Primary Care – Page 299

  • News

    Flint hints at ringfenced public health funds

    2006-12-07T07:00:00Z

    Public health minister Caroline Flint has hinted that the government may consider 'ringfencing' funds for specific public health initiatives.

  • News

    Audit Commission says PCTs should fine acutes for errors

    2006-12-07T07:00:00Z

    The job of clinical coding should be given a higher priority within NHS trusts in order to make payment by results work, according to the Audit Commission.

  • News

    Comment: Why a US management guru has vital questions for the NHS

    2006-12-07T07:00:00Z

    'Michael Porter's book has caught the imagination of many of the most influential voices in NHS reform and has been occupying minds at the highest level throughout this year.'

  • News

    Fatal hepatitis B warning for care homes

    2006-12-07T00:00:00Z

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority has issued a warning of the danger of spreading Hepatitis B due to inappropriate use of certain lancing devices in care homes. It has already resulted in 18 confirmed cases since March 2004 causing acute infection and three deaths in six homes.The MHRA ...

  • News

    Become a 'dignity in care' champion

    2006-12-07T00:00:00Z

    The Department of Health has written to all strategic health authorities, local authorities and primary care trusts asking them to raise the profile of treating people receiving care services with dignity and to encourage local people to sign up as champions to spread best practice.Read more ...

  • News

    £18.5m boost for independent living

    2006-12-07T00:00:00Z

    Health minister Ivan Lewis today named 10 successful local authority partnerships which will share an £18.5m fund designed to help older people maintain an independent life.The award is part of the Partnerships for Older People Projects (POPPs), where services are targeted towards people with a broad range of needs from ...

  • News

    New stroke toolkit will save lives

    2006-12-07T00:00:00Z

    National director for heart disease Professor Roger Boyle has issued new guidance and a toolkit providing advice to commissioners on good practice on improving stroke services. It highlights key issues to consider and summarises supporting resources.The toolkit, ASSET, is to assist NHS commissioners modernise stroke services. By using their own ...

  • News

    Welsh hospices to benefit from funding boost

    2006-12-06T00:00:00Z

    Hospices are to benefit from £14.4m for 'key services' pledged by Welsh finance minister Sue Essex.Under the Welsh National Assembly's revised budget, hospices will benefit from the extra funds along with schools, higher education, foster care, domestic violence victims, disabled children and firefighters.

  • News

    Measures to make people fitter unveiled

    2006-12-06T00:00:00Z

    A package of measures to help inactive people become fitter have been unveiled by public health minister Caroline Flint.She said pilots had shown that physical activity interventions are cost-effective and can save the NHS money in the long-term by reducing ill health.An exercise referral scheme resulted in more than 70 ...

  • News

    Sir Liam: public health was rushed

    2006-12-06T00:00:00Z

    The chief medical officer for England has revealed that he was given just two hours to insert a reference to public health into the Department of Health's key policy document, Commissioning a Patient-led NHS.

  • News

    PCTs 'should have more responsibility for prisoners'

    2006-12-06T00:00:00Z

    Primary care trusts should be given responsibility and funding for the treatment of prisoners outside jail, to ensure that decisions not to treat people within the prison walls are based on clinical imperatives.The 'escorts and bedwatches' study, jointly funded by the Department of Health ...

  • News

    Hospital campaigns could cause 1,000 unnecessary deaths: think tank

    2006-12-06T00:00:00Z

    The Institute for Public Policy Research has concluded that campaigns to save services currently provided in district general hospitals could lead to more than 1,000 unnecessary deaths a year.Associate director Richard Brookes said: 'On the strength of the evidence, people should be out on the streets campaigning for changes to ...

  • News

    Physical activity mapping questionnaire launched

    2006-12-05T00:00:00Z

    A questionnaire to help GPs determine the level of physical activity carried out by patients has been published.For more information click here

  • News

    PCTs should be more accountable, chiefs say

    2006-12-05T00:00:00Z

    A poll of PCT chief executives and chairs has found that they think their organisations need to be more accountable to patients and local communities. Almost half felt foundation trust style membership could help strengthen local accountability.www.nhsconfed.org

  • News

    Czars make case for service reconfiguration

    2006-12-05T00:00:00Z

    National director for emergency access Sir George Alberti has published a report setting out the clinical case for reconfiguration of access to emergency care services. And national director for heart disease and stroke Professor Roger Boyle has published a report setting out the clinical case for reconfiguration in heart disease ...

  • HSJ Knowledge

    Gail Richards on local area agreements

    2006-12-04T15:30:00Z

    'If the first phase of LAAs has concentrated on designing and ensuring focused target delivery, albeit in partnership, now we need to ask whether this is sufficient.'

  • News

    A networking approach to commissioning

    2006-12-04T10:00:00Z

    Intelligent commissioning will not succeed unless commissioners at all levels are able to profit from the experience of others and understand their own contribution in the context of the contributions of others

  • News

    Independent centre deals abandoned

    2006-12-04T09:00:00Z

    The Department of Health is set to abandon a large swathe of its independent treatment centre programme more than a year after it invited providers to bid for the lucrative deals, HSJhas learned.

  • News

    Latest hospital waiting and cancelled operations statistics

    2006-12-01T00:00:00Z

    The Department of Health has issued its latest inpatient and outpatient waiting and cancelled operations statistics, for the quarter ending 30 September.Read the press release here

  • News

    HR high impact changes: An evidence based resource

    2006-12-01T00:00:00Z

    HR high impact changes: An evidence based resource