Highland Marketing guest interview
Scotland’s eHealth chief is on a mission to reach beyond just the NHS. Everyone, from care workers to local authorities and citizens, must be better engaged to make the most of digital technology, Eddie Turnbull tells Highland Marketing’s Matthew D’Arcy.
News in brief
Junior doctor rolling strike action “will achieve little or nothing”: Junior doctors are being warned that striking “achieves little or nothing” as their new leader within the British Medical Association (BMA), Ellen McCourt, gears them up for a potential “rolling programme of escalated industrial action” starting as early as next month. National Health Executive reported that McCourt, who chairs the BMA’s junior doctors committee (JDC), said in an email to members that the union has “simply seen nothing” when it comes to issues which need to be resolved by the government surrounding the problematic junior doctor contract. She said: “I have repeatedly told the secretary of state what needs to be addressed and, crucially, by when. We have seen some last-minute movement from Health Education England on whistleblowing protections, and from NHS leaders with regard to the role of the Guardian of Safe Working, but the government remains persistently silent.” McCourt added: “Forcing a contract on junior doctors in which they don’t have confidence, that they don’t feel is good for their patients or themselves, is not something they can accept.” But Daniel Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: “Industrial action achieves little or nothing, but places pressure on already stretched teams and services and causes worry, distress and disruption for patients, carers and their families. Over the last two months we have been talking with the JDC and have, along with the Department of Health and others, responded positively to their concerns regarding the guardian role and whistleblowing.” McCourt, who was appointed in July after previous leader Dr Johann Malawana resigned after junior doctors voted 58% against a revised contract, had always promised to continue to fight the contract imposition.
NHS dementia atlas reveals patchy care: A new dementia atlas, published by the government, revealed patchy NHS care for the condition across England, reported the BBC. While some regions on the map appeared to meet national standards in terms of offering regular reviews and support, others fell short, said health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Charities said the “postcode lottery” of care was unacceptable. The atlas maps five themes of care – prevention, diagnosis, support, living with dementia and end of life care – using benchmarks for each. For example, every person living with dementia should have an annual check-up to review their care needs. In some areas of England, such as Aylesbury and North East Lincolnshire, around 85% of patients get these face-to-face meetings. In other areas, the figure is much lower. In Somerset, for example, the figure is 50%. Caroline Abrahams of Age UK said: “In some areas we know help is really good but elsewhere services are frankly not up to scratch, with only a few people receiving at least an annual review of their care following diagnosis. We must continue efforts to improve both access to, and quality of, care for the growing number of us living with dementia.” The Alzheimer’s Society has appointed actress Carey Mulligan as the first UK Global Dementia Friends Ambassador. Mulligan’s new role will see her draw attention to the importance of making communities dementia-friendly. The award-winning actress said: “My nan has dementia and I have experienced first-hand how devastating it can be. It affects everyone differently and it’s so important that everyone affected by the condition is treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve. At the moment, there’s not nearly enough awareness and as a global society we have a duty to change that.”
Scotland’s home care sector in crisis: A damning report into Scotland’s home care service claimed the sector is at breaking point, with vulnerable people failing to receive the care they need, reported the Herald Scotland. The UNISON Scotland report revealed claims from many carers that they were given too little time to properly care for clients, with some receiving less than 15 minute slots because travel times were not accounted for. Staff also claimed budget cuts and privatisation meant that the emphasis in the sector was now on “quantity rather than quality”. The ‘We Care, Do You?’ report also showed carers often went without pay for travelling time between visits and regularly had to work longer than their contracted hours. Stephen Smellie, UNISON Scotland’s deputy convener, said: “This report highlights the shocking truths of a dedicated, caring workforce who are being stretched to the limit, often resulting in their own stress and ill-health. They juggle with travelling time and running late, to ensure their tasks are completed as best as they can, some often go back in their own time to make sure their clients’ needs are met. The most vulnerable people in our society rely on the services our home carers provide. They deserve better, much better – and so do care workers.” Freedom of information requests by UNISON revealed that 25 councils paid staff for travelling expenses, but four only paid their own staff, not contracted workers. Three councils confirmed they did not pay at all, while one said it varied. The recent Procurement Act allows payment of the living wage to be a factor in the issuing of contracts, but the councils who responded to UNISON said they did not use the procurement guidelines.
