The BMA is to hold a Special Representative Meeting on Tuesday 15 March 2011.

That well-known anarcho-syndicalist Sir Richard Lambert, the outgoing Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry, has made a damning indictment of the Coalition Government's performance in office in his valedictory speech.

VERDICT: Not much heat, and even less light.

There were a few good questions, from Ben Bradshaw on waiting times and Margot James on CQC-damned care homes reopening under a new name (hint: get a named individuals licensing system, including directors, and keep public record of miscreants). A howl of old Labour rage from the Beast of Bolsover.

But in general, that was not adequate holding of the Government to account.

I've written before about the two main types of managers who will flourish in the 'liberated' NHS: data geeks and persuaders.

This will be true regardless of whether these reforms happen exactly as planned; later than planned; or quite a bit differently than planned.

The other day, I published the text of shadow health secretary John Healey's first speech responding to the Health and Social Care Bill.

I did so whole and un-analysed because it's early days for Mr Healey; he wasn't an author of Labour's previous health policies and could reasonably get a grace period to formulate some of his own (with the help of his new health policy adviser Joe Farrington-Douglas, soon to be ex-of the NHS Confed). The speech is also about broad principles.

Today's event on the involvement and engagement of patients and the public with the National Health Service and its reform was an interesting one.

Principally because whenever policy remembers that the point of healthcare is not systems or structures, but people, then it has remembered something fundamental and surprisingly easy to forget.

The conversations started, continued and reiterated might not have broken vastly new ground. That is not so much the point as the focus. The focus is of real value.

We have a lot of change coming, and not a little chaos likely.

Irwin Brown of the Socialist Health Association recaps key points on liberation, as seen through the prism of the new Bill

The long-delayed Bill has finally been published - although the Explanatory Notes are still absent.

Two things appear obvious.

First is that it is mostly about creating a regulated market; a very different type of NHS to the one we have now.

Today's guest editorial comes from the author of the excellent Arbitary Constant blog, Rich Watts. It suggests that councils can continue to cream-skim scrutiny funding budgets; that HeathWatch won't be very independent either locally or nationally; and that the position of advocacy, especially in social care, is seriously unclear.

HealthWatch: Good in principle, worrying in practice

Criticisms of the reforms of the health system have focused primarily on shifting £80bn of public expenditure to GP commissioning consortia.

Good evening.

Well, that was quite a week. And so as we slide gratefully into the weekend, we bring you the gift of fresh Maynard Doctrine, in which the good Professor addresses significant workforce issues. Somebody needs to.

Speech to the Kings Fund – John Healey MP, Shadow Health Secretary

20 January 2011

The truth behind the Tory plans
Thank you for inviting me, 24 hours after the Health Bill was published, to examine the Government’s plans with you.

It is a work in progress for me, and perhaps for you.

I was advised by someone who’s views I value, that if I was speaking at the King’s Fund, to not be too political. To talk policy.

But I am a politician, not a health policy specialist. I don’t, and probably won’t ever, know as much about health policy as you do.