News – Page 1944
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Service-line economics goes to the heart of patient care
As we reveal this week, foundation regulator Monitor will be consulting trusts on compliance guidance to push the adoption of service-line economics (feature, page 22).
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Doctors urged to discuss electronic records with patients
The British Medical Association is encouraging doctors to start talking to patients about the new NHS care record service being developed by the national IT programme.Connecting for Health, the agency that runs the programme, is planning its own information campaign. But BMA chair James Johnson has written to doctors to ...
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NHS complaints up
The Information Centre for health and social care has released figures showing a significant jump in the number of written complaints received by NHS trusts.The figures show that 95,047 complaints were registered during 2005-06, compared with 90,413 the previous year, and only three out of four were resolved locally within ...
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Diagnostic waiting times down
The Department of Health has issued diagnostic waiting times data for September, showing that the average length of time that a patient can expect to wait for a test has fallen from around seven weeks in April to around five-and-a-half weeks now.The DoH started collecting monthly waiting time information for ...
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Sophia Christie on helping the NHS to learn
'The Canadian system rather than the NHS may benefit from our learning about the value of purposeful development'
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PCTs pull plug on £550m hospital for Hertfordshire
Plans for new hospitals in Hertfordshire were in tatters this week after a £550m scheme to build a hospital and cancer centre in Hatfield were axed.
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Queen's Speech reignites row over mental health legislation
The government used yesterday's Queen's Speech to confirm that it will introduce a bill to reform mental health legislation, following its decision to abandon plans for a new mental health act in March.The bill will introduce a new definition of 'mental disorder', a new 'appropriate treatment test' and supervised community ...
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New dental strategy for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland health minister Paul Goggins has unveiled a strategy to reform primary care dental services.The strategy includes a clearer focus on disease prevention, moves to ensure better access to services, local commissioning and a new remuneration system for dentists.Mr Goggins said that despite examples of good practice, the current ...
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Growing debts in Wales
A report from the Welsh Assembly's audit committee has warned that the NHS deficit in Wales is continuing to grow. The report says the service overspent by more than £30m last year, while carrying 'historic debt' of more than £80m.The committee has also highlighted 'significant variations' in the way that ...
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New emergency planning guidance published
The Department of Health is consulting on new guidance for dealing with major emergencies like terrorist attacks.The best practice guidance is meant to help health services in planning, preparing and responding to all types of emergencies including natural disasters, infectious epidemics and major power cuts.The consultation closes on 31 December.Read ...
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Scottish Executive unveils plans to reform nursing
New measures to reform nursing in Scotland have been unveiled by the Scottish Executive.Health minister Andy Kerr launched the Delivering Care, Enabling Healthstrategy, which will give nurses, midwives and allied health professionals a bigger role in patient care.The strategy was published alongside a review ...
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Healthcare managers face future outside the NHS, says IHM president
Many more healthcare managers may end up working in the private and voluntary sector, said the president of the Institute of Healthcare Management.Speaking at the IHM's annual conference in Cardiff, Gerry McScorley said the growing range of organisations delivering healthcare meant many new career opportunities.At the same conference, IHM chief ...
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Clinicians should take the lead on commissioning, says BMA
Government plans to change how NHS services are commissioned will only succeed with the full involvement of clinicians, the British Medical Association said today.Honest and open debate with the public is also crucial, said the association as it unveiled its own set of principles for commissioning.The BMA was responding to ...
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BMJ study says Evercare fails to cut hospital admissions
A new case management system for older patients has failed to reduce emergency admissions and death rates, says a study in the BMJ.The Evercare system is a key plank of government community care policy and has been rolled out across England.Researchers, who studied nine ...
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HIV awareness pack launched for schools
The National AIDS trust has launched a free resource pack to help teachers integrate HIV education into the national curriculum at key stages three and four. The trust fears the failure of the curriculum to include HIV within relevant subjects means many young people leave school without knowing the facts. ...
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Telephone marketing raising awareness of COPD
Cheshire and Merseyside Partnerships for Health (ChaMPs) are using telephone marketing to encourage vulnerable communities to reduce the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. People living in Vauxhall, Everton and Netherley in Liverpool, Kirby in Knowsley and Runcorn in Cheshire will be encouraged to ...
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Fall in psychiatric inpatient care suicides
Suicide in psychiatric inpatient care is becoming less common, according to research by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness. The study looked at all patients admitted to inpatient psychiatric care in England between 1997 and 2003 and found ...
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Dignity in care campaign launched
Minister for care services Ivan Lewis has launched a dignity in care campaign. The campaign aims to stimulate a national debate around dignity in care and a system of zero tolerance for abuse and disrespect of older people. A network ...
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NHS financial crisis squeezing medical education, BMA warns
Patient care could be affected by cuts to medical training and education, according to the British Medical Association. Funding for study leave and academic posts in medical schools has been cut to help tackle deficits. The BMA junior doctors committee has written to health secretary ...
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Belfast to get extra mental health services
A dedicated self-harm team, four additional cognitive behavioural therapists and a primary care mental health team for young people are to begin work in the North and West Belfast trust area. The services are part of the area's action plan on renewing communities.