All Government/DH policy articles – Page 68

  • Treasury
    News

    Treasury gives £1.2bn boost to DH revenue budget

    2016-02-10T17:07:00Z

    DH confirms it will get an extra £205m from the Treasury, and transfer £950m from its capital budget to revenue spending Revised departmental funding estimates will be laid before Parliament today, before being debated and voted on in the coming weeks Bailout comes amid warnings that the DH could ...

  • Hospital staff rushing with patient
    News

    Staff agencies struggle to meet NHS demand following pay cap

    2016-02-10T07:00:00Z

    Survey suggests agencies are struggling to fill NHS shifts following introduction of pay caps Monitor says the majority of trusts are not struggling to find temporary staff but a third of providers have said it is more difficult Jim Mackey says NHS’s financial challenge “should not be at the ...

  • Healthcare assistant
    News

    Higher number of HCAs linked with increased mortality, says study

    2016-02-09T23:30:00Z

    Research shows trusts with a higher number of healthcare assistants relative to bed numbers had an increased risk of mortality Study also found an association between higher numbers of nurses and doctors to patients and a fall in mortality rates Authors warn NHS policymakers against regarding HCAs as interchangeable ...

  • Clock
    News

    Former NHS chief calls for four hour mental health target

    2016-02-09T00:01:00Z

    Commission describes mental health system under pressure after “steady attrition” of funding in recent years Lord Crisp calls for new four hour waiting time target for acute adult patients and an end to long distance transfers Mental Health Network calls on NHS England to invest directly in frontline provision ...

  • Call centre
    News

    Revealed: The costs of closing NHS Direct

    2016-02-08T17:00:00Z

    Dissolution of NHS Direct cost £89m, documents reveal Regulators say “lessons learned” for transactions planning The dissolution of NHS Direct over two years cost £89m, documents reveal.

  • Workforce
    News

    NAO: NHS workforce plans driven by saving cash

    2016-02-05T11:58:00Z

    National Audit Office says existing system of workforce planning is not value for money NHS training 19 per cent fewer nurses in 2014-15 than it was in 2004-05 NAO says trust workforce predictions influenced by financial efficiency savings NHS trusts’ workforce predictions are driven by the imperative to ...

  • Workforce
    News

    New staffing metric 'may lead to unsafe nursing levels'

    2016-02-05T00:01:00Z

    ‘Care hours’ metric to be ‘principal’ measure for nursing deployment Experts say using metric could lead to unsafe staffing Concerns include the mixing of nurse and healthcare assistant numbers Lord Carter says trusts should also use separate data on nurses and HCAs A new headline staffing metric proposed ...

  • Ian Cumming
    News

    HEE chief: Spending review cuts led to fewer nurse places

    2016-02-03T07:00:00Z

    Ian Cumming says Health Education England would have “almost certainly” commissioned more nurse training places for 2016-17 Failure to tackle poor staff retention is biggest risk factor to delivering HEE’s planned workforce growth HEE fears NHS employers’ workforce predictions are not in line with new care models Health ...

  • Doctor strike Jan 2016
    News

    Updated: Junior doctors to strike for 24 hours next week

    2016-02-01T13:16:00Z

    BMA to strike for 24 hours next Wednesday after contract talks fail Doctors will walk out from 8am but will now provide emergency care BMA says good progress was made with Sir David Dalton but government refused to recognise Saturdays as different to weekdays Junior doctors will strike ...

  • News

    Royal colleges wade into junior contract talks

    2016-01-28T10:46:00Z

    Six royal colleges and 15 medical associations warn of “long term damage” without negotiated deal Private letter sent in support of a deal as Acas talks continue Government warned against spreading resources “more thinly” Both sides in the junior doctors’ contract dispute have been urged to reach a ...

  • Agency nurses
    News

    New data suggests agency price cap is working

    2016-01-28T07:00:00Z

    Monitor data suggests 40 per cent drop in number of agency shifts breaching new price caps Largest fall was in nursing, where breaches dropped by 47 per cent Lower levels of pay and new rules to roll out over next few months The number of NHS shifts by ...

  • Waiting room
    News

    Fears GP funding will be diverted after guidance delay

    2016-01-25T10:45:00Z

    Delay in release of detailed guidance for CCGs to apply for primary premises fund BMA leader calls for clarification money will not be spent elsewhere or ’double-badged’ NHS England could delay February deadline for funding applications The deadline for bids for £750m of GP premises funding could be ...

  • Guz_Sir_David_Dalton_005
    News

    Exclusive: Government offers major concessions in bid to break junior doctors dispute

    2016-01-22T09:47:00Z

    Leaked letter from Sir David Dalton reveals significant change in stance from NHS Employers and government New offer includes limits on Saturday working and enhanced Saturday pay for some doctors Negotiations were scheduled to continue today between NHS Employers and BMA The government has offered major concessions to ...

  • A&E
    News

    NICE leak: A&Es could be understaffed 'half of the time'

    2016-01-20T00:01:00Z

    Leaked NICE document suggests current NHS practices for estimating demand are inadequate Guidance says trusts should overstaff departments against historical trends Overcrowding in UK emergency departments is “common” and linked to poor outcomes Read the guideline NHS accident and emergency departments in England may be understaffed as much ...

  • Houses of Parliament
    News

    Exclusive: Government 'downgrades' independence of patient champion body

    2016-01-18T18:00:00Z

    HSJ investigation establishes Healthwatch England’s role and independence have been “downgraded” Healthwatch England’s chair and chief executive have left in recent months - the chief executive will be replaced with a “national director” Its leaders will report to the CQC instead of directly to DH Norman Lamb says patient ...

  • Sir David Dalton
    News

    Dalton: government ‘muddled’ seven day services message

    2016-01-14T09:50:00Z

    Sir David Dalton says trainee doctors likely to have to make least extra effort to improve seven day services Sir David to begin talks with BMA on junior doctors’ contract today He says BMA has shown it can “land a punch” on health secretary but should now “lower temperature” ...

  • Burt Alistair
    News

    Minister: Seven day GP pledge has been ‘misinterpreted’

    2016-01-12T14:03:00Z

    Government’s commitment to seven-day GP services has been misinterpreted, says minister Plans for rolling out new models of enhanced access to GPs will be published soon Alistair Burt: ‘Binary divide’ between innovation-ready practices and failing providers The government’s pledge to ensure seven-day access to GP services has been ...

  • Strike
    News

    HSJ Live: Catch up on the day one of the junior doctors’ strike

    2016-01-12T07:00:00Z

    Rolling coverage of the first junior doctors strike in decades.

  • David Cameron
    News

    No new money as Cameron sets out mental health priorities

    2016-01-11T15:30:00Z

    David Cameron reveals initial spending commitments ahead of mental health taskforce report Priorities include young people, mothers, A&E and community mental health patients Announcement does not include any new money for mental health services David Cameron has spelled out £1bn of spending priorities on mental health services in ...

  • Pay
    News

    NHS leaders’ fears over costs of new deal for doctors

    2016-01-11T07:00:00Z

    NHS chiefs and directors warn against cost of implementing new junior doctor contract Concerns relate to pay protection and expansion of seven day services Loss of goodwill and impact on morale also highlighted as risks Senior NHS leaders have privately expressed concerns over the cost of implementing a ...