Latest news – Page 1912
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Ministers should not make reconfiguration decisions, says report
Ministers should not be permitted to make decisions about local hospital reconfiguration, a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research argues.According to the report, the Independent Reconfiguration Panel should play a bigger role in hospital changes and ministers should not get involved.To read the report, click here
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Uncertain roles for maternity assistants lead to care concerns
A national study into the role of support workers in maternity services claims that a lack of standardisation in training could leave some mothers and babies at risk.The report, from King's College London, recommends putting in place a national framework for training and competencies of support workers. It also says ...
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Legal briefing: staying in bed
Delayed discharge can be caused when clinically well patients refuse to go home. In such circumstances, what is the legal position for trusts faced with coercing patients to leave? Ian Long explains
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Process pathways - the answer to 18 weeks?
Traditional efforts to improve efficiency and reduce waste in the NHS have focused on redesigning disease- or condition-based pathways. While this approach reaps the rewards of improved flow and quality of care, improvements are often on a micro scale and do little to attract investment into service improvement at a ...
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Cataract surgery oversubscribed
The NHS is performing too many cataract operations, according to new research. Procedures have increased 10-fold over the past 40 years in England and trusts are now oversupplied. Analysis published in the British Journal of Opthalmology showed wide variation in admissions, ranging from 172-548 people per 100,000 of the population. ...
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Warning on drinking while pregnant
Pregnant women and those trying to conceive should avoid alcohol, according to revised government guidance. The advice is not a result of new scientific evidence but has been introduced to provide a stronger, more consistent message for the whole of the UK, said the Department of Health. The last DoH ...
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Midwives vote to consider industrial action
The Royal College of Midwives has unanimously decided to ballot its 37,000 members on whether to take industrial action over the government's below-inflation 2.5 per cent pay award. The call was made at an RCM conference in Brighton yesterday.
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200 extra training places for junior doctors
Health secretary Patricia Hewitt has promised an extra 200 long-term specialist training places for junior doctors in England and an unspecified number of extra temporary posts, following the judicial review of the medical training application service. The British Medical Association has warned that up to 12,000 doctors may not ...
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Quitters drop by 10 per cent
The number of people giving up smoking fell by 10 per cent last year, according to the latest statistics from the Information Centre for health and social care. Figures covering April 2006 to December 2006 show that 188,162 people successfully gave up for at least four weeks using NHS quit ...
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Hi-tech healthcare at home
Health secretary Patricia Hewitt has announced new sites that will use hi-tech home healthcare to help older people, and those with long-term conditions, to lead more independent lives - helping to prevent emergency or unexpected admissions to hospital.Telehealth monitoring devices help people with long-term conditions, such as heart disease or ...
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£1m funding for new community projects
Health minister Rosie Winterton has announced new funding of over £1m for 40 new community engagement projects across England. It is part of the government's drive to build stronger links between local mental health services and black and minority ethnic communities.The new sites will raise awareness of mental health issues, ...
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Judicial Review finds in favour of DoH
The judicial review of the medical training application service has not found in favour of the claimant, pressure group, Remedy UK. The High Court ruled that the review group set up to make improvements to MTAS did not act unlawfully. Remedy UK has decided not to appeal.Responding to the decision, ...
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PCTs grapple with grey areas of GP-led commissioning
PBC has the potential to increase the quality and range of services available to patients, but PCTs must exercise caution to avoid conflicts of interest. Alison Moore reports
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Choose and book incentives continue after poor uptake
Incentives for choose and book will be extended for another year as GP practices missed uptake targets.
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Mental Health Alliance divided over clinical roles
The Mental Health Alliance, which was formed to oppose the Mental Health Bill, has split following a dispute over planned changes to staff roles.
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NAO names inefficient prescribers in £200m drug waste
GPs squander more than £200m a year on overpriced prescriptions and drugs that go unused, a National Audit Office report has revealed.
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Resignation over MTAS row 'could weaken' BMA
The resignation of British Medical Association chair James Johnson could weaken the power of the doctors' union, according to the NHS Confederation.
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Private slow-down expected as service prepares for Brown
Less emphasis on the use of the private sector and a slow-down in market-based reforms could be the hallmark of Gordon Brown's premiership for the NHS, according to health experts.
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NICE committee meetings will be open to the public
The public is to be allowed to attend committee meetings at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in a bid to make the body more transparent.
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Blocked psychiatric beds cost £110m a year
Around 2,500 patients at any time are stuck on psychiatric wards when they should be getting some form of community care. A Department of Health report leaked to HSJ reveals poor planning and liaison between health and social care are responsible for the delayed discharges.