Sort of back to school now, so here are some thoughts about recent news bits.

Who spent what on management consultants – the gory detail
The Guardian’s Datablog carries this detailed breakdown of the Lansley-staggering £314 million NHS management consultancy spend in 2009-10 - and specifically of which NHS organisation spent what.

These data are useful and good to have, as far as they go.

The Social Market Foundation held an interesting event this morning, on 'shared decision-making in healthcare'.

That. Was. A. Bad. Journey. Back. From. Holiday.

I will have some thoughts to share about lessons I learnt from it about journeys and commissioning and sub-contractors; maybe tomorrow morning.

Anything I tried to write now would have far too much swearing, and would be prone to libel the living dirt out of various organisations.

Best not to, eh? Just yet.

Happy Friday.

Inverse Care Law proponent Julian Tudor Hart previews his new book in today's Guardian. Which also covers the new report from the Nuffield Trust about integrated care.

Both probably worth a read unless you're on A Journey.

One of which I'm about to set off myself, so see you soon.

I am probably as unlikely as you are to shell out for Tony 'Jazz Hands' Blair's account of his 'Journey', such as it has thus far been.

Even though the profits will go to a services charity.

Hello, hope you had a good bank holiday weekend and maybe even saw some sunshine.

I'm semi-off-duty today, so here are just a few links to accounts of:
Andy Burnham trying to drive a wedge between Lib Dems and their leadership on the Coalition Government's NHS issues

An infection outbreak at UCLH, now under control

This report in today's Sunday Telegraph by Laura Donnelly and Patrick Sawer reveals that University Hospitals Bristol NHS FT has made secret payments to people adversely affected by the pathology problems of that region.

It also states that the inquiry (which has had three fresh referrals since it began) has not contacted the 26 patients whose cases launched the investigation (or their bereaved families.

The Guardian reports that NHS Direct faces abolition within three years following the arrival of the new TDN (inevitably, three-digit number) 111.

NHS Redirect, as it has been affectionately known by primary care staff, is an easy target for cost savings. Its staff are expensive trained nurses, as the article highlights.

The idea that Health Secretary Andrew Lansley will hope sits in popular consciousness is that NHS Direct is a 'nice to have' service, rather than a 'need to have' one.

You may already have seen the new report from the Audit Commission on the quality of NHS PBR clinical data coding.

Hello, and happy Friday.

You may remember that I wrote previously about the surprising proposal to abolish FTs' prudential borrowing limits, and as part of the piece published my FOI request to the DH to release any economic modelling data.

The dears have replied, bless 'em. And guess what? They've got the information ... but we can't have it.