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 13:10:12 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ 15 As part of Organ Donation Week, NHE’s Matt Roberts spoke with our Managing Director Roy Rowlands about the importance of raising awareness for the subject and having these conversations; as families, organisations and individuals. We don’t often like to think about the end, but as Organ Donation Week – which has run... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 424,408,411,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 11 Sep 2020 12:15:00 GMT Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive, NHS Employers & Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Confederation The common enemy of coronavirus united the public side by side with the NHS in a way that many had not seen in their lifetimes and for others evoked war-time memories. It was an image of defiance personified by the unforgettable... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,407,411,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 28 Aug 2020 09:15:00 GMT Professor Cheng-Hock Toh, Academic Vice-President, Royal College of Physicians UK medical and scientific research is a global success story, encompassing Nobel prize-winning breakthroughs, novel drug discoveries and world-leading scientific institutes and treatment centres. But it is clear from an RCP survey of physicians that there are... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 417,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 27 Aug 2020 08:45:00 GMT Chris Hopson, Chief Executive, NHS Providers Last week the NHS was widely described as providing a ‘Covid-19 only’ service for much of the last few months. Frontline NHS trust leaders are frustrated and disappointed at this description as it is untrue, unfair and potentially dangerous. It is untrue because local hospital... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,408,411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT Darren Atkins, Chief Technology Officer (Artificial Intelligence & Automation), East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust featured on Episode 11 of NHE’s Finger on the Pulse podcast.   “What I say to all the organisations I engage with is to forget the technology and come up with: Why do you want to do... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 419,417,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 06 Aug 2020 12:00:00 GMT Dr Nichola Stefanou, Director of Clinical Practice, Home Group With the UK government announcing a £62m funding package to speed up the discharge of people with learning disabilities and autism from hospital, Dr Nichola Stefanou explains why it’s so important for people to move into an appropriate home. Currently there... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,413,2996,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Aug 2020 08:30:00 GMT Adam Mayer, Senior Manager, Qlik Data has the power to drastically improve patient care delivery within our healthcare services. From managing key operational issues, to identifying patterns to inform population health strategies, it’s clear to see why so many NHS trusts are actively exploring new ways data analytics can help... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,2996,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 03 Aug 2020 12:00:00 GMT Leonora Volpe, Policy Advisor, NHS Providers The idea that the NHS should be involved in prevention is not a new one. However, in an environment of strained resources and widening health inequalities, with low investment in public services which support people’s health such as social care, transport, and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 411,418,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 31 Jul 2020 08:45:00 GMT Rachel Georgiou, Operations Manager, Health Exchange   Personalised care will play an increasing role in the future of delivering healthcare. By 2024, personalised care is expected to benefit up to 2.5 million people in the UK. A one-size-fits all approach no longer works. We cannot simply treat symptoms; we must instead look... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 23 Jul 2020 08:45:00 GMT Jennifer Watts, Interim Programme Director for System Support and Evaluation, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)   Respiratory disease affects 1 in 5 people and is the third biggest cause of death in England after cancer and cardiovascular disease. It continues to be a major cause of disability... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 405,411,417,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Jul 2020 12:15:00 GMT Dr Mogjan H Sani, Director Medicines Optimisation, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust Rebecca Alexander, Associate Chief Pharmacist Clinical Services, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust Richard Cowan, Lead Antimicrobial Pharmacist   Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) is now a routine... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,408,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 20 Jul 2020 09:45:00 GMT Sean Duggan, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Network Let’s take this opportunity to reflect on the amazing achievements of our health system over the past few months. But as we recognise the best of the NHS and its response to the Covid-19 crisis we must not forget that for mental health the peak has yet to come. Covid-19... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 414,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 03 Jul 2020 11:00:00 GMT Matt Roberts, NHE Editorial Lead Yes, would be the simple answer. There are significant skills and expertise within the sector which the NHS could tap into; that much has been a largely agreed upon fact for some time. The ability to further our health service’s medical and research capabilities and unlock potential new treatments... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 417,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 30 Jun 2020 12:00:00 GMT Parminder Sandhu, Mental Health Services Manager for Health Exchange As the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic continues, there is increased awareness that the virus is causing problems far beyond physical illness. So, what are some of mental health challenges patients are currently facing? And how can we support those impacted to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 414,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 22 Jun 2020 10:15:00 GMT Judith Richardson, Acting Director for Health and Social Care at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), discusses her views on the latest NICE impact report on children’s and young people’s healthcare. Children and young people make up 21% of the population of England, account for 23% of accident and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,2978,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 16 Jun 2020 10:00:00 GMT Evolution is crucial in any business and National Health Executive is no different. Long before Covid-19 even became a thought in the back of our minds, the team at NHE were looking at innovative ways to deliver its content to our audience in a more dynamic and responsive manner. We’re conscious to take the time to both protect the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 12 Jun 2020 10:15:00 GMT An interview with Sonia Patel, NHSX’s new Chief Information Officer “It just shows, with the right conditions and a shared goal, what we can achieve as the NHS.” Sonia Patel is talking about 'NHS Book a virtual visit', a bespoke technology solution providing remote visiting options to patients and their loved ones... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 417,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 08 Jun 2020 09:30:00 GMT Dr Russell Muirhead, Clinical Director of Living Well, Taking Control A third of adults in England have pre-diabetes, according to research published in The BMJ. The study also found that, over eight years, the number of people diagnosed with pre-diabetes tripled. By 2025, it is estimated that five million people will have diabetes in the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,413,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 26 May 2020 11:30:00 GMT The University of Glasgow offers a whole host of healthcare online degrees designed to promote your skills and progress your career. Join us and make your mark today. Against a backdrop of increasingly aging populations and advancing medical technology, the pressure on health services worldwide is growing. If you’re a healthcare... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 2996,421,428,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 21 May 2020 08:45:00 GMT Dr Owain Hughes, founder of Cinapsis, discusses how the Covid-19 crisis highlights the referral burden placed on GPs. The onus of deciding who should be referred for hospital or specialist care has weighed heavy on the shoulders of GPs for decades. Unfortunately, the advent of coronavirus means the stakes of such decisions have... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 414,421,428,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 19 May 2020 08:30:00 GMT With the NHS entering the second phase of its Covid-19 response, it faces a new challenge: patient concerns around infection risk possibly preventing them from attending outpatient services. How can NHS Trusts communicate confidence in its infection prevention measures as many non-coronavirus treatments and procedures previously halted... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 418,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 18 May 2020 08:45:00 GMT Stuart Brown, service manager of Living Well, Taking Control Pressure on the NHS has been mounting for many years. By the end of 2019, it was reported that 4.6 million people were waiting for hospital treatment and 1.4 million people had unmet need for social care. Increased demand for services was driven by an ageing population and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 May 2020 16:15:00 GMT Steve Whiting who leads the Health Sector at Cantium Business Solutions discusses the challenges faced around payroll in the healthcare sector and how outsourcing a payroll provider is the answer. To the casual eye, the fundamentals of payroll management are general – tracking hours, calculating pay and depositing employee salaries... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 415,421,428,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 11 May 2020 10:00:00 GMT British Red Cross Executive Director of UK Operations Norman McKinley discusses how the organisation is supporting the most vulnerable in response to coronavirus and asks: What will be done to address health inequalities that lead people to become vulnerable in the first place? Covid-19 has been described as the biggest global crisis... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 Apr 2020 16:00:00 GMT Words by Ben Kanter, MD, FCCP, Chief Medical Information Officer, Vocera Clinicians and nurses contend with infectious diseases every day. The Covid-19 pandemic is highlighting this stressful aspect of care, partly because it is highly contagious, and also because it’s creating unprecedented demand to protect hospital staff coupled... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 408,417,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 16 Apr 2020 08:30:00 GMT Jennifer Jones-Rigby, COO at Health Exchange, a social enterprise seeking to shape the design and development of health and wellbeing services in a way that will enable everyone to have the capacity and confidence to choose positive health and wellbeing. The medical profession is often overstretched, with too many resources... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Apr 2020 16:00:00 GMT Matthew Jordan-Boyd, Director of Finance & Corporate Governance, NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) I have written several articles about the work of NHSCFA and that tends to be from my fairly technical angle as a figures person, an accountant who has worked in the NHS for almost 20 years. When I discuss the need to be more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 415,2978,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 31 Mar 2020 09:30:00 GMT Indie Dhariwal, Wellbeing Facilitator at Living Well Taking Control Living with a chronic condition puts huge pressure on both the body and mind. Not only can it prevent patients from doing activities they used to enjoy, but in many cases, patients suffer psychological distress. Considering how difficult and disabling chronic... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 414,411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 20 Mar 2020 11:30:00 GMT Words by Dean Royles and Kevan Taylor, who continue their regular contribution to NHE’s blog content. Kevan and Dean work in organisations and systems providing strategic support, advice and development. Culture in primary care and in secondary care is different. Not better, not worse, just different – Mars... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Mar 2020 09:15:00 GMT Dr. Eleanor Roy, Health and Social Care Policy Manager, CIPFA The Budget is the opportunity for the government to follow through on its promises to turn the page on austerity and begin a ‘decade of renewal’ across the country. For the health sector, such ‘renewal’ is badly needed, especially for the NHS estate... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 415,416,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 02 Mar 2020 10:15:00 GMT Words by Dean Royles and Kevan Taylor, who continue their regular contribution to NHE’s blog content. Kevan and Dean work in organisations and systems providing strategic support, advice and development. Every time the NHS goes through one of its many, many structural reorganisations, there is a renewed emphasis on the importance of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 24 Feb 2020 10:15:00 GMT Independent consultant and strategic advisor Dean Royles continues his series on The Unappreciated Qualities of Leadership. You can find links to his previous pieces here.   Those that follow me on Twitter and Instagram will know I'm a keen hiker. I love the outdoors and I love a sunrise, full of anticipation, bringing with it... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 17 Feb 2020 09:15:00 GMT Dean Royles and Kevan Taylor offer their expertise on providing strategic support, advice and development, as they build on previous thoughts around recent primary care changes. The proposed rapid expansion of primary care is very welcome and, if managed well, will see a substantial development in primary care’s capacity and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 10 Feb 2020 10:30:00 GMT Words by Kevan Taylor and Dean Royles. Kevan and Dean offer their expertise to organisations and systems by providing strategic support, advice and development. The run up to the general election provided much speculation and many promises about the NHS - more staff, more hospitals, more upgrades, faster GP appointments.  It... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,428,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 24 Jan 2020 09:45:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management,’ discusses the need to move the treatment of patients from primary to secondary care and how the NHS People Plan can help achieve this. Throughout my (overlong) career in the NHS, the national policy on... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,428,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 16 Jan 2020 09:30:00 GMT Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and health and social care director for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), discusses the latest impact report on lung cancer care. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and the third most common cancer in England. According to the latest report by the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,408,417,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 13 Jan 2020 08:45:00 GMT Zaytun Ratansi, health facilitator at Living Well Taking Control With the rise of large digital players in the healthcare system, the way patients are receiving treatment is ever-changing. For example, Amazon Alexa speakers are now considered a viable medium to offer patients healthcare advice. Whilst we welcome this digital... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Dec 2019 15:45:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management,’ discusses last week’s Our Health Heroes Awards. We find unsung heroes in all walks of life. Individuals, doing amazing things in their local communities. Individuals that don’t seek... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 05 Dec 2019 13:00:00 GMT Ergotron EMEA discusses how they can support organisations to make caregivers’ work meaningful and promote better wellbeing. Caregivers always focus on sharing their dedication to their patients. However, this choice is unfortunately not always up to expectations: the lack of staff, the demanding workload, the system’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,428,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 03 Dec 2019 15:45:00 GMT Every day you and your teams play a vital role in delivering transformational public services to millions of citizens. These public services help save lives, provide care for vulnerable children, put roofs over millions of heads and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s an unprecedented landscape for politics at present and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 03 Dec 2019 10:15:00 GMT Mark Lever, chief executive, Helpforce   If you put Brexit to one side it is quite clear that the NHS has been the most hotly debated topic during the build up to the General Election on 12 December. Each party is highlighting the pressure the NHS is under, whether that be from funding pressures, staff vacancies or increased demand... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 26 Nov 2019 08:45:00 GMT It has been a challenging few years for healthcare providers, yet they have continued to deliver high quality care despite the conditions. Adam Brimelow, director of communications at NHS Providers, outlines just how providers are managing to deliver despite the financial squeeze.   It is inevitable that the NHS’... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 408,411,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Oct 2019 08:30:00 GMT Hayley Clark, the acting head of development and impact at the NSPCC, talks about the significant gap in support services for children who have been sexually abused and the Home Office’s new framework for commissioners. The complex and fragmented commissioning landscape for child sexual abuse support services has resulted in a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 08 Oct 2019 11:30:00 GMT Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care, introduces the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) latest impact report on maternity and neonatal care. During 2017/18, there were more than 626,000 births in the NHS. With around 100,000 neonatal admissions to hospital... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,408,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 26 Sep 2019 10:00:00 GMT John Coutts, policy advisor for governance at NHS Providers, explains the role of non-executive directors (NEDs) and the impact they can make in the NHS decision-making process. Non-executive directors (NEDs) have been part and parcel of the make up of NHS boards for many years and their role and function is familiar to many. There... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 2978,421,428,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Sep 2019 08:30:00 GMT Grey Giddins, member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, discusses how hand care and injury prevention have become increasingly important given the UK’s ageing population   It’s no secret that the UK’s ageing population presents challenges for the NHS. The fact that we are living longer means greater... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 23 Aug 2019 12:45:00 GMT Jonah Rusere, Advanced Nurse Practitioner for South East London Accountable Cancer Network, outlines an opportunity for urology nurses to make a difference to prostate cancer pathways. What is TRexit and why is it great news for prostate cancer patients all over the country? Let me explain. TRexit is the name given to a national... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Jul 2019 16:15:00 GMT Chief executive of the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Martin Barkley, writes for NHE to guide us through his trust’s improvement journey. It’s arguably a hackneyed phrase in the NHS, but Mid Yorkshire really has been on a significant journey in the last few years. Dogged by a previously problematic reputation, I believe... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,412,408,416,418,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 May 2019 15:15:00 GMT Dr Carolyn Wilkins OBE, accountable officer of NHS Oldham CCG and chief executive of Oldham Council, provides an overview of the health and social care integration work taking place in the borough. Under the Oldham Cares banner our alliance of partners has a shared goal: “To see the greatest and fastest possible improvement in the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,426,413,411,418,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 May 2019 14:45:00 GMT Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), provides her view on the newly published NICE impact report on stroke. Stroke is one of the greatest health challenges of our time. There are a reported 38,000 deaths occurring every year in the UK from more than 100,000 strokes... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,405,412,419,408,417,418,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 May 2019 14:30:00 GMT Dr Caroline Fryar, head of advisory services at the Medical Defence Union (MDU), explains why medical defence organisation (MDO) membership remains important following the introduction of state indemnity. On 1 April 2019, state indemnity for NHS contracted primary care work was introduced in England and Wales. Following this, the MDU... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 405,420,415,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 May 2019 11:00:00 GMT What, exactly, is an integrated care system? Well, it’s unclear, writes Kacey Cogle, policy advisor at NHS Providers. On the NHS England website, integrated care systems (ICSs) are not clearly defined, referring to STPs (sustainability and transformation partnerships), the predecessor of ICSs, in the first few lines without clarity... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 405,413,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 09 May 2019 05:00:00 GMT We are on a digital rollercoaster, swirling and twirling through a variety of different online advertising platforms – have we forgotten about traditional marketing platforms such as print? The UK is currently the global leader in advertising, generating £6 for every £1 spent on advertising to the economy. This year, UK... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 07 May 2019 15:30:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management,’ discusses the upcoming Our Health Heroes Awards. There are many metaphors to describe staff working in healthcare. Junior doctors have been described as the ‘backbone’ of the NHS, nurses... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 16:45:00 GMT Sonya Clinch, West London NHS Trust’s head of operations for access and urgent care, tells us how her trust dealt with significant pressures in its services. Maintaining good patient flow is challenging in many trusts, often because the discharge process is lengthy and convoluted. Discharge can be disjointed for the patient when... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 412,414,416,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Apr 2019 09:00:00 GMT Following a comprehensive review, NICE’s Medical Technology Guidance has recommended Debrisoft pad (10x10cm), Debrisoft Lolly and Debrisoft pad (13x20cm), manufactured by Lohmann & Rauscher, as part of the management of acute or chronic wounds in the community. The NICE committee behind the guidance concluded that using the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 08 Apr 2019 08:00:00 GMT Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, outlines the benefits of bringing volunteers into hospitals, as well as the valuable work of Helpforce. Volunteers have always been involved in the NHS, and it’s estimated that around 78,000 volunteers currently support patients and staff in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Apr 2019 08:45:00 GMT With the current NHS workforce crisis viewed by many as the biggest threat to the success of the NHS Long-Term Plan, Tasy Warn, director of employment services at NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), describes some of the innovative solutions being developed to address the challenge. Amidst the considerable focus on the NHS workforce... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Mar 2019 09:30:00 GMT Professor Gillian Leng, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Health and Social Care at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence - NICE - provides her view of the newly published NICE impact report on mental health. Mental health conditions are the largest single cause of disability in the UK, with one in 4 adults... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,414,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 25 Mar 2019 10:15:00 GMT Jon Baker, PHBChoices director at NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) believes that the extension of Personal Health Budgets (PHBs) is a great opportunity for clinical commissioning groups (CCG) to expand and improve care provision – provided that the right infrastructure is in place. The personalisation agenda is transforming... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,410,413,415,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT Ian McNab, consultant orthopaedic hand surgeon and council member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, outlines how a focus on prevention to hand injury could wider benefits for the NHS and general public. The NHS Long-Term Plan, released earlier this year, highlights how the prevention of avoidable health problems linked to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 405,416,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 18 Mar 2019 09:30:00 GMT Novartis Oncology has worked with the NHS on 55 JWPs since 2014, focusing on areas including improving the patient experience, redesigning cancer services, harnessing service data, and piloting innovative care models. JWPs can lead to rapid, significant gains in improving the patient experience, while helping the wider Health Service... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 12 Mar 2019 11:15:00 GMT Kirstie Stott, director of the Inspiring Leaders Network, writes for NHE to argue for greater involvement from men in leading the conversation around gender equality. We need more male leaders! It’s true, I don't see enough of them currently leading the conversations around gender equality. As with flexible working, it’s often... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT As part of our guest blog series, chief executive of NHS Employers, Danny Mortimer, reflects on a recently published Health Foundation report on staffing trends of the NHS - and what he believes should be done at this critical crossroads in the lifespan of the healthcare workforce. The title of the latest research paper... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 07 Mar 2019 12:00:00 GMT With around 1,500 alcohol-related hospital stays for both adults and under 18s at the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust every year, it is clear that alcohol-related ill health is both a concern and a significant demand on the NHS. With increased hospital admissions year on year, there’s a real worry that people do not... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 17:00:00 GMT In this article, Bevan Exemplar and trauma surgeon Oliver Blocker explains why the NHS needs to change to survive in the way it treats and admits trauma patients. He discusses how new models of care are vital to meet the needs of patients with injuries in an overstretched hospital service. Best for patients? Right now, in many UK cities... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,413,407,418,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 10:15:00 GMT In January the NHS released its much-anticipated Long Term plan, pledging to save 500,000 lives through new prevent strategies, and making a concerted effort to improve the general public’s health. But Simon Keen, media relations manager at NHS Providers, poses the question: Did Brexit drown out the NHS Long Term plan? Brexit.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Feb 2019 09:45:00 GMT Guest blogger Shirley O’Keeffe, expert in employee wellness, stress management and resilience with 20 years’ experience working in healthcare, explains why resilience training should be compulsory for all health and social care undergraduates. When I was a student nurse back in the 90’s, I had a clinical placement in a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 19 Feb 2019 09:15:00 GMT Ahead EvoNorth we caught up with Dr Tracy Vell MBE, Associate Lead for Primary and Community Care, Greater Manchester, Health and Social Care Partnership. Dr Tracy Vell MBE shares her thoughts on the Northern Powerhouse, what it means to her and why she thinks it’s important to attend EvoNorth.  What does your role... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 2900,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 14 Feb 2019 12:45:00 GMT We caught up with Alex Heritage, Chief Executive at the NHS Transformation Unit, ahead of EvoNorth 27-28 Feb 2019.  Alex, shares how his role as Chief Executive is transforming health, social care and well-being across the region, why he is attending EvoNorth and why he thinks attending EvoNorth is vital to shaping the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 2900,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 14 Feb 2019 12:15:00 GMT Michael Forrest, interim chief executive of the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), discusses how his team has implemented best practice methods to achieve its ‘good’ CQC rating awarded last year.  I am delighted with our rating from the CQC, which I feel reflects the way we deliver services for patients and values the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 412,407,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 14 Feb 2019 10:00:00 GMT With EvoNorth just around the corner, we caught up with Dr Hakim Yadi, CEO of the Northern Health Science Alliance, to find out why he is attending EvoNorth 27-28 Feb. What does your role as CEO of the Northern Health Science Alliance involve? As CEO of the Northern Health Science Alliance I lead a team which make sure the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 2900,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Feb 2019 12:45:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management,’ returns to write for NHE for his blog series on effective leadership. What if…? Why don’t we try…? What would happen if…? How did we get…? Why did…? How about... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 12 Feb 2019 15:45:00 GMT National director of Healthwatch England, Imelda Redmond CBE, looks ahead to the future of the health service as the long-term plan takes effect, and outlines what her organisation has done, and is doing, to engage local health workers and patients alike. The NHS Long-Term Plan, and the increased financial investment being made in the NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 405,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Feb 2019 09:30:00 GMT Most people become sexually active between the ages of 16 and 24. Without the right advice and measures to ensure good sexual health and wellbeing, this can lead to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, writes Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 417,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 05 Feb 2019 08:45:00 GMT Kirstie Stott, director of the Inspiring Leaders Network, returns to write for NHE to discuss the benefits of flexible working, and why it should be used more across the NHS. "For the seventh time can you brush your teeth!"  Mornings are usually hectic in my house: trying to get two boys ready for school, do the school run... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 09:00:00 GMT From McDonalds to eBay, Paul Conroy, chief executive of the Institute of Healthcare Management, discusses the various business styles which have influenced NHS training throughout the years, and how this all fits into the long-term plan. Whatever the 10-year plan says, whatever the headlines on cash for the NHS – we all know the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Jan 2019 09:45:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management,’ returns to write for NHE for his blog series on effective leadership. “It is not in your top three, Dean…” The difficulty in asking for feedback is that sometimes, occasionally... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 14 Jan 2019 14:30:00 GMT Danny Longbottom, director of local government and health at BT, explains how digital innovation is putting power in the hands of healthcare teams and patients. What does checking your bank balance, navigating to Aberdeen, or listening to music have in common? To perform any of these tasks, you would reach for your smartphone. Mobile tech... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 419,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 17 Dec 2018 09:45:00 GMT Medesk CEO Vladimir Kovalskiy examines how to create a more integrated healthcare ecosystem. Private healthcare in particular has  benefits from a wealth of opportunities when it comes to creating an ecosystem in which patients can learn how to engage with their own day-to-day health. Such an ecosystem can support not just a more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 14 Dec 2018 09:15:00 GMT Lauren Hockney, senior communications officer at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS FT (ESNEFT), outlines how her trust is embracing the digital and automation revolution. Robots have arrived at the ESNEFT, and they are giving back hundreds of hours to staff so they can spend more time helping patients. The trust, which includes... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 419,417,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Dec 2018 09:15:00 GMT Vicki Nash, head of policy and campaigns at Mind, assesses the impact of social media on the nation’s wellbeing. Few days go by without a story in the press about the negative effect of social media on mental health. It seems obvious: people, especially children and young people, are often seen staring at their mobile phones rather... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 414,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Dec 2018 09:15:00 GMT Ryan Reed, head of public sector sales at Swiss Post Solution (SPS), reveals the new ESPO 390 framework, which can help address the need for digital transformation across the NHS.  The administrative and financial burden of manual processes and physical patient records is taking its toll across the NHS. The NHS’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 419,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Dec 2018 16:15:00 GMT The upcoming NHS long-term plan will provide a once-in-a-decade opportunity to improve our approach to heart and circulatory health – but only if we act now, writes Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation (BHF). We’ve come a long way in improving heart and circulatory health since the 1960s. Advances... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 30 Nov 2018 09:15:00 GMT The NHS must export its services and expertise to protect its lead as the global healthcare market explodes, argues Professor Sir Malcolm Grant CBE, outgoing chair of NHS England. We’re at a turning point in history as global healthcare cost and demand rise – due not only to the increase in ageing populations with complex... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 407,421,428 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Nov 2018 10:00:00 GMT Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE, provides her view of the institute’s newly published impact report on antimicrobial resistance. Around 700,000 deaths occur every year worldwide due to infections that we cannot treat due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This number is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 407,417,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Nov 2018 08:00:00 GMT Kirstie Stott, director of the Inspiring Leaders Network, flips the gender balance debate on its head and asks: why aren’t there more male nurses? As an advocate for gender equality, I was recently struck by the NHS Provider Board report from NHS Improvement, which is an interesting but not surprising read. As someone who... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Nov 2018 15:30:00 GMT Jack Roberts, content marketing specialist, shares some best practice from down under regarding digital technology and mental health services. The impact of mental health is rapidly increasing, with data showing that nearly one in five adults are diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime, and only half of these people receive... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 414,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 09 Nov 2018 09:15:00 GMT Kirstie Stott, director of the Inspiring Leaders Network, looks ahead to the impending transformation of the NHS’s workforce, and looks at how we can futureproof it.   It seems a while now since NHS organisations were required to submit their Gender Pay Gap Reports. Time has passed and if I’m honest I still see... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 06 Nov 2018 12:45:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management’ published by Oxford University Press, argues that organisational culture can be one of the most significant constraints to a workforce’s mental health and wellbeing. It may just be me, it may just... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 414,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 31 Oct 2018 12:00:00 GMT Keiron Salt, CIO Health at BT, makes the case for a more rapid digital transformation of the NHS. The NHS is arguably the UK’s greatest asset, but it’s facing major challenges. Patients are constantly demanding more of the service. People are living longer, and a 65-year-old costs over twice as much as the average 30-year-old.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Oct 2018 08:00:00 GMT CIPFA’s health and social care policy manager, Dr Ellie Roy, makes the case for a long-term funding plan for social care, and welcomes the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) latest findings. The UK Government has committed to the goal of better integration of health and social care, but the financial squeeze and lack of clarity... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 22 Oct 2018 14:45:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management,’ argues that truly transformational leaders must posses a certain quality: patience.   They say that patience is a virtue, but judging by today’s rapidly changing, on demand, instant... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 22 Oct 2018 10:00:00 GMT Sathish Sethuraman, travel and transport plan co-ordinator at Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT, explains how efforts to promote cycling to work at the trust are resulting in more staff travelling on two wheels. At Northumbria Healthcare, we are committed to becoming a greener organisation and reducing the environmental impact of delivering... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Oct 2018 09:00:00 GMT Prof. Dilip Nathwani is a speaker at the Infection Prevention Society’s Infection Prevention Conference 2018, consultant in infectious diseases and honorary professor of infection at the University of Dundee, and past president of the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC). Here, he argues that the right culture is the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 408,411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Oct 2018 12:45:00 GMT James Roach, director of the Integrated Care Partnership in West Essex, reveals that fully deployed community pharmacy models could release 18 million GP appointments per year. Working with the National Pharmacy Association, an innovative GP practice (Jaunty Springs) and community pharmacy in Sheffield (Basegreen Pharmacy), I evaluated an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,418,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Oct 2018 08:45:00 GMT Dr Phil Moore, deputy chair (clinical) at NHS Kingston CCG and chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners’ Mental Health Commissioners Network, makes the case for a long-term commitment to children and young people’s (CYP’s) mental health. The real question is, is it acceptable? Is it acceptable that mental health problems... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 414,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Oct 2018 09:00:00 GMT Tackling preventable cardiovascular disease and ill-health is one of the most important things we can do to tackle health inequalities and protect our health and social care system, argues Professor Jamie Waterall, national lead for cardiovascular disease prevention at Public Health England. As one of the leading causes of disability and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Sep 2018 10:15:00 GMT CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, discusses the importance of a whole-system approach to managing the capacity problem as demand for health and social care continues to rise. Every year, we are seeing more and more people in need of health and care support. This rising demand is partly due to our ageing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,418,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Sep 2018 08:45:00 GMT Almost 3.7 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes and a further 12.3 million are at increased risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Without the very best care, support and treatment, this fast growing health crisis is set to affect more than 5 million people in the UK by 2025, writes Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 24 Sep 2018 09:15:00 GMT Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham is the Paul Hamlyn chair of surgery at Imperial College, a surgeon working in the NHS and, from 2007-09, was health minister under Labour. Here, he highlights the importance of innovation in the NHS, and the exciting prospects it might bring if we’re brave enough to seize the opportunities... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 417,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Sep 2018 08:45:00 GMT Is a clinical research role the change you’re looking for? A new campaign offers nurses the chance to get involved in research and keep on making a difference. Susan Hamer, director of nursing at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), talks about how nurses will have the opportunity to shadow a research... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 17 Sep 2018 09:00:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management’ published by Oxford University Press, writes for NHE to discuss the too often ignored hard work and compassion of our NHS staff, as well as the 2018 Our Health Heroes awards.  I sometimes struggle... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Sep 2018 09:00:00 GMT Danny Longbottom, director of local government and health at BT Helping the UK stay healthy on a shrinking budget. It’s the major challenge facing health and social care organisations. Managers are looking for a way to cut costs, be more efficient and deliver better services. And digital transformation is the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 10 Sep 2018 12:15:00 GMT Jullie Tran Graham, trust engagement lead at HelpForce, dives deep into the more meaningful data surrounding the positive impact volunteers are having on our hospitals. In the voluntary sector we put a lot of emphasis on the effort we’re making, how many people we serve, how many hours our volunteers have contributed. This effort... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 23 Aug 2018 10:30:00 GMT Falls should not be an inevitable part of ageing – and their snowball effect means the consequence of falls are far from limited to just hospital admissions, says Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE Almost a third of over-65s in the UK have a fall at least once a year, with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 408,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 10 Aug 2018 16:00:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management’ published by Oxford University Press, makes the case for radical collaboration to plan for the future of the NHS. The NHS has a new secretary of state and a commitment to a new 10-year plan. The think... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 407,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 03 Aug 2018 11:30:00 GMT Kirstie Stott, managing director of The Inspiring Leaders Network, writes for NHE to ask: how do we shift to seeing our senior leaders as also needing care and compassion when it matters the most? The recent report from The Kings Fund, ‘Leadership in today’s NHS,’ demonstrated that leadership vacancies are widespread and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 407,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 03 Aug 2018 10:45:00 GMT Our national health service appreciates the extra money, but it can’t solve all its problems alone, says Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation. The NHS is subject to key moments in its history when its future direction is determined: the battle with the medical profession around its birth, the 1974 reorganisation... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 415,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Aug 2018 11:45:00 GMT The world is changing, the workforce is changing, the workplace is changing, but is the way we work changing? Kirstie Stott, director at The Inspiring Leaders Network & Equilibrium, investigates. The glass ceiling is becoming less impenetrable in some sectors with the rise of female entrepreneurs. The UK has seen a sustained increase... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Jul 2018 10:30:00 GMT Stewart Fishman, product manager for Personal Health Records (PHRs) at NHS Digital, writes for NHE to discuss the empowering impact PHRs can have for patients. Imagine a future where people can easily choose from a range of secure, usable, online tools to access their care records. They can add information to these tools and share it... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,419,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Jul 2018 16:00:00 GMT Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, discusses the importance of board governance and accountability as we move towards local systems to deliver integrated patient care. Carillion, Enron, Arthur Anderson, Lehman Brothers… organisational failures that demonstrate the importance of board governance. Though not always a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,413,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 17 Jul 2018 11:45:00 GMT Dean Royles, strategic workforce advisor at Skills for Health and co-author of ‘An Introduction to Human Resources Management,’ published by Oxford University Press, outlines three quick wins that are at the disposal of the new secretary of state. Matt Hancock, the new secretary of state for health and social care, takes up... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 12 Jul 2018 09:15:00 GMT ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE   The healthcare sector is facing a crisis as it struggles to keep hold of its employees in the UK. Earlier this year, it was reported that a total of 33,000 nurses (equivalent to 1 in 10) left the NHS in 2017. What makes this statistic particularly worrying is that just 30,000 nurses were recruited during... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:45:00 GMT Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett, chair and founder of HelpForce, argues the case for NHS volunteers and the vital role they can play in the next 70 years of the NHS. It is exhausting keeping track of the challenges faced by the NHS. Imagine what it must be like when you are in the middle of it all as a frontline worker. The 70th... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 06 Jul 2018 09:00:00 GMT The National Health Service is turning 70 tomorrow. To celebrate, Dr Michael Devlin, head of professional standards and liaison at the Medical Defence Union (MDU), looks back at some of the significant medical advances made during that time, as well as how the medico-legal landscape has changed. 1948 NHS milestone: Introduction of the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Jul 2018 11:15:00 GMT ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE Danny Longbottom, director of local government & health, BT Business & Public Sector, says that embedding the right kind of tech will help healthcare staff deliver the best possible patient care – and Intelligent Connectivity may just be the perfect solution. When you’re working in the health... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 25 Jun 2018 09:30:00 GMT Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director Health and Social Care at NICE, looks into what can be done to decrease cardiovascular disease nationally and how to prevent missed opportunities in the future. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for just over a quarter of deaths and affects around 7 million people in the UK.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Jun 2018 09:45:00 GMT Following the announcement of the second wave of integrated care systems (ICSs), NHS Providers, the NHS Confederation, NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) and the Local Government Association (LGA) reflect on how lessons learnt by members from across the four organisations – that have designed and worked together as part of the vanguards... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,418,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 29 May 2018 12:15:00 GMT As sharing data across organisations becomes the norm in the NHS, will general practice embrace its potential to improve the care we deliver to patients? Rebecca Fisher, a GP and policy fellow at the Health Foundation, investigates. “I just assumed your computers talked to each other” is a phrase not infrequently heard in my... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 419,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 18 May 2018 08:45:00 GMT Sacha Rowlands, a former NHS nurse turned NHE journalist, invites everyone to celebrate the invaluable contribution nurses make to the health service as part of tomorrow’s International Nurses’ Day. Seriously, where would we be without them? Sure, they’re not perfect; they’re not infallible; they’re not... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 11 May 2018 15:15:00 GMT Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care for NICE, talks us through the impact of their work and guidance on pregnancy, birth and the early weeks of a child’s life. Having a baby can be one of the most personal and important parts of someone’s life. In 2016, more than 660,000 births... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 11 May 2018 10:00:00 GMT Niall Dickson CBE, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, gives NHE readers an exclusive preview of what to expect at this year’s edition of Confed18 – where high-profile speakers and deep-dive workshops and seminars will ensure delegates leave the conference brimming with inspiration and new ideas. It is hard to think of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 426,407,418,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 11 May 2018 09:15:00 GMT Pat Cattini, Vice-President of the Infection Prevention Society, discusses the importance and advantages of getting patients out of bed, dressed and moving about.  There are widespread benefits to getting patients dressed up and moving around while in hospital. Wearing pyjamas often reinforces the ‘sick role’ and can... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 30 Apr 2018 10:00:00 GMT Dr Stephen Dunn, chief executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, discusses the vital role volunteers have played in West Suffolk and how they are an untapped recourse of potential for the NHS. Volunteers play a valuable role in our communities, so it is a huge missed opportunity that they remain a ‘nice to have’ option... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 26 Apr 2018 08:00:00 GMT 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 of the Liaison Committee of the House of Commons last month has caused quite a stir in the health... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 415,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 10 Apr 2018 14:30:00 GMT 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 it. So it would be churlish now not to give a very warm welcome to the prime minister’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 415,407,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:15:00 GMT Dean Royles, director of human resources and organisational development at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, analyses the latest gender pay gap report released by trusts in Yorkshire. Today, 8 March, is International Women’s Day – a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 08 Mar 2018 09:15:00 GMT Cassandra Cameron, policy advisor at NHS Providers, says trusts must be given constructive support – without fear of failure – in order for the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme to succeed. The NHS GIRFT programme aims for better value in acute hospital and mental health care by using trusts’ clinical... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 09 Feb 2018 09:15:00 GMT Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE, on her organisation’s new cancer impact report released just a few days before World Cancer Day this weekend. In the run-up to World Cancer Day on 4 February, NICE has published its cancer impact report. The report aims to show how the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 02 Feb 2018 11:30:00 GMT NHS Providers head of strategy, Miriam Deakin, considers the five potential themes her organisation would like to see in the year ahead as a result of emerging accountable care models. As sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) and accountable care systems (ACSs) gain momentum and a handful of areas seek to implement... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 418,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 31 Jan 2018 11:45:00 GMT Dean Royles, director of human resources and organisational development at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, lays bare the four truths the NHS needs to confront if it intends to develop a workforce that is truly fit for the future. Health Education England (HEE) has commenced a consultation on a draft health and care workforce strategy... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 26 Jan 2018 12:30:00 GMT Anna Starling, policy fellow at the Health Foundation, offers the top 10 lessons for local leaders seeking to make systematic improvements across services, all based on first-hand accounts from vanguard officials. Redesigning health and social care services across traditional boundaries is not easy. Making change in complex environments... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Nov 2017 08:45:00 GMT Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, on the impressive benefits and extremely high success rates of a brand new programme designed to prepare NHS staff for the challenging and complex role of becoming a CEO. The task of leading an NHS trust has never been more difficult or demanding. It takes a special kind of person with an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:30:00 GMT Sacha Rowlands, NHE’s London correspondent, reports from this year’s iteration of the Our Health Heroes awards, which seeks to give due recognition to the countless support staff that work tirelessly to keep the wheels of the healthcare system turning. The function room in London’s iconic OXO tower is filled with a suited... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Nov 2017 11:30:00 GMT Heather Henry RN MBA, Queens nurse and chair of the New NHS Alliance looks into the issue of health inequality in the NHS. Health inequality is like the many-headed hydra of Greek mythology: no matter how many heads you cut off, the beast of rising illness is still coming to get you. It’s time to reconsider the weapons we use... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 10 Nov 2017 14:15:00 GMT The Department of Health announced today that it is consulting on proposals to change NHS pension scheme regulations. Plans would involve the removal of a nomination form for unmarried or cohabiting partners to claim survivor pensions. In addition, there are changes aimed at ensuring access to the pension scheme for staff delivering... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Nov 2017 11:30:00 GMT Deaths involving superbugs in Wales have hit a 15-year low according to the Office of National Statistic (ONS). MRSA, C. difficile and staphylococcus aureus were all recorded at lower levels, with MRSA deaths at their lowest in the last 22 years. The figures show that increased knowledge and care in hospitals have helped to counter... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Nov 2017 12:00:00 GMT With the NHS facing unprecedented demand and difficult working conditions, it’s incredible that the workforce across the country still delivers great care to patients every single day. Requiring care is never a pleasant experience, but having a brilliant member of staff look after can make a huge difference to a quick recovery. For... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421,406 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Oct 2017 16:00:00 GMT Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, urges health and care bodies to fight the consequences of a potential flu epidemic by getting involved with national campaigns throughout the cold season. The words “winter crisis” can hardly be avoided in health headlines at the moment. It’s well established that this... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 16 Oct 2017 14:45:00 GMT We can spend years nurturing and supporting leaders to develop and progress into a chief executive role, yet a report by the King’s Fund found that the average tenure is just 18 months. What’s making people think about moving on so soon? And how can we get better at keeping them? Deepy Kang, senior programme lead at the NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Oct 2017 10:15:00 GMT Dr Marion Andrews-Evans, member of the NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) Nurses Forum steering group and executive nurse & quality lead at NHS Gloucestershire CCG, sings the praises of CCG quality leads who are working in often unseen roles to help deliver safe and effective patient care. As the NHS goes through a time of change, we... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 407,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 11 Sep 2017 08:45:00 GMT We are once again delighted to be the official media partner for the Our Health Heroes Awards, working alongside Skills for Health to celebrate those in our healthcare workforce who go above and beyond the call of duty. It’s important that the fantastic contributions healthcare workers are making across the UK every day don’t... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 21 Aug 2017 11:45:00 GMT Merron Simpson, chief executive New NHS Alliance, argues we’re missing the point of what ‘partnership working’ truly means if we refuse to recruit help from those outside the health service. Jeremy Hunt and Simon Steven’s recent announcement to ‘turbo-boost’ sustainability... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 407,418,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 27 Jul 2017 11:00:00 GMT As the stigma about mental health decreases and more come forward to be treated for various illnesses, the number of antidepressants that are prescribed to sufferers will be set to increase. But tonight, the BBC will air a documentary arguing that Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) could have some dangerous side... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Jul 2017 11:00:00 GMT Despite 30 years of investment, the equality and diversity agenda hasn’t moved forward at anywhere near the pace we would have liked. Indeed, many colleagues have lost sight of the value this work brings. Tracie Jolliff, head of inclusion and systems leadership at the NHS Leadership Academy, explores the need to go back to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Jul 2017 09:45:00 GMT Confed 17, the major annual NHS Confederation conference, has kicked off today in ACC Liverpool, inviting in more than 1,000 health and care leaders to discuss and review the long-term demand patterns needed in the sector. Highlights of the two-day conference will be a keynote address from NHS England’s chief executive Simon Stevens... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Jun 2017 11:45:00 GMT Praise has been heaped on Manchester’s emergency services and wider community as the city came together around the worst terrorist attack in its history. On Monday evening a suicide bomber, who has been named as Salman Abedi, a Libyan national who lived in South Manchester, detonated a homemade nail bomb after an Ariana Grande... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 May 2017 12:00:00 GMT To mark Dying Matters Awareness Week (May 8-14), Michelle Brown, deputy head of department for healthcare practice at the University of Derby’s College of Health and Social Care, explains why everyone – young or old – should make sure they know what end of life care planning involves.  What is end of life care... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 May 2017 10:30:00 GMT Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth will today outline a major campaign pledge to axe the NHS pay cap, saying that staff are “underpaid and overworked”. The change is predicted to cost the NHS around £1bn, however Labour say that this is the price the government should pay to show hardworking NHS staff that they... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Apr 2017 09:30:00 GMT Stroke patients are set to benefit from the expansion of a ‘game changing’ treatment which has the capacity to decrease the risk of long-term disability and save the NHS millions in long-term health and social care costs. Treating stroke victims and their families costs the NHS around £3bn a year and can be a devastating... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Apr 2017 11:15:00 GMT Lisa Robertson, HFMA research manager, discusses the emerging governance arrangements being developed to support the delivery of sustainability and transformation plans (STPs). STPs are the current focus for those working in NHS finance. There is a broad consensus that the NHS needs to transform service models and patient pathways to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Mar 2017 10:45:00 GMT Dr Graham Jackson, co-chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) and chair of NHS Aylesbury Vale CCG, discusses the changing landscape facing commissioners.  Since they were set up more than three years ago, CCGs have demonstrated a great ability to innovate and develop services according to a local population’s needs. They... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 13 Mar 2017 11:45:00 GMT On International Women’s Day, Morvia Gooden, former nurse/midwife and senior programme lead at the NHS Leadership Academy, shares her personal experiences of being a black woman living and working in the NHS.    My parents came to the UK from Jamaica and brought their rich, beautiful culture to both mine and my... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Mar 2017 11:00:00 GMT On behalf of the Patients Association, Nic Hart has recently penned an open letter to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman in an attempt to keep pressing for answers around the 2012 death of his teenage daughter, Averil, whilst in the care of Cambridge and Peterborough NHS FT. Here, he writes about the importance of communication and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Feb 2017 09:15:00 GMT Design Council’s Chris Finnegan explains how an innovative new partnership between health and social care professionals, social entrepreneurs and the public could help tackle the growing concern of how best to develop sustainable later-life care, and improve the experience of ageing at the same time.   One of the triumphs... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Jan 2017 10:45:00 GMT Clare Price-Dowd, a registered nurse and senior programme lead at the NHS Leadership Academy, looks at the importance of leadership on the frontline during the challenging winter period when pressures are intensified.   Winter is always a challenging time for the NHS. The cold weather triggers a range of illnesses affecting the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Jan 2017 08:45:00 GMT NHS Confederation has announced the appointment of the former head of the General Medical Council (GMC) as its new chief executive. Niall Dickson led the GMC for seven years before stepping down last year, and was previously chief executive of health think tank The King’s Fund. He will take over at NHS Confederation on 1 February... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Jan 2017 11:45:00 GMT LGBT patients in Greater Manchester will be able to access appropriate primary healthcare following a new contract offered by the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSC). GMHSC has awarded a three-year contract to local charity the LGBT Foundation to carry out Pride in Practice, a quality assurance support service... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 09 Jan 2017 12:45:00 GMT Several prominent health and social care figures have been acknowledged in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list, with the chief executive of the CQC, David Behan, receiving a knighthood. Others knighted or made dames included David Sloman, chief executive of Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which was recently named a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Jan 2017 11:15:00 GMT Plans to require public sector workers to swear an oath of allegiance to British values have been strongly opposed by NHS workers, according to a poll from the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM). Dame Louise Casey suggested the idea in the recent Casey Review, which attracted controversy for accusing some minority communities of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Dec 2016 11:00:00 GMT Professor Michael West, senior fellow at The King’s Fund, who has been involved in the development of the National Improvement and Leadership Development Framework, explains why compassionate and inclusive leadership will be core to the framework. National reports into NHS functioning without exception describe the importance of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Nov 2016 09:15:00 GMT Dr Pat Carragher, medical director at the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS), explains how Scotland is becoming a leader in palliative care.  Leaving an unseasonably warm Scotland behind, I travelled to Montréal recently to address 1,700 health and medical professionals from around the globe at the 21st... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Nov 2016 08:45:00 GMT The men and women who keep the NHS running behind the scenes and improve the lives of patients are recognised today by the Our Health Heroes Awards, created by Skills for Health, the National Skills Academy for Health and UNISON. The awards celebrate the exceptional contribution made by healthcare staff including hospital porters... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 31 Oct 2016 09:00:00 GMT As Black History Month comes to an end, Morvia Gooden, senior programme lead at the NHS Leadership Academy, talks about her personal experiences of racial inequality in the health system and how the Academy is working to change this culture across the NHS.  This year marked my 34th year in the NHS, an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Oct 2016 11:00:00 GMT Chris Lake, head of professional development at the NHS Leadership Academy, considers the barriers to making leadership development a priority in health.  It could be argued that when it comes to investing in leadership development, the health sector is the poor relation. Here are some of the reasons why. Lack of money (or the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Oct 2016 10:15:00 GMT Tracie Jolliff, head of inclusion and systems leadership at the NHS Leadership Academy, talks about Black History Month and the importance of racial equality across the health system. Many of you will have seen the short video which has been circulating on Twitter this week. It shows a small black girl at the Charlotte City Council... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Oct 2016 08:45:00 GMT Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS Clinical Commissioners co-chair and chief clinical officer at NHS Blackpool CCG, discusses the need for strong stakeholder engagement to deliver changes to local NHS services. Prioritisation and proposed changes to local NHS services are rarely out of the headlines at the moment. Given the central role they play in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Oct 2016 09:15:00 GMT Jackie Daniel, CEO at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, discusses the organisation’s journey to becoming an inclusive employer. As a trust board, becoming a truly inclusive employer and service provider is really important to enable us to provide the best possible care to our patients. The focus of our approach has... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 03 Oct 2016 12:45:00 GMT Bernard Quinn, programme director for improvement at NHS Improvement, explains how the regulator is looking into ways hospitals can improve the way they manage patient journeys. When you’re at the coalface, it can be hard to find opportunities to improve the way you do things. We know that hospitals need to focus on their day-to-day... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 409,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Sep 2016 10:15:00 GMT Children who display inappropriate sexual behaviour for their age should receive help from healthcare workers and other professional groups, according to new guidance from NICE. The guidance, the first of its kind, says that in a small number of cases, children and young people who engage in harmful sexual discussion and acts subsequently... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Sep 2016 11:15:00 GMT Recognised as a digital health pioneer in the NHS through its use of open source technology, Taunton and Somerset NHS FT has recently been named as a global exemplar for digital excellence by NHS England.The trust’s chief information officer, Malcolm Senior, explains why open source technology has supported this initiative and how it can... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Sep 2016 10:45:00 GMT Neil Bacon, founder and CEO of iWantGreatCare, explains how harnessing the patient experience online can help improve services.  High quality services. A positive culture. Compassionate care. Whether you’re a doctor, nurse, manager, commissioner or provider, everyone in healthcare should be striving to ensure patients’... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 Sep 2016 08:30:00 GMT The efforts and contributions of clinical support workers can often go unnoticed. Ian Wheeler, head of research at Skills for Health, explains how through the Our Health Heroes awards we can celebrate these valued members of the workforce.  Clinical support workers and operational service staff play critical roles, ensuring that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 31 Aug 2016 10:15:00 GMT  Paul Briddock, director of policy at the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA),discusses achieving the financial savings necessary by 2020. NHS finance and those working in it have faced monumental challenges over the past year and the worrying situation looks set to continue. Results from HFMA’s latest... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Aug 2016 10:45:00 GMT Paul Carey-Kent, health and integration policy manager at CIPFA, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, reflects on the increasing melt-down in the social care sector and what it means for the NHS. Since 2010, local government has had to grapple with significant funding reductions. As social care is the largest area of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Aug 2016 10:30:00 GMT Karen Lynas, interim managing director at the NHS Leadership Academy, discusses how leaders can tackle the bullying culture in their organisations.  I suspect many of us in the NHS, far too many of us, know someone who has experienced bullying, or worse, experienced it ourselves. I have watched a close friend of mine suffer. Over a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Jul 2016 11:45:00 GMT Clare Price-Dowd, a registered nurse and senior programme lead at the NHS Leadership Academy, discusses the importance of investing in your staff.  It’s become more common than we could have ever imagined before. The constant need for efficiency savings and budget constraints is all around us, yet we still all want the system... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Jul 2016 10:45:00 GMT Martin Turner, former chief executive at Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, reflects on the recent vote to leave the European Union. So the pundits were wrong; the remain campaign were wrong: the financial markets were wrong; the bookies were wrong and even the leave campaign were... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Jul 2016 09:15:00 GMT The National Health Executive (NHE) app, free to download from the App Store or Google play, has been reviewed and listed by ORCHA – the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications.  ORCHA carries out independent and impartial reviews of health and care related apps, using a clinically and academically validated... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Jul 2016 09:30:00 GMT On the 68th birthday of the NHS (Tuesday 5 July), Tracie Jolliff, head of inclusion and systems leadership at the NHS Leadership Academy, looks at the history of the NHS, where we are currently and what needs to be done to improve diversity in healthcare.  Wherever I go, I talk passionately about diversity and inclusion, and its... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 05 Jul 2016 09:00:00 GMT As part of a cost-cutting drive the Department of Health (DH) has reorganised and merged its digital, technology, local government and social care directorates into a new single community care category. The restructure, which went live on 1 July, saw four new directorates under Chris Wormald. A DH spokeswoman said that the department will... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 04 Jul 2016 14:45:00 GMT Lynda Scott from Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit writes about an opportunity for developing the next generation of clinical leaders. Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group are holding a Primary Care Leadership Summit on 21 July 2016 to develop the next generation of clinical leaders in the West... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Jun 2016 10:45:00 GMT Leaders across the health and care sectors will gather for two days next week at the UK’s largest integrated care conference. The Commissioning Show, co-located with Health+Care, will take place on 29 and 30 June at the ExCel in London, with a plethora of talks and debates on areas including mental health, finance, the role of CCGs... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Jun 2016 11:15:00 GMT Andrew Mccracken (pictured) from National Voices, the leading coalition of 160 health and care charities, discusses the fundamental importance of engaging people and communities at every level to deliver the FYFV. Health and care services need a ‘new relationship with patients and communities’ and we have not yet... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Jun 2016 11:30:00 GMT On the 180th birthday of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (Thursday 9 June), interim managing director of the NHS Leadership Academy, Karen Lynas, looks back at who she was and the impact she’s made.  Elizabeth Garrett Anderson had some remarkable privilege; intelligent, tenacious, curious, ambitious, she was lucky enough to have a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Jun 2016 09:30:00 GMT Richard Ford, costing director at NHS Improvement, explains why good quality costing needs to be a priority for the NHS.  NHS Improvement’s latest analysis of NHS trust’s performance shows the sector as a whole reported a deficit of £2.45bn for 2015-16; and that almost 90% of acute providers ended the year in the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 06 Jun 2016 11:45:00 GMT Mike Thompson, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), argues ahead of the Referendum that the success of the UK pharmaceutical industry relies on our continued involvement in European Union. With less than a month to go until the EU Referendum, it would be a fair observation to say both sides of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Jun 2016 10:45:00 GMT NHS leaders will discuss ways to make health leadership more diverse at a workshop at this year’s NHS Confederation conference. The workshop, named ‘I love the sound of breaking glass’ after the concept of the ‘glass ceiling’, will consider the benefits of inclusive leadership as a means of bringing new ideas... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 May 2016 11:15:00 GMT The dispute over junior doctors’ contracts could finally reach a resolution, with an announcement from talks expected later today. The talks between the government and the British Medical Association (BMA), brokered by the Royal Medical Colleges, began last week and have been extended until the end of today. Before they began... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 May 2016 11:30:00 GMT In news few would have predicted, Jeremy Hunt has successfully outlasted all his predecessors to become Britain’s longest-serving health secretary. Hunt became health secretary on 4 September 2012 – three years and 250 days ago. Over the weekend, he outstripped Alan Milburn, health secretary from 1999 to 2003, to become... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 May 2016 11:15:00 GMT Liz Felton, CEO of Together for Mental Wellbeing, a national charity working alongside people with mental health issues, discusses the lack of progress on reducing mental health waiting times.  The National Audit Office has reported that the government is unlikely to meet its pledge to bring waiting times for mental health in line... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 May 2016 10:30:00 GMT Emeritus Professor W Angus Wallace discusses how the current situation with junior doctors is in danger of destroying the NHS as we know it.  The National Health Service is a treasure created in 1948, that we all wish to preserve. This week has been one of the saddest weeks ever for the NHS but what is happening was totally... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 420,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 29 Apr 2016 10:15:00 GMT As we enter the second day of the latest strike over the imposition of the controversial junior doctors’ contract, a leading industrial relations advisor has suggested binding arbitration may be the best way forward to settle the dispute. Yesterday the government said that the all-out strike was ‘inappropriate’, but... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Apr 2016 10:30:00 GMT The GSK IMPACT Awards are designed to recognise and reward charities who are doing excellent work to improve health and wellbeing in their communities, writes Lisa Weaks, third sector programme manager at the King's Fund. One of the striking things about the winners for 2016 is the scale of support provided by their volunteers... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Apr 2016 11:30:00 GMT Government lawyers have accused a crowd-funded judicial review into Jeremy Hunt’s decision to impose a contract on junior doctors of being without legal grounds and designed to reduce legal costs. In a scathing response to the judicial review from campaign group Just Health, who raised £98,470 in three days from members of the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:30:00 GMT Cassandra Cameron, policy advisor at NHS Providers, analyses the impact human factors can have on driving safety improvement in the NHS.  Quality and patient safety are the highest priorities of provider boards. NHS providers will have noticed a renewed national focus on building cultures of safety and improvement across NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Apr 2016 10:00:00 GMT The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has, once again, urged both sides to resume negotiations in the bitter dispute over junior doctors’ pay and working hours. In a sign of their continued defiance, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced last week that their planned 48 hour strike on 26 April will include withdrawal of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Mar 2016 11:15:00 GMT An e-petition calling on Jeremy Hunt to resume meaningful contract negotiations with junior doctors was debated in the House of Commons yesterday. The petition on Parliament’s website, which has attracted 119,066 signatures, is proof of how online resources have been used to express continuing public support for the striking doctors... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 22 Mar 2016 11:30:00 GMT A successful crowdfunding campaign to launch a judicial review of health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s plans for a seven-day NHS is a sign of the anger the proposals have inspired among NHS staff and the public. The Just Health campaign announced that it has more than tripled its initial fundraising target of £25,000 in three days... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Mar 2016 12:00:00 GMT The overarching theme at this year’s Health and Care Innovation Expo 2016 will be the Five Year Forward View, and will allow the sector to take the “pulse” of the system. As always, a strong speaker line up has been confirmed: NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens, the director of New Care Models Samantha Jones, the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Mar 2016 11:15:00 GMT People are being encouraged to report their concerns about health and social care bodies in their neighbourhood by a new partnership between the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network (NHWN). The partnership comes after a joint survey between the organisations found that 63% of NHWN members had heard of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Feb 2016 11:00:00 GMT The CQC has launched a new online resource to make it easier for providers and service users to analyse the ratings given to care homes in their local areas. It is intended to simplify and integrate its portfolio of almost 10,000 care home inspections (with and without nursing) across the country since it rolled out a more robust... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 22 Feb 2016 11:30:00 GMT There are only a few days left to have your say on the future of a host of services in the struggling Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust. The trust provides a spectrum of mental health and wellbeing services to over half a million people in the city of Manchester, and is one of only five combined mental health and social care... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Feb 2016 09:30:00 GMT Despite some genuine attempts to dodge the final of what ended up being just two strike spells, junior doctors have walked out today over longstanding issues in a thorny contract dispute with the government. The BMA called off the second strike threat, planned for the end of January, after some progress with government-appointed Sir David... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Feb 2016 09:15:00 GMT Although the BMA only had praises to sing about Salford Royal’s Sir David Dalton last week (dumping all of its concerns over the junior doctor contract negotiations exclusively on the government), Dalton has not been as receptive to the union’s participation in talks. In a letter to health secretary Jeremy Hunt, Dalton, who... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Feb 2016 11:15:00 GMT Guest blog by Professor David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum When someone as eminent as Dame Sally Davies equates obesity to terrorism as a threat to the UK, it’s time to sit up and listen. Strong words? Absolutely. But barely 12 months ago, Simon Stevens argued obesity was the new smoking in his Five Year Forward... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 411,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:00:00 GMT Guest blog by Halima Khan, executive director of the Health Lab at Nesta; and Nadim Matta, catalyst in chief at Rapid Results Institute. The scale of the challenge facing UK public services in the coming decade is unprecedented. Not only is the population projected to increase by almost five million by 2020, but within this growing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Dec 2015 10:00:00 GMT Siva Anandaciva, head of analysis at NHS Providers, looks at the challenging opportunity of promoting healthy behaviours for staff in the health sector.  In the main atrium of Skipton House, the NHS England headquarters in Elephant & Castle, there is a large model of a pair of lungs to illustrate the damage cigarette smoking can... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:30:00 GMT Guest blog by Dame Gill Morgan, chair of NHS Providers,who discusses how this year’s annual conference will allow leaders of the provider sector to refresh energies, share solutions and clarify policy confusions.  The current financial, logistical and organisational challenges facing the NHS are formidable. They offer... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:30:00 GMT Guest blog by Suzie Bailey, development director and acting operational improvement director at Monitor, who says NHS boards need to focus more on long-term strategy. “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” is the famous quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin. I heard it quoted many times by senior managers when I was a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Sep 2015 11:00:00 GMT Guest blog by Ewan King, director of business development and delivery at the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) Winter is fast approaching. For the NHS, it is a time for a period of intense collective worry. How will the NHS cope with another difficult winter? When the focus at times like this is almost entirely on how we... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Sep 2015 09:00:00 GMT Guest blog by Catherine Pollard, director of integrated care and pricing development at Monitor Earlier this year, I heard Jonathan’s story and was inspired by it. Jonathan has severe learning disabilities and through the provision of an integrated personal budget (covering health and social care funding) he was able to move back... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 413,421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 14 Sep 2015 17:15:00 GMT Some of the most advanced collaborative relationships anywhere in the business world can be found in the health sector, and the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW) is keen to examine exactly how they are working in practice. It is doing research with Warwick University to examine the benefits of collaborative working and its future... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Aug 2015 12:00:00 GMT Benenden’s National Health Report 2015 recently revealed that the UK public is “grossly ignorant” about the true costs of the most common NHS procedure – which the healthcare group said proved people’s “flagrantly selfish sense of entitlement” when it comes to treatments in the state... