All Independent providers articles – Page 71
-
News
SHA pays £2m for firm to size up PCT commissioning
South Central strategic health authority has called in turnaround specialists PricewaterhouseCoopers to assess whether its nine primary care trusts should contract out their commissioning functions to the private sector.
-
HSJ Knowledge
Legal briefing: patient choice and the model contract
Under the new NHS operating framework, there will be greater competition, and far more choice for patients
-
News
PCT could slash 90 per cent of staff
A troubleshooter chief executive plans to strip an ailing primary care trust down to its core functions and reduce the number of staff from 300 to 30.
-
HSJ Knowledge
What social enterprise can do for healthcare
A social enterprise is often defined as a business that trades with a social or environmental purpose. It is not driven by profit, and reinvests surpluses back into the organisation or community.
-
HSJ Knowledge
Legal briefing: the separation of provider and commissioner
There is increasing pressure on primary care trusts to ensure clarity and robust processes around the distinction between provision and commissioning of services, warns David Owen
-
News
BMA slams private treatment centres
Plans for privately run clinical assessment, treat and support (CATS) centres in England could jeopardise NHS finances, threaten medical posts, and create potential conflicts of interest, the British Medical Association says today. The warning comes in response to consultation on plans for up to 10 CATS centres in Cumbria and ...
-
Comment
Independent sector falls down on data
A level playing field is the holy grail of trust managers who see themselves as competing with the private sector for clinical work. Key to that is confidence that patients and their GPs will be able to make informed choices about where they should go for treatment.
-
News
Trusts prepare for hard sell to earn picky patients' custom
DoH guidelines have opened the door for hospitals to use commercial advertising techniques. Is this necessary for healthy competition or a green light for unseemly publicity battles? Kaye McIntosh hears some early pledges of fair play
-
News
Data on ISTCs' clinical quality is 'extremely poor', says Healthcare Commission
National data on the clinical quality of independent sector treatment centres is 'incomplete and of extremely poor quality', according to a review by the Healthcare Commission.
-
News
Commission appoints new head of independent healthcare
The Healthcare Commission has appointed Jon Billings as head of independent healthcare.Mr Billing has been acting in the post since March 2006 and was previously in charge of the Commission's London and South East Region operations team.He takes the role as the commission moves to inspecting fewer independent healthcare sites ...
-
Comment
Michael White on politics
'Some Labour MPs suspect the NHS could have run more such centres just as well'
-
HSJ Knowledge
Special report on ISTCs: Opportunity knocks
Independent sector involvement in the NHS has sparked fierce criticism. But consultants Andy Mullins and colleagues argue that it will be a catalyst for the innovation needed to ensure the long-term survival of the service
-
HSJ Knowledge
Special report: PCT futures
In December, HSJran the PCT Futures conference in London, bringing together a wide range of speakers from government, primary care and the independent sector. In this special report we examine some of the main themes to emerge, from the complex arguments around splitting commissioning ...
-
News
Minister unveils social enterprise start-up fund
A £73m social enterprise fund will be given to start-up social enterprises in health and social care, according to health minister Ivan Lewis.
-
News
Minister: end third sector 'mutual loathing'
Commissioners have been urged not to hold third sector health services at 'arm's length'.
-
News
Higher costs warning on independent sector
Uncertainty over the role of the independent sector is likely to result in higher costs to the NHS, less innovation and a 'muddle' which will put patients in danger, the King's Fund has warned.
-
Comment
Michael White on consultants
Chairing a session at a recent Unison conference on the future of the NHS I chided Clive Efford, Labour MP for Eltham in south London, after he had cheerfully abused consultants. I think the word he used was 'spivs', unaware that the room was full of them, including the nice ...
-
News
Potential conflicts investigated
The Department of Health is 'constantly' checking for conflicts of interests arising for firms such as McKinsey hired to give the government advice, MPs heard last week.
-
News
NHS Confederation consults on private sector membership
Private providers, not-for-profit health companies, and voluntary organisations could become full members of the NHS Confederation, if existing members support new proposals to bring the independent sector on board.