Comment archive – Page 423
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Comment
Media Watch: 'Forget the smears, this one was old fashioned political spin'
Easter: for many the chance to enjoy a relaxing four day break. For health secretary Alan Johnson and his shadow Andrew Lansley, seemingly the ideal time to don political boxing gloves and engage in a little sparring. A warm-up when fewer people than usual are paying attention, perhaps?
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CommentDavid and Hilary Woodhead on combining NHS efforts with local social care
A recent family lunch led to discussions about new jobs and the challenges of work, punctuated by the demands of restless kids and attentive waiters. Despite interruptions, the adults persevered.
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CommentMichael Marmot on why health inequalities matter
The Department of Health’s anti-obesity Change4Life scheme may work wonders. I hope it does.
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CommentAndy McKeon: 'Prepare to step back to the 80s'
The Budget will be the prelude to another prolonged cycle of recession and recovery for the NHS, but one positive is that lean years mean productivity takes an upturn
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Leader
Care is still a long way from the community
This week’s HSJ revelation of the huge scale of primary care trusts’ overspend on acute care exposes the distance between the desire to move more care into the community and delivering it.
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CommentKen Jarrold on getting the best from staff
If the NHS is to improve public health and provide high quality services to patients, it must look after its staff, including chief executives and senior managers.
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CommentClinical mistakes: how to respond
A new approach to handling NHS complaints has been introduced. Joan Saddler, director of patient and public affairs at the Department of Health, explains what it means for clinicians and managers
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LeaderNew look hsj.co.uk will give you much more
HSJ’s website has relaunched. The new service at hsj.co.uk features simpler navigation, a more powerful search engine and vastly more links to related articles.
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LeaderNHS commissioners hold the secret to thriving beyond the recession
With even the chancellor having to admit his forecast was woefully wide of the mark, the NHS could be forgiven for basing its financial planning on sunny spells rather than torrential rain.
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CommentAndrea Sutcliffe: advice on delivering effective NHS care
As the Healthcare Commission cleared the decks in preparation for the launch of the Care Quality Commission on 1 April, some of its final reports made chastening reading for all of us involved in the delivery of healthcare that should be safe, effective and a good experience for patients.
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CommentDavid Peat on PCT provider arms
The proposed division of primary care trusts’ provider and commissioner arms reminds me of the old legal concept of “one roof with separate rooms”.
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CommentAngela Greatley on community mental health treatment
Supervised community treatment was one of the most controversial aspects of the 2007 Mental Health Act. The new powers were introduced in November 2008, since which time some 1,200 requests for second opinions to ratify such orders have already been made.
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CommentStephen Eames on patients driving change
Delivering radical reform in public services was the government’s battle cry in last month’s white paper Working Together - Public Services on Your Side. Given the parlous state of the country’s finances, the message will be exactly the same from any future government.
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CommentHumble Servant bids the Healthcare Commission adieu
‘We will all miss the traffic lights and star ratings, its mission to condemn and flagellate, and the valuable role it has fulfilled for the Department of Health in shutting stable doors after horses have bolted’
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CommentMichael White on the recent political populism
Watch out for political populism in troubled times. Most of us have been indulging in banker-bashing, but such enjoyably bad habits can be contagious and beneficial chiefly to extremists on the prowl. I spotted two crowd-pleasers that affect HSJ readers only this weekend.
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Comment
Richard Lewis and Matthew Bell on healthcare market stimulation
Commissioners will have to sharpen their understanding of healthcare markets and see carefully managed competition as a tool that works for the benefit of patients
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CommentLeading patient journeys: challenging stereotypes and perceptions
Clinical leadership is urgently needed to improve the care older people receive. Steve Feast explains
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CommentSheila Williams: management coaching can stop problems escalating
I was facilitating a workshop on performance management with a group of experienced NHS managers recently. I got to the part about dealing with performance problems when they arise and how using a coaching approach often prevents the problem from escalating.
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CommentHilary Thomas: NHS branding vs NHS trust
After more than two decades in the NHS, the concept of a brand had never consumed much of my intellectual energy. However, over the past year, I have been involved in two different re-branding exercises and have been thinking about what it really means.
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CommentWhat makes a good NHS non-executive director?
NHS non-executive directors used to be unfairly portrayed as part of the “old boys network” - cronies and fat cats who needed to fill their time between trips to the golf club - or as well intentioned members of the community who, when they were not at the hospital, were ...