NHS Support Federation - News archive October

Health plan U-turn row
Following the government's withdrawal of support for Lancashire PCT's plans for a Clinical Assessment Treatment and Support (CATS) centre contracted to South African firm Netcare, the PCT has abandoned the scheme having initially said that they would press ahead. Local campaigners have called for health chiefs to resign.

See full article at:

http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.1923044.0.health_plan_uturn_row.php

The Press Association (27 December 2007)

NHS chief defends database plans
NHS chief executive David Nicholson has said that the new national database intended to hold and share patient records would be secure. His assurances follow the loss of confidential medical information of 168,000 people.

See full article at:

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hMoAhlBGAe0usI1oagDewqmuQdNg

Daily Telegraph (21 December 2007)

Gordon Brown ‘to force GPs to work evenings’
Laurence Buckman of the BMA General Practice Committee has said the government's intention is to privatise general practice. The current row over extended surgery opening hours will be revealed as a smokescreen if ministers do not accept the BMA's alternative proposals, he said.

See full article at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/21/ndoctors121.xml

Herald (20 December 2007)

Labour condemns plans for PFI replacement
Scotland's SNP government has announced its proposals for funding infrastructure projects. The Scottish Futures Trust would be a holding company under which a board would raise money from banks, private investors and bond issues.

See full article at:

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1917529.0.labour_condemns_plans_for_pfi_replacement.php

Independent (18 December 2007)

Mental hospital closure plan is condemned as 'inhumane'
The unique residential care provided by the leading British hospital for people with complex personality disorders is to close, and two similar centres are also under threat. Mental health charities have condemned the cost cutting plans as inhumane.

See full article at:

http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3260712.ece

Daily Telegraph (14 December 2007)

Hospitals 'should be fined for bad patient care'
The Government chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, has said hospitals should be fined for bad patient care. Critics have pointed out that the taxpayer would pay the fine anyway. Donaldson has said he would be recommending the idea to Lord Darzi's NHS review.

See full article at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/14/nfines114.xml

Guardian (13 December 2007)

Ruling prevents hospital taking on more private patients
The Charity Commission has denied charitable status to a company set up to arrange operations for private patients at an NHS hospital. The ruling calls into question foundation trusts' attempts to circumvent rules limiting income from private patients and insurance companies.

See full article at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/13/voluntarysector.nhs

BBC Online (13 December 2007)

Reforms to go 'wider and deeper'
Gordon Brown has told MPs that private and voluntary sector involvement in public services will grow "a lot bigger". Reforms will intensify, he said to the Liaison committee of select committee chairmen, with more private sector competition in GP and social care.

See full article at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7141873.stm

Financial Times (12 December 2007)

Private health centre bids urged
While original plans for independent sector treatment centres have shrunk from £7bn to around £2bn, the government still believes the private sector has a role to play in the NHS. Patients are to be made aware of their right to opt for treatment in private hospitals, and the sector is to be urged to bid to run 250 new family doctor practices.

See full article at:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65f081b4-a83d-11dc-9485-0000779fd2ac.html

Manchester Evening News (11 December 2007)

Reissmann strike to continue
Sacked mental health nurse Karen Reissmann has said that the fight to reinstate her will continue despite losing an appeal. Mental health workers in Manchester have been on indefinite strike, backed by Unison and other unions.

See full article at:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1027939_reissmann_strike_to_continue

British Medical Journal (11 December 2007)

The market has failed
Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein argue that the US healthcare market has failed, and that the mix of public funding and private provision, championed by Blair and now Brown, is at odds with the NHS principle of equity.

See full article at:

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7630/0

Public Finance (7 December 2007)

Services must "not suffer due to efficiencies"
The Treasury select committee has called for independent audits of service standards to ensure that efficiency targets set for the next three years do not lead to cuts masquerading as "efficiency savings".

See full article at:
http://www.cipfa.org.uk/publicfinance/news_details.cfm?News_id=31873

Health Service Journal (6 December 2007)

Report exposes failings of private mental healthcare
The Healthcare Commission has found that 15% of private mental health providers fail at least five of the core national minimum standards. PCTs are urged to check mental health services.

