With the pause button still firmly pressed on the NHS reforms in England, one former Tory health secretary claims this week that the debate is losing touch with reality. Stephen Dorrell, who now chairs the Commons health select committee, says the row about competition is nonsensical and could harm patients because it’s already happening in […]
Tag: NHS reforms
Martin McShane: Multilayered commissioning
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Martin McShane: Evolution or revolution?
The announcement of a pause in the progress of the legislative process has been serendipitous for me. It coincided with a series of events where I could listen to a variety of interesting people offering their take on the reforms. The rap, which thousands have watched, even in America, was referenced on numerous occasions. It […]
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 […]
Martin McShane: Patients as customers
Sometimes you get a sense of cultural change: someone tells you a story and simultaneously you think “that’s a good idea” and “times they are a changin’.” […]
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 […]