A deal has been agreed to stave off the collapse of Four Seasons Health Care, which looks after 17,000 elderly and vulnerable people, after the company’s largest creditor agreed to … Read more
quality of care
The government will launch an independent national inquiry into the actions of the rogue surgeon Ian Paterson, who was sentenced to 20 years in jail in August after carrying out … Read more
Since 2012 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and Trusts have sought to outsource non-emergency transport for the NHS. Emergency work has largely remained the remit of the ambulance trusts across the … Read more
People with drug and alcohol addiction are being put at risk of harm at many independent residential rehabilitation units, a new report has warned. The Care Quality Commission published the report today … Read more
Plans to introduce an online consultation system for GPs may not fix workload and waiting time issues in the way the government is hoping, it has been argued. Research, funded … Read more
GP leaders have raised concerns about the first NHS smartphone virtual GP service. The service will allow millions of NHS patients who live or work in various locations in London … Read more
A third young people’s mental health service run by Cygnet Health Care has been heavily criticised by the Care Quality Commission – which ordered admissions to be suspended unless it … Read more
NHS England named Cygnet Health Care as a partner in a new care model for young people’s mental health 10 days after inspectors found serious failings at its hospital in … Read more
A mental health hospital in Woking recorded 24 serious incidents a year including serious self harm a CQC inspection has found. There were several serious failings including, failure to protect … Read more
A company operating one of the first integrated NHS 111 and GP out of hours services is to hand back the contract to the NHS. Primecare was placed in special … Read more
A terminally ill cancer patient has protested after the NHS hospital where she receives palliative therapy included advertisements for a private clinic with her appointment letter. Ali Schofield, 33, who … Read more
“A GP, eh? Well I guess there are worse things you could do.” That was the only careers advice I got in my final year at medical school. The Royal … Read more
Doctors will not have to declare their private earnings, health officials have ruled, in a climbdown on NHS conflict of interest rules. Health officials were considering requiring every health service … Read more
It has been a calamitous winter inside the NHS. Last week, three people tragically died at Worcestershire Royal hospital with a women dying of a heart attack after waiting for 35 … Read more
The NHS is spending millions on private companies that stop GPs referring patients to hospitals, an investigation has revealed. Controversial “referral management centres” are supposed to cut costs and improve the quality of GP … Read more
NHS spending on private ambulances soars to meet demand The Telegraph: 10 August 2015 Private ambulance spending in London rises ‘tenfold’ (BBC News: 22 October 2014 NHS spending doubles on private … Read more
Opposition councillors have criticised plans to treat children as “guinea pigs” by awarding a £250 million family support service contract to Virgin Care. Essex County Council awarded the seven-year contract to … Read more
A “catalogue of failures” resulted in the collapse of an £800 million NHS contract to outsource care of older and mentally ill people, the Commons spending watchdog warned. An influential committee of … Read more
An investigation into the five biggest firms providing homecare services in the UK has found millions of pounds has been paid to some owners amid a crisis in standards of … Read more
There is no respite from looming residential care crisis, with over a quarter of care homes at risk of failure due to government underfunding, according to new research. The new report … Read more
