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4 hours ago
Is the NHS going to blow a gasket?
Too often we think of NHS services in isolation.
Take the current debate over A&E. The focus has been on what is happening in these units rather than how it fits in with the entire system.
Nick Triggle Health correspondent
This is my take on the issues affecting the NHS and social care, from the way we live our lives to the impact of government policies
17:28 UK time, Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Why the writing was on the wall for Sir David
The moment the public inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal was published on 6 February it was clear retiring England NHS boss Sir David Nicholson was in trouble.
Neither the report or chairman of the inquiry called for his resignation.
17:37 UK time, Thursday, 16 May 2013
Children 'failed on grand scale'
Children in the UK are being failed on a "grand scale" when it comes to their health and well-being, according to the British Medical Association.
The BMA acknowledged death during childhood was rare and living standards high.
16:56 UK time, Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Nick added analysis to:
A&E 'must change or face collapse'
Why are A&E units getting busier?
Across the NHS more patients are being seen, but the upward trend is perhaps the greatest in A&E.
18:19 UK time, Thursday, 9 May 2013
Nick added analysis to:
A&E units facing 'serious problem'
It has been clear for some time that pressures have been growing in A&E.
For the past decade the numbers attending the units have been rising year by year. There are now more than 21 million visits annually - up 50% in a decade.
13:08 UK time, Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Queen's Speech: Bad news for healthy lifestyles?
Sometimes it is what is omitted rather than what is included that is the most telling. In terms of the health aspects of the Queen's Speech, that could certainly be true.
Over the past 18 months, the government has been considering the merits of a minimum price for alcohol and of requiring cigarettes to be sold in plain packets.
02:10 UK time, Monday, 6 May 2013
Can free leisure services get people fit?
When it comes to council responsibilities, most people would think of collecting the bins, running libraries and looking after elderly people. But they now have a new responsibility - encouraging people to live healthily.
Birmingham Council has already been busy. For the last few years it has been providing free leisure services to get its local population fit.
13:12 UK time, Thursday, 2 May 2013
Why does the NHS keep making the same mistakes?
The NHS non-emergency 111 telephone line may be a new feature - but the chaos surrounding its roll out is as old as the health service itself.
As the debacle has unfolded in the past month - including reports of people waiting hours for callbacks, and ambulances being sent to attend trivial incidents - questions have been asked as to why it was felt necessary to have 46 different contracts in place.
09:16 UK time, Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Is the NHS really over-managed?
It has become fashionable to bash NHS managers.
In fact, it is a common joke within the profession that you are better off saying you are an estate agent than health manager.
15:08 UK time, Thursday, 25 April 2013
Nick added analysis to:
Ministers win key Lords vote on NHS
It may seem surprising to many that this issue is still being debated. After all the new structures of the NHS in England went live on 1 April.
The regulations were actually laid as part of the mopping up exercise following the passage of the Health and Social Care Act.
13:08 UK time, Monday, 22 April 2013
Is nurse training plan a stupid idea?
In theory, it sounded like a good idea. With nurses being criticised for not being caring or compassionate enough, ministers came up with what they thought was a simple solution: get them to spend a year doing the basics by working as a healthcare assistant before embarking on their three-year degree.
But in practice the problem is not so easy to resolve. When asked about the proposal on the eve of the Royal College of Nursing's annual conference, the union's president could not hide her contempt.
12:05 UK time, Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Is the NHS really untouchable?
The NHS is often considered as nigh on untouchable.
It is why David Cameron worked so hard in opposition to convince voters that the NHS was safe in his hands - he knew without credibility on health the Conservative party would struggle to win votes.
15:33 UK time, Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Why death rates aren't an exact science
Interpreting mortality data in the NHS is a tricky business.
The health service is damned if it doesn't act quickly enough - as was the case with Stafford Hospital - and then damned if it does - as has happened with child heart surgery in Leeds.
10:16 UK time, Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Five ways the NHS is changing
The government's reforms of the NHS in England are coming into force.
Over 200 new organisations are being created, including a network of GP-led groups to manage the budget and NHS England, the national board which will oversee the new system.
10:12 UK time, Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Five ways the NHS is changing
The government's reforms of the NHS in England are coming into force.
Over 200 new organisations are being created, including a network of GP-led groups to manage the budget and NHS England, the national board which will oversee the new system.
02:14 UK time, Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Are the patients the problem?
On unveiling the package of measures in the government's response to the Stafford Hospital public inquiry, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was confident the changes would ensure problems on such a scale would not slip under the radar again.
A clearer system of rating hospitals and better regulation of managers and healthcare assistants, he argued, would ensure greater accountability, while better training for nurses could create a culture of compassionate care.
01:31 UK time, Friday, 22 March 2013
Why hospitals are more complicated than schools
As any parent knows, to get an immediate idea of what a school is like all one needs to do is go to the Ofsted website to find out if it is outstanding, good, requires improvement or is inadequate.
Finding out information about NHS services is not so easy. They are judged against a set of 28 basic standards and either pass or fail.
01:23 UK time, Thursday, 21 March 2013
Is cheaper beer a sign of muddled thinking?
"A penny off a pint," George Osborne proudly proclaimed as he delivered his Budget.
But while this was widely welcomed by some, it does raise a pressing question: is the government muddled in its approach to alcohol?
10:09 UK time, Thursday, 14 March 2013
Nick added analysis to:
NHS staff 'gagging clauses' must end
The health secretary's stance sounds good in theory, but the practice of implementing it could prove difficult.
Gagging is a complex subject. Severance agreements are just as common in the NHS as any other industry.
01:19 UK time, Thursday, 14 March 2013
Why old age need not be a burden
Meet Daphne Bernard. She is in her 90s, but remains fit and active, playing badminton and going to her local gym in Eastbourne every week.
Last year she did a 12,000ft tandem skydive for charity.
About Nick
Nick started working for the BBC in 2003. His first two years were spent in general news, after which he started covering the health beat.
As health correspondent, he has reported extensively on the NHS and social care as well as how the UK is dealing with challenges such as obesity, the ageing population and health inequalities. Nick has also worked on the Gerry Robinson TV documentaries on the NHS.
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