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Shahnaz Ali, lead at NHS North West in equality and diversity, was awarded an OBE in this year's new year's honours list Describe your role in one sentence Providing leadership, direction, support and guidance to enable NHS organisations in this region to provide services that are accessible and offer the same quality of care to all sections of the population, and to ensure at the same time that the NHS has a workforce that reflects the diversity of the people it serves. Why did you want to work in healthcare? Health and wellbeing is vital and equal access to good care is critical. From...

Accord Group, One of West Midlands' largest housing providers, acquires multimillion pound independent health company Direct Health – and has further plans to expand Residents across the Midlands and the north will be offered increased homecare after one of the region's biggest housing associations acquired an independent healthcare company. Accord Group, which manages 11,000 affordable homes across the West Midlands, said the deal would double the amount of home-based care and residential support available to residents to 3.5m hours each year. The deal is also expected to generate 2,000...

Eric Morton to lead NHS foundation trust on an interim basis University hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS foundation trust has appointed Eric Morton, the former chief executive of Chesterfield royal hospital, as its interim chief executive. Morton, who joined the health service in 1987, took charge of Mid Staffordshire NHS foundation trust in 2009 following the resignation of chief executive Martin Yeates, who was suspended after the Healthcare Commission uncovered "appalling" care at the trust. He is expected to take up his post at Morecambe Bay next week. Sir David Henshaw, chair of the...

Community engagement was key to successfully planning two mental health hospitals in the heart of local communities in Liverpool Planning new mental health facilities in the heart of local communities is no easy task. Local residents, businesses and other community organisations are frequently fearful of both the mentally ill and how the facilities may affect the value of their properties and businesses. First impressions and reactions are predictably negative. This was the situation for Mersey Care NHS trust when it embarked on a project to build two new mental health hospitals, with 85 beds each...

Primary care trust acts as lead commissioner for non-emergency 111 service in north-west of England NHS Blackpool is leading a procurement that will see the implementation of an NHS 111 non-emergency service offering patients NHS care and advice over the telephone and online in the north-west of England. The government has previously said that it would like the service in operation across England by April 2013 , combining functions currently provided by NHS Direct and local out-of-hours services. The aim is to make it easier for the public to access services that do not require an emergency 999...

Work on £17.5m early cancer research centre could start next year The University of Manchester is to invest up to £17.5m in the construction of a new cancer research centre. The university plans to create a new research building on a site directly opposite the main outpatients' entrance of Manchester's Christie NHS foundation trust. A notice in the Official Journal of the European Union says the university intends work to begin in May 2012 and to be completed in December the following year. "The rapid expansion of high quality research at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre has reached...

Job moves: North West London hospitals trust gets new boss and North Staffordshire combined healthcare trust announces new chair Ian Cumming has been appointed as the new chief executive of North Bristol trust. He is currently national director for quality at the Department of Health and was previously chief executive of the West Midlands strategic health authority and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay trust. Cumming will start his new role in April 2012, while Ruth Brunt will continue as chief executive of the trust until her retirement. The trust is currently undergoing major building development...

Replacing paper lab test ordering with software has saved a hospital trust hundreds of thousands of pounds Barnsley Hospital foundation trust has found that replacing its paper-based laboratory test ordering system with an electronic system has produced efficiencies swiftly, leading it to extend the system across the local NHS. The trust now has 40% fewer pathology staff processing 48% more work, with an investment of £46,000 in the system leading to £350,000 savings in staff costs since the first pilot was started a year ago. "When we first looked at the project we were literally going to...