FT association calls for CQC to assess governors

The Foundation Trust Governors Association has called for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to assess the quality of governors.

The Association's proposal, if implemented, would mean that a trust could potentially lose its registration with the regulator if it did not have sufficient evidence to prove that its governors met all of the required quality standards.

The request comes after the Health Bill confirmed plans in the white paper to strip Monitor of its role in assessing governance in the foundation trust sector. In removing these powers from Monitor, governors rather than the regulator will ultimately become responsible for safeguarding the public's interest in a particular healthcare trust.

Chair Sharon Carr-Brown said: “There is no standard level of training for governors and their effectiveness is a quality issue. There should be a quality standard, however that is actually framed.

“There needs to be a decent induction process and ongoing training. By April 2012 we would want to have a very clear idea of where it is going. It is important to make sure governors are fulfilling their role in the transition time.”

Ms Carr-Brown also called for a governor presence on health and wellbeing boards.

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New IG guidance released on the use of fax printers

A new Information Governance bulletin has been issued by Connecting For Health which looks at fax printers and other devices that use consumable ribbon or film.

The full guidance note can be accessed from this web link.

This guidance is aimed at NHS organisations, providing general awareness of the associated risks for maintenance and disposal of fax printers and other devices that use consumable ribbon or film. It should be read in conjunction with the NHS IG Risk Management Guidance for Maintenance and Secure Disposal of Digital Printers, Copiers and Multi Function Devices.

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Students to face £14,000 annual tuition fees

Students could face staged fee increases of up to £1,000 a year as universities move towards charging the full cost of degree courses.

At the same time, 'free' student loans with a zero per cent real terms interest rate would be scrapped.

The committee which has been put in charge of reviewing student fees within the Government was originally expected to agree to raise the current £3,225 a year fee cap to £5,000 or £7,000. However the latest news to have emerged from this committee is that they could allow universities to charge the full cost of degree courses. This would mean that students on arts and humanities courses at highly ranked Universities could be charged up to £7,000 a year in tuition fees, whereas students studying science subjects could face annual charges of up to £14,000.

Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said any fee rises 'would lead to students choosing courses on the basis of cost rather than suitability', and students have said the removal of the fee cap is a 'nightmare scenario'.

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Subscription service for magazines, music and newspapers launched by Apple

Apple has launched a new subscription service for magazines, newspapers and music bought through its App Store, expanding the model developed for Rupert Murdoch's iPad newspaper the Daily.

The new charging system, which is used for apps on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, will allow publishers to set the price and length of recurring payment plans. Apple will keep 30% of the revenue from subscriptions in most instances.

Up until now, publishers have been restricted to selling each issue of their magazine or newspaper individually. News Corporation's recently-launched venture the Daily is the first publication to use the new system, charging 99 cents a week for the iPad-only US title.

Apple will process all subscriber payments and take a 30% cut. But publishers can also sell digital subscriptions to their apps through their website. Customers will choose how much personal information – in addition to their name, email address, postcode and billing details – to hand over to the publisher.

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BBC to launch new CBeebies spin off magazine

The BBC will launch a new children's magazine this spring, based on the CBeebies TV programme 'Something Special', aimed at children with learning and communication difficulties.

This new and up and coming magazine will be priced at £2.99, will be published on a monthly basis, and will be the ninth magazine addition to the BBC's portfolio of pre-school reading material, all of which are spin-offs from CBeebies programmes, such as 'In The Night Garden' and 'Waybuloo'.

The magazine is designed to help its readers and their families communicate with the aid of recognised signs and symbols created by special needs charity Makaton.

BBC Magazines produced a one-off special edition tied to the brand last year, which it said was "a big hit with parents and led us to produce a regular title".

Each issue will come with a free gift and stickers, and readers will also have the chance to win products signed by the show's character. The magazine will be available at all major retailers and independents around the UK.

Editor Sara Oldham said: "We wanted to understand exactly what our readers need from their magazine. I’m happy to say that Something Special magazine has been shaped as much by its readers as by its expert editorial team."

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New network of employment websites launched

A massive network of employment Websites - where any company can list job openings for free - launched in the USA in January 2011 despite large protests from newspapers and online recruitment companies, who fear billions of dollars in lost revenue.

The 40,000 sites, with Web addresses that all end in ".jobs," have the potential to upend companies such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com. This new initiative is being backed by nearly 600 hundred industry titans such as Google, American Express, IBM, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin.

The Washington Post reports that finding jobs on the sites is simple: A nurse looking for work need only type in www.nurse.jobs. The search process works for hundreds of professions, and in every state, any U.S. city with more than 5,000 people, and 126 countries. Later this year, suburbs and small towns will be thrown in, too, and the network is expected to grow to 100,000 Web sites.

The .jobs domain was approved five years ago, but only for corporate names such as IBM.jobs or LockheedMartin.jobs. Last month, ICANN gave final approval to DirectEmployers Association to add a twist: search-friendly professions and geographic locations. The new flexibility caters more directly to how users search for jobs online, according to experts.

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Borders files for Bankruptcy

Last Wednesday one of the best known retail chains, Borders, filed for bankruptcy after 40 years of trading. News of this development in their trading future has left the struggling book industry wondering what will happen next, and who will be next to fall.

The New York Times has reported that 'the troubles of Borders are rooted in a series of strategic missteps, executive turnover and a failure to understand the digital revolution — problems in many ways of Borders’ own making. But as those in the volatile industry digested the news that most saw coming, they were acutely aware of the bigger picture: that in a fast-evolving bookselling environment there is slim margin for error.'

“The book retailing industry is very challenging right now,” said Michael Souers, an analyst for Standard & Poor’s. “We’ve had significant transformation. Bookstores have gradually been losing their prominence, and the U.S. market is oversaturated in terms of the number of retail stores. So that trend will likely continue as e-books gain more prevalence in the market.”

Borders have said that its stores will remain open during the bankruptcy process and that the rewards program it operates (particularly in the US) will continue to operate. In addition, the company has declared that it will continue to honour any gift cards or vouchers presented at any of its stores.

In its filing in United States Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, Borders listed $1.29 billion in debt and $1.27 billion in assets. As of the filing, Borders owed $272 million to its 30 largest unsecured creditors — including $41.1 million to the Penguin Group USA.

Publishers, mourning the loss of valuable shelf space, said they hoped the bankruptcy filing would be a chance for the bookseller to reinvent itself. But they were also skeptical that the company’s deep-rooted problems could be overcome.

Borders has however told publishers that it was working on a long-term plan for its revival.

“It has become increasingly clear that in light of the environment of curtailed customer spending, our ongoing discussions with publishers and other vendor-related parties, and the company’s lack of liquidity, Borders Group does not have the capital resources it needs to be a viable competitor and which are essential for it to move forward with its business strategy to reposition itself successfully for the long term,” Mike Edwards, the company president, said in a statement.

Certainly one area that needs significant strength is their online business, and no doubt this will be at the forefront of any revivial plans.

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