LATEST ARTICLES
Queen’s Speech fails to deal with crises
20 December 2019
For all the talk of being bold and radical – a “blueprint for the future of Britain”
– the government’s timid plans will perpetuate problems rather than solve
them. Its tactic of focusing relentlessly on the NHS is distracting attention
from other urgent social policy priorities.
While the health service received star billing alongside Brexit in the Queen’s
speech, there was little on the growing crises in social care and
homelessness.
The health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, had previously let slip
that his department had done nothing to prepare a policy on social care,
blurting out that “we’ve already been having discussions about starting that
work”. This is years after a green paper was promised by Theresa May’s
government.
The government’s 80-seat majority gives it enough parliamentary firepower to
create a long-term solution for social care funding and up to five years in
which to achieve it, but ministers are already setting it up to be lost in the
quagmire of cross-party talks by saying they will be looking to build a
consensus. Conveniently for the government, there is little chance of Labour
agreeing a policy among themselves, let alone with anyone else, in the near
future.
Read the full article at Guardian Society
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Myths and ideology blight NHS policies
6 December 2019
The general election comes as every part of the NHS in England is in flux and
social care waits for a reform plan.
The two main parties are promising a monsoon of extra funding for the health
service. But while Conservative commitments lack credibility, Labour’s
ideological tinkering risks getting in the way of service delivery.
The Tories trumpet their mythical 40 new hospitals, of which only six are
funded while the remainder include 12 community hospitals in Dorset.
Throwing cash at desperately needed projects such as rebuilding Whipps
Cross hospital in London is better than nothing, but the Conservatives’
“famine then feast” approach to capital spending ramps up maintenance
costs and harms patients by depriving the NHS of investment in vital
technology such as scanners.
The Tories’ promise to enshrine NHS England’s long term plan in legislation
matters because it includes legal changes to help NHS organisations
collaborate on priorities such as improving population health, scrapping many
rules around competition and procurement. Unlike Labour’s approach, this
clears the worst of the wreckage of the current system out of the way without
risking even more reorganisation.
Read the full article at Guardian Society
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Scandals put spotlight on toxic culture
22 November 2019
The NHS’s worst maternity scandal raises fundamental questions about the
culture and safety of our health service.
The Independent has revealed that an inquiry into maternity care at
Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust has uncovered dozens of
avoidable deaths and more than 50 babies suffering permanent brain
damage over the past 40 years.
The trust joins the roll call of NHS hospitals where endemic poor care has
caused harm and death. Failings uncovered at Shrewsbury include a lack of
transparency and honesty, defensiveness, a disrespectful and unkind attitude
to families, a failure to learn from or even recognise serious incidents, and a
“toxic” culture.
The 2015 inquiry (pdf) into deaths of babies and mothers at University
hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS foundation trust, the Francis inquiry two
years earlier into failures at Mid Staffordshire, and the 2001 landmark public
inquiry (pdf) into children’s heart surgery at Bristol Royal infirmary all revealed
layer upon layer of systemic failings. These included the breakdown of
teamwork, poor leadership, lack of respect between professional groups, a
tolerance of poor standards, defensiveness, dishonesty, failure to assess
risks, and repeated failures to recognise and investigate serious incidents.
Read the full article at Guardian Society
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Austerity cuts lifelines for crisis families
8 November 2019
Domestic violence, poverty, poor housing and substance abuse are driving a
surge in children at risk, as austerity pushes families over the edge.
A survey of lead councillors for children’s services in England just published
by the Local Government Association delivers a devastating assessment of
the factors behind massive and rising demand, while the same relentless cuts
fuelling it prevent local authorities from providing the care and support that is
so badly needed.
While much of the debate about council funding has focused on adult social
care, the survey reveals that for each of the three years between 2015 and
2018, well over half the councils had to make significant cuts to children’s
services.
Half of the 152 councils in England responded to the survey, with 47% saying
that budget shortfalls last year created a severe or significant risk to children’s
social care.
Cuts to services such as policing and youth work are aggravating factors, and
there are major concerns about what will happen following the end of the
budget for the Troubled Families programme next year.
Read the full article at Guardian Society
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Dirty air is key to the climate emergency
25 October 2019
Nine more people in Bristol and 13 in Derby are going to have a stroke
because of air pollution. Dirty air will give 12 more people in Birmingham and
87 in London a heart attack. In Liverpool, seven extra children with asthma
will be hospitalised, as will five more in Nottingham.
These stark figures from King’s College London on the impact of high
pollution days on individual towns are a reminder that dirty air is a killer and
that the climate emergency is a health emergency.
But it is also a clear warning that while the NHS and local government are
gradually getting to grips with the air pollution crisis, piecemeal solutions will
fail without massive government action.
Cutting air pollution by a fifth would result in 77 fewer children in Oxford and
150 in Southampton suffering low lung function each year. Twenty fewer
people in Manchester and 17 in Liverpool would develop lung cancer.
Like the microscopic particles themselves, air pollution is sometimes difficult
to detect in the climate emergency debate. It is certainly part of the narrative,
but the immediacy and severity of its threat is yet to be highlighted fully by
campaigners.
It is hard to think of a more compelling message than we are being poisoned
in our own homes, right now, every day.
Read the full article at Guardian Society
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Potential and risks of citizen assemblies
11 October 2019
As Extinction Rebellion protesters bring Whitehall to a halt, one of their three
demands is for the UK government to cede control of climate policy to a
citizens’ assembly.
They are not alone: Camden council in London is already experimenting with
a similar approach. And Camden’s move comes as councils across the
country grapple with how to work with residents to make bold decisions and
tackle the climate crisis. At least 11 councils are now using citizens’
assemblies to drive climate action, including Devon, Dudley, Cambridge and
Test Valley.
But will it work?
Analysis by Friends of the Earth says Camden is already the best-performing
London borough on the climate crisis, and one of the best local authorities in
England and Wales.
This week the Labour-run council unanimously accepted the 17-point action
plan drawn up by a citizens’ assembly. As well as easy goals such as
encouraging local people to eat low-carbon food and “make CO2 reduction
fun”, it includes bold proposals such as making all new homes zero-carbon,
piloting a community energy scheme and making all council properties fossil-
free.
But citizens’ assemblies are fraught with danger for councils if they blunder in
without thinking through what they are unleashing.
Read the full article at Guardian Society
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Public Policy Media
Richard Vize
October to December 2019