An independent investigation is needed into whether trusts are getting significant net additions to their income from treating private patients, and whether the drive to set aside yet further beds for private patients should be allowed to continue.
Read More
Misuse of information in discussions about the spending and performance of the NHS is all too common: the future of the NHS relies on getting the basic facts right.
Read More
Difficulties in obtaining complete and reliable data from STP teams regarding transition planning reflect the inherently unaccountable nature of the STPs themselves.
Read More
After the breast surgeon was sentenced to 15 years for performing unnecessary operations on cancer patients, Colin Leys considers what the inevitable inquiry could mean for private hospitals.
Read More
How an argument between the chair of HSCIC (now NHS Digital) and the Home Office / DoH called into question the HSCIC’s trustworthiness as guardian of the personal details of every NHS patient in England.
Read More
This report reviews the changes proposed for ‘Transforming Services Together’ in Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest as part of the North East London STP – assessing the impact on East London’s patients and whether the plan is likely to work.
Read MoreThis analysis asks how far the new Sustainability and Transformation Plans being drawn up by ‘local health economies’ or ‘footprints’ can be expected to overcome the impending financial crisis of the NHS. It also draws attention to the apparent lack of a legislative basis for the planning process, and a corresponding lack of transparency and accountability.
Read More
This report uses findings from the Care Quality Commission’s new inspection regime for private hospitals to show that there continue to be risks to patient safety associated with the distinctive nature of private hospitals in England, compared with the NHS.
Read MoreWill CQC ratings really tell patients how well a service is doing?
Read More
This report brings together what is known about patient safety in private hospitals. It offers new insights into the number of patient safety incidents in private hospitals, analyses the potential risks inherent in the way that these services operate, and makes recommendations to improve transparency in the private sector.
Read More
This report looks at how the market in social care services in England provides the best available example for policy makers of what happens to the quality of care and the terms and conditions of the care workforce when competitive pressures are used to bring about a reduction in the cost of care to the taxpayer.
Read MoreColin Leys looks at the likely ramifications of the NHS funding gap.
Read More