Confidence in CCGs plummets as GPs feel excluded from decisions: Confidence in clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) among GPs has plummeted, with the number of GPs believing that CCGs act without consulting them, NHS England has admitted, reported Pulse. NHS England’s “360 degree stakeholder survey”, conducted by Ipsos MORI, found that CCG performance in most areas declined, largely due to a negative shift in opinion from GP member practices. CCGs’ scores for GP engagement fell drastically, with the proportion of GPs who think arrangements for member participation in decision-making in the CCG are effective dropping to 59% in 2016 from 68% a year ago. Just one in three GP member practices reported that they felt able to influence their CCGs’ decision-making process “a great deal” or “a fair amount”, whilst one in four reported that they are “not able to at all”. GP practices also reported that they received little or no engagement from CCGs in 2016, with nearly half of GP respondents saying that their views were not listened to. NHS England said in a letter accompanying the survey: “Results show that satisfaction has fallen in some areas which in the majority of cases is caused by a shift in feedback from GPs only and is not reflected in the positions of other stakeholder groups.” Family Doctor Association chair Dr Peter Swinyard said: “CCGs were created to set up a channel for blame straight to GPs, so it is not surprising that the results of the survey have been negative. Many of the GPs who sit on CCG boards have gone native. Ideally you’d have a maximum tenure for GPs sitting on CCG boards but the number of volunteers is very often lower than the number of places.”
Digital doctor project launched: A series of workshops and online activity has been launched to engage people and their family doctors in designing new ways for GPs to engage with their patients digitally, reported Holyrood. Although some GP practices already offer online bookings and repeat prescriptions, it is hoped more widespread and innovative solutions can be found. “Our GP” will seek to identify the needs of people compared with what their doctor can provide and explore ways of solving it digitally. This will include allowing people to design and test the solutions they come up with in workshops across Scotland in October. The project will be run by the Health and Social Care Alliance with support from the Scottish government and digital company mhabitat. The Scottish government’s national clinical strategy, released earlier this year, stated more people should be able to live at home, managing their own conditions. Health secretary Shona Robison said: “We are committed to engaging with service users and seeking their participation in the design and delivery of public services.” Ian Welsh, chief executive of the Alliance said: “This forward thinking initiative can help to design healthcare which better addresses the needs of people from right across the country. Our ethos is that services should be created and designed with people as partners, and co-design offers an approach with empowerment at its core. Everyone has a contribution to make in transforming our health and social care support and services and creating a future in which people have a strong voice and enjoy their right to live well.”
NHS England will step in if mental health cash does not reach front line: NHS England will take action in areas where funding pledged for mental health services is not reaching the front line, reported Health Service Journal (subscription required). Claire Murdoch, national mental health director, said if commissioners and providers are not investing in services as set out in NHS England’s implementation plan or hitting key performance targets, the national body will step in. The plan, published last month, outlined how £3.97bn of additional cash for mental health services by 2020-21 would be spent. Former Mental Health Network chief executive Stephen Dalton said the “acid test” for the plan will be ensuring the cash reaches the front line and the plan needed a “transparent, independent and publicly visible” governance process to show money went where it was pledged. Ms Murdoch said: “I have been brought in to ensure that we deliver the plan we have published, so absolutely there will be a response to those areas that are failing to invest in mental health as they should. If they are failing to do that or to deliver on key and significant targets, we will have to look at what support offer we can make. I am well aware, and NHS England is well aware, that this will challenge the system at a time when the system is already challenged, but ministers have made this commitment, NHS England has given this commitment and we will work with the system to deliver these targets nationally.” Key pledges include investing £108m to integrate physical and mental health services; a £1.8m pilot scheme giving six regions new commissioning powers for tertiary mental health services; and £365m plans to help 30,000 more women a year with perinatal mental health problems.
220,000 digital beginners given eHealth skills via Tinder Foundation: A partnership between a tech-for-good charity that aims to tackle social challenges with digital solutions and the NHS has produced a sharp increase in eHealth awareness, reported Health IT Central. Over 220,000 UK residents participated in a joint project run by the non-for-profit Tinder Foundation, and NHS England in a three-year scheme that ended earlier this year to acquire better digital health skills. The net result has been dramatic – a 21% drop in GP surgery calls or visits and a 6% reduction in A&E visits among the participant group, the partners said, which could translate to as much as a £6m savings off the NHS annual budget. What’s even more interesting is that the scheme was deliberately set up to try and attract the interest of people with low or even zero existing computer awareness – demonstrating the potential for more take-up of electronic ways of accessing health services. The scheme – the Widening Digital Participation Programme – shows that “digital has the power to affect people’s lives at scale”, according to the Tinder Foundation’s CEO, Helen Milner. Widening Digital Participation was set up in response to a challenge from UK Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox to try and open up the internet from a health self-help perspective to those suffering from the most digital deprivation or lack of confidence with IT. All 220,000 citizens had to be assessed as experiencing at least one form of exclusion, from being homeless to having some sort of disability, said the Foundation.
