The mythbuster
-
CommentThe mythbuster: The real problems with the FDP are not its cost or threat to data security
The real issue with the Federated Data Platform is not its price tag or data security, but the magical expectation the NHS has for the programme, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: NHSE must own up to the fall in NHS productivity
Burying its head in the sand, the NHS England leadership doesn’t think the NHS has a productivity problem even though evidence suggests to the contrary, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: What Victoria Atkins needs to do
Steve Black summarises what the new health secretary should have on her agenda
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: How not to improve healthcare
NHS England’s prevailing model of detailed guidance and central planning is not the right prescription for healthcare improvement, as it lacks effectiveness, clear focus, and mechanisms for change
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Former BBC man’s fall illustrates why the NHS wastes money
The tale of one person’s treatment highlights how the debate about where best additional NHS resources should be allocated contains a misleading and dangerous assumption, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Analysts not AI are the answer to the NHS’s data woes
Steve Black explains that The Economist’s call to reorganise NHS data for AI is misguided and the real need is investing in skilled analysts
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Management regulation is all fur coat and no knickers
The post-Letby verdict debate on NHS manager regulation underscores the necessity for substantial leadership and management development, revealing the shortcomings of performative regulatory solutions
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: copy Churchill to get the big decisions right
Emulating Churchill, the NHS should create a unit comprising experts who compile reliable evidence on important things and communicate them effectively to help the big decision makers determine how to fix its problems, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Is this the answer to getting the NHS to think long-term?
The UK’s struggle with long-term public service investment, particularly in the NHS, prompts consideration of Demos’ proposed ‘PDEL’ category, but deeper systemic change may be necessary, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Come back Monitor, all is forgiven
The NHS struggles to spend big budget increases well as prudence evaporates and providers overexpand, but holding providers accountable for bad decisions will help restore financial discipline, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: NHS board reports cripple good decision making
Steve Black writes about how information overload affects NHS decision making and the urgent need for reform in healthcare management
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The 'reform' the NHS really needs
In the midst of NHS reform debates, understanding what ‘reform’ truly means is crucial. Structural changes alone won’t fix the NHS; it’s time for bottom-up, incentive-driven improvements
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Popular health policy is (usually) bad policy
The challenge for political parties in the UK lies in reconciling the need for vote-winning policies with the imperative of crafting effective healthcare strategies for the NHS
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The biggest problems in the NHS won’t be solved by more money
Beyond spending, baroque complexity and productivity issues must be addressed for effective NHS and infrastructure reform, emphasises Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Blaming people will not make the NHS safer
The majority of safety failures in the NHS are caused by bad systems not by malicious or incompetent staff, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Many healthcare interventions are wasteful, we just don’t know which ones
Steve Black says the NHS must become much more serious about data collection if it is to tackle unwarranted variation in healthcare and make better use of resources
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Managers are the real heroes of the NHS movie
The NHS seems to hold to a sort of Hollywood view of history where a handful of heroes solve the problem and the backroom bureaucrats or managers are an impediment to – not the foundation of – success, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: NHSE’s U-turn on winter planning
Steve Black explains how the NHS winter plan aims face a sceptical reaction due to past failures and insufficient measures
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: The NHS and management – a dysfunctional relationship
In the NHS, the general ‘management is a bad thing’ culture wants less management and doesn’t much care whether some managers are more useful than others, writes Steve Black
-
Daily InsightThe mythbuster: Magic bullets won't save the NHS
NHS policy seems to be giving undue importance to genomics and AI as magic bullets without proper analysis, however, hype is not a good basis for policy, writes Steve Black