Comment archive – Page 428
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Comment
Chris Ham on integrating to compete in the NHS
'Instead of separating the roles of buyers and sellers in the NHS, the government needs to encourage closer integration between hospitals and GPs'
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David Woodhead on gathering evidence
'Science might come up with some interesting ideas, but ultimately the likelihood of adopting evidence is driven by our values. Mass sterilisation of young men might be an effective method of reducing teenage pregnancies, although for good reasons it would not be considered practical'
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Comment
LINks must ensure vulnerable people are protected
Regarding your article.'LINks scrutiny system to bar patient networks from access to key services', patient networks have access to the establishments described. These are the very places where high-profile problems sometimes arise with vulnerable people. It cannot be too difficult to ensure people are checked. There must be some deep-seated ...
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Comment
Report points to NHS culture of bullying and bureaucracy
'Middle managers need more support to survive in the treacherous terrain between their bosses and clinicians'
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Comment
BMA must engage, not take cheap shots
'Shouting from the sidelines will secure more newspaper column inches than engagement, but it will achieve less'
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Comment
Your Humble Servant: the Confed conference
'The highlight will of course be Nigel and Gill doing the I'm More Important Than You foxtrot'
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Comment
Private sector's role is irrelevant for efficient commissioning
You report on a possible deceleration in NHS commissioning of private sector healthcare provision ('Private slow-down expected as service prepares for Brown'). It may seem odd to hear a private sector organisation saying this, but if such a phenomenon occurs, it will not necessarily be a bad thing. This is ...
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Comment
Minor injuries units are valuable for predicting outcomes
Geraint Lewis's comments on using clinicians' knowledge to predict.outcomes was very interesting ('Tapping into staff knowledge').
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Comment
Early consultation with scrutiny committees is key
Your article about health scrutiny (opinion, page 20, 31 May) made the point that it is helpful to involve councillors on health overview scrutiny committees when considering.service changes at an early stage. That is absolutely right.
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Comment
Social services are at last fighting back
David Lock stated in your.article ('David Lock on continuing care liability'): 'A line must be drawn somewhere between health and social care... the social services lobby appears to have been highly effective at persuading the team designing the new eligibility criteria that 'care needs' can usually mean 'healthcare needs', and ...
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Comment
Vulnerable patients and carers need to be recognised
According to David Lock's article ('David Lock on continuing care liability'): 'There is a serious danger that the new single national criteria for NHS continuing care will result in a substantial number of high-cost care packages being transferred from local authorities to the NHS.'
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Comment
Thumbs up to Monitor's business plan
I am referring to Monitor's business plan announced last month ('Monitor takes tougher line to prepare for wave of FT plans'). Personally, I think this approach is absolutely right. Having just been deferred at Birmingham and Solihull mental health trust for a few months, we have worked hard to have ...
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Comment
Hilary Thomas on her honeymoon period
'I am like a pig in the proverbial. I am no longer part of a demoralised, cynical workforce, ground down by the inevitability of stasis and rigidity'
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Comment
Independent treatment centre move redefines choice
'The DoH appears to be considering pushing PCTs to use independent sector treatment centres.- even to the extent of trying to steer patient choice'
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Bear the burden of getting care just right
As patients demand more, it is vital to control variation while preserving truly personalised delivery, argue Geraint Lewis and Phyllis Shelton
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Comment
David Peat on fitness for purpose
'Fitness for purpose has given us intelligence, new understandings and insights into the changing role of being a fully fledged commissioner in the new NHS. It has.helped us respond to the new realities and changes that have taken place in our relationships in and outside the NHS'
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Comment
The role of individual responsibility
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has stressed.that joint working should be the first, not the last, option considered by local authorities and primary care trusts.
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Comment
Ofcare: 'Ambitions and metrics' mark launch of a new regulatory era
'Ofcare's performance framework commences with mea culpa, admitting what healthcare professionals have been telling the Department of Health for years - top-down targets undermine innovation, motivation and accountability to communities'