Archive for October, 2009
The Conservatives and Practice-based Commissioning
Posted by Laura Brereton in Health on 08/10/2009
To anyone familiar with NHS policy of the 1990s, Conservative plans to reform PbC sound a lot like GP fundholding. Read the rest of this entry »
Who will be the bête noire of Europe?
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in European Union on 07/10/2009
Of all the concerns that the Conservative Party are currently facing, Europe is but one of them, writes Ahmed Mehdi. The Irish decision to vote ‘yes’ on Friday 2 October has reignited a much-maligned question: what is the Conservative position on calling a referendum over the Lisbon Treaty?
The Proposal: Abolish SHAs?
Posted by Laura Brereton in Health on 05/10/2009
As prescriptions for NHS cost-cutting abound, health minister Mike O’Brien has proposed a somewhat radical question: do we really need strategic health authorities? Read the rest of this entry »
High culture within reach
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 02/10/2009
How best to instil an interest in culture amongst young people today was – broadly – the theme of a New Statesman debate with Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw at the Labour Party Conference. Whether culture is or should be ‘useful’ in a productive sense aside, how can young people be engaged in the arts?
Bungled hip replacements…
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 01/10/2009
Last week The Times published an article with the juicy headline ‘NHS paying high price for bungled hip replacements at private centres’. The problem is that the article refers to a study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Standards of just one centre; a centre in Weston-super-Mare within an NHS hospital. It is true, standards of care here were clearly inadequate, but it is equally wrong to generalise. Read the rest of this entry »