External contributors – Page 198
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CommentNoel Plumridge: increased demand is the answer, not the question
In 2009 the UK spent 9.8 per cent of its GDP on healthcare. The equivalent figure for 2008 was 8.8 per cent. Such a year on year increase shows theimpact of continuing investment in the NHS even as the recession took hold.
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CommentA new era for performance management in the North
Last month’s clustering of strategic health authorities ushers in a new era of performance management in the North of England.
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CommentReconfiguration attention turns to acute services in the South East
Just as the dust was settling on the reconfiguration of community services in the South East Coast region, manoeuvring in the acute sector looks set to throw things up in the air once again.
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Comment'We have not found an area where improvement has not been possible'
Transforming services is a massive undertaking for any trust, but securing the engagement, encouragement and valuable input from patients and staff is arguably the most important step if patient care is to be improved. Peter Homa outlines what has happened at his trust.
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CommentSally Gainsbury: just how much does the NHS cost?
How much does the NHS cost? It is a surprisingly philosophical question as the answer depends on whether or not you believe foundation and NHS trusts exist.
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Comment'It's time for a one year maximum wait'
Problems with waiting times are far from insurmountable - they just require the will to change, argue Rob Findlay and Anthony McKeever.
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CommentProtecting the public from public health professionals
The statutory regulation of public health specialists is a little known and rarely discussed issue, but it needs close scrutiny to improve the protection patients receive against professionals whose practice could cause loss of life, says Lindsey Davies.
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CommentMedia Watch: for Lansley, the wait is over
The big story on Monday was the expected announcement by Andrew Lansley of a ban on setting minimum waiting times for certain treatments.
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CommentMichael White: private sector concerns going round in circles
Days before the conclusion of Circle Health’s long negotiation to take over the running of Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust I encountered some research about the private sector’s parallel march through Britain’s prison management system. It struck me forcefully.
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CommentEast of England pays close attention to QIPP plans
The East of England is often cited as a vanguard region in the NHS, with its strategic health authority providing the bulk of the leadership - seven of the 11 executives - of the new NHS Midlands and East behemoth.
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CommentPatchy progress on reducing acute activty in the South West
Progress towards achieving the holy grail of acute activity reduction is patchy across the South West, with varying effects on trust finances.
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CommentDevloping new structures for improved service delivery
Now is a golden opportunity to start developing guidelines and principles to inform better healthcare delivery, says Paul Zollinger-Read
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CommentMichael White: let's back the public sector plan B
At the weekend I rang an old trade union friend, a veteran of countless public sector negotiations, disputes and occasional strikes, to hear him contradict my own excessively rational view (“don’t do it, comrades”) of the pensions dispute which threatens NHS services this month.
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Comment'A new procurement model could fall foul of inertia'
Despite talk of opening up NHS procurement, the same old system looks unlikely to be phased out just yet, writes Noel Plumridge.
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CommentReview of London trusts reveals fears for safety
By now everyone in London’s heard of the SaFE review. NHS London commissioned consultants McKinsey to put together the Safe and Financially Effective paper and it has sat on desks for a few weeks at Southside. It’s explosive.
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CommentMedia Watch: fighting over the financials
Sunday’s Observer once again turned its eye to McKinsey and Company, claiming its consultants had been drawn into a “conflict of interest row”.
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CommentCally Bann: putting the record straight
It is only fair that a victim of misinterpretation and misrepresentation gets to clarify their comments.
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Comment'Healing our finances needs a long term, not short term, strategy'
The financial problems of the NHS are extremely serious – but more like anaemia than haemorrhage. It is the financial equivalent of a long term medical condition, says Nick Bosanquet.
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CommentMassive Midlands cluster faces a big foundation status challenge
The giant Midlands and East strategic health authority cluster held its first full board meeting as a monolith last week.
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CommentNoel Plumridge: PbR is becoming increasingly irrelevant
The strategic direction of tariff funding used to be steady expansion of scope and steady growth in sophistication. In time, it was understood, payment by results would cover virtually the entire English NHS.