5.59pm The Health Committee has announced it will hold an oral evidence session on the Care Quality Commission on Wednesday 3 July 2013.
The session begins at 9:30am and will hear from Care Quality Commission chairman and chief executive, David Prior and David Behan.
It will also hear from a representative from auditors Grant Thornton, the firm responsible for the probe into the alleged attempt to delete a critical report on maternity services at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust.
3.54pm Embattled former Care Quality Commission chief executive Cynthia Bower has given an interview to Channel 4 news which is due to be screened tonight.
Ms Bower has already rejected accusations she ordered a damning report on maternity services at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust to be deleted in an interview published last night.
“I’ve been hung out to dry,” she told the Independent.
3.52pm The Care Quality Commission made a mistake in not initially publishing the names of those implicated in the alleged cover up over Morecambe Bay, the chair of the regulator has admitted to HSJ.
David Prior told HSJ in an exclusive interview: “We should have published and been damned.”
2.29pm A new service for calculating payments for GP practices across England will go live nationally this week after successful early adopter testing in four areas, the Health and Social Care Information Centre has announced.
The Calculating Quality Reporting Service will replace the existing QMAS system for the 2013/14 financial year and will go live on Thursday 27 June.
2.20pm There are just four working days remaining to enter the HSJ Awards 2013.
The HSJ Awards are the largest celebration of healthcare excellence in the UK. They provide an unequalled opportunity to demonstrate your organisation’s contribution to improved patient care; to recognise staff for their efforts; and to spread the innovations you have introduced.
Details of the 32nd HSJ Awards categories and how to enter for free can be found at www.hsjawards.co.uk.
2.20pm On Wednesday chancellor George Osborne will present results of the government’s comprehensive spending review, which will divide government spending in the year 2015-16 between departments.
HSJ’s live coverage and analysis on the day will be free for registered users of hsj.co.uk.
2.16pm NHS Property Services, the Department of Health’s property company, has hired a chief operating officer.
Dennis Markey is currently director for integrated services at Serco Group, a post he has held since March 2009 and has previous experience at Capita.
At Serco, Mr Markey oversees IT, real estate and facilities management business contracts across the UK, Ireland and Europe.
NHS Property Services chief executive Simon Holden said: “Dennis brings extensive experience in senior board positions in both UK and internationally-listed property companies, working closely with private and public sector clients. His expertise in this field will be an invaluable contribution to the board, helping us build the success of NHS Property Services.”
HSJ understands the chief operating officer role will be focused on running NHS Property Services’s facilities management and maintenance roles.
2.14pm Health minister Daniel Poulter has ordered trusts to review their protocols for allowing salespeople from private companies onto maternity wards in a bid to clamp down on ‘cash for access’ deals
Newspapers have report NHS trusts have earned £2.3m by charging sales people for access to maternity wards so that they could distribute promotional packs.
12.10pm: Sir David Nicholson today said that his one personal regret from the time he was chief executive of a strategic health authority with oversight of Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust was that he did not take an opportunity to meet with patient groups who were complaining about poor care at the trust.
Giving evidence to the Commons public administration committee this morning he was asked if he had any regrets about his own conduct during that period. Sir David initially told the committee, “I don’t focus on regret.” However, when pressed, he said: “If I do regret, what I regret is that I had the opportunity to meet the patient groups at some stage, and I didn’t take it. If I’m absolutely honest, that’s what I regret.”
He added: “This thing about when you’re a senior leader at whatever level [in the NHS] having direct contact with patients [or their] relatives… is the crucial learning from all of it.”
11.38am: Earl Howe tells MPs the principle of “call first” will be a key part of NHS urgent and emergency care in future. NHS 111 crucial.
11.33am: Dame Barbara Hakin says she won’t deregister from the GMC as a result of the GMC investigating a complaint against her.
11.30am: There is no question we had problems with NHS 111 in the early part of the year Dame Barbara Hakin tells MPs.
Now we are seeing a dramatic improvement in response times and call handling across the country from NHS 111 says Barb Hakin.
