The real issue for the NHS is the increase in estimated inflation for next year. This means that more of the cash it is to be given on 1 April will be absorbed by inflation than expected.
It's not a debate the government seems to want, nor the National Audit Office, nor the Big Four accountancy firms, whose reputations have taken a hammering.
At a time when public confidence in political institutions is low, audit is arguably more important than ever. So what should replace the Audit Commission?
The government should reduce the pace of its health reforms to ensure that GPs feel comfortable in their new role. If the issues with the reforms are simply swept under the carpet, then patient care...
We should not be surprised that David Cameron and Nick Clegg are being forced into full-scale rescue mode for Andrew Lansley's health 'reforms' this week
The forthcoming National Audit Office review of Revenue & Customs, high-profile alleged tax avoidance cases and Richard Murphy’s ‘There is an alternative’ (Public Finance, October 8, 2010), all...
Why is everyone talking about efficiency reviews and shared services as if they were new ideas? Before moving into a career in international financial consultancy, I worked for seven years in English...
Eric Pickles is encouraging the sharing of local government chief executives. But when councils take this route, the communities secretary then criticises them for the inevitable redundancy and...
The latest state-of-play report from the NHS Confederation is intended to be helpful, but succeeds only in demonstrating just how confused health policy now is, especially over accountability
The two Huttons' proposals for reforming public sector pay and pensions tackle major areas that are in the government's sights for cuts. But how fair are they?
For many politicians, bureaucrat bashing is much easier than banker bashing - after all, civil servants are unlikely to move to Geneva as a result of the political opprobrium heaped upon them
Government and media claims about the salaries and perks of local government chief executives have prevented a serious debate about their role and contribution
The Coalition against the Cuts march in London at the weekend got hijacked. I am not thinking about the limited and intermittent damage by a small number of very excited, largely young people but the...
Three-quarters of universities plan to raise student fees for undergraduate courses to near the ceiling of £9,000 per annum. This blows a complete hole in the government's idea that price competition...
The people who marched on Saturday were not the usual suspects. They included many who rarely march. Contrary to the received wisdom of London pundits, there are lots of middle Englanders working in...
Carnival-like marches might win the short-term psychological battle, but they won't win the political war. For sure, they keep spirits high, build solidarity and remind us that there are millions out...
Private sector involvement in public services does have the potential to bring benefits and efficiencies. But as the cuts continue to take effect, finance directors and chief executives must not lose...
Abolition of waiting list targets means that attention has shifted away from the problem of the backlog of diagnostic tests. One answer would be to give GPs direct access to diagnostics, while...
