Visit http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com for more rss feeds. http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/CoreCode/rss/rssdisplay.aspx en-gb Copyright http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com, 2020 Fri, 11 Sep 2020 09:13:01 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ 15 Jon Rouse, the new chief officer of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, speaks to NHE’s Luana Salles about the region’s latest and forthcoming integration developments. Greater Manchester’s (GM’s) devolution has been a long time coming: when Margaret Thatcher broke up the region’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457,413 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 02 Dec 2016 12:45:00 GMT From: Morris Heseltine Subject: Revised contract to be given to all junior doctors – NHS Employers Perhaps Mr Mortimer [CEO of NHS Employers] would like to explain why these reforms are “essential”. As far as I can see, the reforms have nothing to do with improving care for patients or making the way doctors are... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 01 Oct 2015 10:45:00 GMT If universities and governing bodies introduced more courses that allowed shortened courses for already skilled workers, for example nursing to midwifery or operating department practitioner to paramedic and vice versa, enabling roles to cross over, there may be an influx of enrolments! I am just about to qualify as an Operating... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Aug 2015 08:45:00 GMT The failure of these two CSUs must surely be a reflection of how poorly they performed over the past few years? The organisational ethos many CSUs inherited from PCTs, and the view that they were there to ‘do it to the GPs’, was contrary to the situation that the GPs were now in charge. That the NWCSU also won the Plain... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Aug 2015 04:30:00 GMT The drive to change HOW staff work, the culture of NHS England, is as important as the remuneration packages. The Five Year Forward View sets out a challenge to us all to take part in a new type of conversation. One that involves partnership and co-production. Have a look at NHS Citizen, an emerging vehicle for deliberative... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Aug 2015 09:00:00 GMT It would appear that this is a current trend over many companies in all sectors, where they think that by making staff redundant they will save money. However, had they taken time to work out how much the redundancies were costing, and how long it would take them to recoup these monies, even if they do keep the staffing at a low level, the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Jul 2015 09:15:00 GMT Those of us providing services to the NHS can and will make savings on our services, but I agree wholeheartedly that we need support and autonomy in order to make services leaner and meaner, whilst still providing an excellence in the care and individual attention given to those who desperately need our help and support to return to full... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Jul 2015 08:30:00 GMT No other organisation would tolerate this. All those involved should be held to account. We are all being asked to make cuts and efficiency savings: let’s start with those in procurement who seem to repeatedly get it wrong at a cost of millions of pounds. Re: HSCIC procurement mistakes cost millions http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 20 Jul 2015 09:30:00 GMT Perhaps we need to look at why staff join agencies in the first place. Could it be anything to do with the level of pay offered? Is it that they can have more control over their off duty? Agency staff are often on call and fill staffing gaps at the last minute. If the NHS doesn't wish to rely on agencies, then they need to overhaul their... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Jul 2015 11:30:00 GMT How are CQC visits improving the care of patients in the 1 in 7 practices mentioned by Steve Field??  Re: GPs call for a halt to CQC inspections http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 07 Jul 2015 10:45:00 GMT It’s nonsense to try to reduce agency bills by forced ceiling rates. Increase the supply of nurses by allowing English speaking nurses outside of the EEC to come to the UK and the rip-off agency rates will disappear. The government has tried to recruit from within the UK and EEC without success. Re: Monitor team to tackle NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Jul 2015 11:30:00 GMT I have observed some poor nursing standards in the NHS and as a manager with recruitment responsibility I have interviewed some nurses who I definitely would not employ and wonder how they are employed by anyone. Just because someone is a qualified nurse does not mean that the quality of nursing care they provide is up to an acceptable... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Jun 2015 10:00:00 GMT Frankly it makes me sick (no pun intended) that GPs want to 'opt out' of the oversight and regulation that the CQC conduct on every other healthcare provider. GPs earn a minimum of £100k per year yet when they were given control over their own budgets the first thing my local surgery did was to cease opening on Saturdays! Didn't even... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Jun 2015 10:00:00 GMT I agree that this is something that needs to happen and quickly as it feels like provider services are being held to account for non-achievement of contracts and KPIs, with the CCGs continually moving the goalposts. The CCGs should be working with the provider services to ensure quality services for patients, not attempting to find ways... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Jun 2015 09:15:00 GMT Source: Jen They have to address why nurses are working for agencies in the first place. I have worked for the NHS since 1982. Things are SO different now. More staff are joining agencies to earn extra money that you cannot earn working for NHSP (the NHS bank nursing agency). This does not even pay us the normal pay we are on. I am... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Jun 2015 08:45:00 GMT Source: Linda Codes of practice are pointless, it needs some legal teeth. Given the political drive to 24/7 GP services etc I can see more and more people being faced with unacceptable conflicts. The whole approach of the Govt is bullying. Not entirely sure where exactly they are going to 'magic' all the staff from to help spread the load... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 May 2015 11:00:00 GMT I work for the NHS in Manchester and would really appreciate any information on any benefits/negatives that arise from this study. Re: NHS office workers to trial ‘sit-stand’ desks to improve health http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 May 2015 10:00:00 GMT When will we stop referring to people as dementia patients. People are people first. If we don't understand this what hope have we got of even trying to see their individual needs and reduce the number of times people become upset and agitated. Can we please remember the person with dementia not dementia patients. Thank... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 11 May 2015 16:45:00 GMT Having been involved in Health Scrutiny since before the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act, I have been deeply concerned about the fragmentation of commissioning brought in by the Act. We established that the commissioning functions of the combined North Central London CCG were reallocated to 16 different organisations on... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 May 2015 10:00:00 GMT Clearly it isn't a matter of throwing money at the problem because that has been tried without success. GP practices are privately run so could it be that these practices are not investing in the infrastructure (especially back up staff) that will ease the pressure on them? When I think back to the late 1950s and 1960s when you waited in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Apr 2015 10:30:00 GMT It can't be as simple as Roger H suggests, as that notorious contract change under Labour had GPs doing less work (e.g. no routine out-of-hours), not more. If they really are under so much pressure, something else must have changed in the meantime. Chris H is right about the huge social changes since the 60s, as all highly paid... