Much has been written about the integrated healthcare system that the Kaiser Permanente health group makes possible in the eight states and nine regions which it serves in America. But […]
The King’s fund
John Clark on engaging leadership: hope for the future lies with a new breed of doctors
With a few exceptions, medical students have little, if any, training in management, leadership, and service improvement. Yet from the moment they graduate, doctors require a range of such competencies, […]
Vinice Thomas: The push for improvement in maternity care
Substandard care within maternity services remains a high profile issue. It seems that every month there is news coverage about failing hospitals, avoidable maternal deaths, and below optimum care provided […]
Catherine Foot: Will the Information Strategy start an information revolution?
The Department of Health’s Information Strategy is due to be published next month. It’s been a long time in development—it’s nearly two years since the government consulted on its aim […]
Chris Ham: Inertia rather than privatisation is the biggest threat facing the NHS
The Prime Minister’s summit on implementing the NHS reforms has provided a new focus for debate about what the reforms will mean in practice. The government’s critics maintain that competition […]
Chris Naylor: Effective chronic care means recognising the importance of mental health
The interaction between physical and mental health has been attracting increasing attention across the political spectrum. Last year, the government recognised the importance of the issue with its mental health […]
Sarah Waller: We need to make our wards more friendly for people with dementia
The report of the national audit of dementia care in general hospitals 2011, published last week, has put a sharp and timely focus on the care of people with dementia […]
Nick Goodwin: Case management and the urgent need for primary care investment
Over the next decade and beyond, the ageing population and the increased prevalence of chronic disease requires a step change in the way services are delivered. There needs to be […]
David Buck: Obesity and public health – a taxing issue
Obesity, and its control, is high on the public health agenda. Recently the Lancet published a series of important papers on the science and social science of obesity and its prevention. According […]
Chris Ham: Commonwealth Fund survey: If the NHS is doing well, why is it changing?
The Commonwealth Fund’s survey of the experience of adults with complex care needs, published last week, paints a remarkably positive picture of the NHS. The results show that, of the […]