Full article:
Commissioners have been urged to check the quality of private mental health providers, as figures reveal many are failing to meet national standards. Nearly 15% of independent mental health providers are failing at least five of the core national minimum standards assessed by the Healthcare Commission. This compares with 5% of independent acute hospitals, 3% of private doctors, 4% of laser and light providers and 1% of hospices. Launching the commission's State of Healthcare 2007 report, chief executive Anna Walker urged primary care trusts to check up on mental health services. Areas of concern included monitoring and ensuring the quality of treatment and services, recruitment and training of staff, and the safety of premises. Other standards that proved hard to meet related to protection of patients from self-harm, and management of violent patients. The report also looked at the performance of the four main private providers for all types of care. Top was BUPA, which met or almost met all 32 core standards in 73% of inspections, followed by BMI/General Healthcare Group (63%), Nuffield (62%) and Capio (56%).

http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/2007/12/independent_mental_health_providers_failing_national_standards.html

Manchester Evening News (6 December 2007)

Nurses hold 'silent' protest
Thousands of health workers throughout Britain held silent protests to symbolise the sacking of psychiatric nurse Karen Reissmann for speaking to the media.

Click here to see full article

Herald (5 December 2007)

Board to rethink hospital cutbacks
An Independent Scrutiny Panel criticised the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board for failing to offer alternatives to plans to downgrade services. Campaigners are also fighting to keep services at other threatened NHS sites.

Click here to see full article

BBC News (4 December 2007)

Nurse shortage for sick baby care
A report from charity Bliss has said that care for sick and premature babies is at "breaking point". Demand for neonatal units in Wales has increased by 13% while the number of specialist nurses has risen by only 2%.

See full report at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7125603.stm

Financial Times (3 December 2007)

NHS medics can solve financial woes
The Audit Commission has said that poor communication between medics and finance staff has led to poor services.

See full article at:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/da423696-a141-11dc-9f34-0000779fd2ac.html

Public Finance (30 November 2007)

PFI procurement left us with the wrong hospitals, DoH admits
The legal consultant in the Department of Health private finance unit has admitted that poor procurement has led to the mothballing of hospitals built under PFI.

See full article at: http://www.cipfa.org.uk/publicfinance/news_details.cfm?News_id=31833

Daily Telegraph (29 November 2007)

250,000 lose NHS dentist under new contracts
Following the reform of NHS dentistry, 250,000 people have lost their NHS dentist. The new dentists' contract introduced in March 2006 led to many dentists leaving the NHS complaining of unattainable targets.

See full article at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/29/ndentist129.xml

Health Service Journal (29 November 2007)

Quality of 100 new GP practices comes into question
The BMA has warned that the 100 new GP practices in under-doctored areas will be under funded and under staffed. The BMA has said the extra money allocated is insufficient to cover start-up and running costs.

Full article:
The 100 new GP practices to be built in under-doctored areas will be badly funded and poorly staffed, the British Medical Association has warned. Health secretary Alan Johnson last week identified the 38 primary care trusts set to benefit from the extra practices, after the move was first announced in junior health minister Lord Darzi's interim report on the future of the NHS in October. Funding is to come out of a £250m 'access fund'. But BMA GPs committee deputy chair Dr Richard Vautrey said, 'When you actually look at what's expected of these practices and the staffing arrangements, it doesn't fill you with confidence that the amount is sufficient to cover even the start-up costs, never mind the long-term running costs. The theory of providing services in under-doctored areas is fine as long as they will be of a high standard. The concern is that patients in these areas will be short-changed.' It is not clear how much of the £250m will go towards the new practices as the fund is also being used to extend primary care opening hours across the country. A DoH spokesperson said the information was 'commercially sensitive'. Jonathan Tringham, resources director at Birmingham East and North PCT, which has been named as one of the 38 under-doctored areas, said the funding would be adequate to attract bidders. He said it was important to support interested smaller operations as the procurement process was 'biased' towards big companies, which were more likely to have detailed accounts, HR practices and governance policies. At the NHS Alliance annual conference in Manchester last Friday, the health secretary said the onus was on PCTs to make the necessary changes to improve the health outcomes of patients and that a variety of providers could be needed.

http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/quality_of_100_new_gp_practices_comes_into_question.html

Financial Times (27 November 2007)

Private sector role will grow, says PM
In a speech to the annual CBI conference Gordon Brown said that use of the private sector to provide public services would continue to grow where value for money could be achieved. A sapokesman for Unison stressed the need for cooperation not competition in the NHS.

