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Editor's blog Saturday 7 May 2011: Because we're Worth it - here comes the centrifuge doctor | Health Policy Insight
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Editor's blog Saturday 7 May 2011: Because we're Worth it - here comes the centrifuge doctor

Publish Date/Time: 
05/07/2011 - 09:12

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Number 10 has briefed Telegraph political editor Andrew Porter that PM David Cameron's health advisor Sean Worth is to be sent to the DH to 'sell the reforms'.

Because the problem with these reforms is the communication.

Stunning bit of analysis, that.

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Click here for details of 'You say substantive and I say substantial', Issue 7 of subscription-based Health Policy Intelligence.

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Porter's article isn't, unfortunately, very analytical. He states that "Much of the criticism of the health reforms from within the Coalition has concentrated on Mr Lansley’s inability to “sell” the reorganisation of services".

Well, not, not really. There are a few Tories who think it is a presentation thing. Quite a few others are starting to understand that the reforms mean significant and ongoing political risk. Outside of a few in the leadership, this dropped penny is echoing every-louder among Lib Dems. It also talks of transferring £80 billion to GP control, when the figure is £60 billion.

The communication of the reforms has, of course, struggled to reach the giddy heights of inadequate incoherence - mainly because, as Paul Corrigan's excellent blog post pointed out yesterday, there has been a lack of political leadership combined with profound inconsistency on whether these reforms are radical or incremental.

Worth is a labour economist by training, and was behind to Tories' voluntary insurance proposals to fund long-term care for the elderly. Henry Featherstone, formerly of Policy Exchange and now in PR, wrote this profile of Worth for the HSJ 100.

Featherstone writes that Worth is "politically astute and dedicated to market ideology, Mr Worth will be relied on to push through reform if the DH stumbles".

Worth is in Pay Band 2 (£52,215 – £69,266); the same level as Jenny Jackson (nee Parsons), who has been in charge of advising Lansley on communicating the reforms. David Cameron is said to have called Jackson into a meeting; asked her to explain the reforms; and to have been less than enthused by her response.

So. There is to be more and perhaps better communication of the reforms.

Of course, this may not really work in the Government's favour.