NHS waiting lists continue to fall

NHS waiting lists continued to fall in August, with a 5.9% decrease in the number waiting longer than six months for elective surgery.At the...

Kerr signals expansion of independent sector procurement

Scottish health minister Andy Kerr has told independent sector healthcare providers that Scotland is seeking greater participation from them to help drive down waiting...

Health secretary defends PCT restructuring exercise

Patricia Hewitt has defended the government’s decision to restructure primary care trusts (PCTs) and take away their service provider functions. Speaking at a conference of...

PruHealth attacks sector’s ‘small print’ regarding exclusion extensions

PruHealth has accused its counterparts in the PMI market of short-changing their customers by failing to make clear the extent to which pre-existing conditions...

US home owners face murder charges

The owners of a nursing home in New Orleans where 34 residents drowned during Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the city have been charged with...

Dementia incidence unaffected by health and wealth

Improved health and mortality among the older population are factors unlikely to reduce the risk of developing dementia according to a paper published last...

Major contractors say delays and bid costs are falling

A survey carried out by the Major Contractors Group (MCG) has revealed that PFI bid delays and costs are reducing. Compared to the results...

BMI launches private GP service

BMI Healthcare has announced plans to extend its private patient services into the primary care sector. The new private GP service, GP Extra, was launched...

Coldharbour provide advantage to Health Care staff provider

Health Care IT provider Coldharbour Systems has signed a major contract with recently formed staffing provider Advantage Health Care Group that will see the...

Government stands firm on NHS reform despite growing criticism from unions

Tony Blair has told unions to ‘get real’ over the government’s drive to increase independent sector involvement in the NHS. Speaking on Sky News after...