Everybody else is doing it, so why can't Monitor? In the interactive 'stylee' favoured by our leaders, consultation is the name of the game, and the game is consultation. This week, your chance to say exactly what you think of Monitor and shape the future of this column. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity giving you the chance to play your part in the creation of a modern Monitor.

This is a genuine commitment not just to consult, but to listen and act. A one-day census yesterday would have given you the chance to talk directly to Monitor - but if you missed that, you can still send your views to any website that tickles your fancy! And that's not all - if you happen to be shopping when the Monitoroadshow hits town you can pick up one of several free leaflets saying all this again in a bigger type size! So don't hold back - answer this easy multi-choice question to create a Monitor fit for the 21st century.

Should Monitor be:

a) a desperate attempt to round up slightly ageing news and pass it off as humour?

b) a hopeless endeavour to pull together info that isn't as fresh as it might be in an effort to make readers groan?

c) a doomed attempt to regurgitate stories that have seen better days by cloaking them in over-extended metaphors?

The choice is yours.

Speaking of consultation, the NHS is doing its own bit of meeting and greeting to build its 'national plan'. It even has its very own website, which Monitor hurried to straight away.

Unfortunately, the ever-so-charming www. nhs. uk/nationalplan is so fast it can't keep up with itself. Or else the bods putting it together weren't the brightest tools in the box. As public consultation launched last week, the website promised a national consultation day, but couldn't say when. It also urged surfers to share their views through the website itself - as long as they were patient, since facilities to contact the site weren't actually set up yet. So let the interactivity live on! This week: the launch of a regular quiz. E-mail the best answer and you may or may not win something. Your starter for 10: what is a step change?

Monitor@healthcare.emap.co.uk