HSJ Health Check – Détails, épisodes et analyse

This week guest host Ben Clover is joined by Nick Kituno and Emily Townsend. They discuss one of HSJ's most-commented stories of recent months: Chairs - what they do, what they should do and whether they get paid enough. The team also analyse the recent CQC inpatient survey, which has some counter-intuitive results

This week's HSJ podcast looks at the latest development in Shropshire's troubled health system and hospitals, and NHS England's move to ramp up the rollout of the federated data platform.

https://www.hsj.co.uk/shrewsbury-and-telford-hospital-nhs-trust/ceo-who-led-trust-through-scandals-announces-departure/7037595.article

https://www.hsj.co.uk/technology-and-innovation/nhse-u-turn-mandates-trust-use-of-the-fdp/7037578.article

NHS England has announced incentives and penalties in a bid to improve the health system’s financial plans, so this week we discuss what the new regime involves and if it will make any difference to the national £3bn deficit.

Also this week we focus on two stories from Birmingham – more bullying concerns at University Hospitals Birmingham and an update on the long-delayed Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, which HSJ revealed is due to open without the funding needed to run it. 

We also take a look at the latest pledges for the NHS by the political parties as the general election draws nearer. 

With Nick Carding, Henry Anderson and Emily Townsend. 

The NHS needs “fewer layers of management” - this is according to Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss and is one of the first significant comments made about the NHS by either candidate this summer.

We talk more about the other pledges made about health and social care so far by both candidates and where they might look to make their mark.

Also £75m has been announced to create more mental health beds - will this ease pressures in this incredibly “hot” running system? This and more from our interview with NHS England mental health director Claire Murdoch.

Link to interview: https://www.hsj.co.uk/mental-health/exclusive-new-capital-fund-to-boost-beds-and-aande-capacity/7032952.article

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Jack Serle and Emily Townsend.

This week we revisit the thorny subject of A&E standards, following calls for a new six-hour target to be introduced.

This aligns with clinical evidence about patient harm but it is at odds with NHS England’s plans to replace the four-hour standard with ‘a basket’ of ten new metrics, which does not include a six-hour target.

Also this week - we discuss news that more trusts have started publishing data showing thousands of 12-hour waits in their emergency departments, representing a huge difference to the numbers published nationally, for which the clock starts from a later point in the patient’s journey.

Annabelle is joined by Matt Discombe and James Illman.

Hospital leaders have warned there is a lack of accountability in the NHS, warning this could undermine public and political trust in the service.

In a roundtable hosted by HSJ, the most well-respected chief executives have spoken candidly about the slow pace of reform, why talking about how tired the workforce is doesn’t always help and why command and control leadership has its place.

Also in 2019, £250m was awarded to the shiny new NHS AI-lab, but a government watchdog has recently given it a damning review. We ask, what went wrong?

The NHS must find the money to fund an extra £2bn of the staff pay bill, after the government decided to increase it beyond the 3% rise that was budgeted for.

We discuss the impact this is likely to have on services and also why a particular group of senior managers are particularly demoralised.

Also this week: An HSJ investigation has highlighted the horrendously long waits faced by mental health patients while waiting for an inpatient bed in A&E. We talk more about how the health service got to this point and what should be done about it.

Link to investigation: Exclusive: ‘Outrageous’ long A&E waits for mental health patients increase 150pc | News | Health Service Journal (hsj.co.uk)

On Monday night all ambulance services in England declared the highest level of alert.

We discuss why the NHS is under such terrible pressure in July and the dangerous impact this is having on patients, staff and services.

Also more discussion about major job cuts announced within NHS England - is this a necessary change or will it consume too much time at a crucial moment for the NHS?

Tough times are ahead for the NHS, with a “nightmare” new health and social care secretary appointed and performance spiralling. On this episode we discuss the shocking true extent of the cancer care backlog after leaked figures revealed there are now over 10,000 people waiting over 104 days following a cancer referral.

Also this week, disappointing elective activity has forced NHS England to look at watering down elective financial targets, while one trust starts using “social value judgements” to decide who gets treatment first.

The NHS is facing a major reorganisation this year, including within NHS England itself.

On this episode we discuss the challenges and power struggles that lie ahead and who has the toughest job of all; the newly appointed chief workforce officer.

Annabelle is joined by HSJ editor Alastair McLellan.