I walked into a room recently which was jam packed with secondary care clinicians and managers. I was the lone commissioner. The meeting was a peer review visit to support the development and improvement of vascular services. I recognised the chair. We had both sat together in an ante room awaiting interviews for a senior […]
Category: NHS
Martin McShane: Substantially amend
“If you feel confused you probably know what is going on.” Out in PCT land it is fascinating to watch and listen to all the noise and thunder in the stratosphere. The pause is in full momentum. The events of May 5th are having repercussions with posturing and postulations about substantial amendments to the health […]
David Kerr: Using social media in the NHS
We recently had another visit from Barack Obama to the San Francisco Bay area. However, rather than sampling the delights of the city, the President drove south down route 101 to Palo Alto and the headquarters of Facebook. The President was the guest of honor at a “town hall event” moderated by Facebook CEO Mark […]
Martin McShane: The calm
As a child I remember standing on a beach and marvelling at how unnaturally still and calm everything seemed. It was a few hours before a hurricane hit the coast. The financial year has been accounted for – literally. The finance team worked seven day weeks to complete all the work that was necessary and […]
Kailash Chand: No confidence in Andrew Lansley
With the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) no confidence vote in Andrew Lansley, it is generally accepted that it is no longer possible to have a rational debate on the reforms while Andrew Lansley is health secretary. He did not listen during the gestation time of the white paper for the proposed Bill on the […]
Martin McShane: Consciously unconscious
I was in a meeting last week with the seven chairs of the new consortia, two other executives from the new PCT cluster, and an external consultant who was giving an independent overview of the context and the challenges, and how they might be jointly and severally addressed. The content and debate was engaging and […]
Domhnall MacAuley: The day the brakes went on
The consortia dream screeched to a halt. As I watched breakfast TV in the airport lounge on my way to the GP forum, the controversial health reforms were unravelling. The forum meeting was entitled “Commissioning Consortia: Examining the comprehensive business and clinical issues for a successful practice-led future” and suddenly, it seemed inappropriate. The health […]
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. […]
Martin McShane: A confusion of choice.
I chaired the specialised commissioning group last week which was fascinating (and intense work). Ranged around the table were people skilled and experienced in public health, planning, procurement, finance, and a representative of the public who brought common sense and sensible challenge. One of the key issues we debated was whether patient choice could be […]
Kailash Chand on the BMA’s opposition to NHS reforms
BMA members rather than the organisation itself called a special representative meeting (SRM) on the 15th March 2011, the second in two decades. Dr Hamish Meldrum, the chair of the BMA council, appeared visibly anxious and keen to maintain the unity of the profession. In a professionally delivered speech he struck exactly the right balance […]