Telemedicine used by almost 60% of NHS trusts: More than half of NHS trusts across the UK have adopted telemedicine technologies, enabling them to diagnose and treat patients remotely, reported Building Better Healthcare. According to new figures obtained from freedom of information requests by telemedicine specialist, Imerja, 58% of trusts said they used some sort of telemedicine to care for patients. While some only used the technology in one department, others have been quicker to embrace new ways of working, with one trust revealing that almost 75% of its 85 departments rely on telemedicine. The most-popular application of telemedicine is in stroke care, with 41% of trusts treating stroke patients remotely. Other examples include the provision of rapid-response services in A&E departments, out-of-hours services for elderly care home residents, and the delivery of care to the prison service. Thirty two trusts collected patient and clinician feedback on their telemedicine applications, and 97% of these trusts claimed feedback had been positive. Sixty eight per cent of those trusts using the technology also said they have plans in place to expand usage. Commenting on the findings, Ian Jackson, managing director at Imerja, said: “NHS trusts are operating in a very challenging environment which makes efficiency savings paramount. It’s therefore encouraging to see so many trusts using telemedicine as a way to spread their resources and expertise while reducing costs. Trusts that are yet to adopt telemedicine should explore how it could improve their service delivery.”
Trusts quizzed to become digital excellence centres: Selected trusts competing for part of a £100m “digital excellence” funding pot must justify their bid through details of their relationships, support, and digital forward planning, reported DigitalHealth.net. NHS England will judge the 26 selected acute trusts on six broad questions. The commissioning body said these questions would include, “how will you contribute to developing digital maturity?” and “what would success look like?”. Other questions included, “what relationships do you have in place to help you become a centre of global digital excellence?” and, “what support do you have to join this programme?”. The answers to these questions will form the basis on which 16 of the 26 trusts will be awarded up to £10m in central funding to become “centres of global digital excellence”. When the fund was announced earlier this month, NHS England said it was based on their digital maturity self-assessment scores, something that was criticised by several DigitalHealth.net readers who felt this policy left less advanced trusts further behind. An NHS spokeswoman said the £100m has come from the existing settlement for paperless 2020, the £1.3bn earmarked by health secretary Jeremy Hunt in February. There is a variety of systems run at the selected trusts including Cerner millennium, Epic, InterSystems TrakCare, EMIS, TPP, IMS MAXIMS, System C Medway, and Allscripts.
Greater use of technology in asthma will cut GP appointments and improve care: Investment in digital technologies will be a “game changer” in asthma management, helping to support self-management and reducing pressure on GPs, Asthma UK has said, reported GPOnline. A report published by the charity said that technology delivered via smartphones, including “smart inhalers”, apps that help individuals avoid triggers and remote monitoring, would revolutionise asthma care and ease pressure on the NHS. The report, ‘Connected asthma: how technology will transform care’, said immediate action should be taken to ensure every person with asthma has an action plan available to them digitally. These action plans should eventually be incorporated into shared patient records. Asthma UK also called on the NHS to establish a testing programme for smart inhalers, which have shown promise to improve treatment adherence and work by using a Bluetooth device or sensor that collects data on medication use and sends alert reminders to use the inhaler. Asthma UK chief executive, Kay Boycott said: “Digital health tech is likely to be the game changer that transforms current asthma management and the patient-doctor relationship. We need to see a shift towards supporting greater self-management of asthma and less reliance on overstretched clinical services. Bearing in mind that 85% of asthma patients are being treated in primary care, this kind of technology could help ease pressure on the healthcare system by drastically reducing the number of routine GP appointments required by people with asthma through routine remote monitoring.”
Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust launches system to streamline patient records: The Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is rolling out its new health informatics platform which it hopes will allow it to streamline information sharing and improve patient care, reported Health IT Central. The platform, named HealthShare, will be used to combine information across multiple services and create a single comprehensive digital health record for every patient. This record will be accessible at any stage of a patient’s healthcare journey, regardless of the location or service. The new system is part of the trust’s integrated care model, designed to break down barriers between health and social care services and improve outcomes for patients. The launch followed a successful pilot programme of the system, which saw HealthShare used by the heart failure team at Torbay Hospital. Joanne Passmore, a heart failure specialist nurse at the trust, said: “HealthShare alerts us if any of our heart failure patients are admitted to hospital, allowing us to speak with them and their wider care team. We can also review medications and recovery plans. On discharge, this information is shared across our acute and community teams. As a result, patients receive continuous, informed and high-quality care by everyone they come into contact with.” The new system, which has been developed by the software company InterSystems, will be rolled out to over 3,000 clinicians across the area’s health and social care community over the coming year.
Two companies on £20m Scottish EPMA framework: Just two firms have been given “preferred bidder” status for an e-prescribing framework contract in Scotland that should be completed and signed by the end of next month, reported DigitalHealth.net. EMIS Group looks set to sit alongside JAC Computer Services on the framework, which is seen as a key part of the country’s efforts to digitise its health services. Scotland’s eHealth Strategic Programme noted that, while health boards have made “significant progress” in rolling out core systems and portals, they still have some significant gaps in their electronic patient records and access to them. Electronic prescribing was identified as an area that “remains predominantly paper-based” in almost all areas except NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and “is viewed as a vital missing-piece of the digital medications jigsaw”. NHS National Services Scotland went on to publish a tender in June 2015, saying that it wanted to procure a multi-supplier Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicine Administration (HEPMA) framework. The prior information notice said this would be worth between £10m and £20m over four years. NHS Services Scotland said: “Both of these companies will now be placed on a framework and individual health boards may then choose between them. We expect this framework to be completed and signed by the end of September, 2016.” EMIS Health said the move would give health boards access to its “fully integrated suite of HEPMA e-prescribing, medicines management, and hospital pharmacy systems” all of which can be used with touch screen devices. Robert Tysall-Blay, chief executive of JAC said: “The funding and focus on hospital e-prescribing as part of the Scottish e-Health Strategy 2014-2017 will certainly help delivery of one of the central aims of the strategy.”
Virgin chosen in bid for £500m community care contract for Bath and North East Somerset: Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) announced Virgin Care as its preferred bidder to co-ordinate more than 200 health and care services in people’s homes and communities, reported Somerset Live. The new “prime provider” contract will make it easier for different health and care professionals to work closer together to deliver better outcomes for local people. Subject to further assessment, NHS Bath and North East Somerset CCG and Bath and North East Somerset Council expect to award the contract to Virgin Care in November 2016. There will then be a five month transition period before services start to transfer to the new provider. The announcement followed a two-year programme of engagement and consultation with local people and professionals to identify their priorities for health and care services delivered outside of hospitals and GP practices. Dr Ian Orpen, a local GP and clinical chair of the CCG said: “Many people have difficulty finding their way around the health and care system to get the care they need. Virgin Care’s proposal means that services can be better co-ordinated and people will be supported to access all the services that can help them improve their health and wellbeing.” The CCG and the council will now begin three months of intensive testing and discussions with Virgin Care. A full business case will be presented to the council and CCG board at public meetings in November respectively to seek their authorisation to formally award the contract.
iPatient EMIS integration complete: iPatient has been approved as the first patient facing software available under the GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC) contracts, reported DigitalHealth.net. Brian Fisher, co-director of health software company PAERs, said final approval to “pair” iPatient with the EMIS Health’s primary GP system was granted by NHS Digital last week. This means that iPatient, a patient record and communication software, is available to patients across any GP practices using the EMIS Web system. Fisher said there were still some changes needed to make it easier for patients to log-in to iPatient, within EMIS, which required GPs to issue patients a new link key, but these should be fixed within a few weeks. iPatient is a patient facing record system, that allows patients to view their health records and test results, book appointments, use secure messaging, and request repeat prescriptions. The pair is covered by the GPSoc contracts signed in March 2014. The contracts require primary systems suppliers to provide interface mechanisms to allow the suppliers of subsidiary services to integrate with them. For subsidiary suppliers, gaining GPSoc approval means access to revenue, as they will receive a payment per transaction once a patient signs up to use their service. Fisher said the initial revenue from these transactions would be small but if iPatient did prove popular with patients it would open the door to offering more services, much as targeted public health messaging and greater integration with other health data.
