NHS ‘salami slicing’ cuts – Dorrell
The Commons’ health select committee has warned that the NHS is falling behind on the ‘Nicholson challenge’ and being distracted from it by the latest reforms.
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MPs given estimate of PCT job losses
Between 30 and 40% of the staff who are currently employed in primary care trusts could find a role supporting commissioning in the new NHS, MPs heard this week.
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BMA tells MPs to ‘save PCT managers’
Primary care trust staff who will be needed to make GP commissioning consortia work are already leaving the NHS, MPs have been told.
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PCT ends United Health contract early
NHS Northamptonshire has ended its contract for commissioning services with UnitedHealth UK a year early, the primary care trust has confirmed.
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Improve PCT data skills, say MPs
Poor quality data analysis skills have played a key part in the failure of many primary care trusts to work effectively as commissioners, MPs have concluded. A report into commissioning by the Commons’ Health Committee says that while there are some examples of good work from PCTs, many believe they are working effectively “although the evidence […]
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DH mandates incident reporting
The Department of Health has confirmed that it will end the voluntary system for reporting patient safety incidents to the National Patient Safety Agency. Instead, it will make it mandatory for all NHS trusts in England, including hospitals, primary care trusts, mental health services and ambulance services to report instances of harm or death to […]
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QoF should tackle health inequalities – MPs
The Quality and Outcomes Framework needs radical revision to fully take account of health inequalities, according to MPs. A report on health inequalities from the House of Commons Health Committee recommends that tackling health inequalities should be an explicit objective during annual QoF negotiations. It says this objective should also have measurable characteristics which could […]
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MPs cast doubt on Darzi reforms
The future pay of NHS managers should be linked to their data-analysis abilities, according to MPs concerned about the health service’s capacity to implement Lord Darzi’s health service reforms. In a report on the Next Stage Review of the NHS, the House of Commons Health Committee says primary care trusts “lack analytical and planning skills” […]
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NICE to overhaul QoF
The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) is to be overhauled to focus on indicators which have the greatest impact on health and are proven to be cost-effective, according to Lord Darzi. The health minister and author of the government’s NHS Next Stage Review told Parliament’s Health Committee that the National Institute for Clinical Effectiveness (NICE) […]
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DH seeks tougher sanctions for security breaches
The government is seeking an increase in penalties for NHS staff that breach the Data Protection Act. Health minister, Ben Bradshaw, made the pledge at a debate on the health select committee report on electronic patient records in Westminster last Thursday. This followed evidence read by chair of the committee, Kevin Barron, citing examples of […]
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