It is no wonder Labour got into power when you consider how many secret admirers they had before the election who are now able to voice their true feelings. Consider Michael Goldsmith. He might have been an adviser to Stephen Dorrell. He might have had a hand in the Tories' NHS reforms. He might still hold office in the Conservative Medical Society. But that 'should not be taken to show I am totally antipathetic to Labour's aims', he assured an Adam Smith Institute conference last week. Indeed, Dr Goldsmith added: 'I would be happy to advise this government as I advised the last one.' At which point an unidentified voice rang out: 'No chance.' But is the idea really so improbable? After all, who would ever have expected to see a Labour minister for health launching a policy document at the right-wing think-tank?

Alan Milburn was at the conference to launch the consultation document on a new performance framework for the NHS. Most of this is general, if laudable, stuff. The government wants to get away from boring old 'bean counting' and measure 'the things that really matter' like the 'patient/carer experience'. But is it symbolic, Monitor wonders, that the document falls open naturally at the centre pages, where a specific indicator for the 'effective delivery of appropriate healthcare' is set out? The indicator looks at how many orchidopexies - surgical treatments for undescended

testes - are carried out on children under five. It prompted one well- known health academic to hop around the conference hall telling journos they should write headlines along the lines of: 'Labour document is full of balls.'

Monitor suspects, though, that many managers would rather spend time predicting footie scores than poring over the report. Which is exactly what they can do by ringing the response line number it gives - 0541 555 444 - for ordering further copies of the document. The number gets through to a 'goalrush' message inviting callers to guess the total number of goals in six matches. Great fun, but surely some mistake. Oops.

Norah Casey is already a director of the Royal College of Nursing in addition to editing its weekly rag, Nursing Standard. So why does she want to move from Harrow to Cavendish Square? Monitor is reliably informed she was interviewed last week for the job of RCN director of corporate affairs, a move that might be seen as a sideways step. Unless, of course, she has eyes on the top job. But there are several other contenders when Christine Hancock decides she is ready to go.

Finally, congratulations to Monitor

favourite and father of five Lord Hunt on his new post as chair of the Family Planning Association, where he will be working alongside Dobbo's daughter Sally, who is the pro-Choice FPA's press and parliamentary officer.