Health & Social Care

This week’s interviewee is a biomedical technician looking after ward-based medical equipment in an urban area hospital.

NHS chief Sir David Nicholson has faced a storm of criticism in recent months as concerns over care quality have rocked hospitals across the country. He tells Suzannah Brecknell of his determination to fix the problems

From unemployment to drug addiction, the public sector’s approach to helping families with multiple problems has often been fragmented. Joshua Chambers explores the new government scheme to unite these efforts

The separation between British health and social care has survived far longer than the iron curtain that divided Europe for 44 years. Winnie Agbonlahor looks at the government’s latest efforts to marry the two core services.

The Department of Health (DH) will provide hospitals with cash to invest in electronic patient records in a £1bn investment scheme announced today by health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

An NHS worker warns that gains in mental health care must be defended by focusing on staff retention.

The health and business departments are behind a big push to help Britain’s life sciences sector realise its economic potential. Joshua Chambers examines the treatments given, and the progress of the patient so far.

The Department of Health has launched a new digital toolkit for policymakers.

A hospital doctor says government edicts and the fear of litigation are limiting medical staffs’ freedom to learn their trade and act in their patients’ best interests. Tom Barfield reports.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) should retain its current structure because it responded swiftly and retained public trust after the discovery in January that horsemeat was appearing in frozen food products sold as beef, the organisation’s chief executive, Catherine Brown, has told Civil Service World.

The Cabinet Office has established a new structure, chaired by cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, to improve government’s long term planning, Civil Service World can reveal.

People are using their mobile phones and tablet computers for a fast-growing range of tasks, and service providers must keep up. Joshua Chambers reports on how digital by default has morphed into mobile first

The coalition really doesn’t understand health and safety, a professional in the field tells Tom Heyden.

Most central government departments will have to cut spending by two per cent over the next two years in order to fund a £2.5bn investment in infrastructure, it has been reported.

The government wants us to have more choice in public services. But as David Boyle explains to Jess Bowie, in reality there are numerous obstacles stopping disadvantaged people from choosing their preferred service provider

Civil servants across the Department of Health (DH) will be sent on regular work placements at hospitals, care homes and charities, in a bid to give them frontline experience of the NHS.

A nurse caring for patients in the community warns that fast-growing workloads are ratcheting up the pressure on her hard-pressed team. Winnie Agbonlahor reports.

As councils take control of public health budgets and staff, the government’s chief medical officer Sally Davies tells Matt Ross why the reforms should enable all kinds of public officials to help take the pressure off the NHS

Una O'Brien

Permanent Secretary, Department of Health

In a bid to improve the operation of the NHS, the Department of Health is publishing reams of medical performance data and anonymised patient information. Tim Fish reports on a trailblazer in the government’s open data agenda.

The Department of Health has agreed a settlement with its former commercial director, Ken Anderson, after taking him to court.

The UK has the highest rate of depression-related sickness in Europe, according to a recent survey by the European Depression Alliance. And alarmingly, over a third of the 792 managers surveyed said they have no formal support in place to help them deal with depressed employees. We have a very long way to go before we can say we’re properly supporting employers and employees in recognising and managing depression in the workplace. And this is certainly true within the civil service.

A veteran voluntary sector worker for a Midlands health charity speaks out