We highlighted previously that the long-running British Social Attitudes survey and the NHS staff survey found that staff and the public had pretty dim views of the advisability and feasibility of the current NHS reforms.

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Health economist Professor Alan Maynard looks at NHS-saving savings, taking in decremental salary scales, reviewing pharmaceutical price naughtiness and the incredible shrinking tariff.

As the new Secretary of State snuggles into Richmond House, he is no doubt contemplating tanks on the forecourt of Richmond House and the SAS in the corridor to protect him from the gathering storm in the NHS.

Where to start?

Let us start with QIPP (quality, improvement, productivity and prevention). Has it worked?

At the risk of making myself persona numquam grata among the elite of the health policy universe, I must confess that today, I felt slightly sorry for Jeremy 'Bellflinger' Hunt.

I am beginning to think that he may be the Norman Puddifoot of Health Secretaries.

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Last night, I went to a meeting about 'making the NHS a world-class customer service'.

Which was nice.

Unfortunately, it was only announced when I got there that the event was being held under the Chatham House Rule. So I can't tell you who the senior person there present was.

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It is worth recording that yet again, amid chaos, QIPP and the tragic loss of Simon Burns to transport, the NHS has performed brilliantly on waiting times, driving down very long waits even further.

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Click here for details of 'Lansleyshambles - game over, as Jeremy ‘Bellflnger’ Hunt does the reconfiguration hokey-cokey', the new issue of subscription-based Health Policy Intelligence.

Health Service Journal breaks the story that Health Secretary Jeremy 'Bellflinger' Hunt has appointed a policy and political special adviser, Sam Talbot Rice.

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Below are the first few paragraphs of the latest issue of our subscription-based publication Health Policy Intelligence.

Subscription is £69 for 12 months, and funds the existence of this site. For details of how to subcribe, email editorial@healthpolicyinsight.com

I was amused by former Labour clinical adviser Dr David Kerr's piece in today's Guardian about why he agreed to become the Conservatives' clinical policy adviser, but fell out of love with Andrew Lansley's top-down redisorganisation.

(Kerr should advise the Lib Dems next, just to get the full set.)

In his piece, Kerr described the reforms as 'Heath Robinson'.

Which is a nice line.

With thanks to Politics Home, here is the text of PM David Cameron's speech to the Conservative Party conference today.

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Click here for details of 'Lansleyshambles - game over, as Jeremy ‘Bellflnger’ Hunt does the reconfiguration hokey-cokey', the new issue of subscription-based Health Policy Intelligence.

Here are some observations on the inaugural public speech of Jeremy 'Bellflinger' Hunt as Health Secretary at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

I have two top-line thoughts. Hunt's speech emphasises financial discipline and care quality discipline as being equally P45-inducing for NHS managers.

Managers are adept Kremlinologists (this is, after all, the Nicholson Health Service), and will notice that save for one mention of the welcome cut to very long waiting times, access did not get a mention.