NHS Voices

What the new Prime Minister will mean for the NHS | Niall Dickson

15 / 7 / 2019 8.44am

Barring the unexpected, Boris Johnson will be our next Prime Minister. And this matters for all of us concerned about the NHS. Apart from his own priorities, he will bring a new Chancellor, possibly a new Health Secretary in England and, of course, continued uncertainty about Brexit and much else. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, reinforces what we need to make sure stays on the political agenda.

Healthcare is a dangerous business | Niall Dickson

12 / 7 / 2019 2.29pm

Across the world avoidable medical errors, the result both of individual mistakes and system flaws, cost millions of lives. In the US, such iatrogenic morbidity has been calculated to cause up to 250,000 excess deaths a year, while safety failures may cost 11,000 lives in the NHS in England every year. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, looks at the NHS Improvement’s recently published patient safety strategy and what it means to the NHS.

Healthy places improving and protecting the nations health | Aimee Stimpson and Clare Perkins

09 / 7 / 2019 1.19pm

There are many factors influencing our long-term health, including the environment we live, work and spend our leisure time in. Public Health England’s Clare Perkins, deputy director of priorities and programmes, and Aimee Stimpson, national lead for healthy places, give insight into how buildings, transport, access to green spaces and our local shops and services can all impact both our physical and mental health.

Another step towards integrated care - but pitfalls remain | Niall Dickson

08 / 7 / 2019 9.17am

There is widespread support for the vision of the NHS long-term plan and the key question is whether we can deliver the changes required locally to make it a reality, writes Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, as he weighs up the prospects of progress for integrated care systems.

Interoperability is key for digital success | David Parkin

05 / 7 / 2019 2.22pm

The NHS needs to develop digitally and a big part of that is making it digitally interoperable. How do we tackle the conundrum of digital interoperability and the NHS? David Parkin, senior membership and policy officer at the NHS Confederation, tells us more.

Unfinished business - let's not forget the Spending Review and the vital funding needed for the NHS

03 / 7 / 2019 9.34pm

The 70th birthday settlement was a welcome boost for the NHS, but the government mustn’t lose sight of the fact the Spending Review must provide funding if the NHS is to keep going, never mind achieve the aspirations set out by the government, warn Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederationn and Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of The Health Foundation.

Vertical integration: How and why it works | Sultan Mahmud

02 / 7 / 2019 10.34am

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s work on vertically integrating its services with GP practices continues to gather attention and, here, Sultan Mahmud, director of integration at The Royal Wolverhampton, reflects on the shared values that have underpinned new contractual relationships they have developed, and without which the new partnership arrangements would fail.

The Health and Social Care Select Committee shows NHS support in its proposals for legislative changes | Matthew Macnair-Smith

28 / 6 / 2019 8.53am

As the drive to find our next prime minister looks set to rumble on for another month, it would be easy to believe legislation regarding the future of the NHS may fall by the wayside.

Can technology help relieve pressure on primary care ?| Dr Shaun O’Hanlon

27 / 6 / 2019 9.30pm

Technology offers new ways of delivering services that can help clinicians and patients, writes health tech chief medical officer, Dr Shaun O’Hanlon.

Morecambe Bay FT is building on its success and bringing its communities with it | Aaron Cummins

26 / 6 / 2019 10.29am

Following the success of the Better Care Together programme, Aaron Cummins, chief executive at Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust, is clear on the conditions that have made partnership working so strong in the Morecambe Bay ICP, and now he reflects on where he feels they need to go next.