One in five civil servants will face the sack unless they significantly boost their performance under reforms that sound the death knell for the career mandarin.
Government attempts to improve the health of the nation have been thwarted by the failure to set clear targets or to establish the cost-effectiveness of policies focusing on prevention, according to...
Battle lines are being drawn across the public services after the interim conclusions of the Treasury's wide-ranging efficiency review, calling for swingeing civil service job cuts and annual savings...
The independent sector's role in providing publicly funded health care increased this week with the announcement of five new fast-track surgery centres in the south of England.
The prison population in England and Wales reached an all-time high this week pushing the Prison Service close to 'unsafe' levels and a full-blown crisis, experts warned.
More than 50% of people in England are not registered with a National Health Service dentist, new figures have revealed. They show that only 44% of adults and 60% of children were signed on last year...
Chancellor Gordon Brown's review of the Private Finance Initiative should stipulate that the rules that are mandatory for NHS PFI disclosure should apply to the whole of the public sector, according...
The regeneration of 39 of the most deprived areas of England is being hindered by poor financial reporting and strained relations with local authorities, the National Audit Office warned this week.
The head of the consortium that will manage the government's £125m fund to help charities be more effective in public service delivery hopes to use some of the money to test the viability of long-...
Accident and emergency departments and ambulance and mental health trusts could receive up to £500,000 a year if they meet government targets for providing faster emergency care, Health Secretary...
The Department of Health has allocated an extra £30m to boost information technology in general practice just three months after earmarking £20m for the same purpose.
Public service leaders are demanding a 'substantive' role in the Treasury's wide-ranging efficiency review amid mounting concerns that ministers will impose 'unrealistic' and 'unworkable' reforms on...
The government's push to implement the controversial foundation hospitals plan was dealt an unexpected blow this week with the news that many of the leading trusts will not be given the status until...
The Department for Education and Skills has admitted that it plans to cut up to 800 jobs as part of an efficiency review that is likely to have repercussions across other Whitehall departments.
Normal political debate has pretty much been forgotten amid the tumult of the Hutton Inquiry report and the vote over university top-up tuition fees, but in recent days senior Labour figures have...
Big government spending departments are being urged to remove unnecessary bureaucracy and confusion between agencies to ensure that cash for the public services reaches the front line.
The health service's ambitious information technology programme took a step forward this week with the award of the final electronic care records contract and a new pricing agreement that could save...
There was no conflict of interest in the award of a contract for the sale of £400m worth of surplus NHS property, the National Audit Office said this week.
