Facing up to awkward truth on migration

Facing up to awkward truth on migration (GU 28/2/07)

Tories and Lib Dems offer similar plans to merge immigration service and various agencies into a border police force.

Breaking the law?

Breaking the law? (GU 2/4/07)

Changes to rules on legal aid seek to encourage firms to merge to share overheads and cut costs. But contradicts ‘diversity of supply’. Plans may squeeze firms out of the market.

University to join NHS trusts in joint healthcare venture

University to join NHS trusts in joint healthcare venture (GU 4/5/07)

Potential merger and FT application from Hammersmith and St Mary’s trusts and IC. First non-NHS FT sponsor. Combined management structure for treatment, teaching and research. FTs give more independence from Whitehall, but seem to be triggering some re-aggregation.

Sleepwalking into an unhealthy alliance

Sleepwalking into an unhealthy alliance (GU 14/11/07)

Creation of Care Quality Commission from the various health inspectorates. Concerns that the upheaval will impact negatively on care standards. May be particularly damaging to social care, as ministers clearly prioritise infection control at present. Also change in rationale: was to reduce burden of inspection, now is to increase effectiveness.

A little localist difficulty

A little localist difficult (GU 4/7/07)

Attractions of nationalised policy: 1) Matches current LG financing better. 2) What about minorities in local communities – their needs may be ignored Eg. poor minority in an affluent Tory-council area. 3) Postcode lottery bleating.

More power to the regions

More power to the regions (GU 25/7/07)

Discussion of multi-area agreements and city-regions with minister for local government. Looking for councils to come forward with plans, rather than imposing top-down solutions.

Comment – We can work it out, by Paul Raynes

 Comment – We can work it out, by Paul Raynes (PF 29/6/07)

Counter point to this. Tension between devolved models of service provision and Freud’s regional monopoly model. Clients, not financing structures should drive policy. Ultimately regional contractors would use local subcontractors, leading to a top-down bureaucracy. In reality labour markets are local, as are unemployment problems.

Comment – A devolutionary deal, by Phil Woolas

Comment – A devolutionary deal, by Phil Woolas (PF 4/5/07)

Local Area Agreements give councils more power to set local priorities.

Majority of operations could be done locally

Majority of operations could be done locally (PF 20/4/07)

BMA and Ara Darzi (then advisor on surgery) emphasize the importance of district general hospitals. In contrast to aggregation into large trusts.

Economists want independent fiscal policy body

Economists want independent fiscal policy body (PF 20/4/07)

Another reason for disaggregation: independence.