All Acute care articles – Page 456

  • News

    Historic changes to pharmacy profession

    2007-02-22T00:00:00Z

    The chief pharmaceutical officers from England, Scotland, and Wales have revealed plans for historic changes to the regulation of the pharmacy profession.The measures, which form part of the white paper on professional regulation, will see the formation of two separate bodies to oversee pharmacy. One organisation will act as a ...

  • News

    Hewitt confirms orthopaedic 'free choice'

    2007-02-22T00:00:00Z

    Patients waiting for orthopaedic operations will be able to choose to have their operation at any acute trust, foundation trust, or independent sector provider in the next few months.

  • News

    Conservatives hit out over London deficit

    2007-02-22T00:00:00Z

    Conservatives in the London Assembly have said the extent of the continuing crisis in the NHS has been revealed by the latest financial figures.They point to new figures from the Department of Health, which show that the NHS in London is still heading for an overall end-of-year deficit of £125m.Find ...

  • News

    Monitor criticised for data demand

    2007-02-22T00:00:00Z

    The foundation trust regulator Monitor must not seek to 'enhance' its regulatory role, Foundation Trust Network director Sue Slipman has warned.

  • Comment

    Top thinkers hail power of imagination

    2007-02-22T00:00:00Z

    If clinicians are the likely generators of the ideas that will transform NHS performance, managers need the confidence to create the space for them to blossom. Our main feature this week looks at a group of very different ideas with the potential to make a huge difference locally and nationally.

  • News

    Cancer reform strategy board members announced

    2007-02-21T00:00:00Z

    The advisory board for development of the new cancer reform strategy was announced by health minister Rosie Winterton today.The board's membership is drawn from experts across the cancer field including chief executives of major charities, cancer patients, social care and NHS clinicians and managers. See a list of board members ...

  • News

    New Deal for Carers launched

    2007-02-21T00:00:00Z

    The government is to unveil its New Deal for Carers, which will see £33m used for measures to help people who care for elderly or disabled relatives.Most of the money, £25m, will go to local authorities to fund emergency respite care for people who need a break from the demands ...

  • News

    New chair for Nursing and Midwifery Council

    2007-02-21T00:00:00Z

    The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the regulatory body for UK nurses and midwives, has selected the chair of its new appointments board.NMC council member Brenda Maitland will head the board, which will be responsible for recruitment, appraisal and training.Read the press release here

  • News

    DoH to publish professional regulation white paper

    2007-02-21T00:00:00Z

    The Government will today publish the professional regulation white paper Trust, Assurance and Safety - the regulation of health professionals in the 21st Century. It is set to herald a major shake-up in the way doctors are regulated in the UK.The Department of Health is acting after chief medical officer ...

  • News

    Government tests human influenza plan

    2007-02-21T00:00:00Z

    The Government's response to a human flu pandemic was tested on Monday and Tuesday.The exercise fully tested the UK's ability to manage the effects of an influenza pandemic by playing out the decision-making process at national, regional and local levels.Read the press release here

  • News

    New penalties for attacks on ambulance workers

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Ambulance workers are among groups set to be covered by new Home Office penalties on those who obstruct the work of emergency workers.People transporting blood, organs or equipment for the NHS will also be covered by the new legislation, which will mean fines of up to £5,000 for those prosecuted.Read ...

  • News

    DoH predicts break-even by next financial year

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Figures for the third quarter of the financial year show that the NHS is in line to break even and will be well placed for the start of the next financial year, according to Department of Health figures.Strategic health authorities are due to make £450m of savings from central budgets.Read ...

  • News

    Witnesses called to PPI evidence sessions

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Health minister Rosie Winterton is among those who have been called to give evidence into patient and public involvement in the NHS before the Commons health select committee.Other witnesses include NHS South East Coast chief executive Candy Morris, NHS Confederation director of policy Nigel Edwards, NHS Confederation PCT Network chair ...

  • News

    No single cause for NHS deficits, says government

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    Causes for NHS deficits are numerous, have arisen over a number of years and cannot be attributed to one isolated factor, according to the government.The claims came in a response to an earlier Commons health select committee report on deficits in the NHS.Read the report here

  • News

    Value to patients should determine drug price

    2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

    NHS drugs spend should be linked to patient value and value for money, according to a report by the Office of Fair Trading.The report recommends that the current scheme where companies can set their own prices should be replaced by one in which prices are set according to therapeutic benefit ...

  • News

    Thirteen areas make 18-week target pledge

    2007-02-19T00:00:00Z

    Thirteen local health communities today pledged to meet the government's 18-week treatment target a full year before the rest of the NHS.The government has said that by the end of 2008, patients can expect a maximum wait of 18 weeks from referral to the start of treatment. Eighteen weeks is ...

  • HSJ Knowledge

    Cancer care: quick, clever and caring

    2007-02-19T00:00:00Z

    An ambulatory surgery service for women undergoing breast surgery has cut target times and saved money, as Jo Marsden and colleagues explain

  • HSJ Knowledge

    Infection control: an outbreak of innovation

    2007-02-19T00:00:00Z

    A robust outbreak escalation process has helped a trust cut Clostridium difficile cases by 50 per cent in the past year. Em Wilkinson-Brice and colleagues explain how it was done

  • News

    A&E attendances down 1.2 per cent

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Attendances at accident and emergency departments fell year on year by 1.2 per cent in the third quarter, but admissions through A&E rose by 2.4 per cent to more than 750,000.Figures from the Department of Health published today show that in the three months to the end of December 2006 ...

  • News

    Acute and PCT indicators extended

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and the Department of Health want to extend the current 13 quarterly Better Care, Better Value indicators for primary care trusts and acute trusts to 30 from the start of the next financial year.DoH commissioning director Duncan Selbie and NHS Institute chief executive ...