Medicine is becoming increasingly specialised: there are now almost 30 sub-specialties within the Royal College of Physicians alone. This is partly in response to the exponential rate at which scientific knowledge is produced – it is simply not possible to stay on top of the latest developments beyond a limited scope of practice. Greater standardisation […]
Category: The King’s fund
Jo Maybin: Do actions speak louder than words on competition?
“What we are doing, through amendments to the legislation, is to make it absolutely clear that integration around the needs of the patient trumps other issues, including the application of competition rules.” […]
Chris Ham: A chance to go back to basics on health and social care reform in England?
The government’s decision to consult with stakeholders during this pause in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill through parliament creates an opportunity to revisit the problems the bill is intended to address. […]
Chris Ham: Education, integration, and involvement: three key steps to quality improvement
Taking time out from the debate about NHS reform, I visited Intermountain Healthcare (IHC) in Salt Lake City, Utah, to find out what makes it one of the most admired health care systems in the US, and to discover what the NHS could learn from this organisation. […]
Anna Dixon: Should clinicians be responsible for the population as well as individuals?
Historically, clinicians have had a strong tradition of connecting the health of the individual in their surgery to the population’s health. Doctors were, for example, active in early campaigns for clear air and clean water. More recently, many doctors have called for a ban on smoking in public places and a reduction of salt in […]
Chris Ham on general practice in Australia
If familiarity breeds contempt, then distance lends perspective. This much I learned – or remembered – on a recent visit to Australia. Invited to give the keynote address at the Australian General Practice Network National Forum 2010 in Perth, I was reminded of the strengths of general practice in the NHS. Registration with a practice, […]
Anna Dixon: The NHS white paper – what do doctors think of their new roles?
The past few months have been busy for anyone like me whose job it is to make sense of the government’s policy on health care. The coalition government launched a series of detailed consultations to accompany the health white paper “Equity and Excellence: liberating the NHS” back in August, and the 12-week period for consultation […]
Chris Ham: Join the debate over the future of NHS managers
Today, The King’s Fund launches a new commission on leadership and management in the NHS. The NHS is a complex organisation employing more than 1 million people and spending more than £100 billion. It is a system that requires sound management – rather than traditional administration – and leadership at every level. […]
John Appleby and Nancy Devlin: Which English hospital is best at hips?
Earlier this month, the first set of data on post-operative patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) was published by the Department of Health. For the first time, this has provided a patient-based assessment of changes in patients’ health-related quality of life following hip replacement. The data also cover surgery on knees, varicose veins, and groin hernias. […]
Chris Ham: The first 100 days of the coalition government
The coalition government has moved quickly in its first 100 days to set out its plans for the NHS in England. Although ministers have stressed that these plans build on Labour’s health reforms, in reality they are much more radical. Tony Blair’s policies may have paved the way for choice and competition to play a […]