All News articles – Page 1349

  • News

    Date for smoke-free England announced

    2006-12-01T00:00:00Z

    Health secretary Patricia Hewitt has announced that all enclosed public places and workplaces will go smoke-free from 1 July next year.To coincide with this announcement, she unveiled a Smokefree England campaign that will help the country'³ 3.7 million businesses prepare to implement the new legislation. The campaign includes advice about ...

  • News

    Where managers fear to tread, myths and legends may rush in

    2006-11-30T10:37:45Z

    Surrey and Sussex has opted for a prolonged period of public consultation on its extensive - and controversial - remodelling of services. But has the approach made managers' work any easier? Alison Moore investigates

  • News

    Hewitt: the buck stops with me on financial balance

    2006-11-30T10:07:48Z

    The health secretary will take personal responsibility for ensuring that the NHS is in financial balance by the end of March next year, she told the Commons health select committee last week.

  • News

    BMA takes action in 'turf war' over community work

    2006-11-30T10:06:51Z

    The British Medical Association is drawing up guidance for consultants 'stuck in the middle' of turf wars between acute and primary care trusts trying to protect their incomes.

  • News

    Efficiency, not cost, could be future of PbR

    2006-11-30T10:03:38Z

    Payment by results tariffs could be altered to reflect the most efficient ways of working, rather than the average cost of a particular treatment, under changes being discussed by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and the Department of Health.

  • News

    Failing trusts can be shut down

    2006-11-30T10:02:34Z

    A new super-regulator will have the power to shut down failing trusts and services, the Department of Health has revealed.

  • News

    Warner: 'no excuses' for delaying commissioning

    2006-11-30T10:01:51Z

    New guidance telling primary care trusts how to provide GP practices with information and indicative budgets leaves 'no excuses' for delaying the introduction of practice-based commissioning, health minister Lord Warner has said.

  • News

    Dossier reveals true extent of management consultant spend

    2006-11-30T09:59:49Z

    The imposition of turnaround teams on cash-strapped trusts has cost the NHS more than £22m, new figures reveal.

  • News

    Foundations could provide multi-community services

    2006-11-30T09:59:00Z

    Community foundation trusts could combine the provider arms of more than one primary care trust to avoid them being unviable as stand-alone organisations.

  • News

    New agenda replaces targets

    2006-11-30T09:55:05Z

    The Department of Health is to focus on quality, safety and patient experience - leaving the Healthcare Commission to ensure compliance against locally set priorities, according to director of commissioning Duncan Selbie.

  • News

    Healthcare watchdog finds patients' NHS experience differs

    2006-11-30T00:00:00Z

    People who are older, from an ethnic minority group or disabled report different experiences of the NHS than the rest of the population.These new findings published today by the Healthcare Commission found that older people tend to give a more positive experience of services in the NHS than younger uses. ...

  • News

    Higher income for family doctors under new GP contract

    2006-11-30T00:00:00Z

    Family doctors earned on average £106,000 during 2004-05, the first year of delivering the new GP contract, according to figures published by the Information Centre for health and social care.An analysis of tax data for GPs in the UK found that earnings rose by 30 per cent last year compared ...

  • News

    Cash boost for HIV health promotion

    2006-11-30T00:00:00Z

    The Department of Health will invest an extra £1m in work to tackle the rise in HIV cases among gay men and African communities in the UK.The money will be used by the Terrence Higgins Trust and the African HIV Policy Network on projects to strengthen HIV prevention and reduce ...

  • News

    London bombings long term health issues

    2006-11-30T00:00:00Z

    The first findings from the public health follow-up study to those exposed to the July bombings last year have been announced by the Health Protection Agency.The two major long-term health consequences were psychological effects of involvement and hearing problems.'These first findings highlight the key long-term health issues facing those Londoners ...

  • News

    Minister demands action on social care underperformance

    2006-11-30T00:00:00Z

    For the first time since the star-ratings were introduced, no council in England has been zero-star rated for adult social services this year. However, there are still a number of councils who need to up their game, according to care services minister Ivan Lewis.'I remain concerned about the 21 councils ...

  • News

    National cot locator launched

    2006-11-29T10:15:47Z

    The Department of Health has launched a national cot locator to allow clinicians to see what cots are available in around 40 neonatal intensive care units across England.Health minister Ivan Lewis said a call to the locator would provide immediate, up-to-date information about the options available outside local networks and ...

  • News

    GP commissioning boost revealed

    2006-11-29T10:00:44Z

    The Department of Health has issued guidance designed to boost the number of GP practices involved in practice-based commissioning.The guidance says that good progress has been made in getting the 'right environment' in place for PBC, but it aims to clarify some 'challenging' issues around governance, accountability and budget setting.To ...

  • News

    Computer fraudbusters go online

    2006-11-29T00:00:39Z

    The NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service has launched a website to promote the work of its forensic computing unit.The unit trawls computer systems for digital evidence of fraud, computer misuse and security breaches. It has been involved in 138 NHS fraud cases to date, with a potential value ...

  • News

    MPs to probe NHS IT

    2006-11-29T00:00:34Z

    The Commons health select committee has published its outline programme for 2008 and will be conducting additional inquiries into NHS IT, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and audiology services.The committee is already investigating workforce planning and had previously announced that it would be investigating patient and public ...

  • News

    New graduates boost dental numbers

    2006-11-29T00:00:11Z

    The Information Centre for Health and Social Care has published statistics showing that the number of dentists signed up to deliver NHS services has increased by 823 since June. This takes the total number of NHS practitioners in England to 20,285.The centre says the increase is partly due to new ...