See full article at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e25f9ee-9c8c-11dc-bcd8-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

Telegraph (26 November 2007)

Figures reveal cancer care 'postcode lottery'
Discrepancies in funding for cancer care between different areas could mean as much as a 20% increase in survival rates. With no government regulation on spending, trusts independently decide how to provide care.

See full article at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/26/nhealth126.xml

Financial Times (23 November 2007)

NHS heads for £3bn budget surplus
Two years after record deficits, the NHS is heading for a £3bn surplus. While health minister Ben Bradshaw considers this "excellent news", Unison has highlighted the poor planning which has resulted in unneccessary cuts.

See full article at:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9ac91f90-9951-11dc-bb45-0000779fd2ac.html

Times (22 November 2007)

Trusts earn £98m from their car parks
Car parking charges are made by 92% of English hospitals (against 6% of hospitals in Scotland) and have increased by 26% on the previous year.

See full article at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2917365.ece

Financial Times (22 November 2007)

NHS admits to new talks with IT suppliers
Following earlier government denials that there was any need to change the £6bn of contracts comprising the huge NHS IT programme, BT has renegotiated its contract, and talks are continuing with the other big contractors. No figures have been given for the new costs.

See full article at:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/88ce03ae-989e-11dc-8ca7-0000779fd2ac.html

Care and Health (21 November 2007)

Doctors criticize plans for franchise-style health centres
Doctors in Birmingham have described as "loopy" plans for 24 new health centres to house over 70 GPs in order to standardise care. Private contractors will be used where GPs do not agree to new contracts or are unwilling to move from their own surgeries.

See full article at: http://www.careandhealth.com/Pages/Story.aspx?EntityID=cee976c0-d79c-42e6-9f21-00d4f1dcc66d

Preston Citizen (21 November 2007)

CATS plan ongoing despite government pull-out
Alan Johnson has announced that the national procurement of private Clinical Assessment Treatment and Support Services (CATS) will not be proceeding in Cumbria and Lancashire. However, the PCT will continue to negotiate with private provider Netcare on a local level.

See full article at: http://www.prestoncitizen.co.uk/display.var.1842948.0.cats_plan_ongoing_despite_government_pull_out.php

Guardian (20 November 2007)

Family doctors to shun national database of patients’ records
A poll of GPs in England has found that 59% are unwilling to put patient records on a national database without the patient's explicit consent. Concerns about security, and scepticism about the IT programme being a good use of NHS resources, were both strongly expressed.

See full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/nov/20/nhs.health

BBC Online (15 November 2007)

NHS private sector deals scrapped
While defending the use of the private sector in the NHS, Health Secretary Alan Johnson has announced the cancellation of six planned independent treatment centres and the closure of one which is up and running. However, 10 more ISTCs are to proceed.

See full article at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7096437.stm

Pulse (14 November 2007)

New regulator gets tough powers over GPs
The new Care Quality Commission which is to replace the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission, is to have far reaching powers of scrutiny of GPs. The publication of much more information about GP performance is also expected.

