Daily Comment / Health

Heart surgery survival rates published
Healthcare Commission, 16th July 2008
The website gives information on over 35,000 heart operations performed between April 2006 and March 2007 at 37 units. Five units performed ‘better than expected’, these are: Leeds General Infirmary, Moriston Hospital Swansea, Southampton General Hospital, University Hospital of Wales and Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester. Surgeons at 30 units have also voluntarily made available the particular survival rates of their patients.

This is the first set of outcome data that we’ve seen published. It’s exactly the sort of data that should drive payment for providers. And for consumers, this provides a real basis for choosing where they have cardiac surgery.

Euro providers could claim place on choose and book
Source: HSJ, 10th July 2008
European health providers could launch claims to be included in GP choose and book systems to give them the same access to the NHS market as those in the UK.

This opens the door for medical tourism, an interesting development that we explore in this weeks’ Credo Comment

Nuffield repositions as broad-based health services provider
Source: Healthcare Market News, July 2008
Nuffield Hospitals has re-branded as Nuffield Health in a bid to reposition itself as a broad-based provider of healthcare products and services with a stronger focus on prevention. Nuffield said the changes were the biggest in its 51-year history and reflected its ‘new vision’ for healthcare, which goes beyond hospital-based treatment to encompass health, fitness and wellbeing. The charity aims to build on its presence in the employee wellbeing sector and its recent move into health and fitness to raise its public profile and become a more customer-focused operation.

Local councils must be central to the development of the NHS in London
Source: London Councils, 10th July 2008
The call follows discussions between NHS London chief executive Ruth Carnall and borough leaders on options that are currently being developed for the future working of primary care trusts (PCTs) in the capital.

Social care, in particular, is an area that local authorities are going to want to have a say in.

Credo comment

Medical Tourism

Us Brits believe our health system performs worse than other European ones – only the Italians and Czechs are more damning about their systems. At the other end of spectrum, the French believe their health system is the best in Europe. Given our apparent dissatisfaction what will happen in practice with the proposed EU reforms?

For the full article please click here.