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Editor's Blog

Editorial Thursday 20 June 2013: Humpty Dumpty, J M Barrie and the art and the dirty little secret of the political cover-up

Publish Date/Time: 
06/20/2013 - 07:45

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Editorial Monday 17 June 2013: The Patient's Charter rides again

Publish Date/Time: 
06/17/2013 - 11:21

There are a finite number of health policy moves, it would seem. Today, the CQC announced a Patient's Charter.

Obviously, it would be unfair to suggest that the Patient's Charter will be strongly in favour of good things and resolutely against bad things.

Editorial Wednesday 12 June 2013: Closing time

It really needs a clinician to write this piece about the decision to kick back the IRP on children's heart surgery, and a clinician is one of the many things I am not. There we go.

Closing time is rarely punters' favourite bit of the evening in a pub, though the staff are quite keen on it. Closing time in the NHS manages to unite the punters and the staff against it.

Editorial Wednesday 12 June 2013: Hansard of the children's heart surgery statement in the Commons

Publish Date/Time: 
06/12/2013 - 21:33

Children’s Heart Surgery
12.35 pm

The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt):
With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the Safe and Sustainable review of children’s congenital heart services.

Editorial Tuesday 11 June 2013: Comrade Sir David Nicholson's life in exile after abdication

Publish Date/Time: 
06/11/2013 - 21:58

In the words of Lenny Kravitz, "it ain't over till it's over".

Comrade Sir David's life in exile after abdication (ah, Moe Tucker, from Velvet Underground drummer to Tea Partier - now that's a case of 'how are the mighty fallen') looks tricky.

Editorial Thursday 6 June 2013: Dr David Bennett, chief executive of Monitor

Publish Date/Time: 
06/06/2013 - 14:48

Notes from a press session with Dr David Bennett, chief executive, Monitor

Q: What is your reaction to the suggestion in Sir David Nicholson’s HSJ interview of potentially bringing together purchasers and providers?

David Bennett: I only know what I read in HSJ of his comments. We already have some providers doing commissioning, where they subontract work to other providers.

Editorial Thursday 6 June 2013: Post-Comradeism - Asking The Wrong Question about who should replace Sir David Nicholson

Publish Date/Time: 
06/06/2013 - 12:32

Almost every conversation at the NHS Confederation conference in Liverpool opens with the phrase "So who's going to replace David Nicholson, then?"

This is a classic instance of Asking The Wrong Question.

Public policy sees a lot of Asking The Wrong Question, alas.

The Right Question is a very important place to start, though there is no guarantee of it leading neatly to The Right Answer.

Editorial Thursday 6 June 2013: The liberation of Comrade Sir David and the bonfire of the policies

Publish Date/Time: 
06/06/2013 - 07:14

Nothing so pleases the God of Health Policy as a sinner come to repentance, but it remains a matter of gobsmacking chutzpah that NHS England CE Comrade Sir David Nicholson uses his first of what might be many 'exit' interviews with Health Service Journal to call for a more decentralised NHS.

Delegates at the NHS Confederation conference might be excused for snorting cornflakes out of their nostrils as they read this over breakfast.

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