NHS Support Federation - News archive April

GP surgeries at risk
Conservatives have identified eight GP surgeries which they say are threatened with closure as part of the government's plan for "super-surgeries". Hertfordshire PCT denies that existing surgeries are under threat.

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Guardian (18 June 2008)

Rethink over NHS ban on buying drugs
Health secretary Alan Johnson has announced a review into the ban on NHS patients "topping up" their care with drugs not approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. The ban was prompted by fears of a two tier health service.

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http:/ / www.guardian.co.uk/ society/ 2008/ jun/ 18/ nhs.health

Telegraph (18 June 2008)

Alan Johnson wants NHS nurses judged on how smiley they are
Quality of nursing care is to be judged according to new measurements such as treating patients with compassion, the health secretary has said. The RCN is "delighted" with the plans, but the NHS Confederation has pointed out difficulties with measurement and benchmarking.

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Times (17 June 2008)

Hospitals with poor hygiene 'could be closed'
When the new Care Quality Commission comes into operation in April 2009 hospitals must meet certain hygiene standards to be allowed to treat patients. At present failure to meet standards affects the Healthcare Commission's annual ratings.

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http:/ / www.timesonline.co.uk/ tol/ news/ uk/ health/ article4146771.ece

Midhurst and Petworth Observer (16 June 2008)

West Sussex County Council bid to take over PCT
A county council has said it will bid to take over the functions of the area's PCT in order to address the democratic deficit and make the consultation process more robust.

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Independent on Sunday (15 June 2008)

NHS neglects refugee doctors, says BMA
The BMA refugee doctor liaison group has said that the NHS is missing out on job-ready doctors in areas which are difficult to fill, due to red tape and the cost of registration.

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Guardian (13 June 2008)

GPs condemn Johnson over polyclinics plan
At its annual conference the GP section of the British Medical Association backed a motion of no confidence in health secretary Alan Johnson. Plans for polyclinics involving the private sector were attacked.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jun/13/nhs.health

Guardian (12 June 2008)

Patients 'no better off' in competitive NHS
A joint investigation by the Healthcare Commission and the Audit Commission found that parts of the NHS which had most keenly embraced the government's market reforms performed no better than those areas slower to change.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jun/12/nhs.health

Aberdeen Press and Journal (11 June 2008)

Doubts over future of treatment centre at Stracathro hospital
The Scottish government has reiterated health secretary Nicola Sturgeon's commitment to "a mutual NHS Scotland firmly rooted in the public sector". The future of Scotland's only independent sector treatment centre is unclear with the contract due to expire in 18 months.

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http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/683793?UserKey=0

Management in Practice (9 June 2008)

Polyclinics will put elderly at risk, patients group claims
The BMA's Patient Liaison Group is saying that polyclinic plans will lead to a decline in the quality of patient care. They claim that proper consultation has not taken place.

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Daily Telegraph (9 June 2009)

Super surgeries 'will triple journey times'
Goverment estimates show that distances to visit a GP at one of the proposed new health centres or polyclinics in London will more than triple. If the pattern is repeated across England, rural communities could be particularly vulnerable.

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Observer (8 June 2008)

Doctors 'lying' about polyclinics: minister
Health Secretary Alan Johnson has accused the BMA of misrepresentation over plans for polyclinics. The BMA refers him to a critical King's Fund study and believes the intention is to make the NHS commercially attractive to the private sector.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jun/08/nhs.health2

Sunday Herald (8 June 2008)

Sturgeon to end privatisation of GP practises
Scottish Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to stop private healthcare providers from taking over vacant GP practices. She is also unlikely to allocate more funds to the independent sector treatment centre in Strathcaro, Tayside.

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Daily Telegraph (6 June 2008)

NHS record surplus of £1.6bn sparks row
Two years after a £500m deficit, the NHS has posted a £1.6bn surplus. While officials say that the NHS is now on a sound financial footing Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb points out that "many areas of patient care are being starved of cash".

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Guardian (5 June 2008)

Unions fight private plan for hospitals
Government plans to let private firms take over management of failing NHS trusts have been slammed unions.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jun/05/nhs.health1

BBC Online (4 June 2008)

Consultant doubt over polyclinics
A poll by the BMA found that 60% of consultants disagreed that polyclinics would improve patient care, 73% said greater private sector involvement is detrimental to patients and over 70% said polyclinics would destabilise GP practices and hospitals.

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http:/ / news.bbc.co.uk/ 1/ hi/ health/ 7431894.stm

Sunday Telegraph (1 June 2008)

Patients neglected for NHS targets, says BMA
The British Medical Association is saying that clinical decisions are being distorted by the NHS target culture, with patients being discharged rather than breaching an A&E waiting target. Motions proposed at conference are critical of the Darzi review.

