NHS Voices

How the political landscape affects the care I give

21 / 2 / 2019 11.46am

On the first Mental Health's Nurses' Day and at a time when the health service faces significant change, Alice Lloyd, student mental health nurse, describes how the changing policy landscape affects those embarking on a career in the NHS.

Destination Switzerland: First major multilateral health discussions of 2019 | Layla McCay

15 / 2 / 2019 10.19am

Two major Switzerland-based international events relevant to health were held in January: The World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization Executive Board. Layla McCay, director of international relations at the NHS Confederation shares some highlights.

What will the final Brexit decision mean for the healthcare sector? | Alice Williams

12 / 2 / 2019 10.53am

With crossroads lying ahead for Britain’s departure from the European Union, the impact that either an agreed deal or a no-deal could have on the healthcare sector is a pertinent one. Alice Williams of the Immigration Advice Service continues that for the NHS, already gripped by a staffing crisis unrelated to exterior Brexit factors, further negative influences could lead to an unmitigated disaster for Britain.

Why the NHS long-term plan needs technology to work | Dr Shaun O’Hanlon

08 / 2 / 2019 3.10pm

Without technology, the important ambitions of the NHS long-term plan are simply not achievable, writes health tech chief medical officer Dr Shaun O’Hanlon.

Non-NHS services must be part of the conversation to deliver for mental health | Chris Hampson and Sean Duggan

07 / 2 / 2019 3.52pm

The NHS Long Term Plan must recognise the role of non-NHS services in delivering services to people with mental ill-health, argue Mental Health Network executive Sean Duggan, chief executive of the Mental Health Network and Chris Hampson, chief executive of Look Ahead.

The NHS plan must be owned locally | Nick Ville

06 / 2 / 2019 12.17pm

Will the long-term plan support and enable local system leaders in addressing the systemic problems facing the NHS? Nick Ville, director of membership and policy at the NHS Confederation compares the plan against three key questions.

Hope not hopelessness: Improving physical healthcare for individuals with severe mental illness | Linda Nazarko

04 / 2 / 2019 11.59am

To help those with mental illness live long and healthy lives, Linda Nazarko, nurse consultant physical healthcare at West London NHS Trust, argues a culture change is needed so staff in mental health give the same attention to a person’s physical health as they do to mental health.

The NHS Long Term Plan and what it means for the commissioning of mental health services | Dr Phil Moore

31 / 1 / 2019 10.09am

Will the NHS long-term plan solve the decades of underinvestment and lack of services in mental health? Probably not, says Dr Phil Moore, chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners’ Mental Health Commissioners’ Network, but, he continues, it will help us move forward and step up the pace of change.

The NHS Long Term Plan: A recipe for success for CCGs? | Sara Bainbridge

29 / 1 / 2019 9.31am

What does the NHS’s long-term plan mean for clinical commissioning groups? Now that we’ve had a chance to start digesting, is this a recipe for success? As part of our NHS Voices blog series about the long-term plan, Sara Bainbridge, head of policy and delivery at NHS Clinical Commissioners discusses the plan’s strengths and weaknesses for clinical commissioning groups.

How the Real Living Wage exemplifies partnership working in Salford | Anthony Hassall

28 / 1 / 2019 11.17am

The second year of the 2018 pay deal for staff covered by the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service will continue to ensure that all directly employed NHS staff will be earning more than the Living Wage Foundation’s Real Living Wage rate in 2019/20. Anthony Hassall, chief accountable officer at NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, one of only 15 NHS organistions in England to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, explains some of the issues that the Real Living Wage raises for NHS leaders considering signing up to this standard.