712 unnecessary deaths – and how to avoid them: HSJ and BD roundtable
An HSJ roundtable, sponsored by BD, looked at how to reduce medication errors, improving outcomes for patients and reducing waste from unused or unnecessary medicines.
Pharma says government must act quickly to safeguard generic drugs supply
Pharmaceutical industry leaders have warned the government needs to be “fleet of foot” to avoid a significant cost if a no-deal Brexit disrupts approval of generic and biosimilar medicines.
NHS told not to stockpile medication ahead of a 'no-deal' Brexit
NHS organisations should not spend money on “unnecessary” local stockpiling of medicine ahead of a possible no-deal Brexit.
Ministers to ask drug companies to stockpile six weeks of medication
Drug companies are due to be asked to stockpile up to six weeks of medications ahead of a potential no deal Brexit, HSJ understands.
Brexit stockpiling will face 'serious issues' and huge costs
s 3There are likely to be “serious issues” with the government’s plan to stockpile drugs and medical devices in case of a no-deal Brexit, according to senior figures in the pharmaceutical industry.
Hancock to target NHS’s ‘very, very old school management’ culture
Matt Hancock accused the health service of showing a lack of respect for staff and having “very, very old school management which make it far less pleasant than it should be to work in the NHS”.
Government plans to stockpile drugs in preparation for no-deal Brexit
The government is planning to stockpile drugs for a no-deal Brexit, the health secretary has announced.
NHS to 'rapidly expand' treatment restrictions
NHS England plans to “rapidly expand” the number of medications and treatments it will restrict access to – beyond those which have already been announced or formally proposed.
Lord Darzi appointed chair of new innovation panel
Former health minister Lord Darzi has been appointed chair of a new innovation panel which will choose which “transformative” medical products should be fast tracked into the NHS.
Minister: 'We got it wrong on Hep C drug'
A health minister said the NHS needs to be better prepared for the budget impact of new medicines such as the oral drug for Hepatitis C, and admitted “we didn’t get it right”.
Winners revealed for HSJ Value Awards 2018
Twenty organisations have been honoured in the 2018 HSJ Value Awards – which recognise and celebrate outstanding improvements in care quality and efficiency made by NHS staff.
NHS hit by seven-fold increase in bill for certain drugs
NHS commissioners were hit by a seven-fold increase in the bill for certain generic drugs in 2017-18, after some medicines were subject to massive price hikes.
Safety concerns over 'Deliveroo type' pharmacy app
Doctors have raised concerns over the safety of a “Deliveroo type” pharmacy app that has been supported by NHS England and NHS Digital.
Contractor suing NHS England claims rival's bid was 'abnormally low'
NHS England is being sued by a clinical waste disposal contractor that claims it wrongly awarded a contract to a rival that submitted an unrealistically low bid.
Associates set for at least half the training hours of registered nurses
Nursing associates must receive at least half the hours of training expected of registered nurses, under newly published regulatory draft standards.
CCGs on course for £687m deficit
Clinical commissioning groups are on course to overspend their total budget by £687m at the end of 2017-18, while the overall commissioning system will balance its books, NHS England has said.
Life sciences forum launched by HSJ
HSJ has launched its first event for the life sciences sector.
Nearly half of online health providers 'not safe', CQC warns
The Care Quality Commission has found nearly half of online primary care companies are not safe, but said the sector had still improved dramatically in the past year.
Drugs switch saves NHS £170m in 10 months
The NHS is estimated to have saved £170m in the first 10 months of this financial year by switching to cheaper versions of just three drugs.
MPs challenge medical leaders over flu vaccine concerns
The Commons science and technology committee has challenged medical leaders over last year’s national flu vaccination programme.
Children ‘at risk’ as STP ignores guidance on gluten free foods
Children, pensioners and low income families may be at risk because an STP is ignoring government guidance on commissioning gluten free foods, a senior health leader has warned.
Medicines rules for nursing associates ‘not sufficient’
The Royal College of Nurses has branded guidance published by Health Education England for the administration of medicines by nursing associates as “not sufficient”.
Government interrogates prices to stymie £200m-plus drugs overspend
Government has begun intensively monitoring new information on the generic drug market to try to stymie additional costs which are running into hundreds of millions of pounds, HSJ has been told.
Hunt launches bid to reduce medication error deaths
Jeremy Hunt has launched a bid to reduce medication errors in the NHS, which new research says costs the NHS over 181,000 bed days and causes hundreds of deaths.
Trust to change medicine policies to be 'legally compliant'
An ambulance trust has admitted it needs to change its medicines management to be “legally compliant”, including withdrawing a potentially life saving drug from volunteers.
Four trusts looking into pharmacy joint venture
Trusts in Berkshire and Surrey are looking at creating a pharmacy joint venture modelled on their existing pathology service.
NHS England moves to clear up flu vaccine confusion
NHS England has moved to try to clear up confusion over flu vaccines for next winter, following concerns that a better approach last year could have reduced pressure in hospitals.
Trust expects to miss control total deficit by £30m
A south eastern trust is predicting a deficit worth over £56m – more than double its original plan and 15 per cent of its total income – after being hit by lower elective income and losing a payments dispute with local commissioners.
Exclusive: CCGs across region refuse to commission flu antivirals
Clinical leaders across three sustainability and transformation partnerships are defying public health guidelines and refusing to commission flu antivirals, HSJ can reveal.
Exclusive: NHS England vaccine advice 'increased risk of flu admissions'
More patients may have been admitted to hospital with flu this winter after NHS England asked GPs to order a less expensive flu vaccine, a senior doctor has warned.
What benefits can biosimilars bring to the NHS?
Cancer drugs webinar: How to put a value on the priceless
Specialist nurses support cost effective drugs for treatment
How specialist nurses can bring services closer to home
Roundtable: Jumping the hurdles to better care in rare diseases
Webinar on demand: Making tough decisions on anti-cancer therapies