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
patient safety
A trust faces a £48m repair bill to make one of its hospitals safe because of loopholes in the drafting of its private finance initiative contract, Department of Health documents … 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
Theresa May has been urged to tighten checks on private hospitals used by the NHS after a Labour MP raised the case of a young patient with an open wound … 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
Pulse reports that GPs leaders in England are pushing ahead with plans to develop new structures that will enable GPs to carry out more private work in a bid to … 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 was a “gap” in commissioners’ assurance process for an urgent care contract with Care UK and the provider’s staffing model was flawed, a review has found. The report by Verita, published … Read more
A major hospital in Coventry will need to undergo remedial work after it emerged that it was built without the guaranteed fire safeguards. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust … Read more
It was a heartbreaking moment. Tearful jury members embraced a bereaved mother after hearing how her 14-year- old daughter had died neglected at the Priory Ticehurst House hospital in East Sussex, one … Read more
NHS 111 and GP out of hours services in east Kent are to be run by one organisation – but there are already fears about the transition to the new … Read more
