Category: Media

Local NHS news comes from local journalists, so let’s not go paperless

Last week, Sam Shead of ZDNet got in touch with EHI Intelligence to ask if we expect to see a paperless NHS by 2018, as Jeremy Hunt pledged in a speech (analysed sharply by my EHI colleague Lyn Whitfield – she quotes one of Hunt’s aides on whether there will be funding to go paperless as saying: “Oh God. Do you mean central money? No, not a thing”). Mr Shead quoted me as follows:

“The English NHS will not be paperless by 2018,” senior analyst at EHI Intelligence, SA Mathieson, told ZDNet. “It is made up of several hundred organisations with greatly differing IT capabilities, as well as thousands of independent GPs.” Continue reading “Local NHS news comes from local journalists, so let’s not go paperless”

Impatient for NHS news and comment? Follow @impatientnhs

There is no good single source of NHS news. National news organisations generally cover the national politics and issues. Local newspapers are often the best source of information on the NHS trusts or boards in their areas, and the same is true of specialist titles on specific subjects. There are also some great NHS bloggers. But you have to work hard to watch them all. Continue reading “Impatient for NHS news and comment? Follow @impatientnhs”

Jeremy Hunt’s week on Twitter: 10 tweets and a few blocked replies?

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?”

Oxford Times hikes cover price by 53%, but it still beats coffee

The Oxford Times, the weekly local paper I have been reading since moving to Oxfordshire almost a decade ago, has just increased its cover price from 85p to £1.30. It’s a big one-off increase, and it may affect sales. But the new price feels more realistic than the old one: the Oxford Times is an exceptional local paper, and its new price is equivalent to a quality weekday paper and rather cheaper than a weekend one. Continue reading “Oxford Times hikes cover price by 53%, but it still beats coffee”