Full article:
The new Care Quality Commission is to get far reaching powers to scrutinise GPs including practise inspections and stringent prescribing monitoring. Inspections – to be carried out by PCTs - will become more frequent for poorly performing practices and GPs judged to be failing face sanctions ranging from statutory warnings to cancellation of their registration. In extreme cases they may even be imprisoned. The Department of Health said that the commission would initially focus on GPs handling “more complex interventions”. The new regulator will subsume the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Mental Health Act Commission and the Healthcare Commission, which recently accused GPs of making hundreds of errors across the country every day and making prescribing mistakes in up to 11% of consultations. The Healthcare Commission has been privately saying that regulation of GPs needed to be a top priority, however the proposals caught GPs by surprise. Dr Gary Sweeney, a partner in a PMS surgery in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, and a GPSI in sigmoidoscopy, said: “I’m about to be regulated to hell and I didn’t know it.” Even NHS managers warned the measures may be too tough. Nigel Edwards, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said that the move may see many constantly “looking over their shoulders”. Ministers are also planning to publish far more details about GP performance as they aim to encourage patient choice.
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4115860&c=2

Telegraph (13 November 2007)

GP surgeries could be run by Tesco or Virgin
The Heart of Birmingham health trust is planning to replace its 76 existing practices with 24 franchised health centres run by private companies. Other trusts are expected to follow suit if the scheme is deemed a success. The executive secretary of the local medical committee has called the plans "the most frightening document I've ever read".

See full article at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/13/ndrugs613.xml

Manchester Evening news (10 November 2007)

Strike-row boss in desert storm

Just as nurse and union activist Karen Reissmann is sacked by her employer for speaking to the media, and with staff going on indefinite strike until she is reinstated, the head of mental health trust who first suspended and then fired her has carried on with her plan to holiday in Dubai.

See full article at:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1023796_strikerow_boss_in_desert_storm

Guardian (9 November 2007)

Minister admits slip up over NHS figures
Ivan Lewis, care services minister, has admitted that the Department of Health gave incorrect figures which showed an increase in bed-blocking. This was blamed on technical problems, with the corrected figures showing a 5.6% fall.

See full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/nov/09/nhs.longtermcare

Health Service Journal (8 November 2007)

District general hospitals face heavy specialist service losses
District general hospitals are to be excluded from the Department of Health's new 'top-up' system which will pay regional centres of excellence a premium over the payment by results tariff. The loss of income could force DGHs to hand specialist services to the regional centres, who will receive the top-up. This is predicted to speed up the centralisation of specialist services favoured by the DoH.

Full article:
District general hospitals face handing their specialist services to regional centres of excellence because they will no longer be paid the services' full cost. The Department of Health is developing a new 'top-up' system in which hospitals performing certain specialist procedures will receive a premium over the payment by results tariff to ensure their full costs are met. A number of DGHs that perform specialist procedures have been told they will be excluded from the list of providers eligible for top-up, which the DoH is due to publish in December. Services affected include cardiology, respiratory, orthopaedics, neurosciences and specialised children's services. NHS Confederation policy director Nigel Edwards told HSJ: 'A lot of people are very worried about this. If you are a non-teaching DGH but there's someone there with a special interest, you've virtually had it. This could drive the centralisation of services. It depends how much people think they are losing and how much they think it's worth cross-subsidising services.' DGHs told HSJ the loss of specialist status will mean an average 1% loss of income and force them to consider ending affected services. This would hasten the controversial centralisation of specialist services that the DoH has said it wants. Specialist commissioning groups - made up of a number of primary care trusts in each area - were charged with designating which of their local hospital providers should be eligible for specialist top-ups, in negotiation with their strategic health authorities. On 15 October the DoH published a 'provisional' list of 81 eligible for a top-up in one or more of eight specialist areas. But HSJ has been told the DoH viewed the list as 'too generous' and asked SHAs and specialist commissioners to revise down the number of local providers by 31 October. Whereas the 15 October list for NHS South East Coast designated 13 local hospitals as specialist, the latest version cuts this to just 4 and consolidates most services at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals trust. Ten local providers were deemed orthopaedics specialists in the first version but the latest version designates none. Respiratory specialists are cut from seven to none and cardiology specialists from 10 to one. Hospitals told HSJ they were unhappy with the lack of consultation and transparency over the criteria SHAs and specialist commissioning groups used to designate 'specialist' providers.
http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/district_general_hospitals_face_heavy_specialist_service_losses.html

Herald (7 November 2007)

Controversial PFI contracts on hospitals to be detailed

Contracts to build hospitals in the west of Scotland under the private finance initiative are to be published. The announcement from NHS Lanarkshire comes two weeks after the Scottish Information Commissioner ruled that full details of the building and maintaining of the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary must be released.

