All Comment articles – Page 227
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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.
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CommentMedia Watch: elderly care abuse revelations dominate discussion
The Daily Telegraph started the weekend with a rare morsel of good news for Andrew Lansley.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 ...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 ...
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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.
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Comment'Better quality data will help to reduce variations in care'
The latest report of the National Lung Cancer Audit has the potential to significantly reduce variations in care, writes Mick Peake
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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.
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CommentMichael White: bill opposition proving more than just yellow-bellied
Perhaps I underestimated Liberal Democrat determination to amend the bill (only one bill in this column) or push it under a bus.
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CommentSouth Central trusts face paybill cuts to meet CIP targets
If trusts are to meet their cost improvement plan targets for 2011-12, they have to make significant savings through cutting the paybill.