Morning, all.

Today, we are thinking about:

The extraction of digits at Mid Staffs over staffing 'issues'. Better extremely late than never.

Controversy emerging over the cancer screening study in the BMJ. Enjoy, data fiends and economists!

Happy Wednesday to you. Not far till the weekend now.

So today ... we have learned that:

GPs should be midwives (which might not have helped this consultant)

'Ello. Childcare day, so the frontiers of health policy knowledge will have to remain broadly un-pushed back (insofar as they are ever pushed back in this parish).

Good morning. I hope you had a good weekend, and return refreshed for another foray into the fray.

And fray is exactly what's happening to a veil of secrecy that's been drawn over some pretty ugly things. They are poking their pustular noses into the mainstream media, as discussed below.

Today, we have fresh Maynard Doctrine for you, in which The Good Professor discusses the literary influences and political consequences of the NHS White Paper for its professed goals of equity and excellence.

This story on the £8 billion potential value of the sale of goodwill in GP practices, by HSJ's smart news editor Sally Gainsbury, made me think a little about the changing dynamics of the system.

The sale of the goodwill in a GP practice - the projected income and profit - is essentially the registered list. It is forbidden to sell this, at the present time.

Irwin Brown of the Socialist Health Association looks ahead to a post-restructuring future

Come with me into the future of Andrew Lansley’s imagination.

It’s OK, you can hold my hand.

Imagine for now that the changes in the DH structural reform plan actually happen as planned.

The remaining acute and mental health trusts somehow overcome the obstacles they have faced for the last six years and become FTs. Those few PCT provider arms which are not absorbed by the nearest acute or mental health trust also become FTs.

What a week for letters it's turning out to be. Below is the text of BMA chair of council Dr Hamish Meldrum's letter to his guild.

"Dear Colleague,

"The publication of the health White Paper will, no doubt, have left you with many questions about the impact this is likely to have on you and your patients.

This BBC news story suggests a big old review lies ahead for NHSScotland.

No ring-fence could mean a lot of politically unpopular pain.

And effective loss of the Scots' historic gain under the Barnett Formula.

To borrow HPI new recruit Doctor X's marvellous phrase, this new 'Dear Comrade' letter from NHS Czar-In-Chief Sir David Nicholson puts some scant flesh on the bones of how smartly the service can now start shutting things.

In a GP commissioner-led manner, naturally.

Lansley's 25% genuinely measurable reconfiguration tests

This BBC News story trailling a Radio 4 The Report broadcast this evening, shows commissioning in action. It also functions as a free ad for the European Scanning Centre. And it describes a wholly sensible approach to GP-led commissioning, which will destabilise local acute providers.

What's not to like?

True, the commissioning is not wildly sophisticated. Wildly sophisticated commissioning would be getting a London-wide (or at least multi-PCT-wide) contract for appropriate, targetted CT scans.