Category Archives: Medical News

BMA Advises NHS Trusts To Check EEA Doctors English Language Qualification

BMA member Brian Keighley said that “I hope the numbers from the EEA are adequately assessed for language abilities even though the GMC is currently precluded from doing this. Having said that, if there are existing gaps in the labour market we are grateful that doctors can come here to ensure consistent patient services.” Unlike […]

NHS Mortgage Will Make It Difficult For Trusts To Achieve Savings

Under the Private Finance Initiative private companies paid for and built new hospitals with the National Health Service then paying off a ‘mortgage’ over the course of 30 to 40 years. In total 103 PFI schemes were set up with a total project value of £11.3 Billion (figures relate to the time at which the […]

Shortage Of Allergy Specialists In NHS Alarming Says BSACI

Dr Nicola Brathwaite, from the BSACI, said “There are guidelines and care pathways which have been developed and are of great value, but the requirement to delivering these is more allergy specialists. Allergists can enhance services directly but also act as a multiplier by supporting, educating and interacting with doctors and nurses in primary and […]

500 NHS Managers And Administrators Face Redundancy In North East

The Unison lead officer for health in North East, Trevor Johnston, said that \”The trade unions are happy at any improvement to front-line services for patients, but must point out that managers and administrative staff carry out important functions in the NHS. We\’re very concerned that a reduction in these areas will lead to front-line […]

NHS Trusts spent £300 Million Plus On Consultancy Services In 2009

The acting Chief Executive of the National Health Service Confederation, Nigel Edwards, said that \”Any spending of taxpayers\’ money has to be justified, and the NHS has been asked by successive governments to perform tasks for which internal expertise was not present or needed to be developed. Dismissing all this spending as wasteful is unfounded. […]

Biggest Increase In NHS Complaints In Over A Decade

Tim Straughan, NHS Information Centre chief executive said that “This report shows the biggest annual rise in written complaints about NHS hospitals and community services for 12 years. However it is important to bear in mind that there has been a substantial increase in NHS activity in England over time. For example, information from two […]

NHS National Programme For IT Set For Major Scale Back

According to figures fro m Simon Burns, a minister for Health, in 2008 to 2009 the National Health Service (NHS) spent a whopping £1.6 Billion on Information Technology. Of the £1.6 Billion, £27 million was spent on Strategic Health Authorities and £682 million on Primary Care Trusts. However as both Strategic Health Authorities and Primary […]

NHS Trusts Increasingly Using Social Networking & Video Conferencing

Social Media Recently the Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust began using Justgiving.com and so far 150,000 registered users have joined.  A recent heart transplant patient said that “This web site is like a secure and simple Facebook for hospital patients and their families. It enables people to keep in touch with the patient or simply […]

Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust Loses 112 Patient Records At Bus Stop

The Head of Enforcement at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Mick Gorrill, said that “The fact that this information was several years old is of no consequence – patients’ personal data should always be handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act. I am pleased that the Trust has agreed to take remedial steps to ensure […]