HM Special Reports

The new legislation represents a curate’s egg for independent advisers – good in parts, but disappointing in many others. Four key themes emerge from our analysis of the amendments. The new licensing regime remains a building block to the creation of a fair playing field, but many questions remain over its implementation. The original proposals with respect to the promotion of competition have been diluted, with more emphasis on the benefits of integration, but the impact of competition law on the NHS can no longer be ignored. Hopes of a single failure regime for all providers have been dashed, and proposed licence conditions around continuity of services will require close scrutiny. The proposed commissioning structure has emerged relatively unscathed, but the scope for the independent sector to support commissioning remains unclear.

Q What is your background and how did you begin working with Cygnet?

Health and Social Care Act 2012

The private medical insurance industry is going through a period of consolidation and meeting the challenges of fewer people taking out insurance but self paying for treatment. Des Benjamin, managing director of Simplyhealth talks about what this means for the private hospital sector.

For many primary care providers, the landlord of their surgery is their local primary care trust (PCT). When PCTs cease to exist in April 2013 where will that leave the primary care providers? Ingrid Saffin, head of healthcare at Mundays LLP explains.

Q How did Partnerships in Care (PiC) start?

Performance dismissals

In addition to the revelations on page 1 about competition within the hospital sector the report also analyses further statistics on the country’s acute care provision.

2011 has been a landmark year for the healthcare sector. While recent reports suggest that the NHS as a whole is holding up well in light of the first round of public sector spending cuts, certain organisations are believed to be struggling more than others.

St Andrew’s Healthcare is the largest not-for-profit mental Healthcare charity in the UK. Siân Barton meets its chief executive, mental health expert Professor Philip Sugarman, who explains why the St Andrew’s model works and the plans in place to help the organisation continue to thrive