Want to read about something other than the storm? Here’s our summary of some of the interesting health tweets that cut through with us over the past 7 days.
This was the week when NHS England finally found out who will be its new Chief Executive. Here are some of the nuggets on Simon Stevens’ appointment that we noticed:
- Want some clues on how Simon Stevens might approach the job? @joefd reminded us of this 2004 paper
- Simon Stevens has always been a diplomat, but this 2011 interview with @HPIAndyCowper gives an insight into his views of the Lansley reforms
- Jeremy Hunt and Simon Stevens went to university at Oxford together. But only one remembers the other #awkward
- On the day of the big Simon Stevens announcement, there were also big stories on the CQC, Monitor and the demise of NHS Direct. @yrhumbleservant observed that coordination is not the new NHS’ strongpoint
Money and what the NHS does with it will likely determine Simon Stevens’ success or failure. In this context, two blogs caught our eye:
- @jappleby123 attempted to decipher how much the NHS will actually spend
- @andrewdstreet examined what is actually happening to NHS productivity
In other news:
- October is nearly over which means that #Movember is nearly upon us. @Freeman_George is leading the charge in Parliament
- The BMA confirmed it was ready to play “a full role” in delivering #7DayServices
- The Sun caused outrage amongst mental health campaigners about a recent frontpage splash. @JohnRentoul picked up on a belated apology
- #AboutMeLeeds is an interesting project encouraging debate about the use of personal data. Anyone interested in the issue should take a look
And from America:
- There was a good piece in the Washington Post on how JFK’s vision for mental health has still not been realised. Very interesting in the context of debates about parity of esteem in the NHS
- Promise and reality. These two pieces explain why President Obama will persist with heath reform, but why the shutdown will not be the end of his problems
- The ‘good catch’ programme is an interesting example of attempts to change the culture relating to the reporting of medical errors
And finally…
Our blog on Simon Stevens’ appointment was quoted in the Guardian’s headline: “Stevens’ switch to NHS is like Arsenal signing Özil”
Incisive Health is the new force in health policy and communications. In an NHS environment that is noisy, changing rapidly and where decision-makers are under intense pressure, policy communications need to be incisive to make an impact. We know how to cut through the noise and competing priorities to deliver results that enhance our clients' businesses and reputations and – ultimately – improve healthcare for patients.