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Apr 2015 10:15:00 GMT After four-plus years as Crown Rep SME in the Cabinet Office I have learnt that when buying ‘tools’, aggregation is a mistake. Amazingly. It's more important to buy the ‘right new stuff’. Taking procurement practices from fixed spec production parts procurement in the German car industry and blindly applying... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Apr 2015 09:30:00 GMT While working in the NHS, I found myself, starting 35 years ago, with an unusually powerful interest in the potential of IT to help me in the care of my individual patients. As a result my many years of experience as a GP, in A&E, and finally as a consultant in Maternity Care and Gynae, and also my personal knowledge of writing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Apr 2015 09:00:00 GMT Hello Flavio, I understand where you are coming from. It is absolutely ridiculous the way the UK system works. I am a South African. Worked for the State Emergency Medical Rescue Services whilst in SA for 15 years, have an Intermediate Life Support and Advanced Rescue Technician Qualification and various other complementary courses. I... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Apr 2015 08:45:00 GMT The real challenge is psychpresenteeism: people being at work in body but not mind, which is the period before people go off sick. This is massively costly, much more than the costs of absence. We tend to wait for people to become ill then do something to fix them. This is an expensive strategy both in cost terms but in habitual... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Mar 2015 10:45:00 GMT This is the usual smoke and mirrors government response. It does nothing to help, or give rights to the mentally disabled – other than move them from private NHS provision under the MHA, where they have been kept illegally for years, into institutions worse than Winterbourne, under the much more draconian Mental Capacity Act. Google... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Mar 2015 10:00:00 GMT Letter from Simon Walsh MCIPS, head of procurement and e-commerce at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS FT and chair of the HCSA, to members. Well it's been a fantastic two years as chairman and at the end of this month I will handover to Helen Lisle. The NHS procurement profession has enjoyed a level of profile that has... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Mar 2015 09:30:00 GMT Response to the quarterly report on the performance of NHS foundation trusts published by Monitor: The figures published today show that foundation trusts’ financial performance continues to deteriorate, with Monitor expecting an end-of-year deficit of £375m. The mounting deficits make an NHS overspend this financial year more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Feb 2015 11:00:00 GMT It is no wonder that the pressures have increased, the predecessor of 111 was buckling under the pressure! Then you have the government/NHS directors closing all the small casualty/A&E depts so that local hospitals either have no facility as they used to, or the protocols for the ambulances are so restrictive that they take everyone to the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Feb 2015 09:30:00 GMT I really don't know why it's such a surprise that the NHS are using an increased amount of agency staff, the fact that agency staff get paid £35 an hour compared to £15 speaks volumes and that's not all, agency staff don't have to pay £45 a month parking fees and some agencies give travel expenses and food allowance. Re:... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Feb 2015 12:00:00 GMT Consultant incremental progression recognises the increased value of an NHS consultant over their working lifetime by virtue of their increasing experience, which is generally accompanied by increasing responsibility, teaching junior colleagues and mentoring less experienced consultants earlier in their careers.  Removing this is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Feb 2015 09:15:00 GMT This is very disturbing; not only are we losing valuable experienced paramedics but there is a danger that they will lose the respect of the public if they work for Capita; instead of serving the public they will be party to the abuse of the ill and disabled by their involvement in the corrupt practices of the DWP and their... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Jan 2015 08:45:00 GMT As a healthcare assistant in the NHS, I can tell you that these reforms will damage the health service beyond repair and put patient safety at greater risk. Nurses will leave en masse, and those who stay will be reluctant to work unsocial hours for no extra pay. Who on earth will work in that stressful job for a basic wage? Total... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Jan 2015 10:00:00 GMT I found your website and feel I do have something to say about the CQC report relating to Circle’s running of Hinchingbrooke Hospital. I listened to Professor Sir Mike Richards being interviewed by Eddie Mair at 5.40pm on Radio 4’s PM programme this evening. My main point to convey is that he report issued earlier today by the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Jan 2015 08:45:00 GMT Interesting reading and similar to many other statements from a host of sources. Yes, indeed, denial and defence needs to end. Speaking as someone who has an unresolved complaint, due to needless damage, so far nobody helps at all. Nobody wants to know at all. I just get passed around and around and around and around, it is never in anyone's... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 Jan 2015 11:45:00 GMT Is the aim of the NHS to be a nationalised organisation, or is it: - that it meet the needs of everyone - that it be free at the point of delivery - that it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay as originally defined by Aneurin Bevan? If the most effective way of doing that is through a private company, what is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Dec 2014 10:00:00 GMT Reducing variation and digitisation is clearly the key to reducing waste and cost. However, this is not the only problem that needs addressing. The cost of poor lifestyle and the growing levels of diabetes and obesity in all age groups are the biggest drain on the NHS. What the government needs to do is tackle that issue and quickly.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Dec 2014 11:00:00 GMT There is one critical aspect of mental healthcare which will not be addressed by 'changing attitudes'. It is the virtual disappearance of medical psychiatry as a diagnostic and therapeutic discipline available to patients and referring clinicians. Not only is this a serious problem in workforce terms, but also a major issue in respect of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Dec 2014 10:15:00 GMT The Health Ombudsman should be a court of last resort: tragically not. The last sentence of my final report reads ‘increase in the syringe driver medication, as well as stat dose with, again, apparently some response’. The response? It was the death of my daughter aged 28. Service failure without injustice; that makes me... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:45:00 GMT I agree with this in principle but can't help feeling it hasn't been thought through properly. Has anyone considered the effect this could have on pharmacies and made plans to handle likely objections from both the pharmacies and the public? Such as... My pharmacy has become as unhealthy as a doctors waiting room (patient) I no longer... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Nov 2014 09:15:00 GMT I'm really not surprised to read of the dire state of CAMHS. I have had three ineffectual interactions with CAMHS on behalf of my daughter, who is now 10. It was difficult enough to persuade my GP of the need to refer in the first place, probably because she knew that very little would be done. And such has proved to be the case. Despite... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:00:00 GMT Dehydration and hunger lead to people making mistakes. Any members of the public who'd complain at a nurse, doctor etc grabbing a drink are the ones at fault. Treat the medics as humans not automatons and Joe Public will receive better treatment. No doubt the pen-pushers who have decided upon this rule will have their coffee brought... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:00:00 GMT This is a very worrying trend. In my experience, it is not GPs who are best placed to diagnose dementia and in the case of my father – now deceased – it was a psychiatrist who diagnosed him with Alzheimer’s. The role of the GP was to refer him for diagnosis only, and thus the GP is doing the job for which he [is] more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Oct 2014 11:00:00 GMT Some of what is written I totally agree with. The complaints system in no way works. I have never been reassured that what happened to #Dani in 2007 which damaged her heart and ultimately led to her death will not happen again, indeed they have never acknowledged their neglect during #Dani's dialysis sessions which led to the massive infection... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Oct 2014 11:15:00 GMT These figures show that alcohol is still a big problem in this country. Young people may be drinking less than they have in the past, but we still have a big drinking culture and our research uncovered specific problems with underage drinking, and binge drinking in city centres. Our report highlighted the fact a third of 11 to 15 year... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Oct 2014 11:30:00 GMT Patients are able to be seen the same day – but just not for routine things! If they have an urgent problem (and by urgent, it's urgent to them, not necessarily clinically urgent!) they will be seen, but they'll maybe have to wait until the end of the surgery session. Patient expectations have been raised by government directives... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:15:00 GMT The NHS is clearly at the forefront of our political leaders’ minds as we head towards next year’s general election and there is no doubt that they are looking for ways to improve the care that is on offer. General practices seem to be of particular focus at the moment and, given we collectively visit local GPs 340 million times a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Oct 2014 10:30:00 GMT Not enough people know about the NHS Constitution and their rights in hospitals. This needs to change, giving a person a voice before things go wrong. Families are not being involved; patients’ needs are not taken into account. These qualities are needed for vulnerable people. Inadequate care should not be acceptable in our... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Sep 2014 11:30:00 GMT Of all the health services, general practice is the one which has perhaps the greatest real opportunity for choice and accessible FFT results could be a useful for existing and prospective patients. With recommendation being made at such a personal level, it is unsurprising that some GPs are nervous. Practices need to embrace this... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Sep 2014 10:30:00 GMT It's not quite correct to say that 'the commission rejected extending NHS charges, with the exception of prescription charges'. In fact there are some charging suggestions that would set very worrying precedents hidden in the report. See analysis here:... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:00:00 GMT The situation is exactly how it is. I have come into CAMHS from adult services and I thought that was fragmented enough – but to see it in children [is] sad. There needs to be a systematic review and clear realistic expectations of what CAMHS should provide, and I don’t mean general statements of intent, but what services... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Sep 2014 12:15:00 GMT I am so pleased to read HEE forming a Safety Board. I hope this won't be a Board made up of all white members. Roger Kline has clearly written an excellent article on Snowy White Peaks. Not having a Diverse Board has a huge impact on patient safety and staff wellbeing. One has to look at whistleblowers’ plight to understand the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Aug 2014 10:45:00 GMT I believe that you should look at GPs providing their own out-of-hours services as part of their contract, as they used to do. The red herring of having to run a surgery after an on-call night is quite frankly poor planning of rotas. If GP surgeries worked out the surgery times to cover more hours, it's no more difficult than doing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:15:00 GMT I agree with both comments. I currently work for an IT company that deals with the NHS, but not primary care. The feedback we sometimes experience when selling our product to hospitals is that GPs are not always referring the patient correctly nor at the right time, which is having the initial impact on the NHS waiting lists. Until GPs... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Aug 2014 12:45:00 GMT Surely any accreditation process could look for and challenge GPs that are outliers in prescribing practice and their competency challenged? Link it to payments and job done! Sloppy medicine should not be tolerated when it threatens people’s lives. Re: More must be done to curb unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions – PHE http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Aug 2014 11:45:00 GMT The dumbing down of key targets will eventually result in the loss of the NHS as we know it. Transactional costing within the current structures limits the funds available for clinical care and creates the competitive environment that we work in. Fighting for money will prevent the ambitions for integration as we witness the loss of the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Jul 2014 10:30:00 GMT Although Dr Kell reassures that local customisation of clinical guidelines is done with clinical consensus and inputs, he does not confirm that it is evidence-based. There are too many local ad- hoc decisions being made on ‘clinicians’ experience’ or ‘preference’. And, when led by CCGs, such decisions are... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Jul 2014 11:30:00 GMT 100% agree with Dr Ben Goldacre. The NHS demand clinical evidence for new products so they can have confidence they work. Why wouldn't they do the same before spending millions on their own ‘product’? Re: PHBs could help keep people out of hospital – Stevens http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:30:00 GMT There was an excellent NHS publication on this topic called an 'Organisation with a memory' back in 2001. While things have moved on since then, with changes in the media in particular, my guess is that most of what is needed is addressed in this document. Re: Francis to lead whistleblowing inquiry http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Jul 2014 11:00:00 GMT Having had indirect experience of whistleblowing in the NHS, I am not confident in the whole process. Concerns aren't really addressed and I feel there is a huge element of ‘closing ranks’. People who have been reported have been given second and third chances and things that I would deem wholly unacceptable are simply... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Jul 2014 09:30:00 GMT Call me old-fashioned but I still believe in a free-at-the-point-of-delivery National (and for that read Public) Health Service available to all. Nothing is free of course – the costs are covered through our income tax and this should ensure that people pay according to their capacity to pay. By avoiding payments of their... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Jun 2014 12:15:00 GMT Well it’s taken a long time for officialdom to conclude that someone has to be held accountable for their actions. If it has to be this drastic to be an effective deterrent, so be it. However, my main fear is that this will become a witch hunt of NHS staff. [With] many failures we have heard about in recent headlines, blame falls... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Jun 2014 11:05:00 GMT I find that the evidence is lacking. They do not substantiate their claims. Don't take me wrong, I am all for help to the mentally ill. However, I also know that there is a move towards treating physical illnesses as if it's all in the persons head. There also seems to be a consensus to ignore that there are several tests which can... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Jun 2014 09:15:00 GMT Got to laugh at this, I struggle to even get a remittance from NHS Shared Business Services telling me what they are paying me for. [It’s] increased my workload by double since they took over payments. The majority of PM feel we have gone backwards five to six years, chasing our payments, and for what – so we can balance our... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 03 Jun 2014 17:00:00 GMT At last some common sense has prevailed (I hope). For some years, we in the care industry have been waiting with empty beds for those in hospital we know shouldn't be there and who would benefit from a little more TLC, whether it be permanent or temporary. However, one of the things that concerns me is that the government are setting... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 23 May 2014 16:30:00 GMT Choose and Book has not been a success for a number of reasons. First, it de-personalises the working relationship between consultants and GPs, and disempowers local professional and administrative staff, who should be owning and delivering the service, subject of course to accepted norms and standards. Second, the system itself is clunky... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 May 2014 08:45:00 GMT Occupational therapists work across the health/social care boundaries every day, and it seems to me that every integration initiative to date amounts to fiddling while Rome burns. Today we hear that the £3.8bn Better Care fund is on hold...if we can’t make these incremental steps towards shared funding via the H&WB boards... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 May 2014 11:45:00 GMT Beggars belief that the same government that is spending billions on the F-35B fighter will not allow surgeons to use the ‘best’ glove during life and death surgical operations... Re: NHS procurement list expected to save £500m – DH http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 May 2014 14:00:00 GMT Once again it seems that the people on the ground that actually run the service on a day to day basis are the ones that are hit. Morale is low and we are constantly watching as money is thrown down the drain on things that don't better the patient pathway or care. Why should the senior management get high increases every year? Lead by... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Apr 2014 11:30:00 GMT There are some fundamental problems with this short-sighted and damaging approach: (1) There is already a mechanism to control pay in the NHS: by not progressing the pay of poor performers – it just requires performance management processes to be implemented properly through Agenda for Change. Poor performers shouldn’t receive... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Apr 2014 10:15:00 GMT I already happily pay towards all our public sector services via taxes and national insurance. If we are short of funding, those who can afford it need to pay more into the pot – not expect individuals to decide whether to go to the docs with a lump under their arm, or a dodgy mole, or pay the gas bill. Lack of early health... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Apr 2014 09:00:00 GMT Thank you for this article! I would just like to add a really important extra point that MUST be considered as well as absolute numbers of staff on wards, and that is the MIX of staff. I don’t just mean mix by grade, but also the use of agency staff. All too often I see these VERY expensive ‘extra’ nurses hanging around... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Apr 2014 12:00:00 GMT They *are* joking aren't they? No pay rise. In fact, no job as of tomorrow. I'll be delighted to make sure they can keep the heating on and pay for chocolate biscuits. I assume they can still afford tea and coffee. And as for the regulatory process, thank goodness they're there to so act so promptly and decisively. It's a huge comfort to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Apr 2014 12:15:00 GMT We have been told to only give incremental increases if they are appropriate, and to not reward under-performance with an incremental rise. Incremental increases are paid at different times of the year, usually the anniversary of the employee’s start date – how can we manage whether or not someone is going to be entitled to their... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Mar 2014 09:30:00 GMT This clearly undermines the whole concept of autonomous foundation trusts. Interesting use of the word 'when' rather than 'if' from the DoH apparatchik regarding trusts going into administration. Ironic that this is therefore “essential to ensure the long-term future of the NHS”. Re: MPs vote in favour of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Mar 2014 10:45:00 GMT A fantastic idea to deliver real change at the grass roots of healthcare delivery. I think it would be great to develop a website to share the pledges nationally as I am sure the ideas created in Land's End may well resonate just as clearly in John O'Groats. Good luck to all involved. Re: Everyone urged to make a pledge for NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Mar 2014 10:05:00 GMT One of the tweets [you have quoted] states: “I just opted out of having my data uploaded”. WRONG: you cannot opt out of having your data uploaded. Your data is still uploaded but there is a flag in the record which says 'Please don't use this data'. You are opting out of the data being used for the specified purpose. It... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Mar 2014 10:05:00 GMT At the same time as we learn what we already knew – that diabetes is going through the roof and we transfer the vast majority of diabetes care from hospitals to GPs – we see that the QOF funding for 2014/15 will specifically be reduced by 20%. How does this work? Rhetorical and cynical. Re: Over 3.2 million diagnosed with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Feb 2014 10:47:00 GMT Just received the Jan/Feb issue of NHE and a jolly good read it is too. However the cover photograph and others about A&E redesign brilliantly illustrates how both poor planning and good planning, when combined, defeat the aim of a project. The green chairs on the cover obscure part of the signage. On page 22the chair park is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Feb 2014 10:05:00 GMT It is laughable that the government has introduced a ban on sales of alcohol at below cost (defined as duty plus VAT) as a means to reduce the impact that cheap alcohol continues to have on society. Independent research from the University of Sheffield shows that the new policy will prevent 15 alcohol related deaths, reduce  hospital... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:30:00 GMT Interesting that John Appleby considers that most hospitals are coping with the winter crisis. At what point do we consider that we are not coping? If the national four-hour ‘target’ is one of the measures, then the latest weekly performance of 91.7% for major EDs is an indicator that all is NOT well this winter. Re:... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Jan 2014 10:05:00 GMT This is fantastic news. Here on the Isle of Wight our mental health teams have been working with the police for almost a year on a service called 'Operation Serenity'. The teams operate on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings in the community. We have evidence that this has been a highly successful for our service users and would be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Jan 2014 10:40:00 GMT This sounds great. I think this is a good way forward, where care can be focused and tailored within reason instead of building super-hospitals where the caring is largely lost. We have enough centres of excellence for specialties. I just hope it won't turn into another PFI-style hole in the ground for a private company to make money... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Jan 2014 09:45:00 GMT Excellent – another job for which we will presumably receive no additional resources. I hope that the readers of the tabloids will appreciate the NHS even more than they already do (!) as a result of it being forced to support their beloved anti-immigration stance. Re: Migrants to be charged for prescriptions http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Jan 2014 10:05:00 GMT This is an interesting phrase: "a simplification of professional standards regulations". Presumably this could be translated into either 'dumbing down', or removing the 'too difficult' clauses from regulations? Re: Two-thirds of healthcare regulations to be scrapped Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 02 Jan 2014 08:45:00 GMT You are certainly right when you say that any such move "might face significant criticism from those keen to keep the NHS wholly public." It would not produce a "level playing field". On the contrary it would amount to another subsidy for the private sector at the public expense. What could be done if you want a level playing field... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Dec 2013 10:15:00 GMT I am totally in agreement with trying to get people to stop smoking; I think it is a filthy habit. But will patients agree to be admitted if they know they cannot smoke in hospital grounds? Or will they have to be in extremis before they will be admitted? What about those who families would not visit – has any consideration been... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Dec 2013 11:15:00 GMT GPs are so busy these days and to ask patients about their memory loss is difficult for both doctor and patient. Guidance is ‘opportunistically’ – it would be better to target an older population, 55-plus, with a family member or carer, but they do not automatically come with the patients. We have asked EMIS web for a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Dec 2013 10:45:00 GMT I cannot understand why we have not got our heads together and produced a model A&E centre which all A& E's would become without any differentiation. This would allow the public to expect what they would receive. It would then help staff to be retained. This standardisation would help to bring our NHS nearer to excellence – a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:05:00 GMT Looking at the unforeseen consequences of this: which type of unit will senior emergency doctors prefer to work in – a major centre with many senior colleagues or a downgraded diminished unit which would appear to be considered second-rate, only seeing minor cases? Currently 25% of ED consultants are working in the few trauma... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Nov 2013 11:00:00 GMT Rarely do I agree with Sir David, who has created a top down, target orientated NHS that is robustly enforced, to use a phrase. But it is true the constant reorganisation of the NHS is a disgrace which has created a cohort of resilient senior managers who can only deliver strategic change and not much in operational improvement, hence... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Nov 2013 10:00:00 GMT Governments set up Quangos. I do agree that unrealisticallyhigh salaries should not be normalised, but if a manager is worth over £100,000 they should get it. Trying to limit by numbers is artificial and counter-productive.  Suggesting that unrealistically high earnings for managers is the norm is just another dig at the NHS; he... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Nov 2013 08:45:00 GMT I agree – we could move quicker and more innovatively if there was an integrated approach to primary and community health commissioning as well as social care and public health services.  However, it is interesting that the Government seem to be more sighted on the resource and access issues in primary care so it may be more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Oct 2013 09:15:00 GMT Tiredness and patient safety is not just the domain of doctors in hospital. Ambulance staff clinicians regularly work in excess of the 12 hours per day they are rostered to work and sometimes in environments that are not conducive to good patient care.  Several high profile reports have now highlighted that patient safety and care... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Oct 2013 12:00:00 GMT I have been a nurse since 1972. Some of the time I have worked reduced hours to care for my children. I have been at the top of my pay band now for four years. Apart from the miniscule rise we got last year, my salary has fallen way behind inflation. The only way I have to increase my pension is via an annual pay rise. A freeze on pay affects... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:15:00 GMT 1% is not a lot to pay for the most important part of the NHS – its frontline staff. Most staff already work above their hours each week for no pay at all, so what would a message like ‘no pay rise’ give out to tired, patient, loyal and hard-working frontline staff with low morale? If they worked to rule, services could... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Oct 2013 11:15:00 GMT My pay was frozen for two years 2011 to 2012, and I received a 1% pay rise this year – I am top of Band 4 and I don't consider my salary attractive by any means for the responsibilities I have. In my department managers on Band 7 & 8 still moved up their bands every year and there was no effect of a pay freeze on them at all. If... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Oct 2013 10:35:00 GMT There are a number of models available. The Safer Nursing Care Tool (SNCT) – formerly AUKUH – is good for adult patients in an acute setting. I worked with a Mental Health Board to develop a variant for their needs (observations). There is also Paediatric Acuity and Nursing Dependency Assessment tool (PANDA). So there are a number... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Sep 2013 10:35:00 GMT The trust may do better if the senior management and directors focused more on the reasons for which they are employed, rather than their own internal battles for supremacy and mindless harassment of frontline clinical staff. It is unfortunate that senior management have absolutely no respect for clinicians or the work that they do and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Sep 2013 10:05:00 GMT As a customer and concerned relative I can only say that every member of staff that I have met is wonderfully caring and doing their very best. As a management consultant I am concerned by two key aspects: 1) The number of contract staff present throughout the NHS. 2) The management and leadership style, which I can only... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Sep 2013 10:05:00 GMT Firstly, for compassionate care to flourish staff need to be treated compassionately and cease to be subject to devaluing downbandings and insufficient staffing. Secondly, compassion forms the kernel of truly person-centred care, so there needs to be a move away from the growing 'production line care' promoted by various industrial... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Sep 2013 11:05:00 GMT There is no dispute that many NHS trusts are in financial difficulties, but there is a very important yet neglected area that no-one wants to discuss – the enormous amount of money that is haemorrhaging out of hospital trusts to overseas visitors who avail themselves of treatment at secondary care level, and either cannot or do not pay... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Aug 2013 10:21:00 GMT I qualified as an RGN back in the ‘good old days’ of the 70s and am currently in Thailand supporting a friend who has had surgery out here.  Coming from a failing NHS which no longer seems able to even keep the wards clean, let alone provide a decent standard of care with sympathetic staff, I was delighted to find the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Aug 2013 11:45:00 GMT One understandable reason that patients on long term medication ‘stockpile’ their routine drugs is to help protect themselves from pharmaceutical companies, who can suddenly withdraw a drug from the UK market, for purely commercial (not patient safety) reasons. Some withdrawn drugs are often still widely available in Europe or... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Aug 2013 10:05:00 GMT It's often too easy to just blame 'the patients'. Myself and colleagues have experienced the opposite problem: when presenting to GPs for advice on treatment, an antibiotic prescription has been forced even following requests for an alternative (due to multiple antibiotic allergies, I avoid them if I can). Isn't there also a need to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 11:05:00 GMT In the seventeenth century, Ben Johnson said: “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” Isn't the overuse of antibiotics too important for doctors still to be giving in to patients? Surely it isn't beyond the wit of someone to compose a few brief words of such devastating... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:35:00 GMT Great idea and I'm sure very comprehensive in its resources etc. I would suggest it also needs to be backed up at trust level with face-to-face workshops / learning sets / coaching & mentoring, to really allow staff to live & breathe the ethos in their own way. Re: New 6Cs online hub launched to mark NHS’s 65th birthday http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Jul 2013 10:19:00 GMT Some concerns that this fails to recognise differences in jobs that staff do: care workers and staff in a general practice environment do radically different jobs. Our HCA started in January and has been training and supervised since – she is already a qualified phlebotomist. Once her competences are signed off she will work alone... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:06:00 GMT I had a home birth for my second son because the care I received in hospital was appalling. I planned my home birth successfully and was fully supported by my yoga teacher. I would like my death to be the same, at home and by careful support and planning it can be less traumatic. We should all be honest with ourselves and take our own... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Jul 2013 10:05:00 GMT Will visitors to Wales be stripped of their organs if they happen to die there? As a regular visitor from England, would my family loose an input into the process if I die over the border? (Editor’s note: The new rule only applies to people aged over 18 who have lived there for at least a year before their death.) Tell us what... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Jul 2013 10:55:00 GMT An open letter to Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, National Medical Director, NHS England. I moved from the private sector to the NHS several years ago with the express aim of trying to improve the methods and culture inherent in the NHS, following a personal experience that left me exasperated and rather dismayed. During the past five years I... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Jun 2013 10:35:00 GMT ‘Will’ gather evidence – so what did they do first time round? It beggars belief surely; that should have been done first time round. Another huge waste of time and money which might have contributed to frontline care, and they tacitly admit they did not gather evidence from all interested parties the first time round. Is it... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:05:00 GMT I have lost count of the number of times I have heard “we must involve patients; we must communicate clearly; we must...” Almost 20 years ago I conducted research at an acute general hospital with respect to service delivery and service quality involving patients, clinicians and managers. The key issues which came out of this... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:56:00 GMT As to GPs working anywhere near a full day, that's really debatable. Or even a full week.... I just had a four hour procedure on a Friday at my local hospital and I have to say they provided excellent care. If I had known these stats would it had made my decision for elective surgery change? Probably not. You have to trust the surgeon... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:37:00 GMT Although today’s official figures from NHS England indicate a drop in district nursing numbers, evidence on the ground suggests that the overall number of nurses has remained relatively constant, with a greater number of specialist nurses in specific areas such as asthma, diabetes, COPD, etc. This points to the need for a much more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 May 2013 09:59:00 GMT The new Care Bill has the potential to transform the care services. However, the £75k cap limit is still too high. It should be about £35k to help people keep their homes. Ofsted-type inspections is a step in the right direction. Again, social care has been under funded for several years and more funding should be made available to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 May 2013 10:43:00 GMT [The] call by Mr Miliband for an integrated NHS where “services are designed around the needs of patients [with] teams of doctors, nurses, social workers and therapists all working together”, combined with “a greater focus on preventing people getting ill and more care being provided directly in people’s homes so they... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT This is long overdue. My family has lost our mum, uncle and cousin to this disease. My mum’s battle was just seven weeks, and my cousin just two weeks. I helped set up a support group for families and in just two years this has grown from six people to 340.  In that time we have had just four survivors, and two of those four... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 May 2013 09:25:00 GMT I am glad that this is now being highlighted and given the attention it deserves.  Since last October we have been piloting a new model of care at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital that puts nurses back at the bedside and reduces unnecessary paperwork. We have seen patient and staff satisfaction improve as well as a reduction in staff... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 May 2013 09:30:00 GMT There are so many people who do not understand the changes that are happening within the NHS. I fear when they wake up and realise what the government has done in their name, they will be shocked. I am a carer of a daughter with a complex condition, Turner Syndrome, who was not diagnosed until 21 years of age.  I don’t... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT We need to make exercise the ‘norm’. It needs to be demystified and made accessible and cheap. We have set up a walking group based out of our surgery building: one-hour buggy-friendly walks led by local park rangers, supported by a local charity. The local school lets us use its portable cabin for tea/coffee... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The Francis report makes many recommendations in relation to the failure of care to patients and I feel it is unfair to target nursing. Many nurses work to high standards with very high workloads and the majority do a very good job in very challenging circumstances with regard to staffing, targets and expectations. We need to refocus... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT What is wrong with the old system of training? As a student nurse in 1980, we trained for three years. This involved a rota of two weeks in school followed by eight weeks on a ward. We learnt the basics from the beginning. Also included in our ward placements were four assessments, and we had to pass each one if we wanted to continue. A... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT “Imagine a model that puts patients at the heart of commissioning”. Nice sound bite, but: 1) Do the vast majority of patients know what commissioning is? 2) If they did, would they want to be ‘at the heart of it’, or prefer just to attend a hospital and receive appropriate treatment? Re: Outcomes-based... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT Mid Essex CCG are working on a new pathway for ‘Frailty’. We are developing a Frailty Register in GP clinical systems and will create a database of activity and costs (including social care) for identified cohorts of these at-risk individuals. The intention is to develop a ‘year of care’ tariff and commission an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT I think he should stay. It’s too easy to find a scapegoat. I've met him before and he has been part of our practice meetings when discussing patients and I think he was very patient friendly. Give him a break, stop trying to find one person to land the blame on. Re: ‘As shocking as it is, that’s the truth’ –... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT Yesterday’s news that the UK ‘fares badly in European health league table’ yet again highlights the need for strategies to tackle and manage preventable long term conditions and smoking-related illnesses, such as lung and heart disease and cancer. The UK needs to embrace strategies such as health coaching as part of a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT I e-mailed the Patients Association some while ago about my experience with a patient survey carried out when I was a member of my local PPG. Over the years, many changes had taken place on how patients accessed appointments. Large numbers of patients had made it know that they were not happy with the systems being put in place, including... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Amidst all the revelation of poor standards, misdirected focus and inadequate/inappropriate regulation, the NHS has a great opportunity to take stock of its current levels and methods of regulation; to assemble and develop on the best of what it has. The timing of these revelations is also beneficial. Only last year the NHSLA underwent a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Stafford was the result of a bullying culture with a management focused on targets and money. This bullying culture comes down the chain from the Department of Health down to the executives in the hospital and the directorate mangers who in turn bully and harass the ward managers and give them too few staff. This uncaring attitude... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Stafford was the result of a bullying culture with a management focused on targets and money. This bullying culture comes down the chain from the Department of Health down to the executives in the hospital and the directorate mangers who in turn bully and harass the ward managers and give them too few staff. This uncaring attitude... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT This report was commissioned by two organisations with a financial interest in maintaining the status quo. There are a lot of coulds and mights...it is not unreasonable to look at all services to improve efficiencies and ensure the most vulnerable and at risk are targeted, in the current climate. For example older, empowered women... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The UK government is the 15th-18th in the world for spending on healthcare per citizen (depending on the figures you use). What do we expect? You get what you pay for and the NHS is cheap! The governments of the USA, Germany, Sweden and France all spend moreper citizen than we do. The government wants to know what we should copy from... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT If patients missing appointments are to be ‘fined’, will we also be compensated when we turn up on time and then have to wait for an hour or more because the doctor/nurse is running late, or when the appointment is cancelled without notice? Has anyone studied this side of the equation? I have had several outpatient... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT My father, a renal patient, died on Friday evening (28 December). He’d been doing well in hospital, though mistakes with his diet and a lack of attention to basic bodily functions caused him to acquire infections around the time he was nearing discharge. His consultant decided to stop dialysis because his body was shutting down. Left on... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The NHS is being managed into crisis. I have over 25 years experience and now work in the primary care field. Nurses have been instrumental in making the changes for primary care but do not get recognised for this. Parts of the NHS are being sold off to the lowest bidder with little or no consultation with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT It’s not just nursing. I am a health care scientist and we are working to difficult targets, have had our budgets decimated and lost a quarter of our staff. We are unable to now provide the care we know is necessary due to PCT ‘redesigning’ our service. After over 35 years in the NHS I’ve never known times as dire... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT I have nursed on the front line for 30 years and have over last five years witnessed the demise of the NHS: awfully low staff moral due to long, unsociable work hours; lack of resources; unrealistic manager targets; low staff retention/recruitment; dangerous staffing levels daily; constantly threatened by managers to do ever-increasing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Proper care is too important to become a 'target'. It must be what we truly believe in and practice everyday. It must not be something we do to get a point!  We should also remember that staff who feel cared for will give better care in their daily jobs.  Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Health-Care-News/normalisation-of-cruelty-across-nhs-hunt?goback=%2Egde_131376_member_190923983 Demotivated staff who do not get pay rises or resources (Tory budget cuts) are likely to not ‘care’ as much as they did under the previous Government! Hunt doesn't ‘care’ or he... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: £25m maternity ward boost About time the NHS made plans for newly bereaved parents to be housed away from newborn babies. Any parent who has lost a baby before, during or shortly after birth will tell you the psychological scarring they have from being on a ward or within earshot of new mums and new babies. Tell us what you... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT We just hope that the Safe and Sustainable review will look very closely at all the units providing heart surgery for children, they deserve the best care. We find it very hard to understand why Safe and Sustainable chose Bristol over some of the other centres, when it was the only centre not to have a high-dependency unit. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Article: London GPs ‘performing poorly’, says King’s Fund (7/11/12)  If consideration is being given to changes to the GP contract, it would make sense to also seriously review access to primary care services by the many overseas visitors who have no residency status in the UK yet still obtain free services, often... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Health-Care-News/south-london-hospitals-could-be-privatised The NHS in many ways is an extraordinary organisation and there is no doubt the UK is very lucky to have it. However, at some point, we can only hope that the Government will address some of the key problem areas: 1) The ‘silo... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: Gloucestershire services to remain in NHS (17/10/12) So what it is the difference between a provider that is called a trust and a provider that is not called a trust? I particularly like the way that the board appears to have been lionised for not seeking any other possible solutions; only in the public sector could this be seen as... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: Whistle-blowing charter promotes openness within the NHS (16/10/12) The NHS has a long way to go and even the unions are not pushing this enough. Staff, patients and users should all be able to raise issues to whoever they want, and there should not be a prerequisite to exhaust all official/formal channels first. There are two... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Article: www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Health-Care-News/140m-nurses-fund-announced We are greatly encouraged to hear that the Prime Minister and Health Secretary have set out plans to invest an additional £140m in modernising NHS processes, so that nurses and midwives can embrace emerging technologies. This will enable them... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Until recently, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust has asserted a right to deal as it pleased with communications addressed to governors by patients. In my experience this practice has involved covert interception, censorship and anonymisation – conduct hardly in keeping with common courtesy or the requirements for openness... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: ‘Healthcare not just closer to home - but in the home’ www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Interviews/healthcare-not-just-closer-to-home-but-in-the-home Before the UK health leadership sleepwalks into yet another ideologically charged non-evidence based ‘project’, let us be also aware of the cost implications... