Healthcare week

From Guardian Healthcare Network Analysis From PCTs to GP consortia: the NHS workforce migration Thousands of staff will move from primary care trusts to GP commissioning consortia – and areas including Cumbria are already reporting problems, hears Tracey Caldwell From PCTs to GP consortia: Cambridgeshire From PCTs to GP consortia: West Cheshire Comment Informatics: the centre should not hold The NHS must convert its extensive central IT investments into a platform for innovation, says BCS Health's Dr Justin Whatling Patient from Hell: Stop, police! Reader PCPlod has commented on Patient from Hell Dick Vinegar's recent rant about email for patients and asked him for his credentials. He tries to account for his actions News Government opens up to SMEs The Cabinet Office has announced a package of measures to give small firms, charities and voluntary organisations a better chance of winning government business DH considers axing CSC NPfIT contract The government has said it is considering terminating its contract with CSC for failing to meet a deadline for delivering patient software Freedoms bill extends FoI Public sector bodies are to be required to make information available in a re-usable format under changes to the Freedom of Information Act Reducing staff sickness rates could save NHS £290m The Audit Commission has said that if NHS trusts are able to reduce staff sickness absences then major savings could be made Nicholson: GP consortia must focus on QIPP The NHS chief executive has said that GP consortia which do not focus on quality and productivity are risking their 2013 budgets BMA: Northern Ireland needs realism over healthcare provision The British Medical Association in Northern Ireland has called for an open debate on healthcare ahead of the area's 2011 elections NHS Direct engages with GP consortia England's health information and advice service has started discussions with GP commissioning consortia about offering them a range of services Links Draft report sets out future for health and social care services from Northern Ireland DHSSPS Hospitals 'should re-negotiate PFI contracts' from Telegraph health news GPs paid just £68 an hour for commissioning work from PulseToday Profile of a pathfinder - South Gloucestershire consortium from PulseToday Is the health service really so different from other service industries? From the King's Fund - Blog Ministers told: GPs should not get bonuses for underspending budgets from the Guardian Paul Burstow launches £1.39m fund to help more carers from Department of Health Andrew Lansley: Growing numbers are backing my NHS reforms from Guardian Society Most Liberal Democrat MPs oppose coalition's NHS reforms, poll reveals from the Guardian Innovation and the Health Bill from 2020health's Blog Nursing chief: £5bn savings possible of 'scandalous' NHS waste from Telegraph health news Comment by Ian Birrell: The NHS is ripe for revolution from the Observer Comment by David Miliband: The NHS deserves better than government meddling from the Observer Bad Science: Evidence supporting your NHS reforms? What evidence, Mr Lansley? from the Guardian Is anyone in favour of Andrew Lansley's NHS reforms? from the Guardian Twitter Alan Fisher, an Al-Jazeera correspondent currently in Cairo, takes time out from reporting the fall of president Hosni Mubarak to joke about NHS patient communications This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the Guardian Healthcare Network to receive regular emails on NHS innovation.