Features

Tuesday 13 July 2010: Sir David Nicholson's 'Dear colleague' letter on the White Paper changes

AndyCowper — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:56:21 -0400

is now online, and the timeline is here.

Text below.

Dear Colleague,

EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE: LIBERATING THE NHS - MANAGING THE TRANSITION

INTRODUCTION

Sir David Nicholson speech to NHS Confederation conference 25 June 2010

AndyCowper — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:04:04 -0400

Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS in England

Andrew Lansley speech to NHS Confederation conference 24 June 2010

AndyCowper — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:05:52 -0400

Health Secretary speech to the NHS Confederation Conference 2010

‘Shifting power to the frontline’

Good afternoon, it’s great to be back in Liverpool, on this stage and with all of you.

Dr Michael Dixon speech to NHS Alliance conference 2009

AndyCowper — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:48:23 -0400

Welcome friends and colleagues to this 12th NHS Alliance Annual Conference. The best NHS conference of the year, of course, but only because you represent the very best of primary care. The best managers, clinicians and non execs leading at the NHS’s frontline.

You are, as Miss Jean Brodie put it, “La crème de la crème”!

The past
Twelve years and a General Election in the near future make it a good time to take stock for the NHS and NHS Alliance.

Starting with the past, let’s pause for a second and celebrate our successes.

‘Looking ahead to 2010/11: healthcare beyond the next general election’ - the 2009 Wellards Annual Conference

AndyCowper — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:47:04 -0400

by Andy Cowper, editor, Health Policy Insight

Sir Denys Lasdun died in 2001. I have no idea if health policy affected his death, but it is a shame that he cannot post mortem be tried retrospectively (as MPs are currently being, for their dodgy expenses claims) on the grounds of crimes against architecture.

Lasdun is the man who blessed Londoners with the naughty twin sisters of the National Theatre and IBM buildings, knackering the South Bank river frontage for decades to come. He also built this shocker for the RCP.

Guest editorial 10 June 2009: Bob Sang - Health gain: the true test of quality for 21st century healthcare

AndyCowper — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:16:09 -0400

Editor's note: Bob Sang's untimely death has taken away one of the most original and innovative thinkers about the co-production of healthcare. It is not currently clear whether this is Bob's last article. This was written recently for Health Policy Insight, and is published with respect and grateful thanks for Bob's contributions, input and insight.

Breaking down tribal barriers: the Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT commissioning collaboration with Tribal PLC (part 1 of 4)

AndyCowper — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:16:50 -0400

Derek Felton, MD of Tribal Health Commissioning and Ashton Leigh and Wigan PCT’s chief executive Peter Rowe explain to Health Policy Insight editor Andy Cowper in this first of four quarterly reports how they will be working together to support the development of commissioning.

Coles to a new castle: Patrick Carter, chair of the new NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel

AndyCowper — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:15:58 -0400

by Andy Cowper, editor, Health Policy Insight

Meet Patrick Robert Carter - Lord Carter of Coles, a Labour peer. He co-founded and sold Westminster Healthcare, ‘saved’ the Wembley Stadium rebuild, strongly supports Titan prisons, chairs a big list of government committees, lives in Islington and was Jack Straw’s best man at both of his weddings. He is 62.

He’s also the inaugural chair of the new NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel, which may make him the fourth most important person in the NHS.

Tax breaks for health? Policy update from the 2008 Lib Dem party conference

AndyCowper — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:33:13 -0400

by Andy Cowper, editor, Health Policy Insight

The Liberal Democrats go into the party conference season as the only major Westminster party trying to sell its members (and by extension, the electorate) a major shift in policy. They are the only party promising to cut taxes overall.

And their able deputy leader and finance spokesman Vincent Cable, in an un-leaked announcement in his speech, has suggested that more may be afoot of a tax cut even than their existing promise.

Kings Fund debate 11 September 2008. What is fair – should patients be allowed to top up their care?

AndyCowper — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:06:10 -0400

Kings Fund debate 11 September 2008. What is fair – should patients be allowed to top up their care?

by Andy Cowper, editor, Health Policy Insight

This morning saw me out of bed disgustingly early to get the Kings Fund for their latest debate, What is fair: should patients be allowed to top up their NHS care?
Moderated by Kings Fund chief executive Niall Dixon, the panel of Andrew Dillon (NICE), Jo Webber (NHS Confederation), Karol Sikora (CancerPartnersUK and Reform) and Martin Gore (Royal Marsden) covered the issues thoroughly and thoughtfully.