Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP's report for KPMG – full of shit when it comes to healthcare

by Andy Cowper, editor, Health Policy Insight

I would like to admit to a pair of biases before I write anything about Charles Clarke, the New Labour education minister who oversaw the introduction of tuition fees for university education in England.

Top-ups: the earth moves as the NHS's 60th anniversary approaches

Now topping-up is to be permitted, does the NHS need a consumer framework? And should there be any cut-off point at all?

First Thoughts … Last Thoughts
by Nicholas Timmins , public policy editor, Financial Times

Why do SHAs appear to average a 15% surplus on turnover, while 25% of community matron posts remain unfilled?

by Andy Cowper, editor, Health Policy Insight

Money is interesting stuff, and eloquent with it. In a great lyric by Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson’s hero Bob Dylan, “money doesn’t talk, it swears”. So what four-letter word would sum up a surplus of £1.658 billion – just over 2% of the NHS budget?

Preview: ‘About time: commissioning to transform day and vocational services’

by Helen Lockett, Linda Seymour and Adam Pozner, Sainsburys Centre for Mental Health

except it’s not franchising and we don’t know what they mean by ‘failing’. Unsuccessful 2001 policy re-announced in motivational boost for NHS managers.

by Andy Cowper, editor, Health Policy Insight

The Department of Health has launched a new outline document ‘Developing The NHS Performance Regime’, to address consistently poor-performing NHS trusts.