Paul Dinsdale
Banking on an impact
The UK Infrastructure Bank has published its first strategic plan. How will it invest in local places and the public realm, and will its financial offer fit the needs of local government? Paul Dinsdale reports.
HEALTH MJ: More elderly people have to sell homes to fund long-term care
Around 400 pensioners sell their homes each week to pay for social care, according to the latest research.
HEALTHMJ: Victims of domestic abuse ‘more likely to become homeless’
A national domestic abuse charity says women who are victims are more likely to be homeless as a result of their situation.
HEALTH MJ: IPPR calls for care home funding
A think-tank has called for state provision and the building of more care homes to tackle the continuing crisis in the social care sector.
HEALTH MJ: NHS spending second lowest in G7, says ONS
Spending on health in the UK is the second lowest per head in the major industrialised countries but average compared to the world’s 25 largest economies according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Number of patients with long waits on trolleys soaring by over 6,000%
There has been a rise of more than 6,000% in the number of patients waiting 12 hours on trolleys as hospital overcrowding reaches a record high, NHS figures show.
Record waiting times for patients’ operations, RCS study reveals
The number of patients waiting six months or more for surgery has trebled over the past four years in England, says the Royal College of Surgeons.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt ‘could face his IDS moment’
A former Downing Street health adviser has said health secretary Jeremy Hunt faces a tough choice of whether to resign because a lack of NHS funding may endanger patient safety.
New EU rules may impact on ‘vanguard’ care models
Concerns are growing that new EU regulations this month could leave commissioners in vanguard hospitals open to legal challenge if they do not carry out a full tendering process for new care models.
GPs may face fewer inspections in future
GP practices may be subject to a less rigorous inspection regime in future under proposals being considered by the Care Quality Commission.
Most NHS service contracts for 2015-16 ‘remain unsigned’
Many contracts between local health commissioners and NHS trusts still remain unsigned for the next financial year, as tighter budgets have an impact on agreeing prices for services, it has emerged.
HealthMJ: Moving in the right direction
As NHS funding is squeezed and social care expected to take up much of the slack, bridging the gap between hospital and community-based care is an issue all councils will face. Paul Dinsdale reports on how one county council is managing the process
Fast-track discharge fund needed, says care report
More than £3bn will be ‘wasted’ in the next five years on caring for NHS patients who no longer need medical care and are seen as ‘bed-blocking’, according to a report by an independent think-tank.
Benefits of personal budgets ‘need more analysis’, says NAO
The Department of Health (DoH) needs a better understanding of the most effective ways to implement personalised commissioning, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
Plan to close black hole in NHS finances ‘not credible’
The NHS in England lacks a credible plan to plug a £22bn ‘black hole’ in funding within five years, says parliament’s spending watchdog.
Making health and care integration work
Senior social service directors recently met in a round table debate to discuss how to overcome obstacles to integration and how technology can help deliver the agenda. Paul Dinsdale reports