NHS
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If Owen Paterson was your GP, would you look for a new one? By David McCoy
Paterson, as Secretary of State for the Environment, leads on government policy on climate change. His reaction to the latest report on the physical science of climate change by the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) raises questions about his fitness to play this vital role. If his attitude towards the care of the planet… Continue reading
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Hunt seeks to shed his duty to keep our medical data safe By Benedict Cooper
Last week in a public committee session of the Care Bill, MPs grilled Conservative ministers within the Department of Health over the dangers of the “unintended consequences” of changes to the way data is handled which could, they said, lead to private providers and insurance companies gaining access to confidential records. Continue reading
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UK national health records database to have ‘backdoors’ for police, govt?
While care.data will not store the names of the patients, it will include National Health System numbers, dates of birth, postcodes, ethnicity and sex, in addition to health condition and prescribed drugs. The goal is to sell access to the data to university researchers, health insurance companies and other parties, which can make use of… Continue reading
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Care.data questions mount – just who’ll get our medical data? By Jane Fae
Official attempts to inform patients about what will happen to their data when the new care.data database is implemented are inadequate and, on the latest evidence, seriously misleading. In August of last year, the Information Commissioner warned GPs they’d likely breach Data Protection Act if they allowed their patient data to be uploaded to care.data… Continue reading
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‘Maybe we haven’t been clear enough about med records opt-out’, admits NHS data boss By Kelly Fiveash
NHS data chief Tim Kelsey admitted today that the health service had failed to adequately inform patients about how they can opt out of having their GP medical records shared throughout England. Continue reading
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Will transatlantic trade treaty really boost wages and growth, asks TUC By Owen Tudor
As Davos trade negotiators announced they would ‘consult’ over one part of the controversial deal, the TUC met them to ask if the deal would really benefit ordinary people – or just offer up our public services to multinational investors. Continue reading
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‘Doing more with less’, the low paid and the unpaid By Shibley Rahman
Re-engineering the health system has become a hobby of thinktankers, in the best spirit of the blind watchmaker. But policy wonks are still unable to escape from the fact that the NHS is not a widget factory. The management school of Frederick Taylor is unfit for purpose in considering outcomes rather than outputs. It can… Continue reading
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New chief executive calls for “opening up” of Britain’s National Health Service By Ben Trent
Incoming National Health Service chief executive Simon Stevens has called for the “opening up” of healthcare and “reshaping our care system”. Continue reading
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NHS: GP surgeries MUST DO BETTER on data handling, says ICO By Kelly Fiveash
A number of GP surgeries in England allowed their employees to have unrestricted internet access – thereby increasing the risk of data being leaked, hacked and targeted by viruses, Britain’s information watchdog warned today. Continue reading
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Campaigning Lewisham GP to stand in Euro elections for new National Health party By Caroline Malloy
London GP Louise Irvine, who led the successful ‘Save Lewisham Hospital’ campaign, is standing for European parliament for the National Health Action Party in a bid to stop privatisation and NHS cuts. Continue reading
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Charges for migrants and visitors set precedent for wider assault on Britain’s NHS By Tony Robson
The UK Conservative-Liberal Democrat government is set to introduce, for the first time, charges for accident and emergency (A&E) treatment for temporary migrants and overseas visitors. Until now, charges have only applied to subsequent treatment as an inpatient or outpatient. Continue reading
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Mental health – a Cinderella service no more? By Alex Langford
Acknowledging the need to improve mental health services by any politician is a positive step. For such a policy to attract the Deputy Prime Minister himself is even better. So why has the reaction from mental health professionals been at best cautiously muted, and at worst dismissive? Continue reading
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Bournemouth hospital review confirms warning by NHS FightBack campaign By Ajanta Silva
Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital (RBH) NHS Trust, delivering care to a population of more than half a million people, is the latest Trust to be criticised for delivering inadequate care. Continue reading
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Hunt seeks the right to close hospitals without consulting patients By Charles West
15 January 2014 — Our NHS Jeremy Hunt is about to render Clinical Commissioning Groups impotent and unable to serve their patients needs. In the law of the jungle we see nature red in tooth and claw. Dog eats dog, might is right, competition is king and the playground bully rules the roost. Continue reading
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The NHS – my part in its downfall By Anonymous
10 January 2014 — Our NHS I have broken the NHS in to digestible bits ripe for being eaten up by private companies, confesses an NHS clinician. Continue reading
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Should you have to ‘earn’ your right to use the NHS? By Alex Langford
On top of having to pay £200 on entering the UK to maintain the decadent luxury of their own health, a new government report highlights how even after making that payment, non-EU migrants will be liable for a raft of extra charges. Continue reading
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NHS carelessly slings out care.data plans to 26.5 million Brits By Kelly Fiveash
NHS England has confirmed that the Better Information Means Better Care leaflet would be posted to 26.5 million household over the next four weeks. Patients who don’t want their medical records shared on Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s so-called care.data system are required to contact their GP surgery to opt out of that information being stored… Continue reading
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Britain: Mental health services reach breaking point By Mark Blackwood
The emotional support charity Samaritans is currently receiving a call every six seconds to its 24-hour telephone helpline, from people in distress, feeling suicidal or struggling to cope. Last year, some 600,000 people expressing suicidal feelings called the charity. Continue reading
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OurNHS in 2013 – some highlights
OurNHS is on a publishing break until the New Year. Why not check out some of our stories you may have missed? Continue reading
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British NHS director promotes ‘restructuring’ of accident and emergency departments By Ajanta Silva
Keogh wants to implement a two-tier system of A&E services within five years. Up to 70 A&E units will become Major Emergency Centres, while the remaining 70-100 units will be downgraded to ordinary non-specialist Emergency Centres. At the same time, Keogh says people should be encouraged to get help from alternative sources—the NHS 111 emergency… Continue reading
The New Dark Age 