11.20am: Professor Keith Willett, national director for acute episodes of care, tells MPs NHS England will appoint a clinical director for remote and rural care which it hasn’t done before.
11.15am: Earl Howe tells Health Select Commitee the number of delayed discharges has been dropping and now account for around 2% of acute in-patient delays.
Committee chair Stephen Dorrell MP questions that figure and Earl Howe says that is the figure he has been given in his brief.
11am: More tweets from Shaun Lintern and the Health Select Commitee evidence today:
Valerie Vaz MP questions Earl Howe on workforce shortages in emergency medicine. Earl Howe says coalition aware of issues in 2010.
Earl Howe says A&E offers poor lifestyle choice for trainee medics and says its less popular due to less opportunity for private work. Really?
Keith Willett says people working in A&E are resilient and tough and when we hear crisis we should take note because these people can take it.
What incentives are you putting in place now asks Valerie Vaz MP
Earl Howe says it will be a period of years before we can ramp the numbers up. Incentives are being looked at by Health Education England.
Prof Keith Willett says NHS is looking at possible recruitment overseas for emergency medicine doctors.
Dr Sarah Woollaston MP says it’s time we “disincentivise” trainees from some medical specialties where we are training too many doctors.
10.45am: A series of tweets from HSJ’s Shaun Lintern (@ShaunLintern) who is covering evidence to Health Select Committee:
Rosie Cooper questions whether there is a lack of beds in NHS exacerbating the pressures.
Earl Howe says average bed occupancy is in mid-80 % during the year but then admits in winter it rises to 90% during winter.
The system is getting more efficient, more day cases, average length of stay is coming down says Earl Howe.
Andrew Percy questions the loss of 50,000 hospital beds over Labour’s 13 years in power and the lack of corresponding intermediate care
Earl Howe actually defends Andy Burnham and Labour saying trend of hospital bed losses has been over 20 years and could be a good thing
10.35am: Barbara Keeley MP tweets from the Health Select Committee: “In Health Sel. Cttee inquiry into Emergency Care. Confused picture emerging of roles of urgent care boards, health & well-being boards, CCGs”
10.23am: Earle Howe tells MPs all A&E departments have seen an increase in demand from patients with more complex conditions, particularly elderly patients over recent years and highlights the issue of “bed blocking” and others parts of system like social care preventing discharge for patients.
10.20am: Doctors at the British Medical Association’s Annual Representative Meeting in Edinburgh have passed a motion calling for the professional regulation of healthcare managers in the wake of the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust scandal and the report by Robert Francis QC.
10.15am: @ShaunLintern tweets: Urgent Care Boards are there to look at day to day operational issues and how ppl can work better together. Not reconfigurations - Hakin
10.14am: Dame Barbara Hakin tells MPs Urgent Care Boards will not receive extra funding and will be subject to FOI laws.
10.10am: HSJ reporter Shaun Lintern tweets: “Barbara Hakin seems very light on detail around the Urgent Care Boards and it is annoying MPs on the Health Select Committee.”
10.05am: Rosie Cooper MP tells Hakin: “I don’t understand why you are here if you can’t answer these questions.”
10am: Barbara Hakin tells Health Committee urgent care boards to identify solutions for A&Es have been left to local discretion on their makeup.
9.52: The Health Select Committee is hearing evidence now from Earl Howe, NHS England medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, Dame Barbara Hakin, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive, NHS England and Professor Keith Willett, national director for acute episodes of care.
9.37am: NHS England has published Professor Keith Willett’s statement to the committee here. NHS England chief executive Sir David Nicholson publishes a blogpost here.
9.31am: The Parliamentary Health Committee on emergency services and emergency care is due to start soon, Earl Howe, NHS England medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, Dame Barbara Hakin, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive, NHS England, Professor Keith Willett, national director for acute episodes of care, NHS England, giving evidence.
8.35am: At a time when the tide is turning for providers to move from competition and choice to integration and collaboration, the commissioning system looks increasingly fragmented, writes Peter Melton, accountable officer at North East Lincolnshire CCG on HSJ Commissioning channel this morning.
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