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BBC Online (30 May 2008)

Health workers reject pay offer
The GMB union has followed the Royal College of Midwives and Unite in rejecting the government's three year 8% pay offer. Unison and RCN are balloting members, with RCN recommending acceptance.

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http:/ / news.bbc.co.uk/ 1/ hi/ health/ 7427319.stm

BBC Online (26 May 2008)

New scanner 'risks two-tier NHS'
Royal Bank of Scotland staff will be given privileged access to a new scanner at Edinburgh University. The equipment cost £4m, which has been funded by the bank. Health economist Professor Allyson Pollock says that the NHS principle of equal access for all will be undermined.

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Times (26 May 2008)

NHS went on £1bn spending spree to avoid surplus in financial year
A projected NHS surplus approaching £3bn has been reduced by up to £1bn of preordering in order to avoid the Treasury clawing back unspent money. The government has been accused of financial mismanagement by opposition parties.

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Express and Star (26 May 2008)

Closure warning on GP surgeries
South Staffordshire Local Medical Committee has set up a Support Your Surgery campaign to safeguard GP surgeries against a new polyclinic which they say will destabilise local practices.

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Sunday Telegraph (25 May 2008)

NHS hospitals lose 32,000 beds in a decade
The total number of NHS beds fell by 8,400 in the year ending March 2007, contributing to the 32,000 lost since 1997. Conservatives say the cuts are financially driven while the government says hospitals have become more efficient.

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Public Finance (23 May 2008)

NHS reforms need 'fine tuning', says health charity
The Nuffield Trust has said reforms of the last decade need to be refined to achieve quality gains. Variation across England and some service quality lagging behind other countries was described as 'sobering'.

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http://www.cipfa.org.uk/publicfinance/news_details.cfm?News_id=32960

Health Service Journal (22 May 2008)

Suppliers could challenge PCTs under European rules
Courts will have the power to overturn PCT contracts when the EU remedies directive is implemented next year. A "standstill period" between the award of a contract and its formal signing will allow parties to mount a challenge.

Full article:
An EU directive due to be implemented in the UK next year could leave primary care trust contracts open to challenge through the courts. The warning is spelled out in the PCT Procurement Guide, published by the Department of Health's commercial directorate last week. The EU remedies directive will give the courts power to overturn contracts. At present companies believing they have been unfairly overlooked to supply services to the NHS can only attempt to reverse the decision through the courts if the contract has not been signed off. The directive also stipulates a "standstill period" between a contract being awarded and formally signed so aggrieved parties can consider whether to mount a challenge. Although most EU procurement rules do not strictly apply to clinical services, the remedies directive will apply to them where it is considered good practice that procurements follow EU rules. The guidance says these rules should be followed for clinical procurements that are of high value or have a number of potential providers.

http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/2008/05/new_procurement_guidance_warns_of_legal_challenge.html

London Evening Standard (20 May 2008)

Campaigners claim win as £25m hospital land sale is rejected
Plans to sell hospital land to developers have been rejected by a planning appeal. The Save Chase Farm campaign in Enfield say the decision shows threats to the hospital's maternity and A&E services are being taken seriously.

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http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23485858-details/Campaigners+claim+win+as+%C2%A325m+hospital+land+sale+is+rejected/article.do

Healthcare Republic (20 May 2008)

NHS chief executive signals growth of private provision
NHS chief executive David Nicholson has said he cannot imagine an NHS without increased private involvement over the next decade. Meanwhile, a foundation trust has become the first to recruit a chief executive direct from the private sector.

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http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/news/NURSE/810253/NHS-chief-executive-signals-growth-private-provision/

Health Service Journal (15 May 2008)

First regional Darzi visions offer glimpse into future
The first first two regional NHS reviews have been published, with the remaining seven to follow, culminating in Lord Darzi's final report. Addressing health inequalities, cutting waiting times and protecting valued services were main themes of the two reviews.

