Patient-centred healthcare: the right to choose?

The Coalition government’s July 2010 White Paper Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS, promises that ‘patients will be at the heart of everything we do’. They will have ‘choice of any provider, choice of consultant-led team, choice of GP practice and choice of treatment.’

Liberating the NHS?

The most anticipated Department of Health White Paper for some time, was published in July 2010. Entitled, Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS it sets out the Government’s long-term vision for the future of the National Health Service. It places patients ‘at the heart’, in charge of making decisions about their care. This means focusing on clinical outcomes instead of bureaucratic targets and ‘empowering’ health professionals to give those on the front line, such as GPs, more control.

Protecting the vulnerable or creating a climate of mistrust?

My contribution to Who's risk is it anyway? 
An Institute of Ideas and Wiltshire Council Safeguarding conference. 
March 2010

Cast your mind back to December 2008 and the Old Bailey trial of Baby P’s abusers.