BMJ  2004;328:126 (17 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7432.126

News

Health tsars

Professor Mike Richards

Katherine Burke

Health tsars: spin or substance?: Eight health directors ("tsars") were appointed from 1999 to 2002. Katherine Burke asked them to summarise their achievements and other people to assess their work. A ninth "tsar", Dr Sue Roberts, was appointed in March 2003 to cover diabetes. The full text is accessible at www.bmj.com

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.


Figure Removed (Available Only in the Full Text)
 Professor Mike Richards

National cancer director

Appointed: November 1999

 
My achievements: I led the development of the NHS Cancer Plan (published in September 2000), and since then I have been overseeing its implementation. Over the past three years, smoking cessation services have been established across the country, tobacco advertising has been banned, and awareness of the importance of eating fruit and vegetables has been raised through the "5 a day" programme. Screening programmes are being extended and waiting times are being reduced. Unprecedented numbers of new scanners and radiotherapy machines are being installed. Hospitals and primary care services are working much more closely together across cancer networks to ensure that care is better coordinated. Far more patients are being cared for by specialist teams. Extra financial resources have been put into cancer and palliative care services. Major new research initiatives are beginning to yield dividends.

Joanne Rule, chief executive . . . [Full text of this article]


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