Posts Tagged citizens’ jury

The HSJ runs a headline article on Lord Darzi’s series of citizens’ juries, the first of which was held last week and attended by both the PM, Gordon Brown, and Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary. On the subject of these consultations, the enlightened Mr. Johnson said: “our principle aim is to get away from this view that the NHS is Whitehall – and DH-led – we want to get away from this top-down approach”. And then: “we want to create a healthcare system that is completely focused on patient care and moves away from structural change”. About time, one might think.
But then comes the shocking story narrated to a colleague of the consultant blogger, Dr Ray, who managed to attend this first ‘citizens’ jury’. Turns out it’s not a ‘citizens’ jury’ at all, more of a show trial for the NHS staged by the government. Afraid of something coming up you don’t like, what better solution than to hand-pick the audience and pay the ‘jury’ to say what you want to hear? One can only hope that Lord Darzi, a new-comer to the shady world of NHS politics, didn’t know this was happening.