Feeling better
The news that productivity in the NHS is improving is very good news. It seems that the blow to the health service from Covid is unwinding, and nurses and doctors are doing more each.
This is important because just throwing money at the NHS or in fact any organisation in the hope that it will be well spent is rarely a bright idea. It has to be spent and managed well.
In that regard it would be nice if politicians and everyone else stopped complaining about the level of management in the NHS, as if it it is manned by useless pen pushers who just distract from the angels on the front line.
It is just not true, the NHS is under managed and better coordination and allocation of resources by senior management would really help.
Low productivity is usually a mixture of poor investment, bad training and lousy management. We need to have all three working properly.
From Jonty Bloom Media Ltd
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
Good news, but the news that Streeting is about to introduce NHS league tables is undoubtedly stupid. ( See @RoyLilley 's blog in X, or Rachel Clarke in today's Guardian website if you need further information). Most league tables will reflect population health, deprivation and staffing levels; giving more money to the best performing trusts will only make it worse and the whole thing is likely to be subject to gaming.