Daily Insight: The summoning of the six

Chiefs of the six hospital trusts identified by NHS England as having the biggest problems with ambulance handover delays were summoned by the health and social care secretary this week.

Steve Barclay has called the chief executives of Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Plymouth Trust, UH Leicester Trust, UH Birmingham FT and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust “to understand how we can tackle ambulance handover times”.

The call on Tuesday aimed to “ensure accountability” in tackling the growing issue of ambulance handover delays, HSJ understands.

The list of trusts drawn up by NHSE included providers where ambulance handovers have been a problem for some time, and those where performance has deteriorated more recently.

Mr Barclay has been keen to stress “accountability” for delivery of key services since taking the role in early July.

However, as a new prime minister is due to be appointed by 5 September, it remains unclear whether Mr Barclay will still be in post in two weeks’ time.

Super saver bows out

An NHSE director whose negotiations with the pharma industry are credited with saving the NHS large sums of money on expensive drugs is leaving in November for a greater work-life balance.

Blake Dark joined NHSE as commercial medicines director in 2018, from Sanofi, where he had worked for more than 20 years.

As NHSE’s chief negotiator with the pharmaceutical industry he oversees deals for expensive individual drugs and commercial details of the cancer drugs fund. 

Among the deals he struck were those for several cystic fibrosis treatments, following protracted negotiations and amid huge pressure from anxious patients. They also included arrangements for gene therapy access for spinal muscular atrophy, and the first new sickle cell disease treatment in more than two decades.

He said in a note: “Supporting the NHS to transform its approach to medicines and helping the health service to navigate through the heights of a pandemic have been incredibly challenging and immensely rewarding experiences. I believe that now is the right time to step away and get a better balance of work and family life. I am looking forward to taking a few months away from work and considering what, professionally, may or may not come next.”