Full article:
Lord Darzi's review of the NHS finally became a reality this week with the publication of the first two regional plans spelling out what the process means for patients. Key themes to emerge from NHS Yorkshire and the Humber and NHS East of England's reports include a focus on tackling health inequalities, reducing waiting times and safeguarding popular services. Seven further strategic health authority reports are due in the next three weeks, culminating in Lord Darzi's final report. The documents appeared as it emerged that NHS London would be pushing ahead with its controversial polyclinics. The framework document published by Lord Darzi provides best practice on implementing reform, and highlights five key principles on which primary care trusts will be instructed to focus when delivering change. These are that change should benefit patients, that it will be clinically driven, locally led, involve patients, carers and the public and that existing services will not be withdrawn before better services are available to patients. Responding to criticism that the proposal to open new services before closing old ones would inflate costs, NHS chief executive David Nicholson said the NHS surplus would be used to provide "headroom" to cover the expense. He said: "The NHS should be creating a surplus every year... It does give the opportunity for us to deliver double running." Reaction to Lord Darzi's framework was mixed. Simon Wood, programme director for service reconfiguration at NHS East of England, raised concerns over what would happen to staff where a service was transferred or closed. And London School of Economics professor of social policy Julian Le Grand said: "What happens if [the new service] doesn't demonstrate what experimenters would like it to demonstrate ? Are we then stuck with two services that aren't working very well ?"
http:/ / www.hsj.co.uk/ news/ 2008/ 05/ first_ regional_ darzi_ visions_ offer_ glimpse_ into_ future.html

Times (13 May 2008)

Gordon Brown: Insurance could free the people from fears on old age
Social care, currently paid for without government help by anyone who has assets of £22,250, is to be boosted by a new insurance scheme to give government help to all. While details are yet to be given, incentives for individual saving are expected.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3919700.ece

Financial Times (12 May 2008)

NHS productivity in hospitals rises
Last year saw NHS staff cuts and restricted spending, while numbers of patients treated continued to rise. This led to increased productivity for the first time since 1998. A fall in emergency care accounts for most of the fall in spending.

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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8d675572-1fbd-11dd-9216-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Sunday Telegraph (11 May 2008)

Cancer beds under threat to save £500m
£500 million a year is needed to pay for community centres to provide local cancer care. Prominent health academics have said the loss of up to 5,000 beds would be needed to meet the cost.

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Daily Telegraph (10 May 2008)

NHS protesters turn up the heat
Health minister Lord Darzi, whose NHS review may lead to the closure or merger of many hospital departments, has said that all changes would be subject to consultation. Campaigners see this as an opportunity to defeat proposals.

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Guardian (9 May 2008)

NHS reforms rule out closure of hospitals before next election
Lord Darzi's plans for a major shake-up of the NHS will be subject to five tests, he has said, including a provision that services will not be withdrawn until a better replacement is in place. Public consultation and support from NHS staff are also conditions for the changes.

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http:/ / www.guardian.co.uk/ society/ 2008/ may/ 09/ nhs.health

Health Service Journal (8 May 2008)

Community service tariff opens way to private provision
Mark Britnell, director general of commissioning at the Department of Health, has indicated that a tariff for community services may be developed, allowing private providers and foundation trusts to offer services currently provided by PCTs.

Full article:
The Department of Health is to develop a tariff for community services - paving the way for foundation trusts and the private sector to offer services until now provided by primary care trusts. DH director general of commissioning and system management Mark Britnell said that NHS primary care providers had been lobbying the department for the tariff. They felt it would better reward their increased workload as care shifted out of hospitals. Mr Britnell said, "We are hoping that something will be included in [junior health minister Lord Darzi's] primary and community care strategy." The DH is committed to developing a tariff for £15bn a year of community services. These make up around 20% of a primary care trust's spend. Work is already under way to quantify inputs and outcomes, but a final tariff setting out typical episodes of care and their price could be two or three years away. News of the DH's commitment was welcomed by potential alternative providers. Clinovia chief executive Robbie Burns told HSJ: "Any form of tariff will be an enormous benefit to delivering care closer to home because the independent and third sector can look at the tariff and see where they can provide services for better value for money." Maggie Ioannou acknowledged the threat of competition from foundation trusts and the private sector but said it did not worry her. But she warned that private providers would not be interested in the most vulnerable patients cared for by community services as there was no profit to be gained. "The PCT as commissioner has an absolute role to play in stopping the private sector cherry picking," she said.
http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/2008/05/tariff_for_community_services_will_open_the_way_to_private_provision.html

Independent (6 May 2008

GPs lose right to dispense drugs in rural shake-up
GPs may lose drug dispensing rights to pharmicists, if government proposals go ahead. Doctors argue that this will lead to a loss of practice income which will in turn erode patient services. Government plans for the privatisation of primary care are suspected.

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Healthcare Republic (2 May 2008)

Secrecy causing headache on polyclinics
The Department of Health is witholding guidance on procuring new Darzi centres from bidders for polyclinics. Potential conflict of interest is cited as the reason, but both bidders and PCTs have complained of unclear criteria for assessing bids.

