Beeching not Gershon

Submitted by Hugo_Minney on Sat, 10/03/2009 - 22:37

The political parties are falling over themselves to say they will protect the health service budgets. But is this true? (http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/finance/andy-burnham-makes-no-promises-over-nhs-cuts/5006740.article)
Department of Health (DH) has asked SHAs and PCTs to identify £20bn of savings.
Lets examine £20bn. This is an enormous amount of money! It means a colossal shift from inpatient to outpatient, from hospital to community. It means real cuts in staff numbers. The money is all gone?It means real cuts in the drugs budget, when UK already knows it has some of the cheapest medicines (as GPs and hospitals start selling them abroad to make a quick buck). Without massive involvement from GPs to change their referral patterns (and we've banked on this happening so many times before and failed to engage, what's different this time?), it means cuts in the quality of care. Could this be the push that will drive people from Care Free at the Point of Need to Basic Care Free, pay for everything else you use? I hope not, but then the rising cost of health and social care for an ageing society may simply not be a vote winner.

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A moral dimension to consulting

Submitted by Hugo_Minney on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 22:11

Moral dilemmaIt's easy to assume that all of our decisions are purely rational, but they rarely if ever are rational.  And they always have consequences for others, usually consequences that we think we could not have predicted.

But consultants are not here to make decisions, only to provide information and advice.  Does this somehow absolve us from a moral responsibility?

 

The Ten Commandments in Professional Services (6-10)

Submitted by Hugo_Minney on Sun, 02/05/2012 - 16:56

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Interpreting God's Commandments

I've written previously about applying the first five commandments to Professional Services.  Here I show how Do Not Murder, Do Not Steal and so on are just as relevant commandments in the nuance and subtlety of modern life as they ever were.

Read on - and there's an invitation to comment!

The 10 Commandments in Professional Services (1-5)

Submitted by Hugo_Minney on Thu, 02/02/2012 - 21:56

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Two greatest commandsThe Ten Commandments apply just as firmly in each aspect of our daily life as they apply to the whole of our lives.  I'm a management consultant, and on this page I explain how the first five of the Ten Commandments apply to management consulting and professional services.

Getting GPs involved in Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG)

Submitted by Hugo_Minney on Sun, 01/29/2012 - 23:26

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Life in the YearsMost healthcare providers, in UK the same as everywhere else, get paid for each activity they do.  If someone needs care, they get paid.  If someone is well, they don’t.  So there isn’t much incentive (for the healthcare provider) to keep people well, even though it is much better for the person, much better for the nation, and much lower cost.  Minney.org Ltd is working with one CCG to generate enthusiasm and involvement, and the results are fairly successful….

Clinical Commissioning Groups and the NHS

Submitted by Hugo_Minney on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 16:34

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Commissioning Innovation

As we race forwards into clinical commissioning, there are lessons to be learnt from other people.  The latest book “The Innovator’s Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Health Care” by Christensen, Grossman and Hwang points to some things we need to take account of. It makes good reading . . .