BMJ  2006;332 (11 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7537.0-f

Editor's choice

A time for courage

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

More than a decade ago, in an editorial entitled "Where now for the NHS reforms?" Chris Ham asked "what is the purpose of a national health service?" (BMJ 1994;309: 351-2[Free Full Text]) This week Neville Goodman says it's a question that governments refuse to ask (p 363). Until it is answered, he says, "we will stagger from crisis to crisis, pressure groups forcing the government to give in on expensive but dubious therapies, while the government imagines that all it needs is the next big restructuring to get things right."

It all sounds depressingly familiar. A range of news and views in this week's BMJ paint a picture of continuing turmoil and unhappiness within the NHS. A meeting organised by the National Patient Safety Agency last week heard that waiting list targets had pushed safety down the agenda (news extra bmj.com). A UK . . . [Full text of this article]

Fiona Godlee, editor

(fgodlee@bmj.com)


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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

what is the nature of health services?
Gray Southon
bmj.com, 11 Feb 2006 [Full text]
Possible solutions for the NHS (but do not take the steam out on poor WHO).
Dr. Rajesh Chauhan
bmj.com, 21 Feb 2006 [Full text]

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