A catalogue of central government failures strengthens the case for devolving more powers to local government. So why despite decades of official rhetoric and numerous inquiries is Whitehall so...
Local government is finally getting the attention it deserves, with its white paper and inquiry both due this year. But will anything change? Public Finance invited Sir Michael Lyons and a round...
Rising rates of middle-age obesity, diabetes and cancers are often portrayed as a huge drain on the NHS, but a study out this week shows that the 50-something English are healthier than their US...
A Scottish council and its partners are seeking a power that could pave the way for a legally backed authority to co-ordinate services, including those administered by other public agencies.
Nurses and pharmacists have hailed the dawn of a new era after the Department of Health confirmed they would be allowed to prescribe a wider range of drugs.
The Department of Health faces pressure to open up its procurement arrangements following concerns that its £4.6bn programme for private treatment centres does not offer good value for money.
As the axe falls on thousands of frontline NHS posts, the government faces a huge row over the impact on clinical care. Seamus Ward visits a health trust about to shed 1,200 posts and hears both...
Ministers, local government employers and trade unions are set to launch a ground-breaking project with the aim of involving public sector staff in the government's reform programme.
NHS organisations reporting deficits in their final accounts for 2005/06 will be penalised by a sum equivalent to 110% of their overspend, Public Finance has learnt.
The government has given the NHS and social care services five years to stamp out a pervasive negative culture of attitudes to older people which often results in poor quality care and neglect. But...
Two deficit-ridden primary care trusts in Wiltshire have withdrawn up to £3m of social care funding from the local authority with just 14 hours' notice.
Patient Choice sounds great in theory, particularly when the likes of Julian Le Grand explain it. But we have to take care to avoid rushing into an untried and uncertain solution to the problems of...
Flooding, terrorism and an oil depot explosion have all wreaked havoc in the past few years. So how can public bodies use continuity planning to prepare for such disasters in the future? Ronan Ball...
Below-inflation staged pay awards. A new government committee to vet all deals. Is this an incomes policy in all but name? Alastair Hatchett explains why and how the Treasury is getting tough on...
Got a problem that needs sorting? You could do worse than ask the senior Cabinet Office minister in charge of most things. Mark Conrad talks to the amiable all-rounder
Despite moves from the European Commission to water down its controversial services directive, concerns remain that it will still lead to the market liberalisation of some public services including...
As Prime Minister Tony Blair called in health chiefs for a summit on deficits on April 12, new evidence of serious problems emerged with a damning report on the NHS in Wales.
The supply of food, medical equipment and other products to hospitals and GP surgeries could be compromised as staff threaten to strike over plans to privatise their service.
The government must slow down the implementation of some NHS reforms to give the service a chance to regain financial balance, the NHS Confederation said this week.
