NHS doctors can work in independent treatment centres, UK health minister announces

Equity and NHS reforms. What about independent sector treatment centres?

Evidence of doctors' health minister at last.

Fragmented health care services are responsible for South Africa's dismal infant and maternal mortality rates while budgets are being greedily consumed by bloated and inefficient administrations that sideline clinicians at the coalface. New Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said this to 200 doctors at Groote Schuur Hospital while sharing how he plans to turn the floundering health care ship a...

New health minister promises open door, pledges to work with doctors.

Case-mix & patients' reports of outcome in Independent Sector Treatment Centres: Comparison with NHS providers

BACKGROUND There has been considerable concern expressed about the outcomes achieved in Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) introduced in England since 2003. Our aim was to compare the case-mix and patients' reported outcomes of surgery in ISTCs and in NHS providers. METHODS Prospective cohort study of 769 patients treated in six ISTCs and 1895 treated in 20 NHS providers (acute hosp...

Translating Health IT Policy into Practice in the UK NHS

The challenge to provide a nation-wide integrated health service is central to UK government policy. The National Program for Information Technology was launched in 2002 to transform healthcare using information and communications technology. As the largest, non-military, non-scientific government funded IT program worldwide, it was planned over a decade with an estimated total cost expected to...