Since May the spotlight has been resolutely on changes in national health policy. The entry of the Health Bill into Parliament marks the beginning of the end of that phase. What will matter increasingly is how the NHS at a local level deals with the twin challenge of reform and the £20bn savings target.

HSJ aims to deliver the most comprehensive coverage of national policy reform. Our job is to map out the brutally complex landscape which those working in and for the NHS must navigate. That will not change.

But in recognition of the growing importance of local performance, HSJ this week launches the most significant expansion in its coverage for a decade. HSJ Local will examine the great majority of NHS commissioning and provider organisations each month and pick out the highlights in at least one of five key areas: performance against outcomes; finance; workforce; changes in organisational structure and commercial activity.

The most significant findings will appear each week in our HSJ Local section (news, pages 14-15)

HSJ Local will grow in value as more data is entered over time, but our intention is also to rapidly develop this service beyond its initial scope.

In doing this, we seek your guidance. Are we examining the right issues? Have we identified the key facts? How might the service usefully expand? My email address is alastair.mclellan@emap.com. I would be very grateful for any feedback.

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