Devolving health and social care decisions to local politicians and professionals adds further complexity to an already complex system – and does not guarantee that the correct or popular decisions will be taken – argue Julia Segar, Anna Coleman and Kath Checkland. ‘Keep Wythenshawe Special’ is a campaign led by clinicians from Wythenshawe Hospital. […]
DevoManc: does the future of health and social care start here?
Devolving health and social care in Greater Manchester is an attractive idea. But will the practical challenges undo it ask Kath Checkland, Julia Segar and Anna Coleman. Devolution has been coming to Greater Manchester (GM) for some time. The recent announcement that the total health and social care budget for GM – £6bn – is […]
Changing the ties that bind
Clinical Commissioning Groups were introduced by the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. The role of GPs within the NHS and their relationships with NHS managers are changing as a result, explains Julia Segar. The NHS is dealing with severe challenges at present, with A&E in crisis and bed blocking preventing the release of some […]
Will new wave bring a tide of progress for public health?
Public health has benefited from four waves of activity. Dr Julia Segar asks what the fifth wave will bring. It is sometimes said that progress comes in waves, with the fifth wave representing a tide of change that cannot be resisted. But it is as yet unclear if this principle will apply in public health, […]
CCGs go primetime but reforms have spun a complex web of accountability
The major reforms stemming from the Health and Social Care Act 2012 have permeated Saturday night television, writes Dr Julia Segar. But while Clinical Commissioning Groups may have made it onto BBC One’s Casualty, a recent storyline misrepresented their ability to hold A&E departments to account; although given the complexity of the new system, this is perhaps […]
Public health: is the glass half full or half empty?
Dr Julia Segar was one of those out in force during Manchester Policy Week to hear Durham University’s Professor David Hunter and Manchester’s own Professor Steve Harrison ponder whether optimism or pessimism should prevail in the light of recent changes to the way public health is organised. The recent healthcare reforms have seen public health […]