See full article at:
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1813994.0.0.php

BBC Online (6 November 2007)

Hospital's £600k cuts to cleaning
£600,000 of cuts are being made to the cleaing and catering services at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon. Unions have said the cuts could lead to increases in hospital infections such as MRSA. The hospital trust has defended the standards of Carillion Health, the PFI contractor.

See full article at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/7080635.stm

Manchester.com (6 November 2007)

Mental health workers to strike again
Following the dismissal of Manchester psychiatric nurse Karen Reissmann, mental health workers are to go on iindefinite strike, calling for her reinstatement. Unison believes she was sacked for protesting against staff cuts.

See full article at:
http://www.manchester.com/News/General_Manchester_news/Mental_health_workers_to_strike_again-18345134.html

Guardian (6 November 2007)

Ministers plan to freeze pay of GPs and offer nurses rise below inflation
After a pay award of 1.9% this year, nurses are again to be offered a below inflation increase for 2008-9, of 2%. Dentists and hospital doctors, meanwhile, have been recommended a 1.5% rise by the government.

See full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/nov/06/nhs.health

Guardian (1 November 2007)

A licence to innovate

Health minister Lord Darzi's interim report on his NHS review calls for a health innovation council (with Darzi as its champion) consisting of academics and industry leaders to help the NHS develop hi-tech healthcare. DoH had earlier announced its framework deal with 14 private providers who are approved as advisers on commissioning to PCTs, without further tendering required.

See full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/public/features/story/0,,2202316,00.html

Daily Mail (31 October 2007)

Even GPs say patients are getting a raw deal when it comes to out-of-hours care

Nearly two thirds of GPs responding to a survey have said that out-of-hours care has significantly deteriorated since primary care trusts took over the service from GPs in 2004. Almost half of patients are now visited by a nurse or advised on the phone, rather than being seen by a doctor. Increasing numbers of patients are resorting to A&E departments.

See full article at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=490833&in_page_id=1770

Press Association (31 October 2007)

Debate on NHS cost almost £900,000
Citizens' juries used to inform Lord Darzi's NHS review have cost almost £900,000. The juries have been slated as a "sham" listening exercise by some and hailed as a "new type of politics" by Gordon Brown.

See full article at:
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iS0mz53w_kGxf7_dCI3_uYbiYuOA

Guardian (30 October 2007)

The harsh truth about ISTCs
Wendy Savage, chair of Keep Our NHS Public writes in a letter to the Guardian that claims about independent sector treatment centres by the policy director of the King's Fund are little more than a repetition of the government's unfounded claims.

See full letter at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,2201474,00.html

BBC Online (29 October 2007)

Out–of-hours NHS care failing
Out-of-hours care for severely ill patients has been criticised as inadequate by the Royal College of Physicians taskforce. Local navigation hubs are needed to guide patients to the right services, and outreach clinics to bring expert care into the community, their report says.

See full article at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7064398.stm

Observer (28 October 2007)

Is it healthy for the NHS to go private?
Private companies are keen to take advantage of the NHS choice agenda where a patient can choose any hospital providing a procedure at NHS prices. Karen Jennings of Unison has pointed to the contracting out of cleaning as the cause of the superbug outbreak at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust, and says that "the evidence does not support the idea that competition drives up standards".

See full article at:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2200441,00.html

Financial Times (25 October 2007)

Competition role for authorities
Alan Johnson has announced that strategic health authorities are to oversee competion in NHS care between NHS, private and voluntary bodies. A "diverse range of providers" is to be encouraged, in a clear sign that private sector involvement remains a key part of the government's policy.

See full article at:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/caa59d7c-8265-11dc-a5ae-0000779fd2ac.html

Herald (25 October 2007)

Public must know says FoI chief
Scottish Information Commissioner Kevin Dunion has ordered NHS Lothian to release the contract it signed with private provder Consort Healthcare. He has said that Freedom of Information legislation is endangered by the move towards private finance with the attendent claims of commercial confidentiality. He believes a review of the law is needed to protect the public's right to know.

See full article at:
http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.1784431.0.0.php

eHealth Insider (24 October 2007)

Summary care record launched in Bolton
Bolton is to begin piloting the uploading of patient records to the NHS Spine, Connecting for Health has announced. The plan has met with considerable local GP scepticism.

See full article at:
http://www.ehiprimarycare.com/news/3145/summary_care_record_launched_in_bolton

Financial Times (24 October 2007)

Business to call for clarity on future of PFI deals
The CBI calls for clarity from the government over its intentions for the private finance initiative. While the Treasury has said that £22bn worth of deals are to be signed by 2011 on top of £57bn signed to date, employers point to postponement or cancellation of deals as proof of the goverment's "mixed signals".

See full article at:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aa30d95c-81cb-11dc-9b6f-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

Nursing in Practice (23 October 2007)

PCTs spent public money on supporting deficits, says survey
Following a failure to ring-fence funds intended for investment in public health programmes, over 90% of PCTs haven't spent the money on the intended purpose. The most common use for the missing money was to support PCT financial deficits, a survey by the Association of Directors of Public Health has found.

See full article at:
http://www.nursinginpractice.com/default.asp?title=PCTsspentpublichealthmoneyonsupportingdeficits%2Csayssurvey&page=article.display&article.id=5815

Guardian (19 October 2007)

Trusts raided public health cash in panic over funding
A survey by the Association of Directors of Public Health has found that nearly £100m has been taken by NHS trusts from funds to address puclic health crises in obesity, alcohol abuse and sexually transmitted infections in order to avoid financial crisis.

See full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2194524,00.html

Health Service Journal (18 October 2007)

Boots could host 150 walk-in centres in its stores
Following Lord Darzi's interim report of his NHS review, Alliance Boots is just one of the many private companies saying it can provide the walk-in general practice centres recommended. Health secretary Alan Johnson is clear that he sees the private sector having a role in the new services.

Full article:
Private companies are lining up to provide the extended access to family doctors called for by Lord Darzi in the interim report of his review into the future of the NHS. Alliance Boots has said it can provide all 150 high-street walk-in centres recommended by the junior health minister. Lloyds pharmacy has also said it could roll out extended services in its pharmacies in 'months rather than years'. Lord Darzi called on the government, which has accepted all his recommendations, to invest in bringing at least 100 new GP centres into the 25% of primary care trusts with the least provision. Lord Darzi said money should also be made available to enable PCTs to set up 150 GP-led walk-in centres 'situated in easily accessible locations' where patients could access services from 8am-8pm, seven days a week, whether or not they were registered there. Health secretary Alan Johnson has made clear he sees a role for the private sector in delivering the new services. Alliance Boots has already set up a walk-in centre in Poole in collaboration with the PCT and is in talks with more than 20 other PCTs about developing similar schemes. Alliance Boots has no plans to directly employ GPs but Peter Gibson, head of public affairs, did not rule it out. Meanwhile, Virgin is planning to set up two or three urban health centres employing 10-12 NHS GPs each. Alan Maynard, professor of health economics at York University, said: 'The government lost out-of-hours in the new contract and is having to spend a large lump of money to improve access - it seems rather clumsy.' Scottish chief medical officer Dr Harry Burns was sceptical that the centres - which will not be set up in Scotland - would tackle health inequalities. He said: 'If you are going to narrow health inequalities you have to tackle whole populations and drop-in centres are not a population-based idea.'
http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/boots_could_host_150_walkin_centres_in_its_stores.html

Guardian (18 October 2007)

Only dogma and corporate capture can explain this
In a comment piece Seumas Milne describes how, after early hopes that the Brown government would row back from the privatising tendencies of Tony Blair, it has named the very companies lambasted in Michael Moore's film "Sicko" as chosen advisers to PCTs regarding commissioning. Together with costly experiments like PFI, the latest announcement shows that the privatising agenda is in rude health and must be resisted.

See full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2193282,00.html

Times (17 October 2007)

Evening and weekend surgeries are a waste of money, say doctors
A BMA survey of GPs has found that over 70% do not consider an extension of doctors' surgery hours to be a good use of NHS resources. GPs saw policies as putting cost-cutting ahead of quality, the BMA said.

See full article at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2673190.ece

Financial Times (16 October 2007)

Public sector pay proposals could face revolt
Industrial relations look set for further testing times according to pay analysts Income Data Services. The government's intention to hold public sector pay rises to 2% compares to predictions of 3-4.5% in the private sector.

See full article at:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab1739b6-7aa9-11dc-9bee-0000779fd2ac.html

BBC Online (13 October 2007)

Campaigners march over cuts
Haywards Heath in West Sussex saw the largest protest the county has seen according to organisers, with 14,000 people taking part. The demonstration was in opposition to the downgrading of services at the Princess Royal.

See full article at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7043034.stm

Public Finance (12 October 2007)

PFI debts might stay off balance sheet
Contrary to Gordon Brown's assertion that public bodies would adhere to International Financial Reporting Standards thus making PFI debt more transparent, the Treasury is now saying that this would put the UK at a disadvantage compared to the accounting standards of other countries.

See full article at: http://www.cipfa.org.uk/publicfinance/news_details.cfm?News_id=31479

Guardian (11 October 2007)

NHS superbug inquiry blames trust for deaths
The Healthcare Commission's report into the deaths of 90 patients from C. difficile in hospitals in Kent blames the trust for giving too much attention to budget balancing at the expense of infection control.

See full article at:
http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/news/0,,2188290,00.html

Guardian (10 October 2007)

Nice details, shame about the bigger picture
Lord Darzi's interim report on his review of the NHS does not resolve the central question of the future shape of healthcare regulation, particularly the development of Payment by Results, says King's Fund director of health policy Jennifer Dixon.

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http://society.guardian.co.uk/publicmanager/story/0,,2187042,00.html

Financial Times (9 October 2007)

Health trusts keen to sign private deals
The winners of the framework contract who can now be used by PCTs to give advice on commissioning have said that dozens of PCTs are interested in paying for their services. While the contract does not go as far down the privatisation route as was initially feared, early hopes of a retreat from private sector involvement by the Brown government appear to have been disappointed.

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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e575b3e6-75f7-11dc-b7cb-0000779fd2ac.html

Guardian (6 October 2007)

Ministers invite private companies to manage services
Health secretary Alan Johnson has approved a list of companies (Aetna, Humana, Health Dialog Services and UnitedHealth among them) to help PCTs with decisions on commissioning. While PCTs will not be obliged to use the companies Unison questions whether they have the skills to commission care for vulnerable groups.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2184995,00.html

Financial Times (5 October 2007)

Backing for private sector's NHS role
Following Lord Darzi's interim report on his review of the NHS, health secretary Alan Johnson has clearly indicated that the involvement of the private sector remains a key part of government policy. As well as independent sector involvement in 150 new health centres and 100 new GP practices, the Department of Health has named 14 corporate winners of a framework contract to enable PCTs to employ the private sector in commissioning.

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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/77fb4ad2-72f6-11dc-b7ff-0000779fd2ac.html

Daily Telegraph (4 October 2007)

High-tech clinics signal end of local hospitals

Polyclinics will replace traditional district hospitals and will take 50% of outpatient treatment in pursuit of the "personalised" NHS, health minister Lord Darzi is to announce.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/04/nhosi104.xml

Times (2 October 2007)

High return on hospital projects

Jean Shaoul, a Manchester University academic, has found that companies which run Private Finance Initiative (PFI) hospitals are paid 20% more than expected.

See full article at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/public_sector/article2568322.ece

Financial Times (2 October 2007)

Pledges aim to prove fit-to-govern credentials

The Conservatives are proposing the return of out-of-hours care to GPs with budgets to commission it. The policy builds on previous promises for an NHS board and an end to imposed targets.

See full article at:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/17cac29e-7082-11dc-a6d1-0000779fd2ac.html