All Acute care articles – Page 476
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News
Peter Cardy on rewriting the cancer plan
As cancer care shifts out of hospital, more cancer patients risk poverty as the associated costs rise. Now is the time to tackle the financial distress of the disease, argues Peter Cardy
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News
Lansley slams PFI 'lunacy'
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has described hospital private finance initiatives as 'complete lunacy' after government responses to his parliamentary questions showed that the NHS will pay private sector contractors £53bn for hospitals worth only £8bn. Mr Lansley is calling for a 'fundamental review' of how the NHS accesses capital ...
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News
New figures show improvement in inpatient waits
The proportion of patients waiting under 13 weeks for an inpatient appointment rose year on year in September from 70.8 per cent to 74.7 per cent, according to figures published today by the Department of Health. The median waiting time was 7.4 weeks, down on the 7.9 weeks recorded in ...
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News
Patients allowed to opt out of care records service
Patients will have the right to opt out of having their information shared through the NHS care records service, health minister Lord Warner told HSJ's Demystifying the National Programme for IT conference yesterday.Under the government implied consent model, those who do not opt out will be deemed to have given ...
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News
Government responds to report on ITCs
The government has published its response to the Commons health select committee's report on independent treatment centres.The committee's report criticised the role of ITCs and said their performance had been variable.In its response the Department of Health has promised to provide more information to patients on which to base their ...
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News
Conservatives launch initiative on patient involvement
The Conservatives have launched a consultation on the future of public and patient involvement in health.The concept of HealthWatch was outlined by Conservative leader David Cameron and shadow health minister Andrew Lansley in a speech to the King's Fund earlier this month.At a summit today Mr Lansley will highlight the ...
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News
Action plan for audiology services
An action plan is being developed to improve access to audiology services including those outside the 18-week waiting time, a Department of Health minister has announced.Social care minister Ivan Lewis said in a parliamentary written answer that ministers were aware of long waits for audiology services.
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News
Hewitt warns: patients will vote with feet
Patients will 'vote with their feet' and refuse to be treated at poorly performing hospitals, health secretary Patricia Hewitt has said.
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Comment
An online service tailored to your needs
This week, HSJgets personal. Today we have launched a new online service free to registered users of the website, designed to bring you the most relevant content direct to your desktop.
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News
New pay-off packages to reflect length of service
New redundancy and retirement packages based on length of service rather than age have been agreed by the Department of Health.
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HSJ Knowledge
Major research initiative launched for policy makers and managers
The Health Foundation's five-year, £2.5m QQUIP research initiative to help healthcare policy makers, managers, clinicians, researchers and patient groups to better understand and make informed decisions about how to improve healthcare quality will go online next month.
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HSJ Knowledge
Research shows how patient involvement can improve healthcare quality
Involve the patient for better health outcomes and efficiency. That's the strategy suggested by new research from the Health Foundation.
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Comment
Sue Slipman on foundation trusts and the healthcheck ratings
'Having strengthened their financial management without comprising service quality, foundation trusts are now in a position to step up their investment in providing first class patient care'
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News
Fall in Welsh waiting times
The number of people waiting for over eight months for inpatient or day-case treatment in Wales has fallen by 737 over the last quarter - a 10.5 per cent reduction. In outpatients, the number of people waiting over eight months for a first appointment has ...
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HSJ Knowledge
First findings from clinical measurement scheme show where more work is needed
The Health Foundation used this year's party political conferences to explore what impact national clinical measurement schemes are having on the NHS.
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News
PbR 'fundamentally flawed' says coding chief
The current system of payment by results is 'fundamentally flawed and unacceptable' the head of the Professional Association of Clinical Coders warned last week.
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HSJ Knowledge
Stephen Thornton on global patient safety challenges
'I was struck by how hospitals in Malawi and the UK face similar challenges in making healthcare safer for patients' The chief executive of the Health Foundation and our new regular columnist discusses the global challenges of patient safety and some possible responses
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News
Call to scrap funding formula
The NHS funding formula is based on an untested scientific premise and should be scrapped, the chief economic advisor to the Department of Health was told last week.
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HSJ Knowledge
Legal Briefing: resolving payment disputes between PCTs and foundation trusts
As the NHS becomes accustomed to the legally-binding contracts between primary care trusts and foundation trusts, the main pressure points are beginning to emerge.
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Comment
Efficiency indicators do not tell the story behind the numbers
The comprehensive spending review is no longer the distant event it once seemed - the coming financial squeeze makes a numbers game out of the next 18 months or so.