Fewer than 1 in 10 NHS workers think the Coalition can be trusted
Fewer than 1 in 10 NHS workers think that the Health Service is safe in coalition hands, according to a YouGov survey carried out for the campaign group 38 Degrees. More than two-thirds of NHS staff think that the Government’s reforms have had a negative impact on patient care.
Independent
Nicholson warns of £300bn funding gap opening in NHS in next 7 years
Sir David Nicholson, former Chief Executive of NHS England, has warned that a £300bn funding gap is going to open up in the NHS in the next 7 years, without radical changes. Sir David said that consolidation and centralisation of specialist hospital services will be key to reducing cost, but he also warned that cuts alone would not be sufficient: “There is a limit to how much more can be achieved without damaging quality or safety”, he is quoted as saying.
FT
Times
Guardian
Mail
BBC Online
Integrating Health and Social Care won’t solve problems
Zara Aziz, writing in the Guardian, says that the plans to integrate the NHS with Health and Social Care (as outlined in the spending review) will not solve the turmoil at the heart of the system. She says: “The government is taking a gamble in thinking that social care alone will tackle the huge burden of disease in our country. It also needs to commit to putting forward realistic and protected budgets specifically for hospitals and primary care.”
Guardian
Redundancy payments at the NHS top £1bn
The NHS has paid out £1.1bn in redundancies for staff since the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act. Skilled staff still remain in demand, however, according to the National Audit Office, which reports that 2,200 staff made redundant between May 2010 and September 2012 were subsequently re-employed. The National Audit Office’s findings indicate that further changes will need to be made before the right staff with the right skills are in place across the system.
Independent
The Cavendish review of Healthcare Assistants finds lack of consistent standards
Camilla Cavendish’s review of Healthcare Assistants has found that there is a lack of consistent standards across the board. The report recommends that 1.3 million healthcare assistants in the NHS and in care homes should pass a basic skills test before being considered eligible to care for patients.
Times
Guardian
Independent
Mail
BBC Online
Patients controlling budgets saves NHS money
A report by 2020Health suggests that giving patients control over personal health budgets has better outcomes than when GPs are in charge. Pilots of so-called ‘personal health budget’ schemes apparently shows that when patients have control over spending decisions in their own care they end up saving the NHS money.
2020health
Support Our Work
CHPI is the only truly independent health think-tank dedicated to the founding principles of the NHS. To continue our work keeping the public interest at the centre of health and social care policy, we need your help.
Please support CHPI so we can continue to impact the health policy debate.
About the author
