A glance at today’s press confirms the tagline currently used by the Economist – ‘we live in economic times’.

An inherent tension in healthcare has re-emerged in a contemporary theme. It relates to the balance between population-level and individual-level perspectives on policymaking.

Tom Smith on three health policy stories today, all adding to a sense of increasing financial pressure.

If the weather isn’t hot this summer, the politics certainly are - with the forecast for it to get warmer yet.

Tom Smith on a Smorgasbord of health policy issues debated today.

Tom Smith on plans to tell parents the weight of their 4 and 10 year old children, and on the continuing mislabelling of 'nudge' theory inspiring British social policy.

Two health policy stories stand out this weekend. Both relate to information uncovered by Conservatives under the FOI Act and, like a game of battleships, one hits and the other misses.

Miss: claims the government is lying over copayments

The Darzi report rightly extols the virtue of outcome measurement, and reiterates yet again the problem of clinical practice variations. However its focus is primarily clinical, where clinical is defined as doctors getting involved in systematic comparative review of practice and subsequently getting their act together.

The largest workforce in the NHS is nursing. Nursing costs typically make up thirty-five per cent of hospitals expenditure and with growing employment in primary care, nurses are also an increasing cost there.

Tom Smith on the political overtime we are 'enjoying' this summer.

Ordinarily in the summer, there is an empty space where the football should be – not a problem this year, as we have had the European Championships. And as Parliament rises there is a similar pang in July when the start of the new political season seems a long way off (for me at least).

While many commentators are examining the implications of the Glasgow East by-election (to paraphrase Frank Sinatra, if Labour can’t make it there, can they make it anywhere?), Tom Smith asks whether there are any implications for health policy from the Glasgow East by-election.