HSJ Health Check

Rishi Sunak announced an impressive sounding sum of money last week, apparently to help the NHS cope with winter pressures.    But, as ever, what might sound like a lot of money is really just a drop in the ocean - and it turns out it will only be used to offset costs relating to strike disruption.    We discuss the precarious financial and operational position this leaves the health service in, a...

Manager regulation remains firmly in the spotlight so this week we ask: will it actually happen this time?   We discuss recent interventions from politicians, what’s stood in its way in the past, and take a closer look at NHS chief executive turnover, as we find more than half of trusts have a ‘first time’ CEO.    Also - more on audiology care failings, after it has emerged more children have come...

NHS trusts have been told by the government to carry out urgent risk assessments if they have a certain type of lightweight concrete in their buildings. This follows multiple school closures because of safety risks around “reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete”. We discuss the impact these safety fears are having on the NHS, why hospitals aren’t also being shut down and what this means for the Ne...

Last Friday, neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of 14 counts of murder and attempted murder.    On this week’s episode we discuss how former leaders at the Countess of Chester Hospital had resisted a police investigation, the questions still to be answered by local and national leaders, and what lies ahead for the trust.   With Annabelle Collins and Lawrence Dunhill. 

This week we’re focusing on patient experience and the public perception of the NHS.   Annabelle is joined by Chris Graham of the Picker Institute and Jacob Lant from charity National Voices to discuss the crash in patient experience revealed by recent national surveys, how the findings should be used to improve quality and reduce health inequalities and the part ‘real-time’ measures could play in...

General practice - already under pressure - will be under the political spotlight over the next 12 months, with an election looming and the GP contract up for renewal.    We discuss what reform could be in store, and whether an example in Wolverhampton - where the hospital trust has taken over a big chunk of local GP practices - is one for others to follow.   With Mimi Launder, Dave West and Annab...

NHS England has finally published its new standards for NHS leaders, so this week we discuss how the revised ‘Fit and Proper Person Test’ will work, and if it is enough to stop the revolving door of poor leaders.   Also - we reveal where consultants were paid the most to cover shifts during the junior doctors’ strikes.   With Annabelle Collins, James Illman and Nick Kituno. 

This week we assess the damage after one of the toughest weeks of NHS strike action, with junior doctors and consultants both taking action.   We ask what impact this had on the recovery effort and look at some of the surprising trends to emerge from the strike data. With Annabelle Collins, Ben Clover and James Illman. 

A “shocking” volume of mental health patients are attending A&E accompanied by the police - but who’s fault is it? And what is the solution? On this week’s episode we get into the debate sparked by comments made by a senior NHS director who called for an “absolute solution”.  Also this week, the results are in on which integrated care systems are the most digitally mature. But did the NHS need...

This week bureau chief Ben Clover is joined by colleagues to discuss some of the biggest stories ahead of the junior doctors’ strike. Matt Discombe reveals the results of an inquiry into an ambulance trust found to’ve withheld key details of patient deaths from a coroner. The report is damning but some stakeholders have said it is more notable for what it doesn’t cover. Recorded on Wednesday befor...

This week bureau chief Ben Clover is joined by colleagues Nick Kituno and Zoe Tidman. The long-awaited NHS workforce plan finally arrived last week, missing lots of the detail that managers and professional associations were crying out for. What was in it, what was not in it and a few surprises are covered in this week’s podcast. Also, what are the prospects for the NHS’s crumbling estate. Corresp...

This week HSJ is joined by Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, and Richard Murray, chief executive of the King’s Fund, who are both nearing the end of long stints at the think tanks.   Two of the most influential voices on health policy and leadership, the pair reflect on what has gone right and wrong over the last three decades, and why history keeps repeating itself.   They spo...

NHS England’s surprise decision to hand US tech giant Palantir a further £25m deal this week without a competitive process provoked a mixture of fury and confusion. We explain what the new contract means and why its so controversial. Also this week, we review the latest government mandate for NHS England and its luke-warm response to the Hewitt review of integrated care systems.

We're joined by Matthew Taylor, NHS Confederation chief and HSJ Health Check fan, to discuss Amanda Pritchard's speech and other developments on day one of the ConfedExpo conference.

We discuss data revealing the true scale of long A&E waits for mental health patients and what acute trusts are trying to do about it without any extra national funding.   Also: most GP practices are still using old-fashioned paper records, despite a commitment four years ago to get rid of them. We discuss whether it’s worth GPs’ time and money to make the switch.  With Annabelle Collins, Joe...

Targets to reduce the number of outpatient appointments are not being met by trusts. On this epsiode we discuss why the number of outpatient appointments has remained stuck at £124m, despite pressure to cut them, and what is being done about it.   Also this week, an update on integrated care systems’ finances and what is worrying them at the moment, plus a preview from HSJ’s forthcoming interview...

After seemingly endless delays, the fate of the ‘40 new hospitals’ has finally been revealed by the government. With eight key schemes pushed back until the next decade, the programme set to receive £10bn less than requested and funding subject to “future spending reviews”, we cover the immediate reaction and what’s next for NHP trusts.  Also - more on Labour’s vision for the NHS if they win next...

The government’s 40 “new hospitals” has dominated headlines - and decisions - over NHS capital funding in recent years, but this week HSJ revealed dozens of trusts are still waiting for money promised by the previous big capital programme.   We discuss why over £1bn is yet to be received for capital schemes announced in 2017 and 2018 and what impact this has had on services.   Also this week, an u...

This week bureau chief Ben Clover stands in for Annabelle Collins and introduces two important stories, one that got national coverage and one that HSJ broke. Deputy editor Dave West takes us through the strange delay of some community diagnostic centres, which some suspect is politically-motivated as the government looks to what it can deliver before an election next year. Correspondent Mimi Laun...

On this week’s episode Alastair reveals why NHS England’s elective recovery director Jim Mackey is replacing David Sloman as national operations lead later this year.   We also discuss why Tim Ferris was the right man for the national transformation job, but arrived at the wrong time.   Also this week: what’s next for the Agenda for Change pay deal and concerns raised about the poor care experienc...

NHS leaders are being told they must prioritise balancing the books above all else, with some trusts even being asked to keep staff numbers down to save money.    We discuss the tricky relationship between ‘productivity’ and recruitment and the impact an intensified focus on finance could have on other important priorities.

A legal battle has erupted between a hospital trust and bank-backed PFI company over fire safety and payment refusals. We discuss why the case has potentially wider implications for other NHS trusts.  Also this week, we find out why NHS England had to apologise to staff impacted by problems during its restructure, and hear about the latest twist in an ICS dogged by troubling leadership issues. Fea...

A consortium of British companies have been knocked out of the hotly contested competition to win a £480m contract to provide the NHS with a new data platform.    We discuss who is left in the running, including a number of American tech firms with little or no experience of working with the NHS.    Also this week - an update on how the NHS has coped with the junior doctors’ strikes this week, and...

Patricia Hewitt’s much-anticipated review of ICS autonomy was published this week. We discuss its recommendations, the politics behind it, and what meaningful, lasting impact it could have. With Alastair McLellan, James Illman and Annabelle Collins.

NHS Blood and Transplant has been embroiled in allegations of racism that stretch back several years.   On this episode Annabelle is joined by Lawrence Dunhill who has been reporting on the agency’s failure to address these systemic problems.    The story spans secret recordings, a bitter employment tribunal and high profile resignations, with the organisation seriously struggling with blood stock...