External contributors – Page 227
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Comment
David Kerr: health policy just got personal
An architect of Labour’s NHS reforms explains why he has decided to take a role as health adviser to the Conservatives
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Comment
Andy Jones on defining NHS quality
The health consumer gets it, Lord Darzi gets it and framed an entire review around it, Sir Bruce Keogh certainly got it during his time as president of the Cardiothoracic Society, and the outgoing chief medical officer has dedicated a working lifetime to it.
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Comment
Sheila Williams on the ageing process
Getting older has never concerned me much, other than avoiding the shaving mirrors found in hotel bathrooms that reveal, in high definition, the creases and crinkles I have earned over the years. However, three incidents have given me pause for thought.
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Comment
David Nicholson on NHS incentives and ideology
My job as NHS chief executive is to help transform the healthcare system from a rigid top-down monopoly to a service that is much more focused on the individual needs of patients.
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Comment
Andy McKeon: why money could not unravel the NHS red tape
Whoever wins the forthcoming election will have some unfinished business on health policy to attend to, even if it is possible to declare victory over waiting lists.
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Comment
Chris Ham on urgency for healthcare innovation
Labour’s tenure has seen massive progress in areas including access to services and cardiac and cancer care. But the greatest changes must now follow fast - things can only get different
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Comment
Nicky Spencer on facing NHS changes
Unprecedented levels of change and uncertainty are facing us all. Whatever the scale, political or economic, sector or service, organisational or personal, everyone is awaiting or experiencing unrest.
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Comment
Media Watch: CQC registration and the staff survey
Obama and Jade Goody topped the pre-Budget headlines this week, but last week ended with two stories of interest to NHS managers: the first trusts to register with the Care Quality Commission and the NHS staff survey.
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Comment
Michael White: good news for health
As we all braced ourselves to disentangle what Alistair Darling’s last Budget will mean for the NHS I took the conscious decision to write an upbeat column to ease the circling gloom.
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Comment
Your Humble Servant: lights, camera, casualty
‘The crying was spot on. As you talked with humility about the demise of Mrs Smith, the tears that began rolling down your cheeks captured the emotion and sincerity of our apology perfectly’
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Comment
Roger Taylor on the NHS safety debate
The public needs all the facts to enable them to fully engage in the debate on healthcare safety
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Comment
Media Watch: maternity pledges
If the forthcoming election really will be all about capturing the female vote, Gordon Brown went out all guns blazing with an online chat on the Netmums website, on Mother’s Day.
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Comment
Michael White: NHS policy pronouncements
Is the pace of policy pronouncements speeding up or am I just slowing down? Or is it the imminence of that election and the all too understandable desire of elected politicians to cover all their bases?
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Comment
Andrew Haldenby on hospital closures and competition
The gloom surrounding the UK’s public finances is darkening as the general election approaches.
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Comment
Pete Mason on NHS teamwork
Exceptional teamwork doesn’t just happen, it develops. The secret of truly exceptional teams is that they know how to develop in order to achieve outstanding performance and extraordinary results.
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Comment
Andy McKeon: NHS cash alone won’t end health inequalities
One strategy every six months under Labour has failed to produce results for children under five
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Comment
Cally Bann: SHA Winter Olympic Cover Your Back Executive Director Pentathlon
Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies is… all learning how to ski and snowboard if our emergency department activity is anything to go by. Throw in the removal of the winter covers from the back-garden trampolines and collective amnesia about putting the safety netting ...
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Comment
Paul Corrigan on suspending NHS incentives
Research from the London School of Economics published in December gave insight into how competition within the NHS is benefiting patients.
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Comment
Media Watch: CQC ratings fiddles
They say variety is the spice of life, and it was certainly true that there was an assortment of health stories in the media this week.
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Comment
Michael White on political spin
It is rarely easy to spot when a policy statement or media report has undue political spin on it. As a hard fought general election approaches it can be near impossible.