Dropping the Health Bill would save £1bn

Dropping the Health Bill would save £1bn: Abandoning the Health Bill would save the government just over £1bn in 2013, a leading academic has claimed. GP Online

Second stage of board governance guidance for aspirant foundation trusts published

Second stage of board governance guidance for aspirant foundation trusts published:

In December 2011, the Department of Health published the first stage of the assurance framework, which is a mandatory board governance memorandum for all aspirant foundation trusts.

Read the modules and listen to Laura Roberts, head of provider leadership development at DH, on why the new framework will be so valuable for NHS trusts. NHS Networks

VIDEO: NHS changes have created 'unholy mess'

VIDEO: NHS changes have created 'unholy mess': Changes to the NHS in England have created an "unholy mess", the editors of three leading journals have said. BBC News

NHS reforms criticised by leading healthcare publications

NHS reforms criticised by leading healthcare publications:

British Medical Journal, Health Service Journal and Nursing Times condemn shakeup as a 'damaging … unholy mess'

The coalition's NHS reforms, the biggest shakeup of the health service in 60 years, are a "damaging … unholy mess" that will need overhauling in five years' time, the editors of three leading healthcare publications claim.

In an editorial published simultaneously by the British Medical Journal, Health Service Journal and Nursing Times, their editors say the NHS "is far too important to be left at the mercy of ideological and incompetent intervention" and argue ,"we must make sure that nothing like this ever happens again".

The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, will attempt to soothe the anger of critics, particularly in the House of Lords where the health and social care bill will return next month, by proposing 200 amendments to the legislation later this week. However, the editorial bluntly states that the damage has already been done.

"The government's NHS reforms have proved divisive and destructive. They have slowed the improvement of NHS services and cost the UK money that it can ill afford."

In a second BMJ editorial published on Tuesday, Kieran Walshe, professor of health policy at Manchester Business School, says that abandoning the bill now would save just over £1bn in 2013.

He says there are three clear benefits to dispensing with the bill. First, it would put an end to the damaging period of prolonged organisational uncertainty in the NHS that started when the white paper was published 18 months ago. Second, it would allow NHS organisations to focus on what is the real and urgent problem for the NHS - finding £20bn in efficiency savings.

Finally, Walshe says the savings from the proposals have already been made. "Going ahead with the bill means setting up the NHS Commissioning Board (with an annual running costs of £492m), 260 clinical commissioning groups (with an annual running costs of £1.25bn), and the new economic regulator, Monitor (with its anticipated annual running costs of £82m). Each of these new statutory organisations will have additional set-up costs – perhaps amounting to a one-off spend of £360m. If the bill were stopped now, it would save all those set-up costs, and at least £650m in annual running costs – just over £1bn in 2013."

Labour seized on the analysis. Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, said: "The chorus of protest against Andrew Lansley's ill-conceived plans for the NHS grows louder by the day, uniting voices across the health world. This is a powerful and scathing critique of the government's handling of its NHS re-organisation from three of the most respected voices in healthcare.

"It reflects the strength of feeling in the health professions and echoes the widely-held that this bill is unnecessary and a distraction from the financial challenge facing the NHS."

However, it was dismissed by Lansley's aides as "not exactly unexpected".

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Our reforms are based on what NHS staff themselves have consistently said; they want more freedom from day to day bureaucracy and political interference so they can get on with the job of caring for patients. That is exactly what this bill achieves.

"It's completely untrue to suggest that dropping the bill would save the NHS money. Our plans will reduce needless bureaucracy by a third and save £4.5bn over the course of this parliament and £1.5bn every year afterwards. Every penny saved will be reinvested in frontline care for patients." The Guardian

More NHS reform in five years 'guaranteed' if Bill goes through, say editors

More NHS reform in five years 'guaranteed' if Bill goes through, say editors: The NHS will need another major re-organisation within five years if the Government presses ahead with its controversial reforms, the editors of three reputed health journals warn today. The Daily Telegraph

New study estimates autism prevalence among adults with learning disability

New study estimates autism prevalence among adults with learning disability: Adults with a more severe learning disability also have a greater likelihood of having autism according to today's report; Estimating the Prevalence o... NHS Information Centre

PIP silicone gel breast implants - update

PIP silicone gel breast implants - update:

The Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, has written to health professionals, with some more detailed guidance. The latest advice from the NHS and plastic surgery experts is that women with PiP breast implants do not need to have them removed unless they have symptoms such as pain and tenderness.

• Letter


• Patient information


• Department of Health - publications

Care in crisis 2012

Care in crisis 2012:

This report reveals that this year spending on older people’s social care in England has fallen by £500 million and the funding gap is growing. It projects that by 2012-2013 the Government would need to spend £1 billion more than this year to stop the situation getting any worse.

• Report


• Age UK - publications

Analysing hospital variation in health outcome at the level of EQ-5D dimensions

Analysing hospital variation in health outcome at the level of EQ-5D dimensions:

This paper aims to measure variation in hospital quality using a new, routinely collected dataset on patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs). It explores hospital performance with respect to self‐reported health outcomes for hip replacement patients at the level of the individual, disaggregated PROM responses.

• Paper


• CHE - publications

NHS needs better regulation

NHS needs better regulation: NHS needs more effective and intelligent regulation not more inspection. Healthcare Today

No blanket op bans, says NHS panel

No blanket op bans, says NHS panel: Local health authorities should not apply blanket bans to treatment labelled as being of 'low clinical value', an NHS panel has said. The Daily Telegraph