Nervecentre launch mobile clinical photography solution to improve patient care plans in hospitals: Nervecentre Software has launched a mobile clinical photography solution for nurses and doctors in hospitals, reported eHealthNews.eu. The mobile software is completely compliant with clinical and information governance guidelines and allows photos to be captured within the patient record and then securely stored immediately. The photos are efficiently organised and categorised on the chosen patient’s record. Soon to be used by staff at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), the mobile clinical solution will be embedded into every part of the patient pathway. Caron Swinscoe, chief nurse of health informatics and head of clinical engagement at NUH, explained: “With every nurse and doctor carrying a mobile device, smart-phones are set to revolutionise how clinical photography is used. With the appropriate permissions, a clinician can view photos anywhere, on a mobile device, on a large screen for a board round, and are always integrated into the patient record, forming an integral part of the patient’s care plan.” Use of clinical photography in hospitals has a variety of important uses to assist in the diagnosis and monitoring of wounds and can provide evidence to support patient incidents or litigation. Paul Volkaerts, CEO of Nervecentre Software, said: “Enabling clinical photography to be done by all nurses and doctors, and integrating those photos directly into the patient record has a transformational effect on patient care. Once you have real-time images incorporated in a board round, it’s hard to understand working without them.”
England’s first two joint regional chief nurses unveiled: The first two appointments in a series of new joint regional chief nurse posts have been announced today by NHS England and NHS Improvement, reported Nursing Times. Sue Doheny has been confirmed as regional chief nurse for the South of England and Professor Oliver Shanley will be chief nurse for London. The two appointments will be expected to provide professional leadership to all members of the nursing and midwifery professions in their region, bringing “greater clarity for frontline staff”. Ms Doheny, who trained in Cardiff and has a background in community nursing, has held a number of senior roles within NHS England’s previous regional structure. She said: “I am delighted to be taking up this new role working with the nursing and midwifery teams both at NHS England South and at NHS Improvement South. I hope that by having a single professional nursing and midwifery leader for the region we will be able to work more closely together for the benefit of both organisations and for the benefit of patients.” Mr Shanley, a mental health nurse by background, was most recently deputy chief executive and chief nurse at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. He said: “I am thrilled to have been appointed to the role of regional chief nurse for London. It is a fantastic opportunity to promote nurses and midwives and ensure we continue to deliver high quality care whilst being at the forefront of continuous improvements across the NHS.” Dr Ruth May, executive director of nursing for NHS Improvement, said: “These joint appointments will strengthen our ability to provide great nursing leadership across London and the South.”
Join techUK’s cyber security in health and social care working group: techUK will be hosting its first working group for its members involved in cyber security in health and social care on Thursday 8th September 2016. This will provide an opportunity for companies to become part of a strategic body to help shape techUK’s activity in cyber security and contribute towards developing content and direction to shape future policies and initiatives within this area. As the pace of change in digital health increases, so too does the need for clear and effective cyber security. As part of this group therefore, members will be uniquely placed to help drive understanding to ensure that cyber security is at the forefront of digital change that is taking place in health and social care. If you are interested in attending, contact techUK by Friday 26th August.
Opinion
NHS rationing under the radar
With local health systems being told to balance their books in the middle of the biggest financial crisis in recent NHS history, Ruth Robertson, fellow in policy at The King’s Fund, considers the impact of this pressure on patients and staff.
“While the NHS has always had to set priorities, with these unprecedented financial pressures it is inevitable that some organisations will be forced to restrict access to certain services or dilute quality of care as they seek to curtail spending. In some areas this is happening already.
“On an individual level, this is like the bank cutting off the overdraft that you rely on when you have just started a family and your rent has gone up. You are forced to cut spending on non-essentials, but deciding what ‘the essentials’ are is tough.
“Of course, financial pressures affect some parts of the health system more than others. While NHS England has overspent on its specialised commissioning budget for the past three years (this budget pays for specialised treatment for the sickest patients), local authorities had to find £200m pounds of savings in their public health budget last year, and have been asked to make a further 3.9% annual real-terms savings for the next five years. While protecting care for the sickest patients has to be the right thing to do, cuts to public health budgets are stacking up problems for the future.
“Decisions to withhold or substitute treatment are not necessarily bad for patients if they are based on evidence about clinical effectiveness. There is evidence from across the NHS of the overuse of ineffective treatments – an area where the NHS should be looking for opportunities to improve quality of care, as well as to save money.
“Considering the wider impact of financial pressures on the health care system, it’s important to remember too that it’s not only patients who are affected. NHS staff often act as a buffer, working longer hours or more intensely to ensure the people they treat still receive a high-quality service.
“The government should be honest with the public about what the NHS is realistically able to offer with its available funding.”
Feet first, our NHS is limping towards privatisation
Polly Toynbee, columnist at the Guardian, discusses how the NHS in England is in retreat and the private sector is filling the vacuum.
“Every week 135 people have amputations because diabetes has caused their feet to rot. Numbers are rising fast, with nearly three million diabetics. The scandal is that 80% of these amputations are preventable – if there were the podiatrists to treat the first signs of foot ulcers.
“In his surgery, the head of podiatry for Solent NHS Trust, Graham Bowen, said: “In the NHS we’re essentially firefighting the worst cases now. We are going through our lists and discharging all the rest of our patients.” The conventional and cheapest treatment is a dressing and a removable plastic boot, and telling patients to keep their foot up for months. For £500 extra, a new instant fibreglass cast saves any pressure on ulcers and cures them within eight weeks.
“Although the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says this total-contact cast is the gold standard, most of Bowen’s CCGs won’t pay for it. For every 10 of the new casts, one amputation is prevented – and each amputation costs the NHS £65,000. Such is the madness of NHS fragmentation, divided between multiple commissioners and providers, all in serious financial trouble, that no one spends a bit more now for others to save later, even when the payback is so quick.
“As Bowen goes through the clinic’s books removing all but the most acute cases, he turns away diabetics whose problems should be caught early. He turns away others he used to treat: the old and frail who have become immobile due to foot problems. What happens to those he takes off his books? “They have to go private, if they can afford it. If not, then nothing.” Only 5% of podiatry is now done by the NHS so Bowen has set up TipToe, a private practice attached to his NHS clinic. It’s not what he wants, but it keeps prices low and all proceeds go to the NHS.
“Alarm bells should ring here: how silently the NHS slides into the private sector.
“Only in the details of what’s happening on the frontline can we understand the daily reality of Britain’s shrinking state. As the NHS slides into the private sector, here is yet another public service in retreat.”
Some rare good news for NHS finances, at least in the short term
Adam Roberts, senior economics fellow at the Health Foundation, reflects on recent analysis from Health Service Journal (HSJ) that provides some welcome and rare good news for NHS finances.
“Since the Five Year Forward View (5YFV) was published we have seen an escalation in provider deficits, from £800m to £2.5bn last year, which saw the Department of Health overspend its resource budget by £200m. We’ve also seen deterioration against the key national access targets.
“This year is seen as pivotal for achieving stability in the system. There will be investment via the sustainability and transformation fund and a relaxing of fines for national targets. In return providers must show progress towards meeting key access targets, and accept that a deficit of more than £250m this year is unacceptable.
Roberts writes about how recent analysis by HSJ suggests that this extra support might be enough for providers to hit their financial plans.
“If this early indication is correct, then it will be some welcome and rare good news for NHS finances. The additional investment for the 5YFV was frontloaded, which means a large increase this year (although current pressures have seen this eroded), then near flat real term funding in following years. It is therefore essential to move towards stability in this relatively good year in order to better manage the more austere years to come.
“The true test will be whether the improvement can be maintained through winter and into the following years, when the financial position will be much worse with close to flat real term funding growth. We must not forget that achieving all financial targets this year would still mean a deficit of a quarter of a billion, which will need to be covered by savings from other NHS bodies, or yet another raid of the capital budget.
“The message for NHS providers is clear: improve on the finances and improve on the performance. The NHS urgently needs a strategy for the long term to improve efficiency and ensure it has the workforce needed to deliver high quality patient care.”
Highland Marketing: view from the top
The autumn event season is only a few weeks away for the healthcare industry, and this gives companies the opportunity they need to make an impression on a health service looking to embrace technology to enhance productivity. It is vital that healthcare suppliers do more than just turn up. They should embrace event marketing if they are going to make the most of the opportunity, argues healthcare sales and marketing veteran, and Highland Marketing CEO, Mark Venables.