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Aug 2015 11:15:00 GMT Elderly people and vulnerable patients with complex conditions will be regularly checked on by the firefighters as part of a new multi-agency deal between NHS England, Public Health England, the Local Government Association (LGA) and Age UK. They have established a new “working relationship” to integrate services as a way to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Aug 2015 11:30:00 GMT The government has set a target of having 5,000 more GPs in the NHS by 2020, but plans to cut the salary supplement future GPs receive while training could make it “impossible” to achieve this ambition.  Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, claims that proposals made by the Review Body on Doctors’ and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Aug 2015 10:30:00 GMT Guest blog by Siva Anandaciva, head of analysis at NHS Providers, gives his thoughts on Lord Carter’s review on operational productivity in the NHS and the required ‘Next Steps’. In June 2015, Lord Carter published his interim report on operational productivity at NHS providers. If you are short of time, flip straight to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Aug 2015 09:45:00 GMT Most healthcare professionals recognise the value of giving patients not just information but also a say in their own care, and the ability to make decisions about how they are treated. It’s not always acted on, for practical, cultural or negligent reason, but the desire is usually there. But one area where choice seems to matter... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Jul 2015 11:00:00 GMT Guest blog by Alan Leaman, CEO of the Management Consultancies Association, following last month's Department of Health clampdown on the use of management consultants in the NHS, including a £50,000 cap and more regulation.  Our politicians did the easy bit during the general election campaign. They pledged to provide an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Jul 2015 09:45:00 GMT Ferelith Gaze, head of public affairs at NHS Providers, analyses what the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill could mean for the NHS. She can be followed on twitter @Ferelith_Gaze. The government is heralding the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill – currently making its way through Parliament, with broad cross-party... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 17 Jul 2015 06:00:00 GMT Liverpool City Council and CCG are kick-starting a local programme to tackle the city’s pressing health problems. The Healthy Liverpool programme will target a series of priority areas such as mental health, healthy ageing, cancer, children, long-term conditions and learning disabilities, with goals outlined for each... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:00:00 GMT A devolution deal giving Cornwall greater control over its health and care spending is expected to be announced today in George Osborne’s Budget.  Full details are still to be finalised, but papers being presented to Cornwall Council today say that over recent weeks it has become “increasingly apparent” that the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Jul 2015 11:15:00 GMT Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s medical director, has revealed the seventeen successful applicants to this year’s NHS Innovation Accelerator scheme, which aims to make evidenced healthcare innovations more widely available to patients.  The healthcare pioneers from the UK and abroad have been identified to receive national... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 06 Jul 2015 16:00:00 GMT The recent news that the health secretary will have the power to overturn devolved decisions on health and social care made by Greater Manchester raises many questions: namely, why are we doing this? There seems to be little point to all the fuss and expense of devolution if overall power for decisions remains in the same hands. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Jul 2015 11:30:00 GMT Jeremy Hunt has yet again demonstrated how statistics are the biggest lie of all. It has been revealed that the 82% success rate of a pre-GP training scheme pilot he heralded as justification to roll out the scheme nationwide was based on just 14 successful participants. That’s all it takes now, 14 people. That is 82% of the 17... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Jun 2015 12:15:00 GMT Doctors in the West Midlands are urging Muslims to donate organs, because of a chronic shortage. On average a Muslim needing an organ has a year longer wait than a non-Muslim due to a lack of donors matching the typical ethnic background. Muslim migrants from India, Pakistan and Bangledesh have settled in major cities and towns... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Jun 2015 11:30:00 GMT This week the long-running and low-rumbling debate on reforming health and social care professional regulation was given another public airing. The result: slightly disappointing and non-committal.  Following the omission of the Law Commission’s proposed bill from the Queen’s Speech last year and again last month... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Jun 2015 11:45:00 GMT Lord Carter is expected to publish an interim report on his review into NHS procurement and efficiency, and in some circles of the media it has been suggested his findings could have as much impact as the Francis report. It is reported that the peer’s report, which was commissioned by the Government, will suggest that the NHS could... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Jun 2015 12:30:00 GMT The NHS Confederation annual conference kicks off today and NHE is there to bring you all the coverage. Taking place at the ACC in Liverpool, the conference runs until Friday. Almost 3,000 delegates are expected to attend over the course of the event, taking in the exhibitions, talks, workshops and networking. Some of the highlights... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Jun 2015 11:15:00 GMT Guest blog by Maxine Park Whether you choose a dedicated dictation machine or a smartphone/tablet with the latest dictation app, the first rule is don’t hold it too close. Microphones vary, but generally hold the microphone about six inches (15cm) from your mouth to prevent words becoming muffled – too close and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 May 2015 10:00:00 GMT David Cameron announcing his intention to follow through on his plans for a seven-day NHS has sparked a lot of debate and comment, most of it negative. At a time of mounting deficits and an ever more thinly spread workforce the idea piling on more work, responsibility and cost sounds ridiculous to many. What sounds even more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 May 2015 12:15:00 GMT Two new health ministers have been appointed by David Cameron to assist Jeremy Hunt at the Department of Health. Alistair Burt is taking the position formerly held by Norman Lamb as minister for state, while Ben Gummer joins the department as a parliamentary under secretary. Dan Poulter has stood down as a health minister. So what do... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 May 2015 10:00:00 GMT In an effort to understand the factors which influence security procurement and investment in the healthcare sector, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has launched an online survey. The survey – open to all individuals involved in the procurement and management of security products and services – aims to provide... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 May 2015 10:45:00 GMT The NHS appears to be looking a bit too far forward judging by the latest King’s Fund report on the state of its workforce. It’s all well and good setting out plans for how you want to integrate care, treat people in the community and reform the model of care in five years, but unless you have the staff to do it the whole... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Apr 2015 12:30:00 GMT Yesterday the health leaders of the four main English political parties engaged each other in a ‘Question Time’ format debate, chaired by Sarah Montague of the BBC.   Health secretary Jeremy Hunt turned up late for the event and when the debate topic turned to pay, Labour’s Andy Burnham accused him of getting... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Apr 2015 11:30:00 GMT This week the main political parties launched their 2015 manifestos, with Labour’s health commitments drawing both plaudits for its ambitions but criticism for its detail on funding. One of the key pledges made by the party is to “repeal the Health and Social Care Act to scrap David Cameron’s privatisation plans and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Apr 2015 11:15:00 GMT GP Surveyors, the UK’s leading firm of chartered surveyors for doctors' surgeries, has warned that GP practices who appeal their business rates valuations could be faced with a reduction in notional rent reimbursement.  The organisation has issued the caution while it says NHS England, and some private companies, are... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 14 Apr 2015 13:15:00 GMT Guest blog by Phillippa Hentsch, chief policy advisor for funding and resources at NHS Providers, who looks at the financial landscape facing providers in the next 12 months.  Where are NHS finances now?  As highlighted by the King’s Fund last month, the NHS has been required to absorb the shock of moving from 14... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 09 Apr 2015 13:15:00 GMT Registration for the third Public Health England annual conference is now open, and an outline programme has been confirmed.  The event, which is expected to bring together over 1,400 participants from across a wide range of organisations, will be held on 15-16 September 2015 at Warwick University.  The theme of this... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Apr 2015 11:15:00 GMT From today the NHS prescription charge has been increased by 15p to £8.20 per prescription item. This means that since 2010 prescription prices have increased by £1 under the Coalition government.  The government does state that 90% of prescription items are already provided free of charge, with exemptions for people on... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Apr 2015 11:15:00 GMT Last September, Health Education England (HEE) announced it was investing £4.7m into training resources over the next three years as part of a major national campaign to allow former nurses to return to the workforce.  Now a new programme to get doctors back into General Practice has been launched.  The Induction and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Mar 2015 11:00:00 GMT A new study in the Lancet Global Health Journal has suggested that a longer duration of breastfeeding at birth has been linked with higher adult IQ and earning ability.  The study, which has analysed data on a group of 3,500 new-borns in Brazil for 30 years, was attempting to assess whether the early positive effects of breastfeeding... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Mar 2015 10:45:00 GMT How many areas in England are still not involved in some kind of integrated care scheme, or are not doing something transformational to reduce emergency admissions and bring care closer to people’s homes? There are a growing number of Integrated Care Pioneers (25, following the recent addition of 11 new sites); Integrated Personal... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 10 Mar 2015 17:00:00 GMT Guest blog by Jenny Jones, a barrister specialising in employment law, including whistleblowing in the health sector. There are very few subjects that attract media attention as readily and intensively as the allegation that an NHS ‘whistleblower’ has suffered in their employment in some way as a consequence of speaking out.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Mar 2015 09:15:00 GMT Saffron Cordery, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, takes a look at last week’s announcement of a voluntary tariff and what it could mean for mental health service providers.  The big national health ‘system’ story of the past week has been the surprise announcement of a voluntary tariff. This is one... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 27 Feb 2015 12:30:00 GMT Although this year’s NHS Health and Care Innovation Expo is being held in the autumn rather than the spring, the exhibition promises to be a corker.  At the 2014 event there was a great buzz and excitement about how technology and innovation can make a difference in delivering personalised healthcare. And we’re pretty... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Feb 2015 10:15:00 GMT Today’s publication of draft guidance by NICE on antimicrobial stewardship should be welcomed, as we really do need to break the habit on people using antibiotics unnecessarily. It was worrying that Prof Mark Baker, director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, said that 97% of patients who ask for antibiotics are prescribed... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Feb 2015 10:45:00 GMT Jeremy Hunt needs to get the message he is trying to send to NHS staff straight. He has yet to respond to the Sir Robert Francis review into whistleblowing but he has already endorsed it, saying “listening to patients and staff is absolutely vital”, and he is likely to announce new protections for whistleblowers. So Hunt... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Feb 2015 11:15:00 GMT Cancer Research UK has forecast that, with a growing and ageing population, one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives.  The new estimate, published in the British Journal of Cancer, replaces the previous figure, calculated using a different method, which predicted that more than one in three people... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Feb 2015 10:45:00 GMT The head of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) insists that he stands by the recent report into Hinchingbrooke, which rated the trust’s services as ‘inadequate’, despite criticism from some MPs.  The CQC had been accused of “traducing Hinchingbrooke's reputation” after it emerged that the hospital had... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 03 Feb 2015 11:30:00 GMT More than 100 NHS organisations have now signed up to the ‘Hello My Name Is…’ campaign, established by terminally ill consultant Dr Kate Granger.  The 31-year-old hospital consultant started the campaign as a way to encourage healthcare professionals to introduce themselves – an issue she noticed during her... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 02 Feb 2015 16:00:00 GMT Guest blog by consultant patent attorney Kate Lees, who has some advice for entrepreneurial clinicians. General practitioners are not usually thought of as inventors, but they are often the best-placed people to assess the type of equipment or instruments that may assist in the care of their patients. This, coupled with a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Jan 2015 09:00:00 GMT Ferelith Gaze, head of public affairs at NHS Providers, discusses what is needed from day one of the next government and beyond for the NHS. We are all prey to systemic amnesia, and in the final 100 days before the 2015 General Election, we need to be mindful of the particular vulnerability of the NHS to political soul searching.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 26 Jan 2015 09:15:00 GMT In the run-up to this year’s general election we’ve seen discussions on the NHS starting to resemble the age-old political football, with the Conservatives and Labour already in fraught exchanges over its future. But is there wiggle-room for all the political parties to come together and work as one team on securing a safe... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Jan 2015 11:30:00 GMT GMB, the union for NHS staff with the Hands Off Hinchingbrooke campaign, has changed the venue for a public meeting it is holding today on the future of Hinchingbrooke hospital.  The meeting, which will look at how to secure the long-term future for the hospital as one that is NHS run, will now take place at 7pm at Huntingdonshire... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:15:00 GMT As 2015 begins we have been greeted with further evidence that the NHS is under unprecedented pressure and hospitals are starting to burst at the seams as they cope with the huge influx of patients. The surge of major incidents – some reports currently have as many as 15 hospitals declaring them the last time I checked – has... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 Jan 2015 11:45:00 GMT New research by scientists at the John Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in the USA has reportedly found that certain cancer types could largely be explained by the ‘bad luck’ factor of random DNA mutations during cell division, rather than environmental or inherited factors.  But is ‘bad luck’ really just the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 02 Jan 2015 13:45:00 GMT A joint statement by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has set out their “values, vision and commitment” in working together at a national level to promote person-centred care, integrated care and collaboration.  Endorsed by other medical Royal colleges and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Dec 2014 11:00:00 GMT Leaders from 10 national healthcare bodies in England have signed a pledge committing to improving staff experience in their organisations, including wellbeing and engagement.  This comes only weeks after a report from NHS employers stated that financial pressure on the NHS is making it increasingly difficult for boards to justify... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Dec 2014 13:00:00 GMT We all see the weekly figures that NHS trusts are missing their A&E waiting time targets, which has, unfortunately, become something of a political football. There is no doubt that these departments are facing huge pressures with greater numbers of walk-ins, but to brand the many as ‘poor’ at times is, quite honestly... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Dec 2014 11:15:00 GMT NHS England has revealed that the Health and Care Innovation Expo is to return to Manchester in 2015.  The event, which was held at Manchester Central on 3-4 March this year, will be held at the same venue in 2015, but later in the year.  Running from 2-3 September, the conference will provide an ideal opportunity for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 04 Dec 2014 14:15:00 GMT Stephen Dorrell is facing accusations of a conflict of interest since he announced his intention of standing down as an MP at the general election, in favour of taking a job with accountancy firm KPMG. Dorrell, who is a former health secretary under John Major, stood down as the chairman of the health select committee in June and will now... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 01 Dec 2014 12:00:00 GMT How many people who drink too much and want to cut down will actually be prescribed nalmefene, the drug that dulls any pleasure people get from drinking? One estimate is 35,000 people – three-fifths of those getting psychosocial interventions. Considering the potential public health benefits, we have to hope it is widely... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Nov 2014 10:00:00 GMT NHE visited Sheffield yesterday to take a closer look at two innovative research projects underway in the ‘Steel City’.  One has just been given a £7.5m funding boost by the Medical Research Council (MRC), while the other has started a three-year pilot to developing its patient-led app.  We caught up with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 25 Nov 2014 11:15:00 GMT Everywhere you go in the NHS we hear conversations about the need for integrated and coordinated care, and it was the same at yesterday’s Foundation Trust Network. No-one majorly argues against the concept of integration as, hopefully, the end result will lead to improved outcomes for patients receiving care closer to home rather... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Nov 2014 11:15:00 GMT The chief executive of the troubled Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) has resigned after Monitor recently criticised the trust’s leadership, which it said had led to longer waiting times and concerns over mortality figures.  In an online diary entry Dr Mark Newbold, who led HEFT for four years, detailed his reasons... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Nov 2014 10:30:00 GMT The Foundation Trust Network’s (FTN) annual conference and exhibition is less than two weeks away, and NHE can confirm we will be in attendance.  During the two-day event in Liverpool at the ACC, which runs from 18-19 November, Chris Ham, chief executive of The King’s Fund, and Emma Stanton, chief executive of Beacon UK... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:30:00 GMT NHE attended the Best Practice Show in Birmingham last week on the same day as NHS England released its Five Year Forward View, which created a special buzz at the event. In the morning shadow health secretary Andy Burnham pulled out of his appearance to take part in a Commons debate on the report but he sent Lord Philip Hunt in his place... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Oct 2014 12:00:00 GMT It seems the election campaign season is now officially underway, with mud being flung from all sides – and the NHS is a key battleground. Between now and May we can expected to be inundated with stories that aren’t really stories, just one political party’s attempt to stand on the back of the other. Jeremy Hunt led the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Oct 2014 12:00:00 GMT Alcohol-related NHS admissions, including inpatient, outpatient, and A&E visits, hit almost 10 million in England during 2012-13, according to new research by Alcohol Concern. While A&E admissions accounted for six in every 10 alcohol-related hospital visits, inpatient admissions were responsible for almost two thirds of the total... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Oct 2014 11:15:00 GMT Homerton Hospital’s anaesthetics department has become the first in the UK to receive the peer-reviewed Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA). Since the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) launched the scheme in 2013, it has received acclaim from national regulators and, to date, more than 40 NHS anaesthetic... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Oct 2014 12:15:00 GMT Since the introduction of the EU Clinical Trials Directive 10 years ago there has been a dramatic drop in the number of clinical trials with EU, and UK, involvement. However, it is hoped this will soon change with the introduction of new EU law on clinical trials – which came into force on 16 June 2014. But to allow sufficient... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Oct 2014 11:15:00 GMT Healthier Together announced yesterday that the consultation on its radical review of NHS services in Greater Manchester has been extended for another three and a half weeks in an effort to get more responses. Originally scheduled to close at the end of September, the consultation will now go on until 24 October. The consultation has... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Sep 2014 11:30:00 GMT By James Cartwright Today saw the very first NHS Citizen Assembly, and with the process very much in its genesis, this was a chance to explain what the movement is all about, before the participants moved onto to discuss five key ‘umbrella’ issues that people had raised. These were narrowed down from 120 suggestions, with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:15:00 GMT David Prior, chair of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has come under fire this week after writing an article in the Guardian stating that care and treatment provided by hospitals and GPs is so “dangerously” variable that poor care kills up to 10,000 patients a year. Published ahead of the CQC's forthcoming annual report... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Sep 2014 10:15:00 GMT A project to look at how the army could work together with the NHS in Orkney is gathering pace. NHS Orkney has been working with colleagues in the Ministry of Defence to offer remote placements to nurses − advanced nurse practitioners − and doctors.  The postings are designed to give the army personnel further experience... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Sep 2014 12:30:00 GMT British unions at this week’s TUC Congress have argued that the controversial EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) threatens to make the privatisation of health services in the UK irreversible.  There have been calls for the UK government to make sure the free trade deal explicitly exempts the NHS from US... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:00:00 GMT When we interviewed Professor Julian Le Grand of the Barker Commission earlier this year, he said: ‘I don’t think we should be deterred in any way by worrying about the political reaction’. By this he meant that a radical problem required a radical solution, and that the Commission wasn’t ruling out recommending... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 04 Sep 2014 11:00:00 GMT NHS funding is always a topical issue, and how it should be funded in the future is always a great debate for the British public (look out for masses of news coverage of this tomorrow…our lips are sealed until then). However, the results can be confusing – especially when you have two surveys, within the space of a few weeks... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Sep 2014 11:30:00 GMT We are always interested to hear new ideas about how services can be improved across the NHS. So, it was quite interesting that Monitor has come out and said it is looking at how acute services are provided by hospitals in other countries including France, Germany, Canada and America to see what lessons the NHS can learn. In particular... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 28 Aug 2014 15:30:00 GMT Following yesterday’s announcement by Unite, that the union had sent ballot papers to its health worker members with regards to strike action over pay, Unison has now dispatched its own papers. According to the union, more than 350,000 NHS workers, including nurses, paramedics, therapists, cooks, cleaners, healthcare assistants and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Aug 2014 10:45:00 GMT Health bodies and district nurses have come under fire after reports that care coordinators are asking patients they have never met before sensitive medical questions, including whether they would agree to a ‘do not resuscitate’ order.  The questionnaires are part of an NHS England scheme to improve care of the elderly in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Aug 2014 12:00:00 GMT Cuts to any services usually make service provision that bit harder and stressful for providers. However, when it comes to mental health – an area which in itself is stressful – the results could be catastrophic. The Mental Health Foundation’s (MHF) director of development and delivery, Isabella Goldie, told us that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 15 Aug 2014 15:30:00 GMT The great data debate is ongoing with regards to the NHS. However, a new YouGov poll, of more than 2,300 adults in the UK, has revealed that the majority of us (85%) want any healthcare professional treating us to have ‘secure’ electronic access to key data from the GP record. To us, this makes sense. In fact, having talked to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Aug 2014 12:45:00 GMT This week Monitor, the Care Quality Commission and the NHS Trust Development Authority published a report on the progress being made by the 11 trusts put in special measures last year. The special measures:1 year on study highlighted the support given to the trusts to stick to their action plans for change, which included, for instance... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Aug 2014 11:45:00 GMT It was disappointing to hear today that NHS hospitals across the country have paid more than £1,000 for individual agency nurses and locum doctors to fill shifts on a public holiday. The story came from a Freedom of Information request from Sky News, which asked: how many locum staff were employed in trusts and at what rates on May... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 31 Jul 2014 14:30:00 GMT Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is experiencing what many trusts before it – and many more in the future – have come to know all too well. Hospital reconfiguration plans, no matter the communications strategy, no matter the reasons, no matter the clinical support, virtually always rouse public anger and usually... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Jul 2014 10:30:00 GMT Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s national clinical director, has once again stated that the provision of seven-day services across the NHS is his “number one priority”. During an NHS Improving Quality event in London, representatives of the 13 Early Adopter communities set up as part of the ‘7-Day Service Improvement... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Jul 2014 11:30:00 GMT It isn’t always that we at NHE agree with government consultations. However, the news that the DH is consulting on ‘ending’ (we would prefer banning) smoking in cars carrying children is good news. The consultation on the initiative will run for six weeks ending on 27 August. It also follows a Parliament vote in February... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:30:00 GMT David Behan, chief executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has stated that investigations into the recruitment processes at the regulator, in the past, were not consistently followed. But that has now changed, apparently, so we surely we should all rejoice. But why did this happen in the first place? Who was keeping tabs on this?... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 10 Jul 2014 15:15:00 GMT Guest blog by Jane Lewis A few years ago, Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire was written off by the health minister as ‘a financial and clinical basket-case’. This year, it has been reported as a very different place and has seen a complete turnaround. This success is due to new leaders genuinely empowering... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Jul 2014 11:00:00 GMT Dean Royles is to step down as chief executive of NHS Employers in September, taking up a new role as director of human resources and organisational development at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.  Royles, who is a widely respected figure in the health sector has always been willing to talk to the media about complex issues such... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 07 Jul 2014 13:15:00 GMT Guest blog by Sally Campbell Ongoing cost pressures and HR functions facing increased scrutiny means NHS organisations are having to fundamentally rethink how they provide services. But shared services are emerging as the solution for departments needing to create efficiencies in the back office without sacrificing quality. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Jul 2014 09:45:00 GMT Sir Robert Francis QC is the right man to lead a review into whistleblowing. He is an authoritative and independent figure, widely respected following his landmark Mid-Staffs inquiry reports, which cannot have helped but make him an expert on patient safety, complaints procedures, whistleblowing the culture of fear that still surrounds... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Jun 2014 12:45:00 GMT At the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN’s) annual conference in Liverpool nurses have put forward a motion to debate whether patients should be charged a fee for appointments with their family doctor. The Royal College, which has traditionally backed the belief that the NHS should be free at the point of delivery, has tabled... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Jun 2014 11:04:00 GMT Only one-quarter of Britons say they trust the government with the NHS, a key election battleground ahead of next year’s general election, a Unison poll has revealed. Based on the response of more than 2,000 British adults, the survey revealed "poor trust" in the coalition, with just over a third saying they backed its measures to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 17 Jun 2014 14:45:00 GMT The latest report from the King’s Fund, which suggests a move away from a top-down approach in the NHS, was, as ever, insightful, detailed and far-reaching.  Chris Ham is one of the country’s foremost health commentators and deserves to be listened to.  If only the Department of Health (DH) would warrant this... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Jun 2014 11:00:00 GMT The debate on open data in the NHS and its benefits and potential pitfalls has been rumbling on for, what seems, like a lifetime – even if ‘open data’ isn’t always the term used. And the debate has been reignited with a new blueprint – ‘The Open Data Era in health and social care report’ –... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Jun 2014 09:00:00 GMT Waiting times are always controversial and new ISD figures for Scotland have rekindled the debate over what is classed as acceptable?  NHS Scotland is already investing more than £22m to deliver sustainable improvements in the time it takes to see patients. And, since 2007, waiting times have reduced.  In fact, 11... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 May 2014 11:30:00 GMT Guest blog by Lorri Zipperer of Zipperer Project Management, who argues that special attention to enhancing organisational knowledge-sharing could serve to improve learning from care failures. The National Health Service has been handed some marching orders for improvement. With the publication of the Francis Inquiry report and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 May 2014 09:00:00 GMT This year’s NHS Confederation Annual Conference and Exhibition is only a few weeks away and promises to be a hotbed of lively debate and discussion, something we cannot wait for here at NHE. Running from 4-6 June at the AAC Liverpool, the programme for the event will focus on six “whole-system” issues that lie at the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 May 2014 11:30:00 GMT Earlier this year the Department of Health said it was considering introducing a legal duty forcing health and social care organisations registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure their directors meet the new fit and proper person requirement (FPPR).  This is something we at NHE support as you would hope, and expect... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 May 2014 10:30:00 GMT Healthcare provision for children and young people must always be a top priority and, you would hope, should never be described as ‘inadequate’ in the UK.  However, following the launch of the first annual report by the Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum, Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Apr 2014 11:45:00 GMT Guest blog by Mick Hartnett, who discusses how to secure NHS tender wins. 20% of people admitted to hospital as an emergency have acute kidney failure. High blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are all risk factors for kidney disease, and with these health problems on the rise (by 2025, it is estimated that five million people will have... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 29 Apr 2014 09:30:00 GMT Almost 3,000 babies across the UK are dying during or soon after birth with over a 1,000 more developing brain damage or other serious illnesses, and understaffing may play a part in these high mortality rates, according to Dr David Richmond, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.  In an interview with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 28 Apr 2014 14:45:00 GMT NHS waiting lists are at their longest for six years and important targets have been missed, official figures indicate.  The data suggests that more than 10% of patients are waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment for the first time in three years, while the total number of patients on the list has risen to 2,885,253 – the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Apr 2014 10:45:00 GMT  It is clearly unacceptable that so many people suffering a mental health crisis, particularly children and teenagers, end up in police custody and not a healthcare setting. The government has made moves to combat this, but strong words and a new map of appropriate ‘places of safety’ will not be enough when the underlying... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Apr 2014 10:30:00 GMT Nearly a quarter of older people don’t know where to go to complain about the NHS, despite using the service more often than people under 65, Julie Mellor, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman, has revealed.  She stated that almost 80% of all the investigations her department carries out are about NHS services. Even... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Apr 2014 12:00:00 GMT At yesterday’s PMQs, David Cameron told members of parliament that the state of the NHS in Wales is a “scandal”. And he laid all the blame at Labour’s door. “It is a scandal that is entirely the responsibility of the Labour party running the Welsh Assembly Government, who made the decision to cut NHS spending... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 03 Apr 2014 11:00:00 GMT Yesterday, Simon Stevens, the new chief executive of NHS England, said in a speech that the NHS is facing the biggest challenges in its 66-year history thanks to the squeeze on its budgets. He also added that the NHS needs to tap into the energy of patients, carers and staff to “catalyse change”. Therefore, under his tenure as... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Apr 2014 12:00:00 GMT When any NHS hospital is put into special measures and possible talks of a ‘private sector’ take-over are mentioned there is usually a public outcry, but none more so than with the George Eliot Hospital.  Last year it was expected that a new provider would take over services in 18 months’ time.Board meeting papers... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:45:00 GMT Guest blog by Virginia Burke, MyCSP Consultants, GPs and senior NHS staff are being advised to review their pension provision due to HMRC changes. From 6 April 2014, the Lifetime Allowance (LTA) – the maximum amount of pension savings that an individual can amass and still qualify for tax relief over their lifetime – will... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Mar 2014 09:15:00 GMT Lots of coverage of the RCGP's poll over the weekend and today, with the public generally agreeing with the royal college’s concerns about shrinking budgets and overworked GPs. Some of the results should be taken with a pinch of salt though. Yes, 60% of people surveyed said funding should be diverted from other parts of the NHS into... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:15:00 GMT At this week’s National Health IT Conference & Exhibition (HC 2014) there was – from NHE’s experience of being there and from what exhibitors and delegates said – a number of though-provoking and lively discussions on how to integrate IT and informatics better within the NHS. In fact, during the two-day show... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 21 Mar 2014 12:45:00 GMT We’ve all seen dubious reviews about hotels, restaurants and flights on the internet in the past, but you would hope that NHS hospital reviews would stand up to scrutiny. However, a BBC Newsnight investigation seems to have hit this expectation right out of the stadium and into the opposite car park. Its research revealed that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Mar 2014 10:45:00 GMT Nearly 200,000 patients a year are ‘shuttled’ between hospital wards throughout the night due to increasing demand for beds, a Freedom of Information request by the Times has revealed. In fact, the FoI highlighted that 195,372 people at 58 trusts in England were moved between the hours of 11pm and 6am last year. But 57 trusts... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 18 Mar 2014 11:45:00 GMT Already today there has been much anger, and confusion, expressed over the pay sector review for NHS staff. And, we think it is fair to say, the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, hasn’t made it any easier to understand the plans. He said: “The NHSPRB’s recommendations for a 1% consolidated rise for all staff, on top of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:30:00 GMT In a bid to understand the eProcurement strategy of the NHS with greater clarity, NHE is today attending an Auto ID and Data Capture (AIDC) event designed to highlight the potential benefits for improvement in the NHS through the use of barcoding and RFID technologies. In particular, the seminar – organised by the Health and Social... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Mar 2014 10:05:00 GMT We all know that Clause 119 of the Care Bill, which will give trust special administrators (TSAs) special powers to close hospital units within a 40 pay notice period, without consultation, is an extremely divisive topic. Many argue it is health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s retaliation for being thwarted in his attempt to close down... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 11 Mar 2014 12:00:00 GMT Would you want to know if you might suffer from Alzheimer’s disease in the future, if you had the option? Well, according to research carried out at Georgetown University in the USA, a new blood test can predict – with 90% accuracy – if a healthy person will develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:00:00 GMT There was an overwhelmingly positive attitude surrounding the Health and Care Innovation Expo 2014 – with many saying what a success the two-day event had been. There was a lot going on during the two-day exhibition and conference, with many carefully selected exhibitors hosting demonstrations, panel discussions on a variety of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Mar 2014 10:04:00 GMT The Health and Care Innovation Expo 2014, hosted by NHS England, is coming up next week, and it’s shaping up to be a great event. The NHE team is looking forward to getting along to the event – it’s just down the road for us from our Manchester office – and meeting some of the excellent exhibitors and hearing more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 25 Feb 2014 11:30:00 GMT The phase-out of the MPIG has been met with criticism by doctors, who warn that it could lead to many smaller practices being forced to close. Is it fair to provide funding only on the number of patients practices treat? There have been several moves recently to encourage GPs to merge practices in networks or shared services, rather... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 21 Feb 2014 11:30:00 GMT The calls for integrated, preventative services is expanding, with families charity 4Children adding its voice to the push for a new health and social care system. The move reflects a growing recognition of the complex interplay of different elements in public health – of how things like poverty, energy and education all impact on... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 20 Feb 2014 10:45:00 GMT After a range of complaints from professional bodies as well as patients, NHS England has agreed to postpone the launch of care.data and to improve its communications campaign. The organisation was condemned for failing to properly explain the opt-out scheme, how it will affect patients, and who would be able to access the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Feb 2014 10:47:00 GMT The Crisis Concordat has been warmly welcomed by a wide range of health professionals, and offers a robust framework for local health and policing services to work together and provide better care. Norman Lamb sums it up best when he said that crisis care is the starkest example of inequality between mental and physical... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 18 Feb 2014 10:00:00 GMT While the NHS is working to meet huge challenges around delivering safer, cheaper and more effective care for patients, it can be easy to forget that the people working there also need to stay healthy. The new study from Sheffield Hallam University shows the great return on investment that is available for trusts which invest in their... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 14 Feb 2014 12:15:00 GMT Wider use of statins could help prevent millions of deaths, but there are many concerns around NICE’s updated guidance for their use. Firstly it focuses on treatment for disease that is, in many cases, completely preventable. Healthier lifestyles would cut the cases of CVD and solve the root cause of the problem. But this would... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Feb 2014 10:04:00 GMT The OECD’s report has some interesting points on the integration of healthcare and employment services. While the NHS has long recognised the need for closer working with the community, this has usually focused on social care, with other bodies such as housing associations or the police considered above and beyond the theme of closer... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 11 Feb 2014 11:30:00 GMT The University of Sheffield has published the results of a new study, highlighting the real impact of a minimum price for alcohol. Critics of the policy – including the drinks industry – had warned that a minimum price per unit would hit moderate drinkers on low incomes, without stopping those whose drinking causes the highest... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 10 Feb 2014 12:30:00 GMT The new report detailing the extent of post-natal depression and ‘baby blues’ is saddening, particularly when it is so clear that maternity provision for these issues is lacking. From training for midwives to greater awareness and support around the mental health difficulties that can come with birth, more simply must be done... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 07 Feb 2014 12:15:00 GMT The new CQC report shows the progress King’s College Hospital NHS FT has made so far on the failings at the Princess Royal University Hospital – and how far it still has to go. Formerly part of the South London Healthcare NHS Trust, the hospital has a number of ingrained problems which are leading to poor quality care and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 06 Feb 2014 11:45:00 GMT The publication of the Francis report last year has led to a whole host of changes in the system, leading to a safer NHS with stronger controls in place to avoid unacceptable failings of care. But did the government go far enough in accepting its recommendations? A number were agreed only partially, including the call for mandatory... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:15:00 GMT The new WHO cancer report demonstrates the scale of the upcoming challenge, as millions more cases are set to develop over the next few decades. And half of these cases will be preventable; with lifestyle factors leading to a huge increase in the incidence of cancer. This is both sobering, and a ray of hope: it doesn’t have to be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Feb 2014 10:30:00 GMT The new synthetic biology centres will be a great boost to the UK economy as well as helping to develop live-saving treatments and technologies. Investing in research is becoming increasingly important as the NHS tries to keep up with increasing pressure from a growing ageing population and the rise of complex, multiple and chronic... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:45:00 GMT Children’s charities and campaign groups, including the RCPCH, have called for a greater focus on early intervention in an article in The Times today. They argue that putting NHS’s resources towards elderly care and the ageing population has led to less emphasis on young people. But providing a good start in life can... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Jan 2014 10:04:00 GMT The importance of nursing in the police has been highlighted over recent months, and the latest report by the London Assembly reiterates the message that greater integration is vital. The level of mental health issues in prisons is far higher than for the average population, and these must be considered when offenders are... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 Jan 2014 11:00:00 GMT The new research into the effectiveness of public health interventions should be warmly welcomed. Too often, good initiatives can fail to catch on due to a lack of evidence, and the perception of being somewhat ‘fluffy’. While anecdotally such schemes may have a significant effect, yet securing vital investment in public... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 27 Jan 2014 11:00:00 GMT The new research by Macmillan Cancer Support suggests that age discrimination in the NHS is preventing some patients from accessing treatment. There are many factors commonly associated with older patients that could make them ineligible for certain types of treatment; but these should not be assumed as the norm. It is important that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 24 Jan 2014 12:00:00 GMT The NAO’s latest report casts doubt on the accuracy of waiting times data for elective care, with inaccuracies, a lack of assurance, and variation between different trusts. If we are to have national standards, they should be implemented in the same way. But in different areas, trusts measure the 18-week standard in different ways.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 23 Jan 2014 09:45:00 GMT The co-ordination of the DH and the insurance industry should help to support people with their long-term care costs, encouraging more of the public to plan ahead, and to allow companies the certainty to develop more financial options. With a growing ageing population, we cannot afford to keep putting off the question of how we will pay... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Jan 2014 10:38:00 GMT NHS England’s new ‘The Earlier, The Better’ campaign is the latest in a long line of increasingly memorable PR moves to get the message across to the public that A&E should not be used for non-emergencies. If illness is caught early, unnecessary admissions could be reduced. There have been funny songs, lists of the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 21 Jan 2014 10:45:00 GMT For too long health professionals have shied away from sharing information about patients at risk of self-harm or suicide. The government’s new report sets out a commitment to improve this; to listen to friends and family, and to support patients to share information if they choose to do so. More dialogue around these cases could... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 20 Jan 2014 11:15:00 GMT The under-use of bariatric surgery is something all trusts should think more carefully about. The potential impact of this treatment on mortality is huge, and with research showing the number of eligible patients is higher than expected, it is time commissioners acted on national guidance. When bariatric surgery is used well, it can be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 17 Jan 2014 11:45:00 GMT Is 20% of the NHS’s work either useless or actively harmful? It’s what Welsh health minister Mark Drakeford is to suggest today, urging the health service to prioritise resources only on treatment and care that is proven to work. It sounds obvious, but there clearly are areas where the health service is inefficient. And the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 16 Jan 2014 12:00:00 GMT The ‘Who do you think we are?’ paper, published today, is a great step forward for increased awareness around community pharmacy. These services offer a valuable and underused opportunity to reduce the number of emergency admissions to hospital, with improved care that is relevant to patient needs. Commissioners must take... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Jan 2014 10:30:00 GMT Following the launch of Action on Sugar last Thursday, and with the start of National Obesity Awareness Week today, the question of whether the state should intervene in the way we eat comes under scrutiny again. For many, particularly in the healthcare sector, introducing measures to reduce and restrict the easy access we currently have... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 13 Jan 2014 11:45:00 GMT The new contract for Welsh GPs will eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, the government has stated. Fewer targets to hit and a greater emphasis on collaboration could remove excessive paperwork demands, and allow doctors to spend more time with patients. There are also changes to funding that seek to incentivise different ways of working... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 10 Jan 2014 14:45:00 GMT Sugar is the new salt, or perhaps the new alcohol, depending on who you listen to. The action campaign, launched today, seeks to encourage government and the food and drink industry to begin gradually lowering the amount of sugar in products, to dramatically reduce obesity risk and all the lifestyle-exacerbated disease that goes with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 09 Jan 2014 11:30:00 GMT The figures on A&E frequent attendances last year are shocking. It highlights the huge educational challenge the NHS has to get patients to access the most appropriate service for their needs. If community or primary care services are unavailable, or difficult to get to, or if patients remain confused about the best point of care for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Jan 2014 10:04:00 GMT Monitor’s latest announcement highlights the increasingly blurry line between independent and public providers of NHS-funded healthcare. The former will now be regulated and licensed as well, to protect both patient and provider. As trusts can make more and more profit through competition, it is worth considering the long-term... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 07 Jan 2014 10:00:00 GMT The debate on sharing patients’ medical records, the freshly-launched attack on sugar, and modern feminism all come down to the same thing for me. I believe people should have freedom of choice, but that choice should be made in an informed environment. So, sharing your records for medical research – great, fantastic... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 06 Jan 2014 14:45:00 GMT NHS England has started its leaflet drop highlighting changes to data sharing today, but its publicity of this fact leaves a lot to be desired. Changing the way personal health records are used should require informed consent. Since NHS England has chosen to operate on an opt-out basis, the information portion of this scheme is vital. A... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 06 Jan 2014 11:45:00 GMT It’s a brand new year, and the roll-out of charges to enforce a ‘National’ health service – rather than an international one – continues as the government announces additional fees for foreign patients. Many professionals within the health service have pointed out that even if the idea is good in principle... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 02 Jan 2014 09:56:00 GMT The paediatrics workforce gap appears to be widening, despite the need for increased numbers of consultants. The RCPCH has called for a long-term approach to be taken to workforce planning, with moves taken towards greater integrated care, rather than a simple reduction in the number of training posts available. Too often changes are made... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 19 Dec 2013 09:45:00 GMT Has the public perception of the NHS been distorted by negative media and scare stories? There’s no doubt that the health service has been used as a political pawn this year – you only need to look at Andy Burnham’s repeated and nonsensical pledges to repeal the reforms after years of upheaval – and this is, as NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Dec 2013 10:00:00 GMT Should elderly care take priority over deprivation on NHS funding allocation? It’s a difficult question. The growing ageing population means that this demographic – which already poses a disproportionately large burden on the healthcare system – will need more care, for more complex conditions. But the areas of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 17 Dec 2013 12:15:00 GMT Seven-day working continues to move closer, as Sir Bruce Keogh sets out standards to implement across the NHS over the next three years. Getting this structure in place will be essential to help commissioners and providers to move towards delivering truly accessible and quality care, any day of the week. It will require huge changes... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 16 Dec 2013 11:45:00 GMT Technological advances are allowing patient outcomes to be delivered more quickly, safely, and effectively. Both the new renal denervation therapy being introduced at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT and the digital patient monitoring system at Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT offer care fit for the future. Smarter ways of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 12:15:00 GMT Peers are discussing patients’ right to die today in the House of Lords; a controversial topic that presents an ethical can of worms for health professionals. Many doctors are themselves in favour of assisted dying, and agree that patient choice about end-of-life care must be improved. But these beliefs are one thing in theory and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 09:45:00 GMT The G8 Dementia Summit today is as important as it is difficult to hear about. Every four seconds, someone somewhere is diagnosed with the disease. That’s without taking into account all those who remain undiagnosed. But today is about looking forward, to a day when we can more accurately test for Alzheimer’s and dementia;... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Dec 2013 11:00:00 GMT How can pharmacy play a larger role in out-of-hospital care? The NHS is beginning to appreciate the untapped value in community pharmacy, and their opportunity on the frontline to deliver public health messages and to manage long-term conditions. Especially in the winter months, primary care is expected to be increasingly overburdened.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 11:30:00 GMT The new guidance from NHS Protect has an important message; it encourages staff to adopt a perspective that considers challenging behaviour as a symptom of distress, or unmet need. Its understanding that patients are not deliberately irritating, or even aggressive. They are vulnerable and dependent on safe, quality care that is not always... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 06 Dec 2013 12:15:00 GMT Ineffective management and poor leadership is not just a matter of performance statistics and productivity spreadsheets. In the health and social care sector, just failures lead to deaths, neglect and poor care. There are some bracing conclusions in the CMI’s report into health management published today. Some may dismiss the survey... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 05 Dec 2013 11:45:00 GMT Making the NHS pension available to private and independent providers would send a message to the whole healthcare sector; one that might face significant criticism from those keen to keep the NHS wholly public. If the majority of non-NHS providers’ patients are from the NHS however, how can public sector pensions be withheld from... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Dec 2013 10:45:00 GMT The launch of the CQC’s new inspection regime for mental health specialist services is a great step forwards for a more equal footing for mental and physical health. Tougher inspections and the introduction of a ratings system for providers could help to ensure more standardised care, as well as improvements in quality. It is also... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 02 Dec 2013 11:30:00 GMT ‘Polypharmacy’ must be improved, The King’s Fund has urged. With the rise of co-morbidities and larger numbers of more complex conditions, better management of drugs is essential. The NHS cannot continue to operate as if patients with only one disease are the norm. Training, research and policy must adapt to take... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 29 Nov 2013 12:45:00 GMT It’s a day for collaboration, with both the NAPC and NHS Confederation, and the NHS Partners Network and the English Community Care Association (ECCA) joining forces. Closer engagement throughout the health service is essential to delivering more patient-centred care that seeks to prevent illness, rather than simply reacting to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 28 Nov 2013 10:45:00 GMT Would implementing a smoking ban across all of secondary care bring significant health benefits? Undoubtedly. But is it practical? When so many staff, visitors and guests also smoke, the incentive for patients to quit can be diluted. And the disparity in smoking rates between the general population and those with mental illness is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:04:00 GMT Is telehealth in trouble? The ‘pathfinder’ model across seven areas is no longer the best way forward, NHS England tells us. It’s only a year since Jeremy Hunt said that 100,000 patients and care users would be benefiting from telehealth by the end of this year – but the actual figures barely approach... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 26 Nov 2013 11:00:00 GMT The new national strategy highlights that rare diseases are actually anything but – one in 17 people living in the UK are predicted to develop a ‘rare’ disease at some point during their lifetime. As genetic research improves, more and more diseases of this type are being uncovered, making it a national priority will be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:45:00 GMT The CQC’s new report is alarming to say the least. The one thing many NHS organisations clung to when the Francis Inquiry uncovered such terrible care at Mid Staffs, and again when the government formally responded to that inquiry this week, was that steps were already being taken to ensure it would never happen again. It seems that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 22 Nov 2013 10:15:00 GMT The value of good data in the NHS cannot be overestimated. The new report from the NHS Confederation sets out how both collection and utilisation of information can be improved, balanced with the need to cut bureaucracy throughout the NHS. As part of the government’s response to Francis this week, health secretary Jeremy Hunt... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 21 Nov 2013 10:45:00 GMT The government’s response to the Francis Inquiry, published yesterday, is perhaps one of the most important documents the NHS will see all year. While the initial review has already had a huge impact, it is the way the DH plans to react, and the changes this will see implemented, that is critical. That the vast majority of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:45:00 GMT The Government’s response to Francis today should have a significant impact on hospitals’ performance, as well as public understanding and trust in the health service. Is the decision to only require ward by ward staffing levels the right one, though? Some organisations have been pushing for a minimum standard, to ensure care... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 19 Nov 2013 10:30:00 GMT Named GPs accountable for a person’s care and able to co-ordinate their healthcare with the rest of the NHS are obviously a great idea – so obvious that Professor Don Berwick is among those recommending something similar for the whole population. For now, the commitment made under the doctors’ contract changes applies... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 18 Nov 2013 10:45:00 GMT The new research by the Campaign to End Loneliness highlights a worrying number of elderly people who attend their GP surgery just to seek some company. Many GPs are unsure of how to manage these patients, and who they should refer them on to. And loneliness can have severe impacts on people’s health. The campaign is urging... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 15 Nov 2013 11:30:00 GMT Special measures at Colchester follow a number of warning signs: the trust was one of those investigated by Sir Bruce Keogh’s mortality review, while the CQC has also reported failings in cancer care. As Monitor starts to use its powers to place more trusts into special measures, it would be beneficial to see how some of the earlier... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 14 Nov 2013 11:45:00 GMT Sir Bruce Keogh’s new two-tier plan is to be welcomed, but the new National Audit of Intermediate Care highlights the huge progress that needs to be made on out-of-hospital services to reduce pressure on A&E. Centralising specialist emergency care makes sense, but the NHS must be making improvements both ways. Better community... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Nov 2013 10:45:00 GMT Sheffield University’s new study will see mothers offered financial incentives to boost breastfeeding. There are a number of issues around this form of bribery; the mothers in areas where breastfeeding is less stigmatised would never be part of this pilot; and it seeks to affect one symptom of a wider problem. If society generally... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 12 Nov 2013 10:15:00 GMT Monitor’s report on walk-in centres should give the government reason to pause – will shutting most centres lead to greater pressure on A&E, as patients cannot secure an appointment with their GPs? Out-of-hours provision is essential to ensure people are receiving the appropriate care for their problems. If walk-in centres... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 11 Nov 2013 15:00:00 GMT Would private health insurance be a better way of getting immigrants to contribute towards their healthcare on the NHS than the government’s proposal to charge them a flat fee? The Home Affairs Committee has recommended this approach, pointing out that victims of trafficking could be unfairly penalised by the proposed... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 08 Nov 2013 14:15:00 GMT While the NHS is crying out for consultants – study upon study reiterating that patient outcomes improve when a consultant is available 24/7, or at the very least 7/7 – it seems financial pressures are creating a mismatch between available long-term posts and the supply of trainees. The RCP’s new survey is a warning. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 07 Nov 2013 10:00:00 GMT Sir David Nicholson’s comments were met with surprise by MPs last night, and sky-high salaries are a difficult thing to defend. He is right in that the system that authorises such pay was set up by politicians, and not health service managers. It is also undoubtedly true that leading NHS organisations, particularly during dramatic... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Nov 2013 10:30:00 GMT It’s been recognised for some time that pharmacists have the potential to work beyond their traditional role, and provide care across a much wider range of services. The new report from the RPS confirms this opportunity, and sets out steps for both pharmacists and the DH to make the most of this resource. The NHS as a whole is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 05 Nov 2013 10:15:00 GMT The call for action against FGM has been too long coming. The law is clear, yet too many cases still occur in the UK. Frontline professionals must report all suspicions of girls at risk, and this information must be shared in a much more coordinated way to provide essential protection for children. Our system is currently failing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 04 Nov 2013 12:30:00 GMT Following yet more reports of the pressures on emergency care this week, Norman Lamb’s announcement of integration pioneers is to be welcomed. It shows there are areas out there which are leading the way on joined-up care, ensuring community care acts as a preventative measure rather than focusing on the reactive care provided in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 01 Nov 2013 12:00:00 GMT On the same day that the NAO publishes a report calling for better management of emergency services, the health secretary is acting on recommendations from the IRP to shake-up A&E across north-west London. This will see departments cut at a number of hospitals, centralising care to improve outcomes and safety for patients. But renewed... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 31 Oct 2013 11:30:00 GMT The judges’ verdict on Jeremy Hunt’s decision to cut services at Lewisham Hospital is a blow for government, and for health professionals who have been trying to push out the idea that service reconfiguration is not only necessary, but will provide better care for everyone. Cutting emergency and maternity services at the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Oct 2013 10:15:00 GMT The investigation by Monitor and the NHS TDA into the pressures facing smaller hospital trusts is timely and welcome.  There's a piece of conventional wisdom that says smaller district general hospitals are simply going to have to close in the face of greater specialisation on the way hand, and a move towards more services being... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:30:00 GMT NHS pay is a source of great controversy at the moment, as an agreement around staff pay rises is proving difficult to reach. Hunt’s latest comments around the number of managers who should be paid over £100,000 look set to complicate the matter further. It is not high pay per say that the health secretary has condemned, but... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 28 Oct 2013 11:45:00 GMT Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS FT has become the first trust not highlighted by Keogh’s mortality review that has been placed into special measures by the regulator. Problems with finances have been ongoing at the trust, and it has been in breach of its licence since April. These can often highlight wider problems... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:45:00 GMT Prof Dame Sally Davies has published her report on children’s health, warning that they deserve better. In the UK there are five ‘excess’ deaths a day compared to countries like Sweden, and preventative care could save these lives. It covers emotional as well as physical health – and highlights that 75% of lifetime... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 24 Oct 2013 11:30:00 GMT The idea of using financial incentives to boost adherence to antipsychotic treatment is extremely controversial, but new research suggests it can have a significant impact on patients.  In a cost-benefit analysis, the approach is clearly worth it. The amount of money spent on incentives would be far lower than the NHS costs of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Oct 2013 11:15:00 GMT The true cost of health tourism has now been revealed, thanks to DH research – at somewhere between £70m and £300m. That’s quite a large gap for our most accurate estimate.  The measures have been criticised for being impractical. Health professionals could see it as an added layer of bureaucracy, making them... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 22 Oct 2013 13:00:00 GMT SBRI Healthcare’s competition is a brilliant way to drive forward research in areas of unmet need. Companies will be funded to develop proposed solutions for mental health and end of life care, ensuring ideas can undergo the necessary testing to be introduced to the health service.  When the NHS is facing so much pressure on... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 21 Oct 2013 12:45:00 GMT Is this the beginning of the end for vital hospital reconfigurations? The news that the CC has blocked the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals and Poole Hospital Trusts merger could signal a greater involvement of competition regulators in NHS plans. Are FT’s independent enterprises? And how much priority should be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 18 Oct 2013 13:15:00 GMT The recommendations set out in NICE’s new guidance seems self evident – all patients should be treated with dignity and respect.  But with conditions caused by lifestyle factors, such as obesity, it can be all too easy to adopt a position of judgement and blame. Fatness is shunned and shamed in wider society, and the NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 17 Oct 2013 11:15:00 GMT The launch of a public awareness campaign for NHS England’s care.data scheme should be welcomed, but the near complete lack of understanding around the initiative is still cause for concern. Better use of existing resources – in this case patient information – is a key part of the NHS’s efficiency challenge. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:15:00 GMT A comprehensive strategy for adult social care has been set out today; but how far is too far in the name of safety? Some of the proposals will face criticism, particularly the use of hidden cameras.  It’s how some of the most terrible abuse was uncovered, but adopting this policy as standard could have grave implications for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 15 Oct 2013 11:15:00 GMT The message that the NHS must adapt to changing pressures is now being broadcast regularly from the professional who work within it.  Both NHS England and the NHS Confederation have published calls for greater investment in community and primary care, not hospitals. And the Scottish Government is following English moves to implement... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 14 Oct 2013 12:30:00 GMT The European Parliament has voted for stronger checks and alerts on doctors from other member states working across Europe.  One of the huge benefits of being a member of the EU is to be able to share information; clinicians who have been struck off or sanctioned in one country will no longer be able to travel abroad to find work in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 10 Oct 2013 10:30:00 GMT Pharmacies have long been an undervalued part of the NHS, and the potential they have to improve public health is enormous. Being able to advise the public before they become patients or emergency cases is an essential part of the shift towards more preventative care. To protect A&E departments and hospitals from rising pressure, all... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Oct 2013 10:45:00 GMT The latest survey from the College of Emergency Medicine reiterates warnings that pressures in A&E are reaching breaking point, with many doctors overwhelmed by their workload.  As well as being extremely difficult to manage, this also has implications for the future workforce – if stress at work becomes too high the risk... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 08 Oct 2013 11:30:00 GMT Political rows don’t often ‘turn legal’ at the Cabinet / Shadow Cabinet level – which perhaps shows the level of outrage Andy Burnham’s feeling over comments made by Jeremy Hunt. Considering the widespread calls for Burnham to be sacked or moved from certain newspapers and Conservative MPs following the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:05:00 GMT The Friends & Family test has had some impressive results in A&E, and allows the NHS to get a clearer picture of patient satisfaction with their services.  So it’s good news that the test is starting to be rolled out – now expectant and new mothers will be able to add their feedback. There are a number of areas in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 04 Oct 2013 15:00:00 GMT The RCGP’s warning today casts light on an important part of the aim to increase care outside of A&E – without adequate resourcing, GPs will be unable to maintain their present levels of service delivery, let alone take some of the pressure off emergency care.  Switching the focus of care to prevention and management... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:30:00 GMT Increasing GP access out of hours can only be a good thing, and the rest of the health service has welcomed the DH’s new pioneers competition. But there are some important considerations to make: Chris Ham has highlighted the need for better continuity of care, investment in which may be a more urgent priority than greater access... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Oct 2013 10:34:00 GMT The Government’s rhetoric about certain people who, inexplicably, do not “want to get on in life” is far-reaching and pervasive. Even in an otherwise incredibly positive policy announcement about healthcare, it seems another dig at those on welfare is too good to pass up. The new pioneer projects for extended GP access... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 01 Oct 2013 15:15:00 GMT Both the RCM survey, and a survey of nurses published by the RCN suggest that rising pressure and scant resources are making it more and more difficult for NHS staff to provide quality services to patients. These issues must be taken into account when the NHS Pay Review Body makes its decision, as well as being considered in workforce... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 30 Sep 2013 15:45:00 GMT The GMC-commissioned review into the MRCGP examination has found that while the method itself was not discriminatory, significant differences in outcome remain for international and BME graduates.  The review’s recommendations, including greater support for those who are less adequately prepared for the exam, could help to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:00:00 GMT Andy Burnham has repeated his promise to repeal the Health and Social Care Act, to undo the slide towards a more Americanised healthcare system, greater privatisation and putting profits ahead of people. It’s politically popular and easy enough to say. But his insistence that Labour will end the chaotic restructuring, by increasing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 26 Sep 2013 10:40:00 GMT NHS Employers’ submission to the pay review body today is sure to raise some controversy – NHS staff will be pushing for a pay rise, but other pressures may make this impractical. The RCN has argued that even a 1% rise shouldn’t stop increased recruitment of nurses, despite NHS Employers warning that a pay rise could... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Sep 2013 10:34:00 GMT The horror of what happened at Mid Staffs has been dragged out even further. Yesterday the GMC announced that cases against four more senior doctors will be dropped due to a lack of sufficient evidence. The Francis report into the scandal highlighted that blame could not – should not – be attributed to individuals, as the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 24 Sep 2013 10:03:00 GMT Today’s report from the Mental Health Foundation on its major year-long inquiry into the future of mental health services makes startling and worrying reading, and is a real call to action. I admit I was unaware of the sheer cost of mental health services – more than cancer, more than heart disease. But with services already... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 23 Sep 2013 11:05:00 GMT Health might be seen as lucky that its ‘revolving doors’ are between Whitehall and eminent think tanks, not dodgy defence companies or hedge funds.  Richard Murray, NHS England’s chief analyst, is joining The King’s Fund as policy director next year to replace Anna Dixon, who quit the think tank to join the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 20 Sep 2013 13:30:00 GMT Good leaders realise they can always improve and are happy to take advice and learn lessons from wherever they can. So anyone feeling insulted or threatened by the new leadership interventions and training being announced today needs to accept they can improve. There may be a natural disinclination to have others coming into your... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 19 Sep 2013 10:02:00 GMT A smart public health idea with some evidence behind it? Always keen to hear about those. An initiative called StepJockey, backed by the Department of Health via the Small Business Research Initiative, is boosting public fitness in a small but measureable way by showing office workers how many calories they’ll burn by climbing each... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Sep 2013 10:02:00 GMT The new hospital inspection regime has a lot riding on it. As the NHS Confederation says in its blunt statement today, the inspection process itself is as much under the microscope as the hospitals being investigated. There have been too many failures in the past, too many missed opportunities to intervene, and everyone knows about... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 17 Sep 2013 15:00:00 GMT An interesting and valuable conference tomorrow will consider how medical engineering can be developed to provide faster responses to health care needs in developing countries. The Institution of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) is leading the conference, which promotes innovative technology that takes advantage of existing infrastructure... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 16 Sep 2013 11:05:00 GMT No politician has ever argued that the amount of attention and care given to babies and toddlers should be cut. And indeed, some people might think that it’s when the MPs all agree on something that the rest of us should get really worried. It tends to be a truism that anything broad enough to win the support of absolutely... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 13 Sep 2013 12:05:00 GMT The Future Hospital Commission has set the bar high for the NHS; 50 recommendations range from organisational structure to patient respect and new clinical and management roles for staff. It’s an incredibly detailed and comprehensive report, bringing together many of the reforms that have been identified as vital for a better... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 12 Sep 2013 10:02:00 GMT Mike Farrar’s resignation has come as quite a surprise – with only a few weeks before he stands down from the NHS Confederation, chief executive of NHS Employers Dean Royles will have to take over his responsibilities while a replacement is found. It’s not that moving into consultancy is a particularly strange move for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Sep 2013 10:05:00 GMT The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is calling for acute trusts to take part in an audit – to “shape the future” of data collection and validation. Focusing initially on A&E, maternity and stroke care, the audit could identify and develop best practice in reducing bureaucracy and improving the way... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 10 Sep 2013 10:05:00 GMT As winter approaches, concerns about waiting times start to rise. Pressure on A&E has been mounting for some time, and the extra demand inflicted by more colds and infections, could be hugely problematic. It’s a challenge in itself, trying to dissuade patients from always seeking the emergency room for complaints which could be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 09 Sep 2013 10:33:00 GMT The impact of lung disease across the EU, and particularly on the UK, is widespread and severe. The statistics are shocking; one in eight deaths in the EU is down to diseases like lung cancer and COPD. What’s even sadder is that so many of these cases are preventable – smoking is a major contributing cause for the most common... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:05:00 GMT As Macmillan’s annual league table of patient care shows, the NHS has a duty to go beyond clinical targets and outcomes. Respect, dignity and even taking the time to explain care options to patients are essential to their wellbeing and the success of the health service. Good healthcare treats people, not statistics. Recognising... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:05:00 GMT Earlier diagnosis of pancreatic cancer could shorten patient stays in hospital, save thousands and help more patients to live longer. Pancreatic Cancer UK is calling for redesigned care pathways for these patients, with huge benefits from doing so. A GP referral would allow more time to treat pancreatic cancer, as well as reducing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Sep 2013 11:06:00 GMT The RCP’s full response to the Francis report is considered, comprehensive and includes specific action that trusts can begin to implement. They are not new ideas: the importance of leadership, a special focus on elderly patients, and better use of data. But a robust response on these issues will be essential to meeting... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 03 Sep 2013 09:35:00 GMT As the UK’s biggest employer, the NHS has a huge responsibility to meet energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets. This is important not only for the environment, but to save the estimated £93m overspend highlighted by the EEF today. In such a large organisation, tiny changes can quickly add up to make a real difference.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 02 Sep 2013 11:05:00 GMT There are huge opportunities for cost efficiencies and improved quality of care now that trusts are moving on from the disaster that was the National Programme for IT. A group of trusts, led by the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust, is taking advantage of this opportunity with their new PACS contract. A closer... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:35:00 GMT A lack of competition in the NHS caused ministers to completely redesign the system, with a mass of reforms and legislation intended to drive up performance and cut costs. But its private hospitals which are suffering from this problem, the Competition Commission has found. Small groups of hospitals all owned by the same large companies... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 29 Aug 2013 10:35:00 GMT This is where NICE guidance can truly transform care; on ‘Cinderella’ conditions such as Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). Despite being fairly common, this condition remains poorly understood both by doctors and patients. Raising awareness about AKI could lead to earlier detection, treatment and fewer emergency admissions –... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Aug 2013 10:20:00 GMT Sometimes, bigger is better. NHS Supply Chain’s Capital Equipment Fund has helped to provide 10% savings on new linear accelerators to boost cancer diagnosis and treatment. Buying power can be significantly enhanced through the use of this fund, and is one way to keep up with rising demand and emerging technology. Procuring and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 27 Aug 2013 13:05:00 GMT The DH’s announcement of the latest funding for voluntary organisations to support healthcare shows a Big Society approach to healthcare that, while admirable, needs to be balanced with appropriate funding for the NHS itself. There are a number of great projects within the health service already trialling and developing new services... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 23 Aug 2013 14:45:00 GMT The difference in girls’ and boys’ exercise patterns could lead to some serious public health problems, now and when they grow up.  Latest research from UCL backs up similar studies which have warned about the number of adults missing out on their recommended activity levels – it’s clear that it’s an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 22 Aug 2013 11:15:00 GMT Integrating mental health services with both commissioning and the justice system are important steps towards parity of esteem between the two.  The Centre of Mental Health has urged the NHS to move towards joint commissioning, taking overlapping needs around addiction into account as they provide healthcare services.  And... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Aug 2013 11:45:00 GMT The issue that faces all screening programmes is the risk of frightening those who are perfectly healthy, while missing those who need intervention the most. Criticisms of the Government’s over-40s health check scheme highlight a lack of evidence that such checks save lives. But is a certain amount of worry not a reasonable price to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 20 Aug 2013 10:05:00 GMT Cancer Research UK’s new website could prove invaluable in creating more targeted local healthcare services to tackle cancer – identifying the most critical factors in that part of the country. It’s also a great way to track national progress with the disease, and could allow trusts to more easily find best practice in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 19 Aug 2013 12:05:00 GMT A bank or failing business is the latest in a line of metaphors being used to conceptualise problems with the NHS. Previous recommendations for thinking differently about the health service include PC World, Bargain Hunt or Tesco. All these examples highlight the Government’s focus on financial success, the need for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 16 Aug 2013 11:05:00 GMT The new Health Select Committee report highlights the dangers of hospitals operating at more than full capacity, with evidence of patients being sectioned simply to secure a bed. Action must be taken to stop such practice – the consequences for the patient involved, as well as the rest of the NHS, are shocking. For legislation... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 15 Aug 2013 10:05:00 GMT Less active childhood is leading to significant problems with young people’s health and wellbeing, as well as in later life. It ultimately costs the NHS as well as society more widely, but it’s a difficult thing to encourage due to a range of factors stopping children from spending more time playing outside. So while the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Aug 2013 10:04:00 GMT The Health Service Ombudsman has highlighted a vital challenge for the NHS to overcome to avoid another Mid Staffs scandal: hearing complaints and responding to them effectively. Its part of the learning culture recently reiterated by Prof Don Berwick, and unfortunately is easier said than done. NHS leaders can wax lyrical about the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:04:00 GMT The impact of deprivation on physical health has been demonstrated today, with a new study showing a clear disparity between exercise taken and economic affluence.  People with more money and education are more likely to be fitter, which has numerous knock-on effects on other parts of their lives: less time in hospital, lower risk of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 12 Aug 2013 14:00:00 GMT The new funding announced for researchers in South London could have a huge impact on the local population’s health, with a number of public health issues highlighted for focus. The CLAHRC is an ambitious attempt at partnership working, with a number of different academic and healthcare organisations coming together to pool research... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 09 Aug 2013 11:03:00 GMT A&E departments have dominated the headlines over recent weeks, but looking ahead the busier winter months could pose an even greater challenge. How can hospitals which are already struggling with demand cope with more and more patients? The DH has just announced some extra funding to help those particularly under pressure, aimed at... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 10:03:00 GMT Professor Don Berwick’s review has been enthusiastically welcomed by many in the NHS, who seem keen to move to a more transparent organisation that does not dwell on its mistakes, but does learn from them. But these recommendations are not new. The review as a whole is more positive than the Francis inquiry, highlighting good NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 11:04:00 GMT The results of Prof Berwick’s review, due out today, will provide interesting and challenging reading for Government. He is expected to reiterate the Francis inquiry’s recommendations around HCAs and minimum staffing levels – suggestions that ministers decided not to implement. Would another voice calling for these... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:33:00 GMT Taking action on domestic violence will require a coordinated response from all NHS staff working directly with patients; effective training, considered commissioning and prevention initiatives are all essential. A united front could help to better identify people at risk of abuse, or who are experiencing domestic violence. The NHS has a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 02 Aug 2013 12:32:00 GMT Further fears over rationing on the NHS have been raised today, as Diabetes UK points to patients being denied or restricted blood testing strips. While this is officially unacceptable, a lack of funding means that something has to give. Whatever that is, be it treatment or entire services, staff or processes, there will be people to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 01 Aug 2013 10:04:00 GMT The Support Stafford Hospital campaign has a worrying stubbornness to it that demonstrates the amount of feeling involved in service reconfiguration, and tough opposition to difficult decisions that have to be made. A campaigner has expressed her hopes that “nothing will be changed” at the hospital where care was once so... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:34:00 GMT New research on time pressures causing nurses to miss essential care has been met with a lack of surprise from the RCN. Staffing issues are at the forefront of their campaigning, and it is clear to see how insufficient levels lead to nurses simply unable to carry out all their clinical duties. It is particularly sad to see talking... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:47:00 GMT The announcement that NHS Direct is to withdraw from its nine remaining contracts to provide NHS 111 services sees the continued demise of its troubled launch earlier this year. The contracts have been described as “financially unsustainable”, and will now be passed onto a different organisation. NHS Direct has reiterated... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 29 Jul 2013 12:04:00 GMT Funding for trusts to take forward evidence-based improvements to ward design will have huge implications for people living with dementia. Research has shown that using bright colours and symbols can help patients to find their way, and reduce confusion and agitation. The care environment can make a significant difference to delirium, and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:04:00 GMT Today’s headlines show both the severity of the problem of staff shortages and what NHS foundation trusts plan to do about it. Gaps of thousands of health professionals in vital posts looks to make increasing patient demand even harder to manage. Debate around contracts has led to calls for greater incentives for more intensive... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 25 Jul 2013 10:03:00 GMT The new health committee report sets out what many throughout the NHS are coming to accept; that the urgent and emergency care system needs fixing, now. There is some good news from their review – the opportunity of improving care in primary, community and even ambulance settings offers great potential for relieving pressure on... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Jul 2013 10:18:00 GMT Negotiating the new junior doctors’ contract is going to be challenging – reports show many trainees are working far beyond their hours, while demand is only increasing. On top of this, policy-makers are beginning to seriously consider the move towards a seven-day system of care. This will require a huge reworking of the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:43:00 GMT The huge amount of wasted prescriptions each year demonstrates an area where efficiency cuts could really make a difference, both to people’s health and the NHS budget. Are lengthy prescriptions the best way to ensure patients have up-to-date treatment available? The amount thrown away suggests a more tailored approach could cut... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 22 Jul 2013 12:03:00 GMT It is incredible that different parts of the NHS can be as deep in deficit as others are in surplus, but that’s what the latest NAO update shows. It shows that there are ways to improve efficiency while maintaining quality standards and an even financial keel. But the DH must develop a more sustainable approach to helping those... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:31:00 GMT The Government has set out details of how the care cap will work and who it will effect – protecting thousands of elderly, as long as their needs are ‘eligible’. How desperate must this need be before it is considered eligible? Introducing a deferred payment scheme for local authorities to take some of the burden does... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 18 Jul 2013 11:18:00 GMT The publication of Sir Bruce Keogh’s review into failing trusts has quickly descended into a game of political ping-pong, where each party blames the other for all the problems that have ever developed in the NHS. Health professionals have urged for the focus to remain on quality, and how it can be recovered, rather than using the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:05:00 GMT Sir Bruce’s review into high mortality rates could be another shock to the NHS, highlighting further areas where poor care has lead to needless deaths. How many examples of failing governance must we see before such treatment of patients becomes completely unacceptable? How many more people must die as part of these statistics... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 16 Jul 2013 13:04:00 GMT Is the scrapping of the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) a decision made entirely on the clinical evidence, or because tabloid headlines have made it too politically difficult to do otherwise? Doctors across the NHS support the scheme, and its focus on preserving dignity is something that should be celebrated. Things do go wrong –... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:40:00 GMT The decision on plain packaging is to be postponed, as the UK government settles in to sit and wait for more evidence from Australia, now they have implemented the policy. The debate concerns a lack of information about how standardised packaging could actually affect the numbers of people smoking, particularly children. It also weighs up... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 12 Jul 2013 12:06:00 GMT NHS calls for centralisation and reorganisation of services have so far been met with substantial criticism, public loyalty to local hospitals overriding any larger need to push up the quality of care and make decisions based on efficiency. The JCPCT review was judged to be unlawful after it identified two children’s heart surgery... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Jul 2013 10:33:00 GMT The Cavendish review calls for stronger safeguards around the use of healthcare assistants, or HCAs. It’s about time. Thousands of these workers are responsible for essential tasks that affect patient care and outcomes, as well as their comfort and wellbeing. The NHS cannot simply leave them unregulated and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Jul 2013 10:04:00 GMT It’s National Transplant Week at the moment, with the key message of ‘Pass It On’, urging people to discuss their wishes about donation with their families. Families over-rule their dead loved one’s wishes with startling frequency, often refusing permission for organs to be used to save the lives of others. So... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 09 Jul 2013 10:04:00 GMT The case for reconfiguration of care services – from general hospitals to communities on the one hand, and specialist centres on the other, in simple terms – has been made many times in recent years. But it often comes from outside observers and think tanks and independent commentators. Politicians are wary of the language... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 08 Jul 2013 12:48:00 GMT Now at 65, the NHS is commonly held to be one of England greatest institutions, representing the very best in healthcare for whoever needs it. But the picture is not as rosy as that; healthcare lotteries plague the country and access to certain services is very far from simple. That same pride in the NHS also prevents genuine... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 05 Jul 2013 11:43:00 GMT The DH is to close an existing loophole in the CQC’s powers to hold managers to account for abuse and neglect within their organisations – but will this be enough to restore public confidence after recent scandals in care? It is not enough for managers to plead ignorance, and focus all criticism on their staff. Such positions... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 04 Jul 2013 12:33:00 GMT The Government plans to wipe out ‘abuse’ of the NHS – people living in the UK who are nationals from outside the EU receiving free treatment. The DH is unclear about the level of such abuse, making today’s announcement more ideological than about protecting our health service from ‘unnecessary’... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Jul 2013 10:53:00 GMT New reports published today indicate worrying examples of how the NHS is paying more for less. The PAC calls for the consultant contract to be revised to improve performance as well as value for money, while the FTN has warned that hospitals are losing money despite increased admissions in A&E. On one hand, this is extremely bad news... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 02 Jul 2013 11:18:00 GMT The legislation the Welsh Government is seeking to bring into force on organ donation could be revolutionary, for the country as well as the wider UK. Sufficient public consultation and awareness raising campaigns mean people will have no excuse not to opt out if that is what they really want. This move will not force people into... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:33:00 GMT The new transparency push by NHS England will allow patients to see exactly how well their hospital consultant has performed, how many times they have carried out a certain procedure, and how this compares to other doctors. Greater information for patients can be extremely beneficial, and is behind the Government’s vision of a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 28 Jun 2013 14:02:00 GMT The pooling of health and social care budgets is at last a tangible step towards integrated care that so many health professionals have been calling for. Now the funding is in place, commissioners can start to reorganise care to develop a more preventative service, which cares for people before they get to the stage where A&E is the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 27 Jun 2013 10:34:00 GMT The King’s Fund’s new report has an interesting, if capital-centric solution to the pressures facing the NHS. It calls for hospitals in London to be freed from competition requirements, so they can better enact change with improved primary care and more care in the community, led by NHS England’s London office. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Jun 2013 10:34:00 GMT NICE is taking preventative measures to great lengths, with anti-oestrogen drugs to be recommended for healthy women, with a family history of breast cancer. Increased screening and the use of drugs like tamoxifen is extremely cost-effective, allowing a huge number of cases of the disease to be prevented. How far should people be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:33:00 GMT NICE has suffered many complaints over its decisions not to approve certain drugs due to poor value for money for the NHS – now the way it undertakes assessments of value will be broadened. The body will take benefits to wider society into account when assessing new medicines, and whether drugs could cut the overall cost of disease... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 21 Jun 2013 11:47:00 GMT Reform has suggested that one easily remedied barrier to radical change in the NHS is that it suffers from too much funding. Remove the ring-fence, they argue, and innovation and efficiencies will follow. But change is happening across the health service. It may be slower than some would like, it may even be slower than we... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 20 Jun 2013 10:08:00 GMT Who regulates the regulator? The tricky question of responsibility has arisen as the CQC is accused of covering up a review which demonstrated failures in its inspection regime that may have lead to babies’ deaths. A new report by Grant Thornton suggests critical information about the safety of the maternity unit at University... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:04:00 GMT The new agreement for doctors across the EU will boost patient safety by setting up a warning system to stop staff who have convictions in one country from moving to another and continuing to practice. It will also introduce language checks to ensure doctors are capable of providing quality care for patients. Freedom of movement... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:35:00 GMT How can the urgent care system be simplified to ensure quality care can be provided at the appropriate setting? Patient confusion is leading to greater pressure on A&E, which can often be seen as the default place to go for urgent or unplanned care. The NHS needs a system which provides care outside of normal working hours, with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:17:00 GMT The new NCEPOD report highlights a severe failure of care for patients with alcohol-related illness, with more intensive, joined-up care denied to those whose lives can literally depend upon it. Early intervention and greater public health awareness could have a significant effect on the quality of care available for those suffering from... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:06:00 GMT The new scheme launched by NHS England to improve outcomes for victims of severe sexual assault could transform the way the health service responds to physical and mental trauma, and how it works with police and crime services to provide more effective and holistic care. The physical and mental health implications of rape and sexual... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:34:00 GMT Gagging clauses are back under the spotlight after accusations from MP Steve Barclay highlighted the number of staff prevented from speaking out, and the cost to the NHS. Barclay is calling for Sir David Nicholson to step down immediately, due to his alleged involvement in a ‘cover-up’ or at least for a failure to identify... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:54:00 GMT The new website launched by Public Health England shows the variation in early death rates across the country in worryingly stark detail. The divide between the healthy and those who are significantly more likely to die early is easily understood when presented in this way. The colourful graphs and lists of councils, ranked by a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:16:00 GMT Dentistry is trialling a new payment contract, which would align funding with actual results, rather than simply the number of treatments carried out. The new contract should better highlight practices which are highest performing, and more clearly indicate where any problems are occurring. The number of treatments carried out could... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:57:00 GMT Reconfiguring services does not “necessarily” mean closing hospitals, health secretary Jeremy Hunt has repeated at the NHS Confederation. Is this sort of ambiguity adding to the public confusion and resistance to reorganisation of care that NHS leaders have been pushing for? Hospitals should close – that is the message... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:35:00 GMT Should Mike Farrar’s positive message be welcomed, or has his optimism strayed too far from reality? It is no exaggeration to say these are some of the most challenging times the health service has ever faced. It will take a good deal more than visualisation to overcome this. But taking on these challenges will only be possible... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:50:00 GMT Warnings over struggling emergency departments are springing up across the NHS, with reports each day detailing the challenges and offering solutions. The difficulty can be attributed to a number of causes, namely rising demand, wider financial issues, and insufficient primary and community care. The first cannot be stopped, although it... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:38:00 GMT Chris Skidmore MP has sought to draw a link between a rise in immigration and the breach in A&E waiting times, to justify the introduction of a ‘green card’ system, requiring migrants to purchase health insurance. He says ‘it cannot be a coincidence’ that A&E attendance jumped in the same year as countries... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:37:00 GMT Despite the rhetoric, and widespread agreement that integrated care will be essential to provide sustainable, quality services, the reality is not matching up to the ambition. Integrating health and social care will be an incredibly complicated task, but it is one the NHS must now get to grips with. Failure to do so will be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:20:00 GMT The closure of walk-in centres could have serious consequences for patients unable to access urgent care without an appointment – which are increasingly difficult to secure. Monitor is right to investigate these closures, and NHS England and CCGs should think very carefully about re-commissioning services which play such an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 31 May 2013 12:01:00 GMT The NHS will start to make more and better use of anonymised patient data from GP practices to improve the planning of health and social care. Organisations will be able to better evaluate their own services, and ultimately deliver better care for patients. Increased sharing of patient data has been a long time coming, but the benefits it... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 30 May 2013 10:40:00 GMT It’s great to see central funding for an expansion of the Schwartz Center Rounds concept, which was praised in the Francis report and has shown real promise in America. Some may think it wishy-washy, but in fact getting staff together to just talk about their experiences and working lives seems to be a good way to improve patient... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 May 2013 10:05:00 GMT Health Education England has a big budget, a big mandate, and an awful lot to do. The new organisation is responsible for training and skills of NHS staff, which virtually every health service stakeholder and employee has a view on and an interest in. The emphasis in the Government’s mandate to the new organisation on values is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 May 2013 12:15:00 GMT Should NHS staff receive training before, or during work at new roles? The NHS Leadership Academy has launched a new series of programmes to help people develop their skills before they take on more management responsibilities. This can ensure they hit the ground running and are able to cope. But the Open Doors programme at Tower... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 24 May 2013 11:40:00 GMT Should GPs be required to take responsibility for what is happening in out-of-hours care? It is clear that round the clock availability would be hugely helpful to many people and could have a significant impact on the public’s health. But is this something we can and should expect of doctors? The battle over out-of-hours care... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 23 May 2013 10:50:00 GMT Sir David Nicholson’s retirement may surprise some in the health sector – he staunchly rebutted rumours of his leaving before the reforms were seen through, and even resisted calls for suspension over his role in the Mid Staffs scandal. He avoided a kick at the time, but is this delayed departure a way of getting Sir David out... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 May 2013 10:43:00 GMT Civil servants at Whitehall will be required to spend time on the front line of the NHS, health secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced. This could have a profound effect, influencing the people will help make decisions affecting those very services. Health policy is an increasingly complex area, with action needed urgently to integrate... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 21 May 2013 10:25:00 GMT The Department of Health will boost the drive to limit the effects of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) today by calling for international support from the WHO’s World Health Assembly. Described as one of the greatest global public health challenges, AMR could see the resurgence of curable disease, rendering great advances in medicine... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 20 May 2013 12:15:00 GMT The health secretary is recognising the importance of moving towards a digital NHS, not just for the cost efficiencies, but for the improvements in patient safety and reduction of errors in prescriptions and patient records. Addressing patient safety requires a whole-system approach – an effective service that delivers quality care... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 17 May 2013 12:25:00 GMT The new certificate for temporary practice could help to speed up the transfer of consultant doctors throughout the NHS and universities. Keeping records up to date is the only sensible option to justify their creation, and if this can support increased demand in other hospitals, all the better. Taking weeks to check competencies for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 16 May 2013 10:45:00 GMT A Private Members’ Bill on assisted dying is due to be tabled today, following previous rejections in the House of Commons. The more this topic is spoken about, in public and in politics, the closer the UK seems to come to accepting that choice at the end of life should be protected by legislation, not penalised by it. And many... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT The Government has set a date for integrated care to become the norm; an ambitious target that seeks to address a longstanding problem with the NHS. The system has been gearing up towards providing more coordinated services in recent years, but there is still a very long way to go. Will the commitment announced today go far enough to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 14 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT The Royal College of Midwives has responded to the new NICE guidelines about testing pregnant women for smoking in the typical way. Although the RCM did raise concern about coercing mothers into stopping smoking, and the risk of damaging relationships, the real solution to smoking during pregnancy is simply to increase the number of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 13 May 2013 11:59:00 GMT Failings in A&E have hit the headlines this week, as CQC chairman David Prior highlighted the need to close beds and concentrate resources on community care. Reducing demand before patients become emergencies is obviously preferable to crowded departments that can only react, rather than predict. Does the NHS have the resources... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT The new toolkit from the RCP could help to ensure patients are in the right environment for their needs. Identifying the necessary level of care for each individual is critical to providing an efficient service with quality treatment. The care pathway through medical units and wards can be a significant challenge to manage, particularly... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT The Government has decided to scrap – or at least postpone – plain packaging for cigarettes, after a long battle between charities, the health sector and tobacco companies. The move has been met with disappointment from many, who had hoped the UK’s history of groundbreaking legislation to tackle smoking would motivate... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 May 2013 11:28:00 GMT Increasing the amount of regulation on care homes is the Government’s next step to ensure there is never a repeat of the atrocities uncovered at Southern Cross. Giving local authorities overall responsibility for ensuring continuity of care is a good move, and acknowledges the need for this level of accountability in providing such... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 07 May 2013 10:09:00 GMT The Department of Health has launched an improved vaccination programme, with two-year-olds offered a nasal flu vaccination and a shingles programme for those aged over 70. In the wake of the recent outbreak of measles, the importance of effective immunisation is all too clear. We cannot afford to let curable, controllable diseases take... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:45:00 GMT Jeremy Hunt has responded to the Caldicott review, making it clear that patients will be able to give their say on how they want their data to be used. The review attempts to strike a balance between the importance of sharing patient information to advance care and protecting individual confidentiality. Patients will be able to stop... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:10:00 GMT Care home providers publishing information on NHS Choice could be a positive move towards greater transparency and a clear way for the public to search and choose the best services for them or their family. Allowing companies to respond to comments by the public is an interesting detail, which offers patients the opportunity to hold... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:15:00 GMT Following the approval of the controversial section 75 regulations, many organisations across the NHS will be trying to make sense of the outcomes of the vote and what it will mean for services and privatisation. The attempt to overthrow the regulations was one last try for opponents to the Government’s plans for the health service... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Several reviews are currently ongoing, or about to begin, across the NHS. It is part of the health service’s response to the Francis inquiry, with new regulatory powers for Monitor and a review into hospitals with high mortality rates, led by Sir Bruce Keogh. Shining a spotlight on hospitals with worrying levels of care can only be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The RCN’s annual conference has highlighted further worrying statistics, this time the number of nurses who are unaware of whistleblowing policies in their organisation, or who have been actively warned not to raise concerns, or left unheard if they tried. This is worrying because the NHS has been aware of these issues for some time... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The public see nursing as a caring profession, where staff are constantly looking after patients and administering clinical care. But what about the other work, the gritty administration that every profession is having to manage more and more of? Paperwork is not considered heroic  and is frequently discounted as a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Anyone who ever thought the Safe & Sustainable review process could lead to a calm and orderly reconfiguration of children’s heart surgery into fewer units, as virtually the whole medical profession recommends, has had a wake-up call over the past few weeks. A combination of local campaigning, incomplete and inaccurate data... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The much-maligned CQC has published its 2013-16 strategy today, setting out its aims to strengthen the inspection process and provide clearer information for patients. Will it be enough to turn performance around, and protect patient safety? One of the major criticisms of the organisations is its failure to communicate the results of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT School nurses will be trained on how to support child carers adequately by the children themselves. Part of a new Department of Health programme to expand and improve the role of school nurses, it could allow nurses to better identify and care for the most vulnerable students. Many young carers go completely unnoticed by their teachers... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The King’s Fund has examined some controversial issues in a much-needed discussion about NHS funding with the public – and found that desire to stick to the status quo runs deep. People are highly opposed to introducing means-testing, or for reduction of quality in services; all themes those working in the NHS are likely to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Is the proposed introduction of emergency care assistants at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust a way of saving money that jeopardises patient safety? Union members certainly think so, and are threatening further industrial action if talks are not met with a response. The length of training time for the new role has also been... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT As part of a new push to increase the number of organs available for donation, NHSBT has highlighted the shocking statistic of families who override the deceased’s wishes. There are many factors which contribute to the low proportion of organs that actually end up being used; not enough people on the register, death outside a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Most people are well aware of the physical and even mental benefits of exercise. Yet finding the motivation to get up and do something about can prove elusive for the majority of the population. New research from the Nuffield Trust indicates that the cost saving for the NHS of just slightly increasing physical activity is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The confusion over children’s heart surgery at Leeds hospital has not abated, as NHS England reframes the suspension of operations as a “pause”. Following a risk summit over mortality data last Thursday, it seemed likely that surgery would recommence early this week. The final decision will be based on the outcomes of a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The new national Cancer Drugs Fund should help people all over the country get more equal access to vital medicines that are generally unavailable on the local NHS. A single list of approved drugs makes more sense; people suffer from cancer throughout the UK, and restricting access to drugs is, as NHS England points out... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The timing of suspension of child heart operations at Leeds General Infirmary is more than just “embarrassing”, as Sir Bruce Keogh admitted. The move came just 24 hours after campaign group Save Our Surgery won a high court case quashing the decision to close the unit as part of the Safe & Sustainable review. Of course... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Public satisfaction with the NHS has improved slightly, following the huge dip it suffered last year when the reforms controversy was at its height. But the increase is not statistically significant, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey, and means there is much more work to be done to rebuild patient and public... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The NHS Commissioning Board, also known as the National Commissioning Board, has become NHS England in hopefully the last of a series of changes that reflect some of the wider muddle of the NHS reforms. The new name will “give people a greater sense of what the organisation is”, it stated. What about the people who have... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The Government is to introduce a requirement for trainee nurses to spend up to a year delivering basic care to patients before they take on clinical duties. Taking the time to focus on washing, feeding and treating patients more like people, could be a good step towards a workforce that embeds dignity, compassion and respect into the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT Guest blog by Eileen Milner, who explains how better analysis of existing patient data could improve health services. Nobody can deny that this is a challenging time for the NHS. Like many areas of the public sector, budgets and resources are being stretched further than ever before and following the Mid-Staffs report public confidence in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The Nuffield Trust has called for a new ratings system to be introduced for the whole NHS, filling a gap in information provision to the public. Could such a system really help to catch poor performance before patient safety is placed at risk? And if so, is the CQC the best organisation to implement the ratings? It would certainly... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT Guest blog by Don Tomlinson. I have worked solely with the NHS since I founded max20 some 12 years ago. Many things over that period remained stable, constant, and I would never have expected all the changes we are seeing today even a short few years ago. The radical overhaul, which will see PCTs completely phased out by the end of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT New data from the NHS Partners Network suggests that independent providers are amongst the very best when it comes to hip and knee replacements. This could provide food for thought for many who rail against the privatisation of the NHS – the independent sector offers high improvement in quality of life for patients, with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The Health Select Committee is today calling for a focus on integration to ensure the sustainability of the health service, whilst meeting the tough Nicholson efficiency challenge. This message is also clear in the joint committee on the Draft Care & Support Bill – integrating health, housing and social care will be essential to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT A review is being launched of NHS complaints handling, in the wake of the Francis report, as another step to ensuring the health service identifies, accepts and acts on criticism from both staff and patients. It will consider how to align complaints and concerns with patient care, identify good practice and how intelligence from... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The Government has banned gagging clauses for NHS staff – a move which could significantly affect the number of people who speak up about potentially critical health and safety issues. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt pointed out that a culture where whistleblowing is necessary indicates that “obviously something has gone... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT Could the Government really U-turn on minimum pricing? Ministerial opposition is rumoured to be growing, with many key figures in the Cabinet refusing to endorse the policy – including, intriguingly, former health secretary Andrew Lansley. The argument seems to boil down to the target audience for minimum pricing. Those against... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The Government has been warned once more about the limited effectiveness of antibiotics, with the Chief Medical Officer highlighting our dwindling defences against new infections. Placing the need for more careful prescription, greater immunisation and vaccination on the National Risk Register would clearly spell out the level of danger... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT As the private sector becomes more and more a part of the NHS, it will be essential for staff to learn to manage this collaboration and ensure they have the skills in place to secure effective partnerships and drive forward improvements. The NHS Leadership Academy programme has taken a step towards this goal, introducing knowledge sharing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The move towards care being delivered primarily in the community or the home, rather than in hospitals, has been given another shove today by the latest NHS Confederation paper. It adds to a growing pile of evidence in favour of fewer, smaller hospitals, with more specialised care. But the public are swayed by rhetoric, not always... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT Nicholson’s evidence to the health select committee saw him defend his role as leader of the NHS, but many are unhappy with his accountability for the deaths at Stafford hospital. Sir David’s explanation for why he had literally no idea what was going on there is that there were many other hospitals to oversee, targets to hit... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The latest furore over whistleblowing is making it more and more critical for the health service to let these staff voice their safety concerns, and to eliminate the practice of gagging clauses that forces so many to keep quiet. There’s also a message for the Government, on how effective their waiting times targets are. Is the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The South West pay and terms consortium says that without radical change – that is, cuts to pay, terms and conditions – thousands of jobs are at risk. This may be true, but it’s also the justification given to virtually all such drives to scrap hard-won privileges for workers, across the public and private... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The latest staff survey results show a mixed picture – with improvements in a number of areas, yet still a great deal of room for improvement. The discourse on the results reflects various organisational bias, as the royal colleges seek to highlight unacceptable risks to staff safety and NHS Employers welcomes the increase in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT The latest controversy over NHS provider regulations has raised serious concerns over the Government intentions regarding competition. The old warning of “privatisation by the back door” has crept up again, perhaps this time with good reason. Should each and every NHS service be open to private provision? Many within the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT   Guest blog by Ron McDaniel We are now only one month away from the national roll-out of the much publicised NHS 111 service. But with only a few weeks to go before full implementation, is the NHS really prepared for the introduction of this service? Many of us will be aware of the objectives of NHS 111. The new service is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Despite fury among campaigners and relatives of those who died at Stafford hospital, many health professionals and now MPs too, it seems unlikely Sir David Nicholson is about to lose his job. Support from David Cameron was vital, of course, but so too is the relative speed with which the scandal and Francis report has dropped out of the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Sensitive issues are being raised today concerning the dangers involved in relocating pregnant asylum seekers. The UKBA has been criticised for moving women away from partners and vital NHS treatment, as well as multiple relocations and moves too close to their due dates. While the report only considers the experience of a small... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The importance of good quality hospital food should not be underestimated. Often it is the details that build up patient experience and low value nutrition can considerably affect satisfaction with the NHS. Voluntary recommendations have simply not had the desired affect, and have cost the Government a significant amount of money for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The impact homelessness has on health can be devastating. The international conference next week will consider the problem on a wider scale than ever before, using experience from overseas to help improve the NHS’s provision for these complex patients. Physical health issues are exacerbated by the prevalence of addiction and mental... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The extended fertility guidance published by NICE raises some difficult issues. The ethics of offering certain couples free treatment to have children and restricting it from others has always been muddy. And even though many fertility groups have welcomed the news, they warn that implementing the guidance is still necessary in the face... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT With all the advances in technology, modern ways of working and progress on some of the biggest killer diseases, it is pertinent to remember that every year hundreds of children die needlessly on the NHS. Health minister Dr Dan Poulter is to announce a pledge to improve the mortality rate for children in the UK, potentially saving as many... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Doctors have set out a list of recommendations to stem the tide of obesity, with a particular focus on minimising young people’s susceptibility to unhealthy food. Is the increase of obesity in children and teenagers mainly down to the pure accessibility of junk food, or the amount of advertising for these products? Limiting the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The way the working time regulations are being implemented could be adversely affecting trainee doctors, new research from the GMC indicates. Apart from disrupting their training and patient care, working for so many hours can damage junior doctors’ ability to perform to the highest standard and maintain the necessary level of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The NHS has been charged with fostering a “culture of fear” by a whistleblower who was gagged following concerns over patient safety. Now the trust in question is being investigated for similar shortcomings, and professionals across the sector must consider how future whistle blowing can be encouraged, rather than... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Jeremy Hunt has highlighted the need to cut bureaucracy in the NHS, despite the Francis report identifying a number of recommendations that would require new laws or regulations. And for every piece of bureaucracy which is introduced, the health secretary has pledged to offset this by reducing more. The amount of time medical... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The number of hospitals being investigated for their high death rates has risen to 14, as NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh has published a list of outliers on hospital mortality data. He has stated that the investigation is to ensure the hospitals understand why they have such high mortality rates and are adequately supported to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT With the publication of the Francis report, organisations and professionals from across the NHS came forward to offer apologies and determination that the scandal at Mid Staffs would never happen again. These statements seemed to be sincere and clearly set out action to be taken in response to Francis’ recommendations. But... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The Francis report, published this morning, could have serious implications for the NHS, with more severe penalties for poor care that leads to patient harm and death. His recommendations – all 290 of them – span better and deeper regulation, a ‘Duty of Candour’ requiring all staff to own up to their mistakes... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The new initiative ‘Healthwatch-Communities Involved’ could have a considerable impact on local people’s ability to influence health and social care services in their area. With the changing NHS, individuals will have the chance to shape services to their needs and circumstances – but this will only work if enough... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Jeremy Hunt seems damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t, following his decision to implement all but one of the main recommendations from special administrator Matthew Kershaw.  Not even the campaign, Save Lewisham Hospital, is happy with the result – it gets to keep 75% of its capacity in the department, but mainly... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Sexual health charities are warning today of the consequences of cutting contraceptive services and advice. Brook and the Family Planning Association have highlighted the cost to the NHS if cuts and restriction of services continue, labelling these “short-sighted”. Still, the NHS is running out of easy pickings when it comes... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The importance of nutrition in health and social care settings should not be underestimated. Patients suffering from ill-health, or recovering from injury, must be especially careful about the food and drink they receive, in order to return to fitness as quickly as possible. Issues concerning the type of food and drink, as well as... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Health and Wellbeing Boards have been urged to take a local approach to engagement, rather than try and enforce a one-size-fits-all style of working. Without taking local knowledge and priorities into consideration, there is a danger of effective service integration remaining a pipe dream. The NHS Confederation has published new... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT How much information the NHS provides for various agencies has been called into question by the NHS Confederation. The organisation suggests that numerous, often overlapping or repeat requests can significantly affect the frontline’s ability to attend to their primary clinical duties. Of course clear communication of information is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The second wave of CCGs have now been authorised, bringing the health service another step closer to the complete handover on 1 April. This time more organisations were authorised without conditions, but there are also now three which are being authorised with “intensive support”. Does this suggest that, given more time... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The smoking ban has been an “unqualified public health success”, new analysis indicates. The study has shown a decrease in hospital admissions for children with asthma since 2007. This counters concern that the ban in public spaces could have led to an increase of smoking in homes, thus putting children in even greater... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Foundation trusts must do more to ensure their board meetings are open and transparent, the FTGA has stated. FTs must run open board meetings from April 1, but there are still over a fifth which are not yet doing so. Time is growing short for them to rectify this, and even for those who are running open meetings, there is variation in the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The NHS Commissioning Board is to review the English model of urgent and emergency services, to try and balance local access to hospital services and high quality critical care for more complicated cases. The review is the latest in the health service’s leaning towards a new system of care, where emergency services are consolidated... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The situation at Mid Staffordshire has gone from bad to worse, with all involved agreeing that the trust is both clinically and financially unsustainable. It may only be a matter of time now before Monitor recommends special administration, and sets about transferring services to larger hospitals. Similar circumstances are currently... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Large IT projects have a pretty terrible reputation in the NHS, so Hunt’s latest announcement may be received less enthusiastically than hoped. The scheme is certainly ambitious, and a truly joined-up system, where health professionals from different areas of the NHS could see and use the same information, could transform... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Jeremy Hunt has criticised the “fatalism” about dementia diagnosis in parts of the NHS, slamming poor rates of diagnosis across the UK. The Alzheimer’s Society has published new figures which show significant variation in diagnosis throughout the NHS. Hunt has suggested that this could be partly attributable to the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT 17 NHS hospitals have “unsafe” staffing levels, the CQC has reported. Several mental health trusts and the London Ambulance Service were also highlighted as in need of improvement. Adequate staffing is vitally important if trusts are to ensure they avoid the sorts of failings and shockingly low standards of care that have been... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT OCCG is launching a different approach to commissioning, shifting the focus from quantity to quality, and ensuring patients are at the centre of the new NHS. Providing good healthcare should not stop as soon as patients are discharged from hospital, and realigning incentives could go a long way to securing a more holistic way of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT £120m investment into NHS research will be welcome, when new ways of working, and improving services, are needed more than ever. The partnership between universities and NHS organisations can strengthen performance, with academic activity that has a clear and applicable purpose. It will ensure the continuation of five CLARHCs first... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Special administrator Matthew Kershaw’s plans to save South London NHS Healthcare NHS trust – by dissolving it – have brought new criticism from campaigners trying to save services at a nearby hospital, Lewisham, which would lose services under the reconfiguration. Despite its financial solvency, and not being part of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The publication of the Trust Special Administrator’s final report on South London Healthcare NHS Trust sees some radical solutions offered. There are no easy options left for the trust, which was overspending by £1.3m each week. But with large scale reform of services, there will be many who oppose the plans, some with good... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT One of the many consequences of the failings at Mid Staffordshire Trust and the subsequent inquiry is seeking to prevent it happening again. The latest idea is the new guidelines that have been released to encourage healthcare institutions to share information about their employees. ‘Guiding Principles’ seeks to distribute... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT A new report by the Centre Forum is calling for winter fuel payments for the elderly to be restricted, with the money saved helping to fund implementation of the Dilnot recommendations. Getting the funding mechanism right is a vital part of the social care puzzle, and means-testing benefits, so that only those who really need financial... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Service provision for obesity has been severely criticised in the RCP’s latest report, which highlights considerable variation across trusts, as well as a lack of joined-up working. The Government’s approach to obesity has also been slammed, with its reliance on just personal choice, rather than a society-wide initiative that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Macmillan Cancer Support has set out a series of recommendations to tackle age discrimination in the NHS, an issue which is increasingly highlighted by concerned parties. The common sense approach is to treat patients as holistic beings, with their own individual levels of physical, cognitive and social ability. Older patients are more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The new statistics from Cancer Research UK demonstrate the all-encompassing threat that the disease has become. In 15 years time, half of all men will be at risk of developing cancer at some point in their lives, as well as 44 out of every 100 women. The rise in risk is mostly down to extended life expectancy, which of itself should be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The publication of the NHS Commissioning Board’s plans for CCGs in 2013/14 have now been laid on the table, and aim to bring greater patient control and well-aligned incentives for commissioners and providers. Perhaps most notable of the plans is the launch of a group to consider how seven-day working could best be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The National Bowel Cancer Audit has found that fewer patients are dying after surgery for bowel cancer. A rise in keyhole surgery has been praised for the advancement. However, the same audit has raised serious concerns over the amount of emergency admissions still coming into hospitals. Over 20% of bowel cancer patients are admitted as... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The NHS must work together to deliver a more proactive approach to financial difficulty, the NHS Confederation has urged. Requiring Monitor to do more to prevent trusts slipping into financial problems of such a scale that administration is the only option could help to retain solvency during times of huge cuts and savings. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 14 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT While the NAO has confirmed that the NHS has made a “good start” to the £20bn efficiency savings needed by 2015, there are a number of issues raised in its recent report. For one thing, there is the possibility that the money saved is not at the level it has been reported at. Without independent verification, the notion... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT A new toolkit has been developed to provide commissioners with effective guidance and support for planning and delivering rural health services. Commissioners are facing the difficult task of taking responsibility for healthcare budgets over a range of services, some of which they may not be well versed in. This includes rare conditions... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Today marks a significant milestone for the NHS reforms, as the first CCGs are authorised to start taking responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board budget. It is welcome news to hear that eight of the first wave CCGs met all authorisation criteria, demonstrating clear evidence of forward planning and robust leadership in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT New services are being introduced today by the GMC to support doctors in reporting concerns about patient safety, in an effort to reduce the stigma that currently exists around whistleblowing. Throughout the NHS, organisations are aspiring to greater transparency and acceptance of concerns being raised around patient safety and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The NHS Confederation is today emphasising the importance of collaborative working in cutting costs and reducing inefficiencies. Breaking down the barriers between different teams and responsibilities within the NHS could significantly improve ambulance turnaround times. With efficiency savings the top of the agenda at the moment... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Autumn Statement has several important implications for the health service, including the rejection of regional pay – welcomed by many unions and campaigners – protection of departmental spending and the introduction of a new model of private financing that could be used to facilitate new projects on the NHS. However, many... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The call from SSNAP for seven-day working reiterates a recent and recurrent trend for working arrangements that cover weekends and bank holidays as well as the normal 9 to 5. But those behind the audit have grasped that good care all week long is about more than simply extending shifts and schedules. Most importantly, the health service... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The move towards a 24/7 system of healthcare has taken another step forward today as the AoMRC published its new report on the importance of consultant presence in hospital. The stark truth that patients are more likely to die at the weekend is becoming less and less acceptable in a modern health service, and standardising care has become... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT There are two severe warnings today in the form of new reports highlighting increasing demand and the NHS struggling to respond adequately. The Dr Foster report must be carefully considered to ensure there is not a repeat of the travesties that took place at Mid Staffs and that hospitals with above-average death rates take immediate... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT The roll-out of personal health budgets has come under criticism by the media for the possibility that NHS funding could be spent on less traditional forms of treatment, such as music or dance lessons. This ‘misuse’ of the programme is controversial, especially at a time when funding is being squeezed and other treatments are... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Jeremy Hunt has highlighted the extent of the problems with cases of appalling care on the NHS, with incidents occurring so regularly and in such a widespread way that they point to an underlying culture of neglect and disregard for dignity. He has called for greater accountability in these institutions to stop standards slipping in the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT There has been significant concerns raised about the introduction of minimum pricing for alcohol, not least from the alcohol industry, which will directly suffer if consumption goes down. Others have raised concerns that introducing a minimum price will unfairly punish those who drink in moderation – although health organisations... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The controversial Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) is to undergo a new review, care minister Norman Lamb has announced. The pathway aims to improve quality of life for patients dying in hospital, removing medical interventions which can no longer do any good. There have been failings in its implementation identified, picked up by the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Creating a system of transparency is vital to ensuring lessons can be learnt from the most serious of incidents that unfortunately take place in hospitals. When such variation exists across the NHS, as revealed in the new BBC Scotland investigation, it makes it far more difficult to grasp the true scale of the incidents, and what the best... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The requested pause for SOS’s judicial review has been denied, as the result of the case could influence the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP)’s recommendations. SOS have accepted the conclusion with good grace, and even attempted to frame it as a positive step forward that a date is being fixed. But were the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Regular health checks have been criticised today for failing to provide significant benefits, and actually presenting participants with unwarranted stress and even unnecessary treatment. Additionally, it seems as if those who are most likely to take advantage of the national programme are the least likely to actually need it, being fairly... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Yorkshire hospitals are facing strike action today by Unison members working in admin and clerical roles. The trust needs to find £24m savings by next April, and staff can represent an easy target when managers look to find extra ‘efficiencies’, through redundancies and pay cuts. The people who work at hospitals are an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The growing scale of private provision in the NHS is captured in new data from the IFS, which shows that more and more patients are being treated by private providers. This offers patients more choice over where to be treated: but is this improving care? Increasing financial pressure on trusts will no doubt see the trend for greater... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Judicial reviews of Government policy and decisions can be used to demonstrate significant strength of opposition, or it can be used to buy time for further campaigning to take place. This is exactly what the Children’s Heart Federation has accused campaign group Save Our Surgery of doing. Word is that the group plans to halt... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The strength of feeling in the opposition to NHS reforms and the increasing use of privatisation is evident today as the new political party National Health Action prepares to name its targets for the 2015 election. The party’s very existence will serve as a serious reminder to Government, and particularly the Department of Health... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Schizophrenia Commission has published its report on the condition, following a year-long inquiry into the level of care available, and what can be done to improve treatment. The recommendations must now be taken forward with mental health organisations and the NHS alike, to radically change care provision for people with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Government clearly thinks its pledge to properly digitise people’s relationship with their GP – meaning a viewable electronic health record, online appointment booking, repeat prescription ordering over the internet, and more – is a vote-winner. That’s the section of the NHS Mandate, the Government’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Guest blog by Charles Tilley, chief executive of CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). As the NHS reacts to the need to make £20bn of efficiency savings by 2014/15, we must ask ourselves how we can go about achieving such financial efficiency without compromising on patient care. Recently, the Chartered Institute of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The concerning revelations from the Ombudsman report today about complaints regarding the NHS should serve as a potent alert to health professionals and the Government over the obligation to prioritise effective communication between GPs and their patients. However, the NHS Confederation’s response was somewhat puzzling, as chief... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The test-run for greater privatisation of the NHS may have hit a stumbling block today, as the latest NAO report suggests that Circle is over £2m higher in deficit than planned. Proponents of the plan to save Hinchingbrooke, the hospital that had developed a cumulative deficit of £39m, argue that it is too early to evaluate... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The new report from The King’s Fund highlights that there are clear clinical benefits, and even cost savings, to increasing patient access to GP surgeries. It is not just some fluffy extra that will boost patient satisfaction scores; increased access improves performance, and encourages patients to comply with medical advice, taking... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Revalidation will pay for its own implementation within 10 years, new research indicates. Improved patient care and a reduction in compensation claims – which currently cost the NHS millions each year – will ensure the costs of annual checks are covered, within the next decade. It is the latest argument hoped to persuade... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Willis Commission on nursing education is keen to make things better for patients and to improve patient safety and experience. Are the things it wants – much better-trained healthcare assistants among them, with the extra costs that goes with that – going to be possible for the NHS? More community placements for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT NICE has won a good deal for the NHS and good drugs for skin cancer sufferers by holding off on draft approval for two expensive medicines until the manufacturers acceded to requests for a discount on them.  NICE is a complex organisation with precise ways of working – it’s not as simple as someone there deciding to play... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Some will seize on today’s data showing that an ever-grater proportion of procedures paid for by the NHS are being carried out by private providers.  The idea that the NHS is being privatised has taken thorough hold.  But others will say that if private providers, competing on quality with NHS ones, are convincing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT High savings targets and rising pressure on resources mean that trusts must increasingly think innovatively to survive. The consequences of failure can be seen all around, with hospitals in deficit and services being compromised. Projects such as the Hull and East Yorkshire smartphone app are prime examples of using the latest technology... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT PFI is definitely under the spotlight this week, as a damning PAC report suggests it has led to the need for government bailouts of over £1bn, and the consequences of such deals can be seen in the failing South London NHS Healthcare Trust. Yet the new report implies that financial viability will only be achieved via a compromise of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Ed Miliband is to set out how patients should have the same legal right to treatment for mental illness as for physical illness, in a concerted effort to scrap stigma and improve outcomes. This is just another instance of how far we still are from parity between mental and physical health. The battle to improve this balance will take... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Evidence-based changes to the hospital environment are now being implemented, to improve care for patients with dementia. In many cases, small additions or alterations to the space in which dementia sufferers are cared for can make a huge difference to their mental wellbeing. Images that help patients to remember their past can be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The idea of citizen science aiding cancer research is both inspiring and fraught with concerns. Of course there are tasks in research which involve little expertise, and are simple yet time-consuming enough to be appropriate for the public to undertake. And any move to speed up research, and additionally free up researchers time... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The sentiments expressed in the Welsh Government’s new mental health strategy are vital and should be welcomed. The strategy recognises that mental health issues affect the whole population – either directly or indirectly – and as such, any move to improve the nation’s wellbeing must recognise this. More... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT It has been found that approximately a quarter of those diagnosed with bowel cancer were only diagnosed after being admitted as an emergency case. This suggests that individuals admitted as an emergency were experiencing the advanced stages of bowel cancer and were considered inoperable. Bowel cancer is the second largest form of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT It has emerged that the costs of implementing the Health and Social Care Act are £300m higher than originally expected – striking another blow against the controversial reforms. Unions and campaigners against the Act have been vocal in their disgust at extra money being required from taxpayers to fund a major restructuring... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Recent studies have suggested that there is no correlation between spending on hospital food and quality, yet significant variation exists in spending across the country. If it is really true that more money does not improve food quality, then many trusts need to spend their funding more efficiently. Likewise, if hospitals are spending an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The chance of patients dying at the weekend is significantly increased for certain conditions, new research has shown. This kind of variation is simply unacceptable. In today’s society, you can access you high street bank on a Saturday, yet you cannot receive the same standard of care at a hospital that you would expect during the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The new Speaking Up charter could see a turnaround in the confidence of NHS workers to report concerns about patient care or staff safety. The fear of victimisation can hold back potential whistleblowers, which in turn damages trusts’ ability to provide high quality care, as well as a good environment for staff to work in. So... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Age discrimination in the NHS must be eliminated, a new report has suggested. The latest research urges that trusts consider all the aspects of a patient’s condition when deciding whether they should undergo surgery, rather than an arbitrary cut-off age. Obviously patients’ health varies considerably, regardless of age... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Contrary to popular opinion, it has emerged that it is actually older drinkers who are posing the bigger risk to their own health and presenting a significant cost burden to the NHS. Perhaps because socially it is not considered a high-risk age group, and perhaps because these people are expected to be responsible enough without public... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT MPs are raising questions over the decision for Atos to contract an NHS body to carry out assessments for disability benefit. If Salus, NHS Lanarkshire’s occupational health arm, is the best placed organisation to conduct medical consultations that determine the level of benefit people receive, then why were they not contracted... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Leadership is often highlighted as a key quality to facilitate effective service redesign, and bring the whole workforce on board to achieve radical change. The new funding announced for programmes by the NHS Leadership Academy will help to provide such essential training at a time when the entire NHS is undergoing significant structural... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Speaking at the Conservative party conference yesterday, leader of the party in Scotland Ruth Davidson called for the money spent on free prescriptions to be used on other areas of the NHS, to improve outcomes and save patients’ lives. Her statements may challenge the perception that people in Scotland get something for free, when... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The health secretary has voiced his support for a time limit on abortion of just 12 weeks, based on ‘medical evidence’. The debate is over the current limit at 24 weeks, due to advances in medical technology. It is an incredibly sensitive topic, and as the Prime Minister has noted, everybody is entitled to their opinion on the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The suggestion that the public should pay more in taxes to support the NHS through a time of increasing difficulty is certainly an interesting one. But is more money really the answer? Surely if Government decided that the NHS desperately needed a higher level of funding, due to the impact on services, the best move would be to reduce the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The shocking disparity between the proportion of offenders with mental illness and the number who receive adequate diagnosis and treatment is being highlighted in the run-up to World Mental Health Day. The consequences of this failure to provide necessary care are far-reaching. The prisoners themselves will obviously suffer as a result... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Labour has reinforced its promise to revoke the health and social care reforms, and reverse privatisation in the NHS. And again, the party has pledged to do this in a way which will not result in a top-down reorganisation. Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has stated: “I wouldn’t create new organisations or throw the NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The HCPC has launched new guidance on training needed for podiatrists/ chiropodists and physiotherapists to prescribe on an independent basis. Such a move, handled carefully, could reallocate some of the pressure on GPs, and integrate the health care system to provide smoother pathways for patients. And could this approach be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT The accepted method for dealing with failing hospitals in recent times has been to save them from shutdown or private takeover. The Government favours mergers with other hospitals, regardless of their ability to take on a poorly performing organisation, the new report from Reform suggests. Public resistance to private companies running... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT The concept of reorganising care is changing from a necessity to a reality in South Wales, as a programme of reform identifies new regional health centres to deliver specialist services in a more centralised way. With NHS directors concerned about the reality of meeting a £20bn efficiency target by 2015, and predicting a fall in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT More cuts are announced every day across the NHS, countered only by another organisation or report highlighting the dangers of reduced services and fewer staff. The issue is in how such considerable savings can be achieved – a slash and burn approach is only going to reduce care and ultimately cost the NHS more in the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT The ageing population can present a significant challenge for the NHS, particularly through falls and the fractures and lack of independence which often accompany this. But recent research shows that reducing the risk of falls in the over-65s can be easily implemented, low-cost and highly effective. Instructor-led exercise classes... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT An Imperial College London study claims that free bus travel has increased the physical activity levels of over-65s and has brought health benefits with it. It was found that people with a free bus pass were more likely to pursue walking and other forms of “active travel,” such as cycling and public transport. Surely, this shows... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 24 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT New funding has been announced to drive forward research in one of the largest health challenges to face our elderly population: dementia. On World Alzheimer’s Day, the health service and the public must do more to speed up progress in tackling the condition, as well as ensuring advice and support are available for those who can... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 21 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT Commissioners have been urged to take bold action, after it emerged that the NHS has almost £4bn of uncommitted finances following under-spends and savings. For an organisation that has also managed to achieve considerable efficiency savings, £5.8bn this year alone, it is quite impressive. Yet the number of trusts in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT Social care is increasingly becoming a central issue for the health service to manage, or mis-manage as critics would put it. The gap between what care homes need to provide quality care and what councils can afford is widening, and will continue to do so as long as the Government takes to put together a sustainable funding structure for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT There are undoubtedly many reasons why the number of complaints against doctors is rising, and the GMC is right to highlight patients’ higher expectations and willingness to complain. But a portion of responsibility must be attributed to the doctors themselves, and the organisations that provide them with training and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT The backing of Barwell’s anti-discriminatory bill demonstrates a huge step forward for the Government, whilst simultaneously highlighting the vast challenges still to be overcome in making mental health an openly discussed part of life, on a par with physical health, rather than something to be punished for. The cross-party support... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 17 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT The new RCP report, Hospitals on the Edge, has been criticised by the DH for suggesting that the NHS cannot cope with the demand for acute care. Of course the Government is going to attempt to alleviate concerns by highlighting only the positive aspects of the NHS and focusing on how the move to greater community care will bring more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT A new report suggests that hospitals are ‘on the edge’, with services overcrowded, negative attitudes and a lack of access to quality treatment out of normal working day hours. There is a growing awareness that services must be redesigned, and this does not just include the actual buildings in which care is delivered.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ new study has reassessed our perceptions of the placebo effect. It’s been found that the effect can be triggered outside of cognitive awareness, with patients showing clinical progress despite their treatment’s lack of active components. The previous expectations of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT Climate change is by far one of the most important issues facing humanity, and along with the economic, political and social consequences, we must now take into consideration the health implications of a heating planet. By 2080 global temperatures are set to rise by 2-5 degrees Celsius, and it is projected that deaths by hot weather will... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT The new strategy launched by the Government to prevent suicide will bring a taboo subject out into the light for the first time in too many years. The more organisations and families that get involved in work to prevent suicide, the more effective this strategy will be. As the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory group... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT It’s hard to find much to disagree with in The King’s Fund’s excellent new report on transforming health and social care. But it’s hard to see a clear path between where we are and where we need to be. Strategic leadership is needed, the report writers argue, and engagement with the public and patients vital as... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT The revolving door of alcohol abuse leading to increasing numbers of patients in A&E is spinning faster, if the latest data is to be believed. The low price of alcohol and a social tendency towards binge drinking is leading to more problems for hospitals, which can barely have time to treat these patients before they are back... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT Jeremy Hunt’s appointment as health secretary has raised a few eyebrows, particularly from those keen to bring up his penchant for homeopathy. Despite Lansley’s unpopularity, at least he did have a solid understanding of the NHS, and experience of the service he has tried to reform. Other concerns with Hunt’s past... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 05 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT How much cleaning should nurses be required to do as part of their official role? In an ideal world, 100% of their time would be dedicated to patient care, not scrubbing the floors. Unfortunately in reality this cannot always be the case, and sometimes the need for a clean environment overrides their job description. If NHS managers... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT Rationing within the NHS is an uncomfortable truth, and no doubt it is far easier for the Department of Health to deny any such thing takes place. And the Government was quick to point out how much the NHS budget had increased, and vowed to take action against trusts if they stopped patients having treatments on the basis of cost... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 03 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT New research indicates that an active, healthy lifestyle, maintained into old age can significantly extend life expectancy. The NHS has promoted better public health for many years, but actually increasing lifespan could provide a powerful motivator for people currently living unhealthy lifestyles. The key information from this study... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT The initial success of the ‘Every Breath’ campaign is set to be repeated through FRESH’s relaunch of adverts aimed to shock smokers into quitting. By targeting one of the worst areas in the country for smoking, the campaign works to bring people’s attention to the consequences of continuing their habit, for their... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Following the Government’s release of the annual cancer patient experience survey, Macmillan Cancer Support has published a league table of trusts to demonstrate their performance in delivering quality cancer care. This allows public pressure to build on those trusts languishing at the bottom, particularly if this is where they have... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT The DH has projected an uptake of 5% of patients accessing their health records online by 2015 – a target 2020Health suggests may be out of reach based on the current rate of access.  Less than 1% of GP surgeries currently provide this access, and confusion still surrounds the scheme.  Patients must be encouraged to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT A new report has reiterated how much work the Government must do to meet its pledges on maternity care.  Thousands of women are missing out on consistency of midwife care throughout pregnancy, birth and post-natal, as well as a lack of support for post-natal depression, dealing with still births or the death of a baby. The RCM... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT For some time, research has shown that poor health is more marked in the more deprived areas of the country, and The King’s Fund’s new report shows that those living in the lower socio-economic groups are more likely to engage in more unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. The Department of Health has pledged to “improve the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Figures and statistics can be so easily manipulated to present whatever agenda key organisations within the health service wish to portray, and as always, the devil is in the detail. The number of nurses working in the NHS has fallen, quite considerably, since the Coalition came to power in May 2010. But the move to more integrated... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT The dust has not yet had a chance to settle on the NHS reforms before ministers are considering the next bright idea: to expand the NHS brand abroad to increase profits, which would supposedly be plugged back into the UK. Aside from presenting a distraction precisely when trusts need to be focusing all their concentration on the current... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT The rising cancer rates can be attributed to a growing ageing population and increased survival from the disease, researchers suggest. Put simply, there will be more elderly people around, which means the proportion of these people who develop cancer will also increase. It has been clear for some time that an ageing population will... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 20 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Although reports suggest the Government has got over its terror of the price tag attached to the Dilnot social care funding proposals, and is now set to commit real money to the plan, the Department of Health is remaining deliberately vague, at least for now. Confirmation of the £1.7bn funding is now expected in the autumn –... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Revalidation has been a long time coming, and more and more NHS organisations are now ready to support doctors through the process.  Many have highlighted that the majority of patients would be surprised to discover such a system is not already in place. Revalidation is imperative to ensure patients receive a high standard of care... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT It is pretty shocking that more people would consider cost as the primary factor when deciding to have cosmetic surgery than the qualifications of the person conducting the procedure. Even the terminology surrounding this acts as a comforting buffer to reality; which is that you will be paying a person to cut you open, regardless of their... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT The road to healthier living, and a reduced burden on the NHS, is through better networks for cycling and walking, Sustrans Cymru believes.  But it is not enough just to legislate and make these options possible for the public; a cultural shift to ensure activity is “possible, desirable and, ultimately, inevitable” is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Some trusts are rationing cataract surgery based on just one measure of assessment, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists has reported.  Tough financial pressures could be to blame for cases where surgery is denied, but the RCO believes this is actually economically counter-productive, as well as being clinically... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT The push for revalidation has been given an extra boost today, as nine patient associations team up to pile the pressure on Andrew Lansley.  Patients deserve to know that their doctor is competent to deliver care safely and effectively, they have stated.  Revalidation has been a long time coming, but it seems as if the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT The NHS must prioritise certain key areas to reduce emergency admissions, especially for elderly patients, the King’s Fund has suggested. Their advice to achieve lower admissions, and therefore free up thousands of beds, is to work with GPs and health services in the community to catch illness before it becomes so debilitating that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT More and more hospitals are moving towards shared services, reorganisation of certain specialisms and an altogether different approach to delivering care. While still met with dismay and often protest from the public, several high-profile organisations and medical professionals announcing their support for the new direction seems to have... