londoners find the current emergency care setup confusing, survey finds Urgent and emergency care services in London will be split into three different categories, ...

  • City Hall London
    News

    London organisations set out devolution bids

    2015-11-13T16:25:00Z

    Bids include north east London, north central London and Hackney Areas will request control of NHS estate decisions, payment mechanisms and affordable housing for key workers Concerns have been raised at the “pace of discussions” London devolution bids include a partnership in the north east of ...

  • East Sussex Hospital Trust
    HSJ Local

    East Sussex maternity unit to switch to Kent trust’s control

    2015-11-12T16:41:00Z

    Concerns over low birth rate and diverts at the Crowborough Birthing Centre No date agreed for when Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells will take over the service STRUCTURE: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust will take over a maternity unit previously run by East Sussex Healthcare Trust.

  • Old man in bed, doctor using stehoscope
    News

    Delayed transfers of care at highest ever September level

    2015-11-12T13:02:00Z

    There were 147,738 delayed transfers, the highest September level since 2010 A&Es had their worst September performance in five years as admissions were at highest level Increase in elective patients waiting over a year to start treatment but the target was still met Delayed transfers of care were ...

  • Social care
    News

    Rollout of shared care records can cut DTOCs, commission says

    2015-11-11T15:00:00Z

    Commission calls for the DH to assess the cost of national living wage for social care sector There is an “urgent need” for delayed transfer definitions for mental health Payment mechanisms should be “coordinated” and block contract payments should be dropped Delayed transfers of care can be avoided ...

  • Moorfields Eye Hospital
    HSJ Local

    New chief executive appointed for Moorfields

    2015-11-10T16:13:00Z

    WORKFORCE: Moorfields Eye Hospital Foundation Trust has appointed a new chief executive.

  • Ambulance
    HSJ Local

    Ambulance pilot scheme linked to patient death 'not suitably managed'

    2015-11-06T10:31:00Z

    PATIENT SAFETY: An ambulance pilot that could have contributed to the death of at least one patient had no ‘risk assessment and limited risk management’, NHS England has concluded.

  • Older woman in hospital bed
    News

    Trust chiefs warn bed occupancy already at winter levels

    2015-11-02T13:00:00Z

    Bed occupancy in acute trusts is already at the most pressured winter levels, trust chief executives and directors have told HSJ.

  • Ambulance
    HSJ Local

    Controversial ambulance delay pilot may have contributed to patient death

    2015-10-30T18:21:00Z

    Commissioners warned that a controversial South East Coast Ambulance Foundation Trust pilot that added 10 minutes to some emergency response times may have contributed to the death of at least one patient, leaked emails seen by HSJ reveal.

  • Electronic records
    News

    Public do not trust NHS with personal data, admits health secretary

    2015-10-29T20:07:00Z

    The public do not trust the NHS to look after personal health information, the health secretary admitted at the HSJ annual lecture on Thursday evening.