Request for Geek Bearing Gifts

Raw Data – Tough to Chew This is what happens when geeks start to play with data and map the blogosphere. This is just showing links and connections as well as indicating apparently how much certain topic areas are addressed. I found this on a website run by a Malcolm Hurst who works for MSN and... 
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J’accuse! updated – a modern approach to accountability

Accountability is meaningless when the finger of suspicion and blame can move in a week from a single “rogue” reporter to the Chairman of News Corporation. In a situation where potentially all are held accountable in this random way, no one is accountable. Caroline Oliver a friend of MAC... 
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The Big Beast sells out public involvement

The Big Beast in the NHS jungle Sir David Nicholson has decreed that the new PCT “clusters” will take responsibility for public involvement in the “shared operating model” the Department of Health released on 28th July.  ”Shared” in this sense means everyone doing things... 
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Summer Newsletter: Citizen Result

This has been quite a summer for campaigning and the citizen voice. Most recently I got this email from Ricken Patel of Avaaz showing how a combination of persistence, skill in using modern communication networks and helped by the breaking phone hacking scandal had turned a done deal around. It’s... 
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Just saying “no” won’t do

Yesterday about 85 people from around Wandsworth gathered with our pathfinder consortium leaders to discuss what good commissioning and meaningful patient and public participation could and should look like locally.  There is no doubt local people are keen to be involved from the outset in the changes... 
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Patients as customers Prof Field?

Just spent a frustrating couple of hours watching a live Q&A session on the NHS reforms and possible changes to the Health and Social Care Bill with Prof Steve Field (who started off by being an hour late arriving at the Guardian office venue).   How depressing to hear him more or less dismiss patient... 
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Take it from the Top

The top panjandrum in the NHS in England, Sir David Nicholson, has issued another in his series of “how to survive the transition letters” to managers.  It’s a view from the top that can’t be ignored. We like it because it supports innovative approaches to communicating with... 
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Top Billing for Involvement in Lansley Bill

MAC’s initial response to the patient and public involvement (PPI) aspects of the Health and Social Care Bill introduced on 19th January is positive. The preamble describes it as a Bill whose purpose includes  “to make provision about public involvement in health and social care matters”.  That’s... 
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Lansley confirms legal duty of patient and public involvement

A legal duty of patient and public involvement on GP-led commissioning consortia was confirmed by a bullish Secretary of State Andrew Lansley before the Health Select Committee on the 15th at the same time as Ministers published their response to the white paper Liberating the NHS consultation (MAC’s... 
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November News Round-up – Anglo-Saxon lesson included

Public sector cuts are promised but one area of immunity is already very evident. The Department of Health’s print and stationery budget is untouched as more and more pours off the presses about the ramifications of the new policies needed to liberate the Health Service.  In this flood of paper... 
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