I've been meaning to write this post for a couple of weeks, and had no time to do so.

It's about my conflicts of interest, real or perceived, with clients for whom I work.

This stuff matters in other fields, so it also matters in mine.

In the past, I've tried to do this proactively when relevant, as with the ongoing projects I did for NHS Alliance. Those have all now finished, so who knows, I might even start writing about their stuff again ...

My current paid commitments are as follows.

Andy Cowper - conflicts of interest

Text of Robert Francis QC's press statement at the launch of his public inquiry report.

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Click here for details of 'Francis is coming. Look busy!', the new issue of subscription-based Health Policy Intelligence.

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From the Number 10 website.

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Click here for details of 'Francis is coming. Look busy!', the new issue of subscription-based Health Policy Intelligence.

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Today Robert Francis has published the report of the Public Inquiry into The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Here we go - a new feature, the Wednesday What The Flugelhorn (WTF) Award. The WTF Award will henceforth grace HPI every Wednesday, apart from those when it doesn't.

This week's primii inter pares give us a joint winner - a splendid pair:

This story from The Independent on morning sickness cures, which apparently don't work, you'll be amazed to hear.

No, really.

With acknowldgement to HSJ editor Alastair McLellan for the inspiration (i.e. I nicked his concept), here are a list of what I currently think are the top 26 health policy questions for Secretary of State For Health Andrew Lansley CBE MP.

1. Will GP commissioners or consortia have hard budgets?

Hello. Now as I pointed out yesterday, this article in The Guardian is a bit silly (though not as silly as the rip-off of it in the Beast, which confuses PCTs with hospitals. Doh!).

Professor Matthew Swindells follows his recent interview for HPI with a column looking at recessionary economics for the NHS.

The recession and the NHS

by Professor Matthew Swindells, managing director, health, Tribal group PLC

It is now clear to the NHS that life is going to get very difficult in the foreseeable future. It is just as clear that, unusually, it has warning of the choppy waters ahead and time to do something about it.

Good afternoon. Apologies for a day or two of radio silence, but to paraphrase John Lennon, life has been happening to us while we were busy making other plans.

The latest instalment of The Maynard Doctrine has arrived for your edification (www.healthpolicyinsight.com/?q=node/123). This touches on the vital issue of incentives, which will be addressed in our latest 'Colloquia', which should be up by this evening.

by Andy Cowper

Some concluding thoughts from Confed

1. Every big conference has an atmosphere: a reflection of the mood across the service. This year the atmosphere has been elusive. Conference chair David Walker, editor of Guardian Public characterised it as “calm”. Calm was a symptom, but the cause was waiting. We are all waiting for Darzi.