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Guardian (30 April 2008)

Axing specialist nurses is putting health reforms at risk, RCN warns
While both the government and the Royal College of Nursing see specialist nurses as key to NHS reform, a survey of 330 nurses found that a fifth are threatened with redundancy and 12% have had posts downgraded. Freezes on the filling of vacancies are also in operation.

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http:/ / www.guardian.co.uk/ society/ 2008/ apr/ 30/ nhs.health1

Guardian (29 April 2008)

Labour's perverse polyclinic scheme is the next step in privatizing the NHS
In an opinion piece George Monbiot accuses Alan Johnson of misleading Parliament by insisting that the policy of procuring polyclinics to replace GP surgeries is not being imposed on PCTs. Monbiot describes current policy as the "outright privatization of primary healthcare".

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http:/ / www.guardian.co.uk/ commentisfree/ 2008/ apr/ 29/ nhs.health

Herald (29 April 2008)

Concern at huge profits for firms behind PFI projects
Research by leading economists has found that financing mechanisms used for PFI deals cost around double what conventional public financing would have cost, while profits for private consortia were double the initial investment.

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The Press Association (28 April 2008)

NHS 'should focus on patient care'
Dr Peter Carter of the Royal College of Nursing will tell the union's conference that NHS targets have concentrated on finances rather than focusing on patient care. New targets should include patient satisfaction, infection rates and drug errors, RCN says.

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BBC Online (24 April 2008)

NHS 'chaos' over surgical tools
The Royal College of Surgeons has said the problem of dirty surgical instruments has worsened since the advent of outsourcing to private firms. Operations have been cancelled or postponed due to dirty instruments. The RCS is calling for a major audit of services since the commercialisation of sterilisation started eight years ago.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7365019.stm

Telegraph (24 April 2008)

GPs to get no say in building of super surgeries
GPs are to be excluded from plans for new polyclinics, according to documents seen by the party.

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Healthcare Republic (24 April 2008)

Unite rejects nurse pay deal
The third largest NHS union, Unite, has instructed members to reject the pay offer worth 8% over three years. Meanwhile, Unison has made no recommendation while the RCN has backed the deal.

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Guardian (23 April 2008)

NHS chiefs opt for social insurance to fund elderly care
The NHS Confederation, representing NHS managers, has said that social insurance, possibly compulsory, may be a solution to the expected trebling of the cost of social care by 2026.

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http:/ / www.guardian.co.uk/ society/ 2008/ apr/ 23/ nhs.health3

Financial Times (21 April 2008)

Cameron accuses Labour of undermining GPs
David Cameron has accused Labour of being "blinded by the private sector" with polyclinics in primary care and ISTCs in secondary care. The CBI said he seemed to give support to opponents of public sector reform.

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Public Finance (18 April 2008)

NHS Confederation defends Darzi's polyclinic proposals
The NHS Confederation has expressed surprise at opposition to Lord Darzi's plans for polyclinics. While maintaining that the key driver for polyclinics is improved patient care, it notes the need for incentives for hospital cooperation as polyclinic treatments would reduce hospital income.

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http://www.cipfa.org.uk/publicfinance/news_details.cfm?News_id=32669

Health Service Journal (17 April 2008)

PCTs ignoring demands to inspect private providers
Despite calls from the Healthcare Commission for PCTs to carry out closer checks on private mental health providers, fewer than 7% of trusts surveyed could supply clinical governance assessments carried out in the last two years.

Full article:
Hardly any commissioners are carrying out full inspections of private mental health providers despite fears over poor standards. Of 47 primary care trusts surveyed, only three - Kirklees, Oxfordshire and West Essex - were able to supply clinical governance assessments of independent sector mental health providers carried out within the past two years. Most PCTs said they monitored individual patients' treatment plans but relied on the Healthcare Commission to check broader service quality. This is despite a call from the regulator to PCTs to keep a closer eye on private mental health providers. The plea followed the discovery that almost 15% of them were failing at least five national minimum standards. Many children and adolescents and around 14% of adult inpatients are treated in the private mental health sector, which is valued at £845m. Much of the patient data collected by the NHS does not have to be provided by independent sector organisations.

http:/ / www.hsj.co.uk/ news/ 2008/ 04/ pcts_ not_ inspecting_ independent_ mh_ providers_ hsj_ survey_ proves.html

Daily Telegraph (16 April 2008)

Out-of-hours GPs told to reduce home visits to save cash
Private companies paid to provide out-of-hours care have been found to be cutting their service to make it cost effective. The confusion in out-of-hours care has been said to be putting lives at risk.

