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”
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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”
The mystery of why Scotland’s health is worse than England’s
Last week saw the publication of the latest Scottish Health Survey. There is plenty of interest – scroll down to figure 2, showing how cigarette smoking is correlated to deprivation, with about 12% of the least deprived fifth of men smoking compared with more than 40% of the most deprived fifth. But what it doesn’t do is compare Scotland’s health to that of other parts of the UK. Continue reading “The mystery of why Scotland’s health is worse than England’s”
Hartlepool shows how pension funds could save NHS hospitals from PFI
A new NHS hospital typically costs hundreds of millions of pounds to build. Trusts do what anyone buying a new home does: they take out a mortgage. The problem has been that most trusts (in England, anyway) have had only one, weird type of mortgage available: a private finance initiative (PFI). Continue reading “Hartlepool shows how pension funds could save NHS hospitals from PFI”
Why are French pharmacy signs so animated?
Pharmacies in France are useful places. They offer a wide range of medicines and advice. However, the same is true of pharmacies elsewhere in the world… but they don’t have signs like French pharmacy signs. This one was filmed in Lille, but is typical of many. Continue reading “Why are French pharmacy signs so animated?”