Comment archive – Page 331
-
CommentMichael White: Southern Cross is a victim of financial engineering
Things may finally be changing but, until the GMB union and Ed Miliband got stuck in this week, I have been repeatedly astonished by the failure to link the care homes crisis to the fate of Andrew Lansley’s bill.
-
CommentThe government's failure to justify reform has left the public short of options
Huge strides have been taken to offer NHS patients a choice of different providers, but there is now a real chance of a backwards step under the coalition government, says management consultant Paul Corrigan.
-
CommentMedia Watch: elderly care abuse revelations dominate discussion
The Daily Telegraph started the weekend with a rare morsel of good news for Andrew Lansley.
-
Comment'The independent sector has a track record of serving patients extremely well'
The hostile opposition towards private involvement in NHS provision is growing ever louder. But politics is getting in the way of policy, and the private sector is not the villain in NHS reform, argues NHS Partners Network director David Worskett.
-
CommentA collaborative spirit between trusts and local government in the South West
NHS organisations in the South West appear to be embracing the drive for closer working between the health service and local authorities.
-
CommentEast Midlands trusts aiming to clamp down on A&E underperformance
Scrapping the national target to keep accident and emergency waits below four hours has failed to ease the pressure on trusts and commissioners in the East Midlands.
-
CommentSally Gainsbury: wistful thinking on PFI
Ask an NHS finance director what they hope will come out of the McKinsey review of 22 trusts with tricky private finance initiatives and they talk wistfully about a revised market forces factor – the calculation that determines any top-up paid for delivering services in a particular area.
-
LeaderReform changes may threaten what little progress is being made
What is the real impact of GP consortium commissioning on NHS services? Not the claim and counter-claim of the political battle, which is largely focused on imagined utopias or dystopias of the medium term, but the change being experienced by patients and staff?
-
CommentWhat the Health Bill means for continuing quality improvement
If you missed the live online webchat with Andrew Lansley last week, director of the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for north west London professor Derek Bell offers an insight into the health secretary’s thoughts on what the Health Bill means for research and quality improvement ...
-
CommentSouth East Coast trusts chasing foundation status
Like many trusts around the country, those in the South East Coast are busy considering ways of getting themselves to the holy grail of foundation status.
-
CommentMedia Watch: waiting for the pause to fast forward
Every paper told a different story at the start of this week, despite speculation growing ahead of the arrival of the Future Forum’s recommended amendments to the Health Bill.
-
CommentNorth Yorkshire and York faces ongoing financial difficulties
North Yorkshire and York is one of the most financially troubled primary care trusts in the country.
-
CommentNoel Plumridge: parallel process in danger of doubling costs
First, in April, came the “pause” in the passage of the Health Bill. Then the “listening exercise” and the appointment of the NHS Future Forum. And, along the way, the Liberal Democrats’ humiliation in the May elections.
-
CommentMichael White: how to survive in the blame game
I heard a senior NHS manager on the radio mid-week sounding like Sharon (“I don’t do blame”) Shoesmith, Haringey’s ousted children’s services chief, as he defended his hospital against a damning report from the Care Quality Commission.
-
CommentAn NHS ice age may have only just begun
Despite positive financial projections for the NHS after the current spending review period ends, the harsh reality is that the funding cold spell could continue beyond 2015 if the economy does not recover as hoped, suggests King’s Fund chief economist John Appleby.
-
Comment'Proper funding of the NHS is the critical long term issue'
Let’s be honest, speculation is fun. Nobody can prove you right or wrong at the time, people forget what you said, and you can hedge your bets on what the future will hold. It is also more interesting to look at the gloomy version – what fun is there to ...
-
LeaderThe NHS must plan for a decade of austerity
After decades of underinvestment, the NHS required the turbocharging provided by the 2002 Budget. The resulting flow of funds did much good. However, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight many would argue the money could have been spent more efficiently – although there would be considerable dispute about what should ...
-
Comment@HSJeditor’s guide to the Health Policy Twitterati
Twitter is full of people mouthing off pointlessly about health reform or simply linking to their latest blog. But there are also a good number of tweeters with something interesting to say and who take an active part in debate. Here’s my pick. I’d be grateful for other suggestions.
-
Comment'Creating a culture of learning must never be overlooked'
It is all too easy with the daily demands on our time, coupled with the financial challenges we all face, to allow our own learning and development to take a back seat.
-
CommentMedia Watch: Health Bill pause doesn't halt continuing coverage
As the coalition’s “pause” rumbles on so do the stories surrounding the fate of the Health and Social Care Bill.