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Copenhagen talks –act on CO2

Sun, 01/10/2010 - 16:24 — Hugo_Minney

We need to consider what we, as organisations and individuals, can do to reduce our own carbon footprints. It’s all very well to talk about it, but this winter, this extreme weather, shows just how close global warming could be. For Britain, global warming doesn’t mean getting warmer, it means getting colder – we’re on the same latitude as Alaska, and we should expect that sort of weather.

The talks in Copenhagen didn’t seem to be about us – they seemed to be about the way nations handle it. But macro-economics is about influencing what many individual people and organisations do, and that means that talks in Copenhagen were about to you and me, and our individual actions.
So what is this to you and me? I know I, for one, take the train whenever I can. I walk to the railway station, just over a mile, even when it’s wet, or cold, or dark, or snowy as it has been in the last few weeks. I don’t feel smug about it, in fact I am almost frightened, because the weather seems to be a little bit freaky.

What action can you take?

People receiving care in hospital reduces the number of carbon miles that your staff run up to give health care. But what about the carbon miles that patients run up coming to hospital, either for treatment, or to visit their friends and relatives? What about the costs of heating and lighting a hospital, when the patient’s own home is going to be heated and lit anyway?
Perhaps it’s time to look again, with fresh eyes, and what can be moved into the community. To look at what GPs can commission, and even what GP provider organisations can provide.
The results could be outstanding! Not only could you reach your targets for moving Healthcare out of hospital and into the community, you could also hit your financial targets at a time of constraint, spreading your finite budget to care for more people with more conditions. What are you in Healthcare for? This has to make sense!

 

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More for your money? Private healthcare vs Publicly funded

Mon, 03/08/2010 - 23:26 — Hugo_Minney

Life expectancy vs %GDP health spend

Which is better - private funding or public? Which gives a better outcome for the individual (* clinical outcome, * user experience, * cost-effective, * sustainable) and is there a clear picture?

One way to examine this question is to look at different countries in the world and see what works for them.  I tackle this in the latest blog on Technorati.

UK Parties, Politics and Healthcare

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 07:29 — Hugo_Minney

Your politicians - listening to you?I ask you - if you were to design a new national health service from scratch, would you really design it with nobody to think ahead and make decisions on resources?

So why are the main political parties in UK engaging in their favourite sport of manager bashing?

Gossip - friend or foe?

Sat, 02/27/2010 - 23:39 — Hugo_Minney

How stuff works - Gossip

Do you see gossip as a waste of time? Do you suffer from spiteful or destructive rumours, disrupting the team and destroying team spirit? Do you find it impossible to control - chop off one head and two more appear somewhere else?

Read how Minney.org helps organisations to use this social glue for good ...

Winter Olympics - Downhill Skiing is like Management Consultancy

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 15:08 — Hugo_Minney

One chance, 100 seconds in 4 yearsYou only have one chance to make a first impression. 

In fact, you only have one chance each time, to make a first impression that sets the scene for that day, that job, that opportunity.

Capacity Planning - Flexibility

Sun, 02/14/2010 - 20:02 — Hugo_Minney

What of those toilet cubicles which allow for both sexes - they have a little notice on the outside saying "either"?