I like Civitas: they’re a pretty intellectually honest think-tank. Not all are.

Today, they’ve published The impact of the NHS market: An overview of the literature - the latest instalment leading up to their main report on markets in the NHS (due out in April).

So, the Boy Wonder - Health Secretary Andy Burnhoid - thinks that in response to Mid-Staffordshire, the solution will be to set up a regulation system for NHS managers so that they can be struck off and die.

Oh dear.

This isn't just a bit silly; it's totally ridiculous.

I spent last night somewhere heavily armed, discussing hybrids.

Not, it wasn’t a high-security biochemical research facility. Nor was I discussing the Toyota Prius with some edgy yoot’ somewhere urban and grim.

It wasd the Foundation Trust Network’s lecture, held at the Worshipful Company of Artillery. Hence all the guns (in the heart of the City of London, on the day of the Queen's visit).

Extracts from Robert Francis QC’s foreword
“The overwhelming number of accounts given by those affected should surely put to rest the views, still harboured by some, that the Healthcare Commission’s report painted an unfair picture of how the Trust was performing. There can no longer be any excuse for denying the enormity of what has occurred.

Today will see the publication of the report into the crisis at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. Update: I've put extracts here.

Today is not a good news day for the pharmaceutical industry's reputation.

Whoops Reckitt Benckiser, who are facing an Office of Fair Trading investigation due to some shenanigans around the pricing of an on-patent brand of Gaviscon when the better-known older formula came off patent.

Hello. Hope your weekend was good.

A new contribution to the policy conversation comes from Mark Britnell's new employers KPMG. Their new report, Tough Choices Ahead: the future of the public sector, suggests a three-stage approach to public service reform, which "should be implemented within the context of a debate between the public sector’s policy and decision makers and the public regarding the role of the public sector.

Do you remember commissioning? (Now there's a question for Sir David Nicholson. Not that he's a big fan of answering questions.)

It can be quite a stretch to remember commissioning, in the current NHS era of Andy Burnhoid's "preferred provider" malarkey - at least, current until the CCP delivers its Phase One judgment on 2nd March.

But we policy elephants can cope, eh?

'Ullo. No time at all today, so just to point you at this commentary from today's Times. Food for thought.

What do you think the NHS might be able to save if it got serious about pooling that which is sensibly done at scale? 2-3% of the budget?

When you're looking down the back of the sofa for £15-20 billion over the next three financial years, every little helps.

How do? Bit busy (again), so this is mainly redirects.

Firstly, go and look at a couple of excellent Kings Fund blog posts: the iridescent John Appleby on measuring productivity; and Catherine Foot on cancer survival rates and political debates. Both are excellent, short and clear.