This week kicked off in strange fashion. While prime minister Gordon Brown finally decided not to call an election, and the Conservatives cried foul, health secretary Alan Johnson revealed that he was 'not good enough' to become prime minister himself.
Interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on Sunday, Mr Johnson ruled out a future leadership bid and said cabinet minister was probably the highest he could aspire to. He admitted to presenter Kirsty Young that he didn't think he had the 'capabilities' to be prime minister. 'I don't think I could go to that level. I can be a very good secretary of state, I'm sure of that. I hope I can.' Health service staff are still waiting to see enough of him in action to draw their own conclusions.
Meanwhile, NHS trusts were rebuked again this week over the way they handle complaints. The Healthcare Commission published an audit which, as the Daily Mirror told its readers, showed that the 'NHS fails on gripes'. It said the commission had found that 'letters were ignored, investigations took months to set up and nothing was learned from mistakes in too many cases'.
And the News of the World told readers an independent review by leading medic Professor Sir John Tooke would 'blast' the computer system that was 'designed to find posts for young medics'. The system had been introduced 'without proper trials', said the paper, and a Whitehall source had told it the review was 'so critical it will be impossible for the DoH to continue to have responsibility for the scheme'.
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