NHS Finance

NHS pays £35m in tax penalties for staff breaching pension limits

21.02.19: Nearly £35m was paid by the NHS for thousands of staff members who broke limits on pensions savings, according to the Financial Times. Data released to the FT by the NHS Business Services Authority reportedly shows that there wer...

88-year-old NHS secretary become oldest ever person to win age discrimination case

07.02.19: An 88-year-old hospital secretary has become the oldest person to ever win an age discrimination case after she was marched out of her office by security and sacked when colleagues complained about her age and “frailty.” Eileen...

Couple receives £650k pay out over girl’s delayed meningitis diagnosis

06.02.19: An NHS trust is to pay out £650,000 to a couple after failing to diagnose their adopted child with meningitis fast enough, leaving her with brain damage and acute disability up until her death. London’s High Court heard that in...

Procurement can be a catalyst for system working

06.02.19: Sara Bainbridge, head of policy and delivery at NHS Clinical Commissioners, discusses some of her organisation’s work on integration and the long-term plan, and shares some practical examples. The NHS Long-Term Plan has confirmed that...

Children ‘at risk of harm’ at under-fire United Lincolnshire trust’s general hospital

04.02.19: Children at the Pilgrim Hospital are being “placed at risk of harm” after inspectors rated the general hospital as ‘inadequate’ just months after taking urgent action to prevent patients being exposed to harm. The CQ...

New chief executive appointed to King’s College Hospital Trust in financial special measures

04.02.19: King’s College Hospital Trust (KCHT) has appointed Clive Kay as its new chief executive as it tries to tackle a budget deficit of over £100m and drive itself out of financial special measures. One of the largest hospital trusts...

Trusts urged to review spinal surgery practice to reduce cases of paralysis and save NHS £27m

30.01.19: Up to £27m could be saved by the NHS improving its spinal surgery services as the health service spends millions on compensation for patients given delayed treatment, a government report has found. Getting It Right First Time’s...

Long-term plan: moving on up

30.01.19: Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, reflects on the NHS Long-Term Plan, and outlines the vital role the voluntary and independent sectors will play in the future of the health service. The government’s long-term p...

Woman sues NHS for £1m compensation to start new family after medical mistakes left her infertile

28.01.19: The NHS has been ordered to pay over £1m for a woman to have four surrogate babies in America after medical failures left her infertile – but health chiefs have applied to the Supreme Court for permission to challenge the decision. ...

Trainee GPs ‘made life decisions’ based on misleading information promising £20,000 golden hello payment

22.01.19: Trainee GPs expecting a £20,000 golden hello incentive to train in certain areas have been denied payments after they were misled by a “lack of clarity” over eligibility. The government’s ‘golden hello’ s...

Substantial deficits across NHS ‘do not paint a picture of sustainability’ and threaten long-term plan, warns spending watchdog

18.01.19: The NHS is not financially sustainable and substantial deficits at NHS bodies, year-on-year increases in waiting lists and waiting times, and staffing shortages are threatening the government’s £20bn long-term plan, the National Audi...

Trust to pay out £5m in damages to boy starved of oxygen and left disabled at birth

17.01.19: A six-year-old boy who suffered life-changing injuries during birth is set to be awarded nearly £5m in damages from an NHS trust. The child from County Londonderry, who cannot be identified, developed severe cerebral palsy after he wa...

Private giant Spire cuts expected earnings again amid NHS funding squeeze

16.01.19: Private hospital group Spire has cut its expected core earnings forecast for the second time in a year, driven by increasing waiting times and funding pressures across the NHS and prompting many investors to sell their shares in the FTSE-listed...

NHS England reveals funding allocations for CCGs with focus on deprived areas

14.01.19: NHS England has submitted its funding allocations for CCGs in 2019-20 and aims to help improve some of the most deprived areas, with some CCGs seeing a cash increase of up to 15% next year. The draft funding allocations, subject to approval...

‘Don’t cry when things go wrong’: NAO finds ‘unacceptable’ levels of financial weakness across NHS

10.01.19: Four in 10 NHS organisations don’t have a grip on their spending according to a damning report from the National Audit Office (NAO) which found that the number of bodies with significant financial weaknesses is unacceptably high. The...