Dentists to be paid per patient

A new trial will see 68 dental practices work under new contracts, where they will be paid for the number of patients they care for and the health outcomes of treatments, rather than the number of treatments performed. This is intended to increase patient... <<Read More>>

NHS funding picture ‘worst ever’ – chief executives survey

The NHS Confederation annual conference begins today in Manchester, as the organisation reveals the result of a survey of NHS chairs and chief executives showing financial pressures as an over-riding concern. In his first major...
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Cost of ageing population could ‘overwhelm’ country’s finances

The rapidly increasing pressure on the NHS from an ageing population and more long-term conditions could contribute to the country spinning into a bleak cycle of ever-rising taxes and deficits, according to a new report. Reform, the pro-market think tank that advocates new...
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Savings warning from Monitor

High inflation and other economic factors mean NHS trusts may have to make average annual savings half as big again as the current £20bn cuts exercise. Monitor, which oversees NHS foundation trusts, has written to trust chief executives to warn that annual... <<Read More>>

Call to protect medical degrees in university funding debate

Medicine should receive special protection in the review of higher education funding, according to Scottish doctors. BMA Scotland, in its response to the Scottish Government’s Green Paper, ‘Building a Smarter Future’... <<Read More>>

Royal Wedding row over NHS pay

Many NHS staff will not get paid any extra money for working during the Royal Wedding, when most people will be off work enjoying the extra Bank Holiday. Unison, which represents thousands of healthcare staff, said trusts were being “mean” and that the... <<Read More>>

PFI hampered hospital building and ‘endangers patient care’ – report

Many more hospitals could have been built without so much PFI influence on NHS capital funding, academics have claimed. Professor Allyson Pollock and colleagues at the Centre for International Public Health Policy at the Uni... <<Read More>>

Half a billion pounds wasted on poor NHS buying practices

NHS hospitals are wasting £500m a year on consumables through inefficient buying practices and the huge variety in products bought by different trusts – including 652 types of gloves and 1,751 types of cannula. The... <<Read more>>

‘Routine’ operations being denied on cost grounds

Non-emergency operations are increasingly being ‘rationed’ despite the potential long-term health effects, reports say. Many PCTs are opting to restrict scores of operations except in extreme circumstances, including treatment for... <<Read more>>

Hospitals face take-over

A hospital trust faces being swallowed up by a larger organisation unless it can find another £9m in savings within weeks. The North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust, which runs West Cumberland Hospital and the Cumberland Infirmary, is in danger of becoming a ‘fail... <<Read more>>

Government plays down Unison survey

The government has attempted to play down the significance of a survey carried out by Unison into the effects of financial difficulties on trusts. Whilst Unison - who recently took the government to court over its proposed NHS reforms - is concerned that financial pressures will damage...

More help for parents announced by health secretary

The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has announced that twice as many disadvantaged people – and new mums and dads – will be given access to Family Nurse Partnerships, which work to complement the work of health visitors. Andrew Lansley said: “Every child...

Funding increases not ‘adequate’ to deal with ‘growing demand’, says NHS Confederation

The NHS Confederation has issued a warning about the financial pressures which organisations within the NHS are facing. Nigel Edwards, acting chief executive at the NHS Confederation, said: “The country faces very...

£4 million boost for carers

The Department of Health has announced that carers are to benefit from a range of new projects designed to improve their skills. These projects will take over following the cancellation of Caring with Confidence, which the government claims did not produce the desired results...

Healthy Start scheme to include frozen vegetables

The Department of Health has said that eligible families will now be able to use their Healthy Start vouchers to buy frozen vegetables as well as fresh ones. Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley said...

Charge for NHS services, says professor

In a highly controversial move, a professor from the University of Stirling has suggested that the NHS in Scotland should charge patients to a see a doctor and to stay over night in hospitals.

The proposals mirror the Swedish healthcare system.