NHS Finance

RCP makes 12 recommendations for NHS to save millions via small actions

17.04.18: Modest, small actions can mean significant financial savings for NHS trusts, according to a new report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The report, ‘Less waste, more health: A health professional's guide to reducing waste,’...

More people than ever before prepared to pay more tax to fund NHS

12.04.18: The proportion of British taxpayers who would accept higher taxes to fund the NHS has risen by more than half since 2014, a new study has found. The latest findings from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, conducted between July and...

NHS long-term funding: what’s in store?

10.04.18: Anita Charlesworth, director of research and economics at the Health Foundation, discusses Theresa May’s recent announcements on long-term NHS funding and considers the options available. The prime minister’s appearance in front...

CCGs told to curb OTC prescriptions in bid to save £100m

04.04.18: NHS England has published guidance to save almost £100m by reducing the number of prescriptions for ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) medicines. The organisation says that by reducing prescriptions for medicines for minor short-term co...

Tough task ahead for the NHS

04.04.18: Phillippa Hentsch, head of analysis at NHS Providers, paints a stark picture of NHS finances, workforce pressures and unsustainable targets for the coming year unless firmer action is taken by the government. We wanted it. We campaigned for...

PAC: NHS finances ‘perilous’ as orgs focus on short-term fire fighting over long-term transformation

27.03.18: The Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) lack of action to address the NHS’s finances is “disappointing,” according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The committee’s report, ‘Sustainability and...

Locksmith jailed for six years after defrauding trust of nearly £600,000

27.03.18: A locksmith who was formerly employed by the NHS has been jailed for six years after he was found to have defrauded the health service of nearly £600,000. Andrew Taylor, 55 from London, is the first person to have been convicted by th...

Hunt hints at backing ‘NHS levy’ to buoy struggling finances

27.03.18: Health and social care secretary Jeremy Hunt has this week suggested plans for a 1p income tax levy to raise money for the NHS would be supported by the public. The health and social care secretary told the Mail on Sunday that it was: &ldqu...

NHS pay deal: Whitehall to drop extra day demands in favour of 6.5% rise

21.03.18: Government officials are expected to offer NHS staff a new £4bn pay deal today, which would see staff get an average wage increase of 6.5%. Reportedly, the agreement will see Whitehall drop its demand that staff relinquish a day&rsquo...

BMA and DHSC agree new £256m deal for GP contracts

20.03.18: The BMA have come to a deal with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the next contract terms for GPs, which will an overall investment of £256m and an interim 1% pay rise. Separate pay negotiations are s...

Providers assure organisations that WOS are not form of backdoor privatisation

20.03.18: Suggestions that wholly owned subsidiaries (WOS) are a means to backdoor privatisation are “inaccurate and misleading,” according to NHS Providers. A new report by NHS Providers argues that they are actually a “key tool”...

Welsh GPs to get 1% pay increase in £12m deal

19.03.18: Officials from the Welsh Government have agreed a final pay deal with the BMA’s Welsh GP Committee (GPC Wales), which includes a 1% increase and a reduction to the contentious Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). The agreement sets o...

Over one billion community prescriptions dispensed as ‘inevitable’ rise continues

16.03.18: The number of prescription items dispensed in the community in England increased last year, according to NHS Digital’s latest figures. In 2017, 1.1 billion items were dispensed, which was up by 0.15% compared to 2016. However, despite...

‘Urgent steps’ needed to ensure sustainable funding for health and social care

13.03.18: NHS staff have “worked tirelessly” since autumn in “very challenging” circumstances, the chancellor said in his Spring Statement today. Although no additional funding was announced for the health service, Philip Hammond...

NHS hospitals report a loss on treatment of private patients

12.03.18: Nine hospitals have made a loss on the treatment of private patients between 2010-11 and 2015-16, new research has revealed. The report, ‘NHS treatment of private patients: the impact on NHS finances and NHS patient care,’ by the Ce...