All Opinion/columnist articles – Page 31
-
CommentNigel Edwards: NHS reform is nothing new, but it's about time leadership delivered
When I was asked by HSJ to reflect on what I have learnt about in my 12 years at the NHS Confederation, I thought I would specifically reflect on the constant process of reform including at least two which were billed as a once in a generation chance to change ...
-
CommentThe right-to-request primary care trust: one year on
A year ago, City Health Care Partnership became the first social enterprise to ‘go live’ through the right-to-request scheme. On its first anniversary, chief executive Andrew Burnell reports on how they are getting on.
-
Comment'We have to tackle government disagreement head on'
With management levels cut dangerously low in the health service, the NHS Confederation’s chief executive Mike Farrar tells HSJ’s Charlotte Santry the days of biting tongues when dealing with those in power are definitely over.
-
CommentSally Gainsbury: sitting duck surpluses
When the going gets tough, the tough hide their surpluses from the grasping claws of the strategic health authority.
-
CommentProvider trouble brewing in the East
A number of concerns were raised in a report from the East of England provider development board last month.
-
CommentThe government shouldn't simply leave the past behind
The government is in a tough spot at the moment, but it can be eased if it heeds the lessons of the NHS Plan era, argues House of Lords independent member Nigel Crisp.
-
Blogs
Is enthusiasm the key skill to look for in public sector recruitment?
Surely departing from tradition and qualifications and embracing enthusiasm will make for a more successful public sector.
-
Blogs
What happens when chief executives are slow to pick up on patient complaints?
The answer: patients are left believing they have cancer purely because consulting rooms are busy, as I was unfortunate enough to discover.
-
Blogs
Can local authorities step up as good providers of care?
Change must come as the public sector’s dominance and budget cuts in local authorities mean there is no way for the majority of the population to get, or afford, quality care.
-
Comment'The independent sector has a track record of serving patients extremely well'
The hostile opposition towards private involvement in NHS provision is growing ever louder. But politics is getting in the way of policy, and the private sector is not the villain in NHS reform, argues NHS Partners Network director David Worskett.
-
CommentSally Gainsbury: wistful thinking on PFI
Ask an NHS finance director what they hope will come out of the McKinsey review of 22 trusts with tricky private finance initiatives and they talk wistfully about a revised market forces factor – the calculation that determines any top-up paid for delivering services in a particular area.
-
Blogs
Senior managers need to get 'hands on' with customers
Organisations need to return to the days without layers of middlemen when dealing with customers if they are to ensure their services are running properly.
-
Blogs
Life after senior management: it's not over for the over 50s
The task of applying for a new job as a former manager may seem daunting, but the benefit of experience channelled the right way makes it very achievable.
-
Blogs
The end of the start for personalisation in adult social care?
With social workers critical of the idea, it looks like the government is quietly moving away from the idea of personalisation in social care before it has even been implemented.
-
CommentMedia Watch: waiting for the pause to fast forward
Every paper told a different story at the start of this week, despite speculation growing ahead of the arrival of the Future Forum’s recommended amendments to the Health Bill.
-
Comment'Proper funding of the NHS is the critical long term issue'
Let’s be honest, speculation is fun. Nobody can prove you right or wrong at the time, people forget what you said, and you can hedge your bets on what the future will hold. It is also more interesting to look at the gloomy version – what fun is there to ...
-
Comment'Creating a culture of learning must never be overlooked'
It is all too easy with the daily demands on our time, coupled with the financial challenges we all face, to allow our own learning and development to take a back seat.
-
CommentSally Gainsbury: flogging off the freehold
While Aunt Sally and her straw man continue to bicker about just how much extra competition Mr Lansley is or isn’t introducing into the NHS, a genuine real life policy question demands answering.
-
Comment'I'm more excited than ever about the healthcare marketplace'
Competition on everything including price is not only the most practical solution to the growing pressures facing the NHS, it is also virtually inevitable, according to the chief executive of the UK’s largest private healthcare provider.
-
Comment'Complex consortia issues will require a new style of leadership'
Followership: what sort of a word is that? Whatever it is, it has been troubling me for some time.