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http:/ / www.telegraph.co.uk/ news/ main.jhtml ?xml=/ news/ 2008/ 04/ 16/ nhs116.xml

Daily Telegraph (15 April 2008)

NHS pay deal may be cut if offer is rejected
The pay offer to health workers worth 8.1% over three years could be staged or reduced if union members reject the deal. Unison's conference will decide whether to recommend the deal to its 500,000 health workers.

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http:/ / www.telegraph.co.uk/ news/ main.jhtml ?xml=/ news/ 2008/ 04/ 15/ nhs115.xml

Public Finance (11 April 2008)

Welsh to scrap the internal market in the NHS
The Welsh Assembly government has launched a three month consultation on plans to abolish the NHS internal market in Wales, replacing it with a government funded NHS Board for Wales. Health minister Edwina Hart supports the reduction of market driven bureaucracy and promotes a collaborative approach.

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http://www.cipfa.org.uk/publicfinance/news_details.cfm?News_id=32642

inthenews.co.uk (10 April 2008)

BMA: private sector does not bring value for money
The British Medical Association has said the government is ignoring the negative impacts independent sector treatment centres have on local health services.

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Guardian (9 April 2008)

NHS GPs at new Virgin health centres will get 10% of profits
Virgin Healthcare's planned health centres, the first of which is due to open in Swindon later this year, will give GPs working there a share of profits made by the private operator's add-on services. Campaigners have protested at Virgin Healthcare roadshows around the country.

See full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/09/nhs.health2

Cambridge News (8 April 2008)

Private laundry 'will hit hospital patients'
Addenbrooke's Hospital is considering outsourcing laundry services to a private company. Unison members have said there could be increased risk of MRSA infection, having seen a privately-run hospital laundry.

Full article:
Patients may lose out if a hospital laundry is privatised. Addenbrooke's Hospital is considering two options for its outdated laundry for patient and staff linen - investing £4.6m in a new facility or outsourcing to a private company. But members of Unison have criticised the move. They told Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that outsourcing would hit standards. They said patients could be at increased risk of contracting infections like MRSA. Unison said a hospital-owned facility could bring in laundry business from other public sector bodies. Martin Booth, chairman of the Cambridge health branch of Unison, said: "Ensuring you have a high-quality, safe supply of clean linen is part of the core service." Mr Booth told the meeting that Scotland was served by an NHS laundry which was "providing a first-class service". In contrast, he said Cambridge Unison members had been concerned by standards of cleanliness when they visited a privately-run hospital laundry in England. The laundry employs 31 workers. The trust said it was likely that around half would stay under a private contractor, and it hoped to find alternative posts at the hospital for the remainder.

http:/ / www.cambridge- news.co.uk/ cn_ news_ home/ DisplayArticle.asp ?id=305042

BBC Online (7 April 2008)

Three-year 8% pay offer to nurses
Health workers in England, Wales and Scotland have been offered an 8% pay deal over three years. The Royal College of Nursing has welcomed the deal and Unison's Karen Jennings has been broadly positive, while the Royal College of Midwives will not endorse the offer.

See full article at:
http:/ / news.bbc.co.uk/ 1/ hi/ health/ 7334446.stm

Guardian (4 April 2008)

Wider role planned for high-street chemists
The government is to allow pharmacists in England to prescribe drugs for non-threatening illnesses and to provide vaccinations, tests and advice to patients. The move from GPs to high street chemists is predicted to save the NHS £3bn over 10 years.

See full article at:
http:/ / www.guardian.co.uk/ society/ 2008/ apr/ 04/ nhs.health

Financial Times (3 April 2008)

Year of reform for healthy-looking NHS
As the NHS comes close to a £2bn surplus, chief executive David Nicholson has said it is undergoing a fundamental change in the delivery of health care, with "significantly more private engagement at almost every level".

See full article at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/935a28b2-0107-11dd-a0c5-000077b07658.html

Camden New Journal (2 April 2008)

The great rebellion: doctors and patients fight to stop American takeover
As UnitedHealth, the American healthcare giant, takes over three GP surgeries in Camden, local doctors and patients have warned that out-of-hours services, polyclinics and A&E are all being eyed by UnitedHealth.

See full article at:
http://www.thecnj.co.uk/camden/2008/032708/news032708_04.html

Management in Practice (1 April 2008)

GP groups campaign against privatisation of primary care
A protest by campaigners against the handing of 3 GP surgery contracts to UnitedHealth, a 4,000 signature petition against private practices in Worcestershire and opposition to private providers tendering for primary care in Scotland are all adding to protest against primary care privatisation.

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