07.09.12
Permanent revolution…
It’s hard to find much to disagree with in The King’s Fund’s excellent new report on transforming health and social care.
But it’s hard to see a clear path between where we are and where we need to be. Strategic leadership is needed, the report writers argue, and engagement with the public and patients vital as never before if people are not to just reflexively oppose the decommissioning of existing services and the creation of new and more suitable ones.
To his credit, Mike Farrar is clear and honest in his response to the paper and individually NHS leaders accept the need for change, and that something more radical than just incremental improvements and cost efficiencies are necessary.
But considering the political firestorm that has been the current NHS reforms – which finally cost Andrew Lansley his job this week – it’s impossible to imagine politicians taking the lead on this. But should unelected NHS and social care professionals be responsible for a radical transformation on the scale The King’s Fund says is needed?
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