You may already have seen the moving story of NHS surgeon Gordon Matthews and his wife Sue on the BBC News website. The right to top up treatment is a genuinely hard subject, even before you start giving it a human face. When policy meets reality and personalities, the clash can be deafening.

When you know you are facing death, the feeling must be desperate.

7 July 2008 - Tom Smith on today’s health policy debate.

It's that time of year when the BMA’s representatives come together for their annual conference. In his first speech as chairman, Dr Hamish Meldrum was keen to show the delegates where he stood in relation to the private sector and market forces in healthcare.

Colloquia: ministering to clinical priorities or political ones?

In this week’s Colloquia, Health Policy Insight editor Andy Cowper and associate director Tom Smith discuss how and whether reform is being helped or hindered by the Darzi Review and ongoing BMA-Government rows.

Good morning. Hope you've had a good weekend.

The latest instalment of 'The Maynard Doctrine' is just published, and deserves your attention.

Later today we hope to have the next in our weekly 'Colloquia', which will still be centring on the Darzi review.

Alan Maynard is professor of health economics, University of York

Monday 7 July 2008

During the Wilson government in the mid-1970s, clinical practice variations were identified as a major problem. They remain so today, with the Darzi report, High-Quality Healthcare For All, demanding change because similar patients with similar needs get very different treatment.

3 July 2008 - Tom Smith on clinical engagement

On the one hand, the Darzi review places great stress on clinical engagement; on the other health minister Ben Bradshaw seems determined to maintain political pressure on GPs. Every newspaper today reports his comments that in some places GPs have a “gentleman’s agreement” not to take on each other’s patients. If it were true, it would undermine choice in the NHS, making it difficult for patients to move practices.

An update: this has gone on in features, but may as well go here too.

A gentlemen’s agreement, or a gentleman’s excuse-me?
Round 4,371 of the BMA-Government row over access to primary care. Seconds out.

Richard Vautrey, David Stout and Michael Dixon discuss what can be done to make progress between the Government and the BMA.

by Andy Cowper

A gentlemen’s agreement, or a gentleman’s excuse-me?
Round 4,371 of the BMA-Government row over access to primary care. Seconds out.

Richard Vautrey, David Stout and Michael Dixon discuss what can be done to make progress between the Government and the BMA.

by Andy Cowper

Just a very quick one today, as there are more bits of Darzi to read, digest and pontificate about here later on - or more probably, tomorrow.

In this weekend's 'Colloquium', Tom Smith and I will be disagreeing about the Darzi review (see editor's blog yesterday for my take on the first document) - which should be fun. If you have any interjections, queries, thoughts or other stuff you'd like to contribute, please email them to editorial@healthpolicyinsight.com by Saturday mid-morning. Oh, and do let us know whether you want to be anonymous or named.

Health Policy Today - 2 July 2008

by Andy Cowper

With apologies to Garrison Keillor, it has been a busy day in the health policy village.

Parlez-vous NHS?
The Guardian reported a potentially major development, in the form of the European Union’s draft legislation on a right to travel to any of the EU’s 27 member states for free treatment (www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/02/euro.health).