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Charities this morning are warning that there are many more care homes around the UK where people with learning disabilities are being neglected and abused.  A common concern is the large distance from home that many people are cared for in these facilities, making any kind of monitoring by their families... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT De Beaux has opened an ethical can of worms with his statements that care and surgery for the obese should take funding precedence to palliative care for the dying. On the one hand, the “little benefit” expensive drugs can offer patients in their final weeks is very loaded and necessarily subjective. Who has the right to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sun, 05 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT There has been a breakthrough in the treatment of leg ulcers with the development of the ‘spray-on skin’ treatment. The spray, consisting of skin cells – keratinocytes and fibroblasts – suspended in a mixture of blood clotting agents, was found to significantly improve the healing rate and proportion of leg ulcer wounds... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 03 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Hinchingbrooke hospital does appear to be improving under the guidance of private company Circle. Savings are being made at the hospital which, at the time if the takeover in February this year, was £40m in debt and Circle is reporting that improvements have been made to patient care. These claims have been supported by NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 02 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT The rise of neurological conditions in England, combined with the increased number of antidepressant prescriptions, means that more must urgently be done to improve quality of care for these patients. Outcomes must be improved for these patients and unnecessary hospital admissions reduced, where care would be more appropriate in a primary... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The UK’s screening programme for latent tuberculosis is not being implemented in those areas where the population is most at risk. As it turns out, these tend to be areas with large migrant populations, particularly those with immigrants from countries where the disease is much more prevalent. Current immigration checks do not catch... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is conducting a survey to help guide its future strategy on organ donations and transplants. Amongst the ideas posed by this survey is changing policy so that people must opt out of donating their organs, with patient consent being assumed. It must be emphasised that these ideas are just that, NHSBT has... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 30 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT A standardised system for measuring severity of illness in acute patients could streamline training, improve standards of care and provide a valuable pool of data to aid research. The new NEWS system could significantly raise consistency in how doctors and nurses measure and react to changes in patient measurements. If implemented... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The national immunisation programme for all children will prove a significant challenge to implement, with questions around how enough capacity can be produced, who will administer the vaccine and how to bring parents on board. Nine million children, to be vaccinated within an eight week period. And many parents will raise concerns... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Behavioural change on a large scale would prevent thousands of unnecessary cardiovascular deaths, says the European Society of Cardiology. It is perhaps intuitively true that changing unhealthy habits could be achieved more easily, cheaply and quickly if implemented across populations by governments, via regulation and subsidy. Yet... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT No health without mental health – the Government’s inspiring pledge to finally give mental wellbeing the equal footing with physical health it deserves and desperately needs. But where has that strategy taken us? Where is the change? Today, more than a year has passed since that first important announcement. Clegg has... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 24 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The new HSCIC report on NHS data is the start of the organisation’s remit to analyse the datasets and data recording procedures of bodies across the NHS. There were, naturally, many findings ranging from seven local authorities submitting adult social care returns with 15-20% of data incomplete, to 5,000 duplicates of patient... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Health Committee’s report on the Government’s strategy on alcohol includes some positive guidance on what must be done to improve the policy’s clarity and effectiveness. But perhaps one of the most interesting points in the review was the Committee’s attitude towards the alcohol industry, which has taken some... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The outing of shoddy practices at Serco is another blow to the Government’s ambitions to outsource more and more public contracts. But one of the most worrying issues – amongst many – is the monitoring and assessment Serco conducted on the quality of its own services. The Care Quality Commission brought to light mistakes... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Labour’s promise today to repeal the Health & Social Care Act – or ‘the Bill’ as Andy Burnham insists on calling it – criticises the Government for damaging and distracting restructuring of the NHS. The party has also stated it will end top-down reorganisations of the health service; something that sounds... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Attempts to rescue the ailing NHS funding situation have become snagged once more on another wages fiasco. A leaked report suggesting plans to cut wages and dismiss and rehire staff (amongst other money-saving tactics) in the South West has come to light, to the indignation of many. The leaked report has angered numerous bodies, like... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT With the South London Healthcare NHS Trust in special administration, and new research suggesting thousands of hospital deaths are preventable, it is clear that reform is necessary. But what is the best way forward? Poor clinical care and diagnostic errors were found to lie behind the majority of preventable deaths – perhaps a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Major reform can be a costly exercise, yet often occurs when financial pressures mean the status quo is unsustainable. So a lack of money means a need for change – change which can be unaffordable in the short-term, thus creating a catch-22. But there is really only one way to break free of this cycle, and that is to press... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The proposals for social care reform have been met with calls for further clarity and greater urgency today, as medical professionals and charities alike consider their impact on the sector. The white paper has been long expected, but for many today’s announcement constitutes a significant disappointment. An ageing population... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Medical professionals have been promoting the need to reorganise hospital services for some time now, in an attempt to improve quality of care and cut costs during a time of severe financial pressure. But new evidence suggests an independent report into hospital reorganisation inWaleswas anything but. With correspondence between the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Many have criticised the Government for its slow reaction to dealing with the social care funding gap, with reform now only likely to be implemented after 2015, following a spending review. For campaigners and of course the elderly who will be affected, change is needed now. Further news of a breakdown in talks between the Government... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The story of NHS finances is becoming increasingly confusing, and seemingly contradictory, with reports of “robust financial health” on one hand and failing trusts, administration and PFI debt on the other. Real terms spending has been slightly reduced, but in cash terms it has increased by £3.4bn. Government statistics... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT It’s hard not to have mixed feelings when seeing the efforts put into keep local children’s heart surgery units open by parents and local campaigners. Some unthinking criticism of such campaigns suggest the people involved don’t understand the issues and just want their local unit kept open for ease of access and even... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Following severe criticism against the CQC for its failure to regulate care homes effectively, now the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has fallen under fire for its failure to keep up to date with the huge pile of complaints and hearings, dating back years. Again, this showcases a critical failure of care that could potentially place... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT One of the trusts identified as failing to be financially sustainable has merged with York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to improve services and cut costs. This is one way to save a struggling trust, but what affect will this have onYork’s ability to provide quality services to an even wider area, whilst managing shaky... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 02 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT More doctors’ strikes seem to be looming on the horizon now that members of the BMA have voted for further industrial action and have passed a vote of no confidence in health secretary Andrew Lansley. But the vote was by no means by an overwhelming majority, and as was shown by the number of practices and hospitals that continued... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 29 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT PFI schemes have come under fire recently for the financial difficulties seen in multiple trusts struggling to balance their budgets. But the loans were never intended to be cheap, or even cost-effective. They were necessary to provide the capital to build new hospitals, to fill a desperate service need. Now that the price must be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The news that Andrew Lansley is making moves to place an NHS trust into special measures, with the possibility of services being broken up and the trust being declared bankrupt, will present a very real threat to other trusts that are losing money and performing below par. Although there have always been trusts that face significant... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 26 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Will mandatory shadowing and targeted teaching be enough to significantly improve the performance of junior medics as they start work in hospitals this year? One would have hoped that five years of teaching would be enough to give them the necessary experience to fulfil their jobs without harming the patients they are there to protect. Of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The threat of further doctors’ strikes is looming large, though industrial action yesterday saw less disruption than had been originally expected. The public have not been sympathetic to the doctors’ ‘plight’, especially when it affects patient care, and more action could strain relations. But the BMA’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The news that 125 treatments, including minor surgery, are being restricted on the NHS has incensed Labour, which blames poor leadership and huge financial pressure for the rationing. The efficiency challenge was meant to deliver savings through better practice, not by simply removing or narrowing the range of treatments offered on the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Mike Farrar has suggested that politicians must put long-term patient interest ahead of their own short-term priorities in order to save the sinking ship that is the NHS. But not only is this difficult to achieve – identifying best practice in the long-term necessarily requires assumptions to be made – there is little... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The roll-out of the Alzheimer’s Society FITS programme is welcome action against the over-reliance on unnecessary medication. This is a challenge for the treatment and care of patients with dementia as well as more generally in the health service; both patients and doctors can often seem more convinced by the power of pills than... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT With growing acceptance of the huge scale of mental health problems in the UK, as well as an appreciation of both the human and economic necessity of treating these issues, access to psychological therapies should also be increasing. Yet new research suggests only a quarter of those with mental illness are receiving any form of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The question of assisted dying is clearly a sensitive one, and major medical organisations may have some responsibility for maintaining the ‘right’ position. But when it is literally a matter of life or death, the right answers can be difficult to define. How can the BMA decide which stance is most appropriate for it to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Denying patients care based on their age runs counter to the main objectives of the NHS, and it is high time this practice is eradicated. With a huge pressure on resources, some clinicians are reluctant or even in opposition to offering some elderly people treatment or surgery. Viewing age as a simplistic measure for when treatment... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Government has dismissed the results of the British Social Attitudes survey – which showed a fall in public satisfaction with the NHS – as worthless because it examines wider public attitudes, rather than specifically those of patients who have used the NHS. There are two problems with this; firstly, that the general... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The British Red Cross has conducted research which demonstrates how important preventative care can be for patients, as well as saving the health service significant amounts of money. But the scale of the challenge, and the current squeeze on resources, on top of huge structural change, means that this may not be possible, at least for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 11 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Will publishing scores for GPs really help patients to make better choices about where they receive care? Greater transparency in this area will undoubtedly cause surgeries to attempt to improve their ranking and secure both patients and funding. But the level of patient engagement is less clear. How many people would actually check NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Whose responsibility is it when an organisation’s expenditure in performing its necessary duties is not matched by its income? The Nursing & Midwifery Council is blunt in explaining its desire for a big rise in registrants’ fees, to £120, saying that otherwise its shortfall in income will compromise patient safety.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The new trial of ‘touchless’ technology in surgery could mark the start of a brilliant new way of working; quicker, easier and cleaner. In a world in which we are immersed in smart technology that blurs the lines between virtual reality and our day-to-day lives, this is a logical step forward. Primarily used for gaming... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Vaccinating healthy schoolchildren against the flu could be a sensitive topic, but one that could ultimately help to stop the spread of the disease, especially in vulnerable groups the children would come into contact with. Additionally, an extension of the immunisation programme would require significant initial investment, in both the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 30 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Health professionals acknowledge that social care should be more closely integrated with health care, to improve outcomes and cut costs. Yet this is still not reflected in the distribution of funding. As the Nuffield Trust suggests, reorganising the NHS budget for elderly people could fund caps for lifetime care costs and place more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 29 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Homeless patients present a greater challenge to the NHS than an average patient, due to repeat admissions and multiple illnesses, such as drug addiction and mental health issues. Although this may be intimidating for hospital staff, and something they perceive as outside of their responsibility, it is clear that improving handling of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Of all the recommendations the Nursing Quality Care Forum has made to government, the one concerning patients rating hospitals over whether they would be happy to have their friends or family treated there has been accepted. While the publication of this rating may help to drive improvements in hospitals, it could be argued that more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Is it time for a new style of leadership within the NHS? The King’s Fund has proposed that the traditional, individualistic and dramatic model of leadership should be replaced more engagement, perpetuated throughout all levels of the workplace. Encouraging a more collaborative approach in the NHS would benefit both patients and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT How NHS funding should be most fairly allocated has been raised as a significant concern, following Lansley’s proposal for greater focus on age when funds are distributed. If implemented, this would severely affect some of the poorer parts of the country with younger residents, research suggests. While the elderly generally present... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT How much experience and training is needed for tasks involving feeding patients or helping them to drink? Unions have suggested that this is work that requires specific skills and experience, and not something that can be picked up in a two-week course for a work placement. Offering work experience and training to the unemployed is a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Will the move to more online control of patient records, information about available services, and appointment bookings, significantly improve services and mitigate the 8am rush of phone calls to GP surgeries? It is in line with the wider move to organise services via the internet, and a natural extension of the principle behind Choose... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Are parenting classes and the new information service evidence that we are living in a ‘nanny state’? After all, people have been raising children for countless generations. A reliance on the Government, or some form of authority, to instruct us on how to behave could be seen by some as an unwelcome infringement on their free... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Prevention, it is often said, is better than a cure. But how far can we take this idea and what are the implications of doing so? In the case of cardio-vascular risk, the best form of prevention is obviously to implement lifestyle changes; eat more healthily, exercise regularly, minimise stress. Yet is clear that for many people... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT So, NICE’s initial decision to reject abiraterone caused the manufacturer to rethink the price the NHS would have to pay – enough that it is now value-for-money for the people with advanced prostate cancer whose life it can extend. This is a great outcome for cancer patients, their families, and for the NHS, and shows that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT What added benefit will NHS Check bring to the health service, the people who use it, or even Labour themselves? There is already ample evidence about health professionals’ opposition to the reforms. This led to the creation of multiple amendments, but the Health and Social Care Act is now law. Labour has an obvious interest in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT The new proposals to increase the provision of Welsh services in health and social care have come under criticism from BMA Wales for threatening recruitment and taking precedence over waiting times targets. The proposed framework calls for the workforce to increase its capability to provide Welsh language services, something which the BMA... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Is the Government right to refuse to publish the risk register developed ahead of the NHS reforms? Lansley has argued that the risks that publication could introduce, and the damage it could create, outweigh the public right to full information. While this may be debateable, it is worth considering how the nature of risk analysis... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT The number of patients with co-morbidity is on the increase, especially for the elderly and those who live in deprived areas, and the NHS may not be prepared to provide effective coordinated care. A greater understanding of the wider picture of health and how diseases interact could help organisations to focus on the individual, rather... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT When presented with authoritative clinical evidence, the general public often accepts the need to reconfigure hospital care and centralise specialist services – even at the expense of downgrading local units – when they understand that this improves patient safety and health outcomes. But, in the current economic climate, and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT When there is fraud at taxpayer expense, should the finger be pointed at the fraudster, or the rules and systems that allowed them to get away with it? This is the row between the Conservatives and Labour over these grimy dentistry figures, which showed that somewhere between 3% and 25% of invoices for NHS dentistry during a check in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Does the low turnout in union ballots on public sector and NHS pensions demonstrate a belated acceptance of the Government’s reforms as the best course of action in the interests of the long-term health of public finances – or is this simply an acknowledgement that there is no use in fighting anymore? The lack of engagement... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Stroke recovery services have been criticised for lack of regular assessment, tailored care plans and integrated health and social care. More people now survive strokes than ever before, yet the need to continue delivery of effective care past the point of hospital is essential. Vital support such as physio and speech therapy helps... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Controversy has been raised over the implementation of ‘treatment bans’ for patients with unhealthy lifestyles, such as smokers or those who are obese. Where is the line between requiring patients to alter their behaviour before surgery and refusing point blank to treat patients with these complications? The difference... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT The European Working Time Directive exists to protect people from working a ridiculous, and unsafe, number of hours each week. In the NHS, this in turn promotes patient safety, as they receive better care from more alert staff, who are less likely to make potentially devastating mistakes and are physically and mentally prepared for the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Only 4% of those who are able to donate blood actually do. This low supply is set to be exacerbated this summer when thousands of visitors to high profile public events require a greater stock to be compiled. The NHS needs more people to donate, and to donate regularly, especially those with less common blood types. Raising awareness of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT We are all aware at some level that prevention is better than cure and investing in public health now, as well as good management of existing conditions, will save a lot of time, money and suffering in the future. Yet knowing this and being motivated to act on it are two very different things. Perhaps the latest report on the rapidly... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Considering the dispute over which wet AMD drug should be used on the NHS, the choice is whether to save money, or stick to officially approved treatment. NICE has approved drug Lucentis for use for the eye condition, yet some trusts are using cheaper alternative Avastin. This is used in other countries, but lacks official NICE... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Evidence of such horrifying ‘care’ in a home that the CQC has previously rated as ‘excellent’ should be a call for the home in question to seriously question its values, and for the CQC to improve its inspection. A report following the incident seemed to play down its impact, continuing to claim thatAsh... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Simple health decisions that improve outcomes while savings NHS resources: the holy grail. New research shows that for women who have previously given birth, and who are at low risk of complications, births at home or in midwife unit tick both of these important boxes. How many women make this choice remains up for question –... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Waiting times, which slowly fizzled out as a political issue during the Labour years, are fertile ground for the opposition at the moment. The DH has hit back at the latest stats, released by the Patients Association after Freedom of Information requests, as “partial” and suggested the picture is really quite... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT The NHS must recognise the significance of mental health issues in homelessness, and how people with multiple needs must be supported. These complicated cases require specialist care delivered consistently, complete with an understanding of the problems that may lead to additional negative consequences. Poor mental health should be... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Will the new nursing forum provide effective measures for improving patient care, particularly in terms of respect and dignity? In order to combat past failings, the group is set to explore ways to secure proper care, despite working with shrinking budgets, the threat of redundancy and huge organisational restructuring. Squeezed... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT If the Government has to force CCGs to abide by the existing deal on workforce terms and conditions, there is a big question on the extent to which the reforms are actually freeing up GPs to do the job as they think best. Cutting jobs just to re-offer them in a superficially different structure is expensive, disruptive and detrimental to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT The NHS has promised to investigate the news that a large number of patients are being discharged from hospitals during the night, with many criticising the practice as being a possible method of freeing up beds. But statistically there will always be a percentage of patients discharged between 11pm and 6am. This could be because they... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Publishing more research on free, open-access journals would increase the pace of scientific discovery and allow knowledge to be shared more widely. The Wellcome Trust is seeking to improve this by launching its own online publication, yet the opposition to this move is not solely from the publishers who use subscriptions to protect the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Even though NHS London has denied that the reductions revealed in a new report are actually proposals for implementation rather than theoretical modelling, the idea that other factors could be more important than just numbers does have some truth to it. If there are a large number of nurses delivering a poor standard of care, this... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Should prescription charges in England be abolished? Is this even achievable in principle? The increase in charges means that healthcare will now be more expensive, especially for those who are often ill. The money raised undoubtedly goes back to fund patient services; but surely prescriptions, wigs and dental treatment are important... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT The NHS Confederation has cautioned that simply increasing the number of inspections the CQC carries out will not necessarily lead to improvements in care. Firstly, these inspections have to be of a high quality themselves, something which may be questionable at the moment with the CQC. They should be targeted towards those providers... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT The massive target of £20bn efficiency savings has been criticised today for the lack of clarity concerning its origins. If savings are primarily being generated through cuts and pay freezes, this does not constitute an example of productivity, and will not improve services in any way. As this money is set to be reinvested into... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT Conflicts of interest in CCGs pose a very serious risk to their ability to effectively commission the best services for patients. This has been an inherent, obvious and much-discussed problem throughout the health reforms process, but it seems the safeguards, for many, just do not go far enough. Apart from needing objectivity to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT With an ageing population comes all the health problems this presents; from falls to eye conditions and everything in between. Supply from the NHS, and services that actually deliver effective treatment that minimises future problems, is in great demand already. Research suggests that there are not enough ophthalmologists in ratio to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT Discrimination in the health service can lead to significant consequences in terms of mortality, the level of treatment provided and overall care. Today, Macmillan has criticised the NHS for its ageism towards cancer patients, citing that mortality rates are not improving as quickly as those for younger patients. Some of the issues they... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT End of life care is a vitally important aspect of the care pathway, and something which should be confidently and effectively delivered by all types of healthcare staff. Although the health service’s main purpose is undoubtedly to offer treatments that cure people, the need to ensure all patients are kept as comfortable as possible... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT The balance between creating enough pressure to ensure waiting time targets are met but avoiding the kind of manipulation uncovered at NHS Lothian, with staff more concerned with ticking boxes than making sure treatment is offered to patients in a timely fashion. Keeping strict targets and disincentives for failure to comply with these... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT Andy Burnham’s claim that Labour will repeal the Health & Social Care Bill at the first opportunity is certainly dramatic, if not helpful in the slightest. Of course it is understandable that after such a long battle to drop the Bill, it can be hard, if not politically impossible, to back down and accept the Government’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT Would guaranteed minimum numbers of nurses ensure adequate provision of care to elderly patients? The RCN has stated that a lack of numbers is making it difficult to spend the appropriate amount of time caring for older people. But strict regulations on how many nurses must be working on a ward at the same time may not be the only way to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT Should hospitals provide free parking to patients and visitors? Patients’ associations certainly believe so, and call for free parking across the board. Increased parking fees disadvantage those who need regular or frequent trips to hospital, and can be difficult to afford during an already stressful period. But the money... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT The potential for George Eliot hospital to form a partnership with a private provider could spark the start of a new movement to outsource more and more services at trusts around the country. With Hinchingbrooke it could fairly easily be passed off as a one-time move. The Government could assure all those concerned about the privatisation... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT It is time to stop ‘polarising’ the debate on the Health and Social Care Bill, the RCGP has stated, just ahead of the legislation’s last stage before becoming law. Despite its outright opposition to the Bill, and especially its elements of competition, the RCGP says it must now begin to work with the Government on... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Government is probably lucky that this latest ruling ordering the release of the risk register has come while its health reforms are at such a late stage in the legislative process. The attention given to the issue has all but ensured that no matter what it really says, it will be Very Big News: and considering the efforts it’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT Renting services instead of buying them could save upfront costs, reduce issues with managing pathways and allow more trusts to roll-out the technology, potentially benefitting many more patients. But there are benefits to buying as well, including more control over the overall cost and management of services. Telecare is not something... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT Detached observers could be forgiven that the latest batch of amendments to the Health & Social Care Bill are said to be to fix problems that we were told were fixed months ago when the Government accepted the recommendations of the NHS Future Forum report. On the role of Monitor, and competition – and recently on the Secretary... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Lancashire approach to substance misuse could be an innovative way to help addicts recover in the communities they aim to return to. Volunteering can provide these people with a positive contribution they can offer to their communities, rather than simply being seen as a burden or unproductive member of society. As well as making... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Lancashire approach to substance misuse could be an innovative way to help addicts recover in the communities they aim to return to. Volunteering can provide these people with a positive contribution they can offer to their communities, rather than simply being seen as a burden or unproductive member of society. As well as making... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT The fact that stroke and heart attack emergency admissions have fallen over the past decade – while great news – is down to the public living healthier lifestyles and taking responsibility for their health, as opposed to NHS effectiveness. Perhaps the NHS can claim this is due to a greater level of awareness, borne about... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT An e-petition calling for the Health & Social Care Bill to be scrapped has been dismissed as a candidate for Parliamentary debate, despite having over 160,000 signatures. Although the new initiative to raise topics for discussion by collecting enough signatures never offered a guarantee, it is disappointing that such an obviously... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT New evidence released proving that competition can improve healthcare standards, efficiency and costs has come at a crucial time, just ahead of the vote on the Health and Social Care Bill in the House of Lords this week, and shortly after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has demanded amendments to the reforms. Clegg wants to ensure that... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT How effective can balloting for industrial action short of a strike be? The BMA is considering various options to demonstrate their opposition to the Government’s planned pension reforms, but has ruled out a strike in order to protect their patients. But the whole point of a strike is that it demonstrates just how necessary the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT Cynthia Bower, chief executive of the CQC, has resigned, coinciding with the release of a Government report on the organisation. The organisation has been under much criticism for underestimating the scale of its task and for failing to highlight the amount of difficulty it was having conducting inspections whilst merging organisations... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT A code of conduct signed by individual staff is the latest idea from the health sector, institutionally, to stop neglect of elderly patients and try to ensure NHS workers and care staff treat older people with respect. Clearly there is only so much that individual organisations or even the Government can do on this, when so much comes... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT New research on the effects of competition is set to further muddy the waters of the arguments for and against NHS reforms. Those pushing for will jump on the most basic conclusion; competition is good. Competition improves care and cuts costs and therefore we must increase it within the NHS. Those against will attempt to call... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT The point of pilots is to test a new service or development. They are necessary to determine which things work and where changes need to be made to improve practice. They allow a smaller level of expenditure, rather than going straight for a new idea with no guarantee it will deliver. But trialling a new service and then rolling it out... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT David Cameron’s forthcoming ‘pledge’ to tackle binge drinking is well-intentioned, but may be a sticking plaster approach to an issue which needs a deeper cure. Using ‘drunk tanks’ to allow drunk people to sober up will mitigate some of the social costs that alcohol brings, in the form of violence, abuse... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT As more NHS staff inWalestake time off work due to stress and stress-related health problems, the Government there must acknowledge the negative impacts of cutbacks in the budgets as managers seek efficiency savings, and reassess how practical they can possibly be. If NHS staff fear for their jobs, if more work is spread between fewer... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT New measures to increase organ donation are often considered with fear and opposition. As a society we are squeamish around death and dislike the thought of parts of our bodies being taken, even if this would benefit others. But while we dance around the subject, thousands are dying. The BMA has suggested a range of options to improve our... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT A debate has sprung up around the use, and more contentiously the funding, of chaplains in the NHS. Atheists have argued that money should not be spent on services of ‘no clinical benefit’, especially at a time of financial constraint. Of course there are many devout believers who will seek to protect these roles, due to the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT Integration of services has long been a buzzword in the NHS, but not enough has been done to make this a reality, the Health Select Committee suggests. Its chair, Stephen Dorrell, notes that leading politicians in the 1960s were advocating it back then, but still fragmentation remains. With elderly care especially, the integration of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT The rise in negligence claims in the NHS is both shocking and expensive. More complaints suggest a fall in quality care and treatment, something which the NHS must continually work to improve, not least when there is an urgent need to cut costs and save money. Although some of this increase can be attributed to a culture shift, with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT Translation services in the NHS have been revealed as a huge cost during a time when significant savings must be achieved The bill is far too high, and no doubt there are many effective ways to reduce this expense, especially by pooling resources to avoid duplication of translation. But recommending increased use of web-based... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT More and more evidence suggests that hospitals should increase their shifts to provide adequate cover for the weekend. Senior staff and diagnostic tests are usually unavailable after Friday, meaning care for patients is significantly lower. Obviously more round-the-clock care would be beneficial for patients. Illness doesn’t pay... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT Judgements on whether a new drug should be available on the NHS or not are often controversial, especially for those who have contributed to the research during development, and for those patients who could benefit from the treatment. Cancer Research UK is opposing NICE’s latest ruling on abiraterone, claiming that the drug should... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT The view that competition is inherently harmful has been undermined today with the publication of a report from the Office of Health Economics’ Commission on Competition in the NHS. Whilst they warn that competition is not applicable in all cases, and must be considered carefully before implementation, it can offer improvements in... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT Burnout in GPs poses a serious problem, both to the GPs and their patients. Protecting care-givers’ health is essential to ensure they can provide the best care and treatment for others. This is the same principle behind securing your own oxygen mask on a plane before you attend to others, even if they are your relatives. The only... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT The problem with having a reduced workforce at weekends in the NHS is that people do not only need care during daylight hours Monday to Friday. Illness and accidents and especially emergencies cannot wait for their allotted slots of time to receive appropriate care. Spreading shifts out across the entire week could provide more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Demand is growing on the NHS, as statistics show more people go to A&E each year. Additionally, more of these patients are having to wait longer and longer. This demonstrates once more the need for change within the NHS, as demand is exceeding supply too quickly for the health service to keep up. Some have blamed more complicated... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Inspection is only ‘one piece of the puzzle’, according to the NHS Confederation’s Mike Farrar, and a wider view must be taken to ensure intelligent and effective regulation. He suggests that a variety of tools should be used to ensure a complete picture of trusts’ performance and quality of care. Of course... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Providing free care and treatment for patients outside of the EU is costing the NHS at a time when there is scarcely enough funding to care for the people living in this country. However, the obstacles to claiming this money back may pose too large a problem, leading some trusts to simply let it go as a write-down. If patients leave the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Cutting costs without affecting services is a difficult task indeed. Add to this the confusing shake-up that is the new Health & Social Care Bill and the health service is presented with a huge challenge. Of course it is argued that the reforms will help to achieve the savings the NHS is so desperately trying to make. But until... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Chronic shortages of doctors have led to some bizarre solutions: but using the Army? While the armed forces undoubtedly have trained medical professionals who would have sufficient experience to provide care, this is not their job. If trusts need to look this far for doctors, there is something wrong within their system, either... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Should hospital trusts be more rigorously assessed on the basis of their financial strength? Of course this must be in addition to monitoring their clinical quality and performance. With so many trusts in financial trouble, and struggling to achieve foundation trust status, such a check may act to improve overall performance. On the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT With so much upheaval in the NHS at the moment, there is little time or funding left to consider the impact of growing problems and illnesses that do not immediately threaten lives on a large scale. As the Neurological Alliance points out, an ageing population means that neurological conditions are becoming more common, with no increase... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Missed appointments cost the NHS a great deal of money and time, which could be used to help improve services and provide quality treatment. Failing to turn up, or to even cancel the appointment, is therefore inconsiderate and wasteful. If a patient is incapable of remembering an appointment then they could arrange to set up a reminder... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT The healthcare project at Bradford Royal Infirmary shows how small changes to patients’ environment can have a significant impact on their wellbeing. Giving patients with dementia ‘memory boxes’ to keep by their beds has helped them to locate which bed is theirs, promote recollection of past experiences and encourage... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Data loss in the NHS is a serious problem, especially thefts of confidential information. Brighton Hospital is facing a fine for having its hard drives, containing patient records, stolen – even though they were eventually recovered. Is this fair? It could be argued that Brighton is the victim in this scenario, and as such... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT How much should be spent per patient on food and drink whilst in hospital? The complaints about hospital meals are well-known, and most are aware that their expectations should not be high. But with allegations of malnutrition, missed meals, wasted food and poor diets, perhaps in this case more really is more. The variation... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Would regular questioning from doctors, nurses and even dentists deter patients from seeking help in the first place? Discussion about lifestyle factors can already lead to embarrassment, unwillingness to talk and even lying as a defense mechanism. Perhaps if this was increased, it would have a detrimental effect on people who simply... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Targeting elderly beds for cuts is sensible, in that it will save the most money. These cuts could also encourage an increase of provision of community care, allowing patients both elderly and young to be treated at home and out of hospitals. However, unless this move actually takes place, all this will amount to is poor quality care for... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT A year-long inquiry into assisted suicide has reported that there is a strong case for legalisation, and that a strict set of rules could ensure there was no abuse of the practice. However it is this set of rules that produces the most problems with such a contentious issue. The criteria recommended include requiring the patient to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Data from clinical trials can be excluded to produce a certain result, one which will then affect clinical decisions, prescription of drugs and therefore patient safety. Whilst holding information back seems scientifically reprehensible, they may be legitimate reasons for doing so. Information that does not directly affect the conclusions... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT An £800m cash boost for the fight against cancer, we are told. Early testing makes sense – some more cash for awareness campaigns make sense – the Cancer Drugs Fund undermines NICE, but it is extra money that will undoubtedly save and prolong lives. It is all good news and in the growth years would have been nothing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT Did Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians, get it in one yesterday? He told the Health Bill Committee yesterday: “I always say that the harder you work in the health service, the more money you spend and the harder you work in Marks & Spencer, the more money you make.” He talked of private... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT Will the hours of Parliamentary debate in the committee stage of the Health Bill lead to any conciliation between politicians and the health sector as experts line up to give evidence? It is likely, at the least, to mean more the debate is conducted using more moderate language than that we see in the press, and will demand detailed... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT Primary paediatric dentistry needs some serious attention – undiagnosed problems are causing suffering for children and unnecessary costs for the NHS. Monty Duggal, the head of paediatric dentistry at the NHS's Leeds Dental Institute, knows more than most the importance of early intervention. He is surely right that children’s... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT Contractor GPs are making an average £105,300 a year, compared to salaried GPs on £57,300 before tax. A hefty group of 700 contractor GPs are on more than £200,000 – and 250 more than £250,000. The figures come from the NHS Information Centre. The pay gap between contractor and salaried GPs does seem to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT The decision to funnel nearly £1.5 million to 79 local projects helping carers is welcome, and a much better idea than setting up a new service or board to distribute the money while also using it up. Carers were struggling in many parts of the country even before the cuts and many local authorities are choosing to shut day centres... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT Leading healthcare and patient charities think the NHS needs to be more accountable to the public. They are probably right that the proposed HealthWatch bodies are too weak to give patients a real voice – and the Local Improvement Networks were doing a pretty good job of saving money, although admittedly a slightly less good job of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT Nurses say there are too few staff on NHS wards – but can there ever be enough? Patient care can almost always be improved, so it is hard to imagine what an ‘over-staffed’ hospital would look like. Maybe it is too easy to be cynical and suggest that frontline public sector workers have an obvious incentive to play... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sat, 02 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT So a hardcore of doctors are urging their colleagues to ‘mobilise’ to fight the NHS reforms. The military metaphor may give away more than they intended – it is a little hard to sympathise with a policy that completely rejects constructive engagement with decision-makers in favour of grandstanding opposition. The... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT Today’s Alzheimer’s decision is welcome news for patients, clinicians and families – and will hardly bankrupt the NHS – so it is to be welcomed all round. NICE does a fantastic job involving more complexity than many people realise, and this decision does it credit by showing it is willing to reconsider... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 04 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT If the cuts to social care for elderly people are responsible for the worsening situation with bed-blocking, there will have to be another solution found – because more money to deal with it seems unlikely. It is a quick saving for councils facing spiralling social care costs to see people they would otherwise need to support in an... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT It is World Cancer Day today, and although its supporters’ claims that there is still awareness to raise around cancer is debatabable, the highlighting of the latest prevention and treatment methods is very welcome. This year the focus is on skin cancers and staying safe in the sun, which is a laudable topic but perhaps February is... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sat, 02 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT Countless children going back to school this week will come down with flu by the weekend – despite the Government’s relaunch of the flu prevention campaign on New Year’s Day. People in ‘at risk’ groups should of course get themselves vaccinated, but otherwise healthy children do not get the jab on the NHS.... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT The Telegraph’s deputy editor Ben Brogan foresees a “symphony of opposition” from NHS interest groups to the reforms contained in the health bill, of which we have “heard only the opening bars”. He may be worrying too much, pessimistic as he is about the electoral chances of Conservative MPs in seats whose... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT ‘New money’ – those magic words we have been hearing so much less over the past few years. But £400m for mental health services announced today is just that, with many laudable aims – improving counselling for children, getting people back into work, helping traumatised veterans and tackling... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT Many healthcare professionals want the Government to go further in its plans for a minimum-unit price for alcohol. They see first-hand the damage drinking does to people’s bodies, the state of A&E departments on Saturday nights and the amount of money that could be spent instead on more ‘deserving’ diseases and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Is there really a bed-blocking crisis, and is it about to get worse? It is clearly a problem, and it has become something of a talking point that council cuts to social care will mean more elderly people ‘trapped’ in hospital with nowhere else suitable to go. The NHS Confederation calls it a ‘false economy’ to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Ever more astounding statistics on the multi-billion pound cost to the NHS from alcohol abuse have prompted fresh calls for drunk people to pay for their own treatment. It is unlikely to take off any time soon, but the public health and patients’ groups making such suggestions, however well-intentioned, should think a bit harder... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Patients are suffering because of the state of many buildings and facilities in the NHS estate. The latest report uncovers some shocking tales of patients treated in cupboards, no wash basins and 250-year-old buildings being used for NHS care despite them being simply not good enough. The DoH says the situation is improving –... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Disputes over the role of the private sector in the NHS are at the heart of the battle between ministers and the profession over the direction of the reforms – but are some medics fighting the last war? Ironically, it is one of the areas in which Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is on the most solid ground when saying he is merely... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Many people will have watched last night’s Channel 4 expose of terrible hospital food. Our recent investigation in National Health Executive magazine found some laudable examples of good practice and committed staff, but nobody thinks the state of hospital catering nationwide is anything to be proud of. The elderly seem... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Whenever NICE issues guidance that labels a certain drug too expensive or poor value for money for use on the NHS, there is understandably significant opposition to this decision. Knowing that a drug exists that could help patients suffering from malignant melanoma, even if this is just to extend their life expectancy by a few months, and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Strange, the unanticipated effects of a push for equality. A new study on access to stroke care in south London over the 14 years to 2009 found that black patients were 76% more likely than white patients to be admitted to a dedicated stroke unit. Older and poorer people were less likely to receive brain imaging. How many of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT How much of the deep and wide-ranging concern about NHS reform will Andrew Lansley take on board before his cherished policies become law? They surely will, in some form, despite the misgivings of the health unions, experts on the health select committee and the political opposition at Westminster. Reforming the NHS is a supremely... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Are large-scale job cuts going to be a feature of health service news this year – or will the trusts having to take such drastic measures be few and far between? Compared to councils and police forces and most government departments, the annual savings the NHS needs to make are nowhere near as dramatic. We have not seen in the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT The flu death toll has hit 112. Despite some headlines claiming a sudden spike over the past week, health chiefs are right to reassure people that the big increase – up from 50 – is a reporting backlog, rather than a huge spate of sudden deaths. There are now 661 people in critical care with flu symptoms, and lethal... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT It is maybe not surprising that so few people back the most controversial aspect of NHS reforms, the involvement of private companies – few of them probably realise the extent of private involvement already. It is a complex issue, and it is not patronising to suggest many people will not have sat and considered all the ramifications... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT The Lancet and the King’s Fund are the latest big hitters in healthcare to make strident warnings about the NHS reforms. Is the weight of criticism of the plans because Andrew Lansley has given the various unions, professional organisations, committees, think-thanks and analysts so many different targets to hit? With such... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT The latest National Audit Office is yet another warning about what might happen if the NHS reform goes wrong. It doesn’t say it definitely will, or that the ideas themselves are flawed – but provides more support for those arguing that implementing such major reforms while the NHS is also dealing with rising demand and frozen... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Price competition in the NHS is a complex and thorny subject and recent announcements have only made things more confusing. The Department of Health insists the widely-reported letter from NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson last week stating that there was “no question” of introducing price competition, and that services... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Disputes over the role of the private sector in the NHS are at the heart of the battle between ministers and the profession over the direction of the reforms – but are some medics fighting the last war? Ironically, it is one of the areas in which Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is on the most solid ground when saying he is merely... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT The BMA has pulled no punches in its latest criticism of NHS reform, seriously ramping up its rhetoric. Only rich patients will get “real choice”, according to Laurence Buckman, chair of the BMA’s GP committee, while old, sick and poor people will get stuck with GPs close to home, even if they do not offer certain drugs... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT The NHS reforms could face a rocky ride from the Lib Dem wing of the Coalition when the party’s grassroots get the chance to have their say at its spring conference. Conservative voters are mostly in favour of the reforms, despite the private concerns of some ministers about the politics of undertaking such a massive and initially... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT As discussed on this blog yesterday, much of the Government’s problem winning over the public to its NHS reforms is because of the perceived effects on people’s own wallets of the moves to privatise elements of how the health service is run. So David Cameron’s choice to refer to patients as ‘customers’ in a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Responding to the White Paper Healthy Lives, Healthy People, the British Retail Consortium has welcomed the Government’s recognition that more regulation is not the answer is welcome. They say that retailers say they are working to help people take more responsibility for making healthier eating choices. The reason that food... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT The Commission on Assisted Dying is to review evidence from experts and the public and consider what system, if any, should exist to allow people to be assisted to die and whether any changes in the law should be introduced. Although the subject is extremely sensitive and complex, ultimately it should be up to the individual to decide his... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT It’s worthy of note that the hospitals with the lowest mortality rates in the Dr Foster Hospital Guide, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust are in some of the most affluent parts of the country whilst those with the highest mortality rates, Hull and East Yorkshire... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT The delivery of NHS services at Hinchingbrooke Hospital is to be taken over by Circle, an ‘employee-owned social enterprise’ in which everyone from the consultants to the cleaners are co-owners in the business. Their track record in turning round NHS services by empowering front-line employees looks impressive. Their NHS... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT A Department of Health study has found that prescription drug wastage is costing the NHS in England at least £300 million a year and that about half the waste from unused prescriptions could be prevented. Bad news for the NHS and the taxpayer but great news for the drug companies Tell us what you think – have your say... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT The woman who founded the campaign group Cure The NHS after her 86-year-old mother died in Stafford Hospital, still has huge concerns about the treatment of vulnerable patients. At the public inquiry into care provided by the trust between 2005 and 2008, Julie Bailey said that although conditions appear to have improved a lot, her... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT As winter approaches it’s reassuring to know that according to government statistics just published, there was a dramatic drop in excess winter deaths in the severe winter of 2009/10, the coldest in 14 years, compared to the milder winter of 2008/09. Apparently, excess winter mortality is mostly not caused by conditions directly... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT According to the Royal College of GPs, doctors could be faced with angry patients if planned NHS reforms go ahead. RCGP chair Clare Gerada has warned that plans for £80 billion of annual funding being placed with GPs could lead to patients begging doctors for life-saving drugs. The likeliest winners of this transfer of funding... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT I was glad to see the government taking its responsibilities towards communicating with groups in society seriously and believe the latest guidance which it has issued on improving communication with the disabled community is a step in the right direction. It is crucial that all groups have a voice in our society – this is the mark... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT I am not sure if enough employers in the NHS realise just how important it is to maintain the health and well-being of their workforces. When a member of staff is under extreme stress it can often only be a reassuring word and a bit of empathy that they need to get them through that difficult situation. However, for those times when... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT I am glad to see that the government is taking a more methodical approach towards funding carers by giving them personal budgets. Providing adequate care for the most vulnerable in our society is an important part of being a civilized society – and to cut back on elderly care is a false economy because we will all get there one... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT It is always good to see people playing a bigger part in the design of healthcare – I just hope that right people are chosen to be citizen advisors. Those involved need to have a genuine interest in helping people and a good understanding of local healthcare needs. Let’s hope that the government takes this new Health... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT From what I can tell a small group of self-righteous right wingers are ‘outraged’ by a recent advert designed to encourage more teenagers to use contraception. Now whilst I can see that it is not appropriate to glamorize the subject, it is increasingly important to get this message across – given the high rates of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT It appears that the unions are having a competition to see who can scare their members the most. Whilst reading this morning’s headlines it struck me that they must trying to outdo each other in terms of how many NHS jobs will be lost. Of course NHS jobs are going to go – we are coming out of a recession. But we need... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Only a fool thinks that cutting services for the elderly is a soft option – after all, we will all be old one day and who knows what our circumstances might be. Aside from these selfish interests the elderly deserve our care and respect – it is the mark a civilized society to care for its old. However, it is important... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT It strikes me that all of the point scoring which seems to be going on at the moment is only damaging the NHS – and not progressing the argument between the government and the unions. Whilst the unions must accept that change is happening the government needs to be more consultative with its approach toward reform. We must all... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT I do not understand how people can steal from the NHS – it is a service set up to save people’s lives and to improve their health. What kind of person is willing to take money out of hands of sick people? Perhaps the government should bring in a law to ban those found guilty of fraud against the NHS from ever using its... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT It often frustrates me to think that old people – many of whom have diligently served their country over many years – are being given less support than young, able bodied people who should be fending for themselves. Why should those who can work be given more money than those who have already worked for many years and can no... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT There has been a lot of talk about what is going to happen to staff whilst the NHS is reformed, but surprisingly little about the effect it will have on patients. It seems that many people are too caught up in the mechanics of it all – and especially around what will happen to their jobs – rather than actually looking at... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT According to research conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and RAND Corporation, older Americans are unhealthier than their British counterparts but live longer because the US healthcare system is better than the NHS. Try telling that to the families of the thousands of Americans who die every year because they don’t have... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT There have been several reports circulating today that GPs – the people who will commissioning services very soon – are warming to the idea of using private healthcare institutions more often. The NHS must therefore ask itself, why is this happening? What can the private sector offer the NHS can’t? Unfortunately, I... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT With NHS resources stretched even further than before it is crucial that staff all work together to muddle through the next few years, whilst the country works to stabilise itself economically. What we don’t need is arguments over funding – everyone knows that money is tight at the moment, so get used to it and thank goodness... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT It is good to see the Department of Health spending more money on young and disadvantaged parents. However it has to make sure that it maintains funding in other areas and works to address the high number of trusts operating with a huge budget deficit. The next few years are going to be very tight for all involved, so it is important... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Along with cancer patients, the elderly also require more resources. A recent report has shown that the amount of resources that they use had gone up by two thirds in the last ten years and this needs to be addressed by those holding the purse strings. After all, we will all become elderly one day, so let’s begin looking after... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Whilst I am happy to see that the government has at least begun to address the need for cancer drugs with the confirmation of £200 million between 2011-2013, I still feel that more could be done. Why is funding not being stripped from non-essential treatments and pumped into life saving activity? I fail to see why so much... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT It struck me today that to formulate such a radical set of reforms for the NHS, surely Andrew Lansley must have consulted with a fair few doctors, clinicians and managers to have come up with his ideas in the first place. So where are they all now? Every day it seems that another group within the NHS is questioning or down right opposing... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Whatever the newspapers tell you it important just to keep on working hard for patients – and also for yourselves. By staying productive you sow the seeds of your own success and security which, given the dire circumstances we find ourselves in, is more important than ever. We face difficult times but if we work together the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT It will be vitally important that the coalition government ensures that NHS services serve the public well this winter. Any little slip up in services will undoubtedly be jumped on by the coalition’s political and ideological opponents - and blamed on NHS reforms, amongst other pressures. This is why this winter will prove so... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Although no direct funding has been cut from the health service, the NHS is still facing one of the most challenging periods in its history and I will be intrigued to hear what GPs make the government’s new ‘support pack’ to ‘help’ with designing services. Whilst I am sure that it might b helpful in some... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT The future of the health service – along with many other services in Britain – will be an uncertain one. Although funding has been secured for the next four years, the government is pressing ahead with controversial reforms. Whilst Andrew Lansley seems confident that those reforms will deliver better healthcare and a more... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Well, here we are folks – the day of the Spending Review. Whilst the NHS is to be ring-fenced, some have pointed out that cuts to other departments are likely to have an impact on the health service – especially any cuts to local government which could affect social care. Although cuts do need to be made, we must all hope... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT The government has announced patients are t be given more choice - unlike the NHS which is facing a major overhaul and not everyone’s on board. With Unison taking it to court and various GP and other NHS groups questioning proposals, the government certainly has its work cut out. Let’s see if Mr Lansley has got the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Whilst most government departments will be sat quaking in their boots at the thought of the kind of cuts which they face, it is problems within trusts themselves which will are likely to cause the biggest problems in the NHS. A mixture of financial mismanagement - and /or bad luck - has meant that some hospitals face huge financial... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT So, the government has delivered its promised "bonfire of the quangos", abolishing 192 agencies, merging 18 and reforming 171 with the health sector particularly badly hit. This isn’t a black and white situation. Some will be missed more than others but to suggest that all quangos are bad is dumbed-down tabloid... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT The NHS needs to change – it currently spends too much on administration and too little on front line services, such as nurses and doctors. So what does Unison hope to achieve by taking the government to court? If they succeed it will simply mean that things stay exactly as they are, with our health service overburdened with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT As the Royal College of Nursing is encouraging its members to report signs of service decline, I was wondering whether there was apparatus in place for patients to do the same? I am sure that patients’ views on the subject would prove invaluable to the College as they set about challenging the authorities on issue of... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Managers in the NHS often talk about the difficulty in developing relationships with clinicians, because of a perceived feeling of suspicion on both sides. This is something which I, as a journalist, have also experienced. However, I have found that the key to success is not to let one experience sour your view of an entire profession... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Everyone in the NHS has a lot of challenges to face – in their day to day work and then in dealing with the structural changes which the NHS is facing at the moment. Although it will be difficult, they must stay positive – after all, what other choice is there? Sure, you can go down the union route of causing never ending... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT I know I visit this subject a lot, but it is something which I am particularly passionate about: the NHS is there to fix people when they are sick, not to given them any treatment that they desire. There is a finite amount of money and the fact that some people are willing to use that money for cosmetic surgery following weight loss... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT I seem to remember that for many months all people could ask for was a reduction in the number of management layers in the NHS. Now that has been given to them the unions are moaning, as are some suppliers to the NHS, saying that good work will be undone. Whilst there is much talent in PCT, the system does need reforming to reduce a... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT I find it slightly ironic that after years of asking for more power in the health service many doctors now don’t seem to want it. I think that we have to face the fact that the health service is never going to be perfect, so people just need to get on with it. Arguing over the market structure is a bit late in the day now and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT The recent Civitas report makes interesting reading. Whilst it would be easy to criticize the NHS staff accused of spurning private sector providers, it is also easy to see why it has happened. The NHS has been put on a pedestal with an aura around it, so that the doctors and nurses within it feel that they are almost angelic, with... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Whilst I am pleased to see that at least some money will be given to cancer patients to help them live longer and more comfortable lives, I think a call must go out for more funding for all life saving treatments. It escapes me why, in times of economic uncertainly, the NHS should spend anymore on treatments which either do not save lives... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Why on earth is a trust paying tens of thousands of pounds for senior management to move house? Whilst £18,000 is not that much in the grand scheme of things, it is this kind of spending which will reduce public confidence in the ability of managers to run the health service in the time of austerity. The public see spending... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT It seems strange that our society has such a laissez-faire attitude towards the medical treatment of old people. After all, we will all be old one day, so shouldn’t we start to improve services now? That is not the point however – the old have made their contribution to society and we should treat with a bit more dignity... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Whilst I am sure that the NHS can be run in a far more effective way than it is at the moment, I am deeply concerned about the suggestion of refusing treatment to patients with unhealthy lifestyles. After all, fat people’s taxes pay for the NHS just as much as anybody else’s. The tax provided to the state from smokers and... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Whilst I am sure that Mr Prentis and the rest of the unions are glad that their man has won the leadership race, I don't think the time for champagne has arrived for them just yet. Although his election indicates a strong leftwing movement within the Labour Party, it does necessarily reflect the feeling of the electorate. Mr Miliband... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Whilst there are many things wrong with the health service at the moment, there is also a lot of good. Although there are many perceived injustices within the NHS, such as the story of a war veteran who has been denied nursing care, there are thousands of stories of where NHS have gone the extra mile for patients. As we go into the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT To hear that a hospital is having to close its services over the winter months because of patient safety worries is frankly ludicrous. Although I agree that if services aren’t safe that they should be closed, I feel that the situation should have been handled better. The reason the services have to close is because they were... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Hmmm… it would appear the question which NICE has brought up over how best to serve young mothers is a hard one to answer. These young mothers need the very best in treatment and support, considering that this age group can face a number of complications during pregnancy. But it also raises the question of what kind of message... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Although I am not acquainted with all of the facts around the Baby P whistleblower’s case – so would not want to comment directly about that case in particular – I believe that whistleblowers in general do need more protection. If the NHS is to deliver on its key function of caring for the sick, then it needs to look... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT I think that it is incredibly important that everyone keeps a sense of perspective over the coming weeks and months and years. The fact is that health service has become too bogged down in red tape and something must be done to solve that problem. Of course that will cause pain, but it will ultimately create a better health service... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT The Kennedy report has shown that we need to invest more in our children’s health, while also making sure that services are relevant and appropriate to them. There is no excuse to deny them the very best in treatment - the young represent our future, in more ways than one. After all, one day they will be in charge of our... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT There has been some very strong words coming from the union camps this week and whilst I realise that they must look after the interests of their members, I would also ask that they consider the rest of who have to use the NHS. After all why should patients have to pay the price for the government’s mistakes? All union members... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Searching back through the news archives on the internet, it becomes clear that the threat of NHS staff striking is certainly not anything new. A long time before the economic crisis ripped Britain’s finances apart, NHS staff were threatening to strike over a number of issues – usually related to their pay. In fact, it... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Earlier this week, the Nursing Times reported that over 60 per cent of the 11,500 nurses polled in a survey have considered abandoning the profession in the past year because of NHS restructuring. Now, doctors are warning that the NHS will struggle to protect quality and find efficiency savings if cuts to the protected time senior doctors... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT The time has now come for PCT staff who wish to remain within the health service to buckle down and get on with the job in hand. As upsetting as working towards the end of an organisation is, it is still in the interests of the staff involved to be as co-operative and productive as possible, in order to secure employment within the new GP... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Why on earth have 2020health.org been looking into the NHS’s use of porn at fertility clinics? When the NHS is facing the most far reaching shake up of recent years - coupled with a potentially crippling lack of funds - why is this ‘thinktank’ not concentrating on one of the major issues, such as reducing overall costs?... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Cutting anything in the NHS will never be easy – a lot of the time you are taking away someone’s chance to change their life. But we live in testing times, where money is scarce. These times call for measures to be taken and that means belts must be tightened. This means that once again, I make my plea to the NHS to cut... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT I must admit to having a chuckle at the blatant smear campaign now being carried out by parts of the media against GPs. And they had better get used to it. It seems that not a day goes by without some headline about either how much GPs are earning or the ‘threat’ they pose to the NHS through the new commissioning... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT A lot of people have begun to talk about the privatisation of the NHS. In my opinion, it already has been or is at least well on the way to being privatised anyway but this is certainly not the fault of Mr Lansley. Although the market model was brought into the NHS by a past Conservative government, no-one has done more to push it... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT The decision by NHS Warrington to stop offering IVF treatment is one of the most progressive ways to cut funding that I have heard of being taken up by the NHS so far. Not only will it save thousands of pounds - which can then be spent on treating the ill – but it may also go some way to helping to improve the lot of many children... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Whilst I agree that every important decision needs to be challenged to test its validity, I cannot see how patients will benefit from ‘the mother of all fights’ which Mr Burnham has promised? Surely it would be better for NHS staff to concentrate on actually making people better? And whilst Mr Burnham is willing to give... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT There is no question that the proposed health reforms put forward by health secretary Andrew Lansley are controversial and risky for an NHS which is at a crucial point in its existence. But I am afraid that Andy Burnham’s tactics of pandering to health service unions in his leadership campaign are at risk of driving public... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT I was glad to hear that doctors now want to be able to tell patients that they are fat again, because the cost to the NHS of people being overweight in Britain is astonishing. New data which shows that the amount of surgery taking place to deal with the problem also indicates that it is a growing problem. After all, if a doctor says... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT I am very confused by the government’s decision to roll out one telephone based healthcare helpline simply to replace one which is already set up and running. Whilst I can clearly see the obvious benefits of 111 over NHS Direct - as it allows for appointments to be made, along with being free to call - it would appear that a huge... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT I think that someone needs to tell Andy Burnham that he is not health secretary anymore, because judging by his recent behaviour it seems that he is a little confused. He seems to think that by backing Unison’s law suit against the government that he will become a champion of NHS workers, instead of just appearing like the second... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT It has been a question which has plagued man ever since the dawn of time and now it plagues the NHS. Why, or perhaps what is the health service here to do? Well, there’s a clue in the name, in my opinion. It is here to keep people healthy and to fix them when they are broken. However, it seems to provide many services... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT I have always been perplexed as to why the NHS needs management consultants in the first place. I remember as a child that hospitals were run with a relatively small amount of administration and that people were hired for a job, because they already know how to do it. Not it appears that the NHS had to spend £300 million last year... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Nearly a fifth of facilities in use in England are deemed not up to scratch, according to data obtained by the BBC. The 2009-10 figures supplied by the Department of Health show 17% of the NHS estate which is occupied is deemed as "not functionally suitable for use". This won’t come as a surprise to many who work in the NHS or to... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Over 60 per cent of the 11,500 nurses polled in a survey conducted by Incomes Data Research and reported in The Nursing Times have considered abandoning the profession in the past year because of NHS restructuring. This is bad news for the NHS suggesting that morale is low amongst many nurses and worse news for nurses because there really... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT NHS Luton chief executive Angela McNab has received no pay increase in accepting the chief executive role at NHS Bedfordshire. She will continue to be paid the same salary of £139,725, which will now be shared between the two PCTs. This represents a significant saving for the two PCTs of more than £130,000 on the salary of the... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT The Independent reports that Heston Blumenthal is hoping to do for NHS meals what he did for Little Chef - by raising culinary standards. In a Channel 4 programme imaginatively entitled Heston's Michelin Impossible, theaward winning chef will seek to improve the food on offer at five institutions including the NHS. I wish him... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT Today the patients association publishes Listen to patients, Speak up for change, a collection of 17 firsthand accounts of hospital care of older patients from across the NHS. The stories highlight serious failings in standards of nursing care, poor communication with relatives and an ineffective complaints handling system. I can only... http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/ 421 http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com:80/ Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT