01.05.16
The start of a sustainable journey
Source: NHE May/Jun 16
If there was one word to sum up a major theme in this issue of NHE, it would be ‘change’. Whether we are looking at the health sector from a secondary or primary care perspective, through the provider lens or from the commissioning side, it is clear we all must start doing things differently and sustainably.
Only a few months on from the Carter Review and we are starting to see the wheels getting in motion with regards to new frameworks and benchmarks. There is a great article starting on page 94 with Andrew Davies, director of pharmacy at North Bristol NHS Trust, who looks at the future of pharma post-Carter.
This edition also includes our Commissioning Show preview. Once again, NHE is the official media partner at the event, which takes place from 29-30 June at the ExCeL in London.
We also have thought-provoking contributions from Sir Muir Gray on the importance of population healthcare in commissioning; Julie Wood, CEO of NHS Clinical Commissioners, discusses the need to develop clinical leaders early in their career; and the chair of Mid Essex CCG, Dr Caroline Dollery, weighs up the pros and cons of putting specialised commissioning in local hands.
As well as having an interesting section on commissioning and support, we have contributions considering the implications of the recent GP Forward View, how barcoding and RFiD can help deliver efficiencies and improve patient care, and even consideration of what a Brexit would mean for health.
There is a major focus on innovation, which looks at everything from smart glasses for surgeons through to practical lessons from New York City’s joined-up approach to healthcare information sharing.
NHE looks at the issue of workforce optimisation, with Professor Karina Nielsen asking whether transformational leaders make your sick. And former NHS Employers CEO Dean Royles argues that workforce planning is not the major problem in the NHS, instead it is the sector’s inability to deliver change at pace and with purpose.
We also have our NHS Confederation preview, which is well worth a read. I’d like to finish by saying that NHE will be on hand at all the major shows running throughout June, and we’d be more than happy to catch up with as many readers as possible at the events. I hope you enjoy this edition of the magazine.
David Stevenson
Editor