Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has run a Twitter account, @jeremy_hunt, for more than two years – the oldest tweet dates from May 2010, but that refers to older ones being deleted. As culture secretary, he was an enthusiastic tweeter, but stopped with his new appointment. Last Tuesday, he returned. Continue reading “Jeremy Hunt’s week on Twitter: 10 tweets and a few blocked replies?”
Category: Healthcare
Further reading: the Cornwall council and NHS outsourcing rebellion
The last fortnight has seen extraordinary events in Cornwall. This Tuesday, council leader Alec Robertson lost a vote of no confidence, primarily over plans to outsource many local council and NHS jobs. Jim Currie, a councillor who opposes the scheme, and who had resigned last week as deputy leader, won the vote to replace him. (Both are Conservatives.) The debate was watched live via the internet by around 4,400 people. Continue reading “Further reading: the Cornwall council and NHS outsourcing rebellion”
Where is The North? Where is The South? The NHS can help
Perhaps the most evocative road signs are those that mention not a city or town, but a region – particularly when that region is The North, which appears (as The NORTH) on signs as far south as Upper Street in Islington. But there is a problem: where is The North, or at least, where is its southern boundary? Continue reading “Where is The North? Where is The South? The NHS can help”
Further reading: the NHS at the party conferences
Some useful links and quotes on the NHS from the party conferences, including the full speeches from the shadow and actual health secretaries. Continue reading “Further reading: the NHS at the party conferences”
Why London is the home of loss-making NHS hospital trusts
A decreasing number of NHS hospitals are run by plain old NHS trusts, simply because an increasing number are successfully applying to be foundation trusts – which requires evidence of financial stability. Those which have not yet become foundations are regulated by the Audit Commission, which therefore tends to oversee those on a weaker financial footing. It recently reported on the trusts still in its care, and found that 10 of the non-foundations were in financial deficit in 2011-12, totalling £177m. (Trusts have a legal duty not to make a loss, although this applies over three-year periods.) Continue reading “Why London is the home of loss-making NHS hospital trusts”