‘He tarnished my reputation’: whistleblower demands action against CQC accuser
A former adviser for the Care Quality Commission has called on the regulator to explain what action it has taken against the officials responsible for wrongly dismissing him after he raised whistleblowing concerns.
North by North West: Doing the right thing
Essential insight into NHS matters in the North West of England. Contact me in confidence here.
CQC inspection teams lacked ‘correct expertise’, review finds
A review of the Care Quality Commission’s failures in a high-profile whistleblowing case says it needs to ensure clinicians with the “correct expertise” are placed on its inspection teams.
BMA ‘rate card’ wipes out elective recovery gains, claims trust
A struggling acute trust says its failure to hit its elective care targets is directly linked to doctors’ demanding overtime rates in line with the British Medical Association’s new rate cards, as national tensions around the issue intensify.
Patient Safety Watch: All change for maternity transformation
HSJ is now hosting the Patient Safety Watch newsletter, written by Patient Safety Watch trustee James Titcombe.
Flagship merger ‘effectively scrapped’ after ‘wasting millions’
The leader of a flagship ‘hub and spoke’ pathology merger has criticised regulators after the project was effectively dropped due to delays in receiving £31m of capital that was allocated to the scheme in 2018.
Four in five trusts yet to reach digitisation target
Only one in five trusts has reached the level of digitisation required by 2025 – more than three years after the target was set, tech chiefs have revealed.
CQC brings in whistleblowing gurus to boost ‘independence and credibility’
The Care Quality Commission has hired two independent whistleblowing champions to oversee a major review of how it listens to concerns.
'Enough is enough': it's time for concerted action on poor maternity care
Sara Ledger emphasises the urgent need to improve maternity services across the country.
CQC triggers two reviews into whistleblowing concerns
The Care Quality Commission has commissioned an independent review into handling of a high-profile whistleblower case, and a wider internal review of how it responds when it is given “information of concern”.
Trusts lose out on cash after safety ‘mis-declarations’
Three trusts have lost out on more than £1m in rebate from the maternity clinical negligence scheme after they ‘mis-declared’ that they were compliant with safety requirements.
Neonatal units face ‘redesignation’ under national shake-up
A major shake-up of neonatal care, aimed at reducing mortality and illness, could see dozens of units restricted to caring for less premature babies.
Russian-owned energy firm supplies at least 11 NHS trusts
At least 11 trusts have paid just over £4m to a Russian government-owned energy supplier in the current financial year, while 17 paid the company £17m the year before, HSJ analysis shows.
Majority of ‘last resort’ ambulance diverts reported by only two trusts
Two acute trusts account for almost two-thirds of emergency department ‘diverts’ reported over the last two months.
North by North West: The omicron damage
Essential insight into NHS matters in the North West of England. Contact me in confidence here.
North by North West: Thousands of staff set for redeployment
Essential insight into NHS matters in the North West of England. Contact me in confidence here.
North by North West: The ‘magic Morecambe Bay’ facade
Essential insight into NHS matters in the North West of England. Contact me in confidence here.
NHSE and CQC criticised after new failings at Morecambe Bay
NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, and the General Medical Council have all been criticised by a review into whistleblowing concerns at a troubled acute trust.
Trust focused on ‘reputation’ failed to address patient harms
A focus on ‘reputation management’ was a factor in how an acute trust failed to properly investigate serious safety concerns in a dysfunctional department where consultants were ‘divided along ethnic lines’
NHS expecting covid negligence claims totalling over £800m
The NHS is expecting to receive compensation claims totalling over £800m over its handling of covid-19, HSJ can reveal.