Novartis accused of losing money for the NHS by blocking competitor drug trial April 2, 2015 Novartis has come under fire for trying to derail trials of an eye treatment drug that would save money for the NHS – an allegation the pharmaceutical company denies. Avastin, officially a cancer drug, is highly effective at treating wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that affects around 26,00 people in the UK each [...]
Forget NHS romanticism: Market-based healthcare is far better for patients April 1, 2015 Nigel Crisp knows the NHS better than almost anyone. In his role as its chief executive (2000-2006), he oversaw the formulation and, partly, the implementation of transformative reforms. His book “24 hours to save the NHS” can serve as an antidote to the popular penchant for “NHS romanticism”, because in parts it is a story [...]
Largest NHS privatisation comes to an end March 31, 2015 Sarah Spickernell asks why the NHS’ deal with Circle Healthcare flatlined Yesterday, the NHS’ biggest privatisation experiment came to an expensive end. Circle Healthcare, which was chosen by the government three years ago to turn around the troubled Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire, is abandoning the project seven years early, leaving behind a deficit of between [...]
“Politicians are scared of telling the truth”: Circle blames Hinchingbrooke hospital failure on unequal spending cuts across the NHS March 31, 2015 Exclusive: Today, the NHS's biggest privatisation experiment ever comes to an expensive and embarrassing end – Circle Healthcare, which was chosen by the government three years ago to turn around the troubled Hinchingbrooke hospital in Cambridgeshire, is abandoning the project seven years early, leaving behind a deficit of between £7.7m and £12m. What's more, the [...]
The new Meningitis B vaccine for babies on the NHS: How much of a difference will it actually make in the UK? March 30, 2015 Later this year, the NHS will start rolling out its new Meningitis B vaccination programme for all babies in the UK. As part of the national childhood immunisation scheme, they will receive three doses of the GSK-owned medication, first at two months, then at four months and finally at 12 months. It makes Britain [...]
General Election 2015: David Cameron promises seven-day NHS as figures reveal more deaths occur at the weekend March 28, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron will promise voters a “seven-day NHS” by 2020, starting with emergency care and extending to supporting services. At the Conservative spring conference in Manchester, the Conservative leader will say patients are currently “more likely to die" if they turn up at the hospital at the weekend, and that all hospitals in [...]
Don’t blame NHS reform for our health service woes: It hasn’t gone far enough March 26, 2015 NHS performance is at its worst since the 1990s, according to the respected think tank The King’s Fund. Treatment targets are routinely being missed. A&E waiting times are their worst for a decade. Two thirds of hospitals are now in the red, as the service heads towards a £2bn deficit. While services show signs of [...]
MPs demand NHS clauses go from EU-US trade deal March 24, 2015 A POWERFUL group of MPs has told the government to drop one of the most controversial aspects from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), between the EU and the US. The business, innovation and skills (BIS) select committee reported that investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses, which could allow companies to override local laws by suing [...]
Nigel Farage: Those who can afford it should opt for private healthcare to relieve burden on the NHS March 17, 2015 Those who can afford to buy private healthcare should do so because they would help to relieve the burden on the NHS, according to Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Appearing on Tuesday's edition of the Daily Politics, Farage answered a host of questions on Ukip's policy platform, including healthcare. Farage emphasised that Ukip supported a National [...]
Exclusive: Mental illness is the most common reason for sick days at the Department of Health February 19, 2015 While the government's health department goes about trying to cure the rest of the nation, it may not be paying enough attention to its own employees. In response to a freedom of information request, Morning Wire has discovered that during the course of last year, more sick days were taken at the Department [...]