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT I believe that the Government has left no option for NHS trusts up and down the country, other than to apply for foundation trust status, due to their funding being under threat of being absorbed into other bigger organisations/foundation trusts. I believe they have done this so the financial difficulties look like it’s the fault of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: RCP report ‘completely wrong’ – health minister In the minister’s shoes I think I would be wary of dismissing this report. The key thing is to look at the evidence, which I believe the RCP have tried to do, and the seriousness of the message would merit further attention. The statistic that ‘only 85%... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT This strategy will help renew focus on how we can reduce suicide among all sections of society, and how we can provide better support for people at risk. Over the past 12 years, the number of inpatient suicides has fallen by over 60 per cent. We want to see this kind of progress continue, so we welcome the commitment to fund research into why... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT I have been involved with patient groups for a number of years and I must admit that the typical patient group that is engaged is the retired, white etc. I have always been concerned that too many people within the health arena appear to accept the limited engagement that we have at the present time, since 2004 until I took voluntary... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT RE: Grim NHS spending forecasts mean free services may have to go, NHE, 22/8/12 The NHS is already the most cost effective way to provide health care to the population, compare us across the world and the NHS delivers value for money and high quality healthcare for all regardless of ability to pay. The nearest competitor is Sweden who... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Thinking that supporting this cause was a good idea I went to the Cancer Research website. Before I could register my agreement to the campaign I was asked to give personal details to the Cancer Research Campaign which may be shared with other parties. To me this is outrageous. To offer to support a campaign and make it conditional upon... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: ‘Plain packaging for all tobacco – Cancer Research UK’, NHE, 8/8/12. I totally disagree with this stance. Tobacco has been an industry in existence for 100s of years. As a smoker I have the freedom of choice to choose if I smoke or not and also what brand I choose. Making packaging the same across the board opens the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT I am always frustrated when we discuss the NHS and its finances. The NHS has no money due to very poor management over the last few years. IT systems that are useless; PFIs; reorganisation after reorganisation; new and more regulatory bodies; shadow organisations whilst old ones take a year to disestablish; premises sold cheaply to developers;... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT I concur entirely with the thesis that retired folk should be regarded as an asset. What a pity it has taken so long for such view to be voiced. B&Q were pioneers in recognising that there was a vast reserve of know-how on DIY, far beyond official operating instructions and manuals, so offered employment to older people. Unfortunately... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT With apprehension rife in the NHS during these times of extreme market change, it is understandable that, although procurement decisions are still hard ones to make, healthcare organisations are seeking to move away from the constraints of the NPfIT and deploy EPR systems that best fit their business. However, with a variety of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The recent survey from the NHS Confederation, which shows that NHS bosses expect quality of care to fall, raises important questions about how trusts make decisions on where to make cost savings. To achieve significant efficiency gains, trusts need to be armed with the right information. Some hospitals will already know where their... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT If the NHS is to survive cost needs to be aggressively taken out. The NHS at the moment has absolutely no control at all of its suppliers having outsourced purchasing to DHL. It needs to move towards open sourced software instead of taking the pain of learning the new Microsoft Ribbon. It needs to move back to generic products...you want... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The buckle on the NHS spending belt is bracing for another squeeze. The IFS has warned today of a decade-long period of austerity up ahead – the likes of which we’ve not seen for 50 years. The financial situation clearly isn’t going to improve any time soon, and without anyone to swoop in and save the day, the NHS has... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT As told, this story is simply daft. A trust is found to be reckless after a subcontractor of its contracted IT service provider is negligent. How does that work? I could see the HIS being held negligent for employing a contractor who was incapable of doing the work, but only if it could be proven that they could or should have known that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Whilst I can understand the anger and worry this has caused, no good comes from fining a public organisation as the only losers are the patients as services or developments will be cut. However I can’t understand how a subcontractor can be allowed to remain in business if they make such a fundamental error with data. Tell us... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Clearly there must be much more to this story (NHS trust cannot afford data breach, 6/6/12). Someone took away the hard drives and sold them… If the trust sub-contracted the work of destroying the hard drives (as per Government policy) they are only culpable if their process of selection of the sub-contractor was at fault. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT These figures show the burden of alcohol on the health service is unsustainable. Alcohol is already costing the NHS more than £3bn a year and the problem is taking an intolerable toll on our society. In some parts of the country more than a fifth of A&E admissions are alcohol related. Drink can be a contributory factor with some... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Delivering a world-class integrated care model in theUKwill depend heavily upon the ability of health and social care systems to maximise the power of the information they routinely generate. To achieve this, the challenge of interoperability must be overcome. In truth, most of what is required to develop national standards has already... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT The recent State of the Nation Report 2012, published by DiabetesUK, shows that in some areas only 6% of diabetes sufferers receive the NICE recommended regular checks and services and fewer than half of diabetes sufferers receive basic minimum care. The report makes for tough reading but was clear in its suggestion that better information... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT This is the text of Cathy Warwick’s announcement on maternity services, postnatal depression and the ‘named midwife’ policy. “This is very good news for women and midwives. These are positive plans from the Government targeting areas of maternity care that are under prioritised and under-resourced. The impact of a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Stonewall have reported statistical evidence from a substantial survey indicating that the suicide rate amongst bisexual and homosexual men is respectively 12 and 7.5 times higher than the whole male population. They have linked this with failings in the health services provided by the NHS. The figures reveal human tragedy and pain on a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 457 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT