Trust receives record fine for maternity care failure
An acute trust has been fined a record sum by the Care Quality Commission for failing to provide safe maternity care, which resulted in the death of a baby after 23 minutes.
Patient Safety Watch: Putting things right when they go wrong
Following Jeremy Hunt’s appointment as chancellor, HSJ is now hosting the Patient Safety Watch newsletter, written by Patient Safety Watch trustee James Titcombe.
NHS leaders ‘filled with dread’ ahead of ambulance strike
National, system and trust leaders have told HSJ they fear for the safety of patients and the wellbeing of staff as the NHS experiences its first ambulance strike for 32 years.
Waiting times got worse at trusts that dropped A&E target
Trusts trialling NHS England’s new A&E metrics reported worse average waiting times for admitted patients than those which stayed on the four-hour target, an HSJ analysis suggests.
Trust no longer faces ‘very serious’ finance problems after five years
A teaching hospital trust has been moved out of the lowest finance performance band, five years after being placed in special measures for running up a £130m deficit.
Trusts lose interim CEO three months into role
The interim chief executive of a hospital ‘group’ in the Midlands is moving to a neighbouring trust, leaving the leadership of his current organisation uncertain.
‘Relationship breakdown’ between councils and NHS trust
Relationships are said to have broken down between councils and a trust which has just come out of critical incident status amid extreme pressures.
Scandal trust's comms director suspended
A trust’s director of communications has been suspended from her role following reports she blocked bereaved parents on social media.
How can the NHS move from waiting lists to preparation lists?
Shared decision making and regular communication throughout a patient’s surgery pathway would, a recent HSJ webinar argued, help the NHS move from the concept of waiting lists to one of preparation lists – and to a better way of dealing with the backlog. Claire Read reports
May, Powis and Hartley given top Jubilee honours
NHS England’s national medical director and chief nurse are among the health service staff who have been recognised for their services in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours List.
Scandal trust gets another warning notice after ‘disappointing’ progress
A Midlands trust at the centre of a maternity scandal has been issued with another warning notice, with the Care Quality Commission saying it is ‘disappointing’ that safety problems have still not been addressed.
Ockenden to chair Nottingham maternity review
Donna Ockenden will chair the independent review of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust’s maternity services, following sustained pressure from the families involved.
Revealed: The 27 trusts still without an electronic patient record
Almost 30 NHS trusts do not have comprehensive electronic patient records amid a renewed push by government to get electronic systems into all NHS hospitals, according to HSJ research.
Families dismay at interim report plans despite review ‘chaos’
Families involved in a major review into maternity failings at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust have criticised the decision of the review team to press ahead with the publication of an interim report, despite serious concerns about its terms of reference and methodology.
Trust chief executive to step down after four years
The chief executive of a mental health trust that runs one of three high secure hospitals in England is due to step down.
Revealed: Trusts where most staff withhold disability status
More than half the staff at eight trusts have either refused or failed to declare whether they consider themselves ‘disabled’, an HSJ analysis has found.
Troubled acute appoints council chief as CEO
A major acute trust in the East Midlands has appointed the chief executive of the local county council to be its new chief executive.
Ex-SHA chair stands down from maternity failings review
The former trust chair and strategic health authority chief executive appointed to investigate maternity failings at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust has stood down following a call by families for her removal.
Seeing digitisation as part of a bigger picture
At Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, further digitisation is a key part of plans – including those for a new hospital. But the organisation’s leaders are clear that truly making digitisation works requires a cross-cutting strategy. Claire Read reports
More than a digital repository
While fundamentally an electronic patient record is a digital repository of information, such systems might also hold the promise of greater transformation – if the right conditions are in place