Public spending

Lansley: a suitable case for treatment

10 February 2012 | Malcolm Prowle

Reform is urgently needed in the NHS, but Andrew Lansley’s Health and Social Care Bill is not the way to do it. The health secretary failed to undertake a robust analysis of the proposed legislation’s feasibility, prospects of success or risks Read more

Tags: | | | | | Comment

Welfare Bill: an abuse of privilege

6 February 2012 | Claudia Wood

The government has reversed its House of Lords defeats on the Welfare Reform Bill by reaching for an archaic convention on ‘financial privilege’. It’s a very dangerous precedent  Read more

Tags: | | | | 1 comment

Common sense on commissioning

30 January 2012 | John Tizard

Commissioning and procurement are often confused. But they are two distinct areas of public sector activity   Read more

Tags: | | | 2 comments

NHS management: in the line of fire

26 January 2012 | Catherine Foot

Hospital boards are finding it difficult to cut costs and maintain standards of health care. They should consider devolving operational decisions to different business units or ‘service lines’ Read more

Tags: | | | | Comment

Commercial competence: the next public sector challenge

20 January 2012 | John Tizard

With public budgets being squeezed, local authorities need to be able to draw on not just the highest levels of financial expertise but also commercial acumen and understanding Read more

Tags: | | Comment

A nudge in the right direction

19 January 2012 | Jon Ainger

If we can change the behaviour of public service users, we can also save money. Council finance directors need to act now to seize the opportunity Read more

Tags: | | | Comment

Pilot error

19 January 2012 | James Lloyd

Politicians have missed a trick by not piloting some of the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission on long-term care funding Read more...

Tags: | | | 1 comment

Regional pay: the top ten myths

17 January 2012 | Alastair Hatchett

George Osborne’s promise of greater regional pay differentiation for public sector employees is based on some common  myths  about the way national and local  pay levels are determined Read more

Tags: | | | | | 1 comment

Community Budgets: only the start

11 January 2012 | Andy Sawford

The new Community Budget pilots are a step forward in joined-up local services and budgeting. But DCLG  must  do more to roll out this programme nationwide Read more

Tags: | | | | Comment

Elderly care: discharging our duties

3 January 2012 | Richard Humphries

The pressures facing the NHS from demographic change are building up all year round. Frail, elderly people deserve better from our health and social care services Read more

Tags: | | | 1 comment