NEWS
Whistleblowing advice for social care staff
The NHS whistleblowing helpline was extended to social care staff from January 1.
With a new number, the free, inde- pendent and confidential service will operate on weekdays, with an answering machine for weekends and public holidays. A web ser- vice is also being developed.
This initiative aims to give more workers the confidence to report abuse or raise concerns about patient safety without fearing the consequences of personal reprisal or victimisation.
The service is being provided by the Royal Mencap Society.
The NHS has in the past often sought to gag whistleblowers or remove them from their positions, rather than deal with their con- cerns – a situation that ministers have pledged to improve.
The new EU Energy Efficiency Di- rective could cost the NHS over £70m each year, the NHS Confed- eration’s European office has said.
But the NHS Sustainable Develop- ment Unit (SDU), on behalf of the Department of Health, said the upfront costs of energy efficiency measures quickly turn into savings.
The proposed directive will force EU countries to cut their energy consumption, but at a time of restricted budgets for the NHS, there are fears it could impact patient care. Public sector bod- ies would be required to renovate 3% of floor space of total build- ing stock to high energy efficiency levels each year. However, the NHS Confederation’s
European
Office suggests this could limit the way organisations can implement energy saving measures.
Its director, Elisabetta Zanon, said: “These EU proposals are too
flexibility in how the rules are im- plemented.”
The directive will also impose a re- quirement on public bodies to pro- cure more energy efficient products and services, resulting in additional upfront costs to the NHS. The full European Parliament is expected to vote on the directive in April 2012.
rigid and top-heavy. They will cre- ate a real headache for organisa- tions that are already trying to find sizeable savings.
“We really don’t want to find our- selves in a scenario where we have to divert money away from patient care to pay for costly building renovations.
“We are currently working with EU decision-makers to achieve more
The NHS Sustainable Develop- ment Unit told NHE that the NHS in England aims to cut carbon by 10% by 2015, in line with the health service’s Carbon Reduction Strategy, and that upfront costs will quickly turn into savings.
NHS SDU director David Pencheon said: “An initial invest- ment in newer heating or more ef- ficient lighting systems can often return their original investment within three to five years. It makes good financial sense if NHS or- ganisations invest to save.”
NHS ‘on track’ to achieve savings, says DH
NHS performance is on track to deliver up to £5.9bn of savings this financial year, according to an official report published by the Department of Health. All the eight key quality areas have been main- tained or improved, the report states.
PCTs have so far delivered £2.5bn of savings in the first six months of the efficiency challenge, and the NHS is predicting a year-end surplus of around £1.2bn.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “I am committed to the NHS and to services for patients – one that is free at the point of use.
“That’s why there will be a £12.5bn increase in funding over the next four years, including £4.1bn in 2011/12. But even with this, we know the NHS must be more ef- ficient to meet the pressures of an ageing population and the rising costs of drugs and treatments.
“We know that despite the in- crease in funding, the NHS needs
6 | national health executive Jan/Feb 12
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley © Department of Health
– this means getting better value for every pound spent in the NHS so that it can continue to improve and deliver better services for pa- tients every day.”
Deputy chief executive of the
NHS, David Flory, said: “The NHS is in the early stages of its plans to deliver up to £20bn of efficiency savings by 2014/15 whilst main- taining or improving quality.
“The results from the second quarter of 2011/12 are encourag- ing, showing the NHS continues to deliver strongly for patients while maintaining a healthy finan- cial position.
to save up to £20bn from within its budget to meet these future chal- lenges.
“Where the NHS can do things better and save money to rein- vest in patient care, it must do so. We are already seeing the results
– this report shows the NHS has achieved £2.5bn savings so far while keeping waiting times low, performing more tests, and reduc- ing infections even further.
“We are absolutely clear that this does not mean cutting services
“But we know that the NHS faces unprecedented challenges with an ageing population and the rising costs of complex technology and medicines. The winter period rep- resents an annual challenge and it is vital that the NHS plans and prepares for this so that it contin- ues to provide high quality care, while ensuring we maintain strong financial control.”
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