Published 24 July 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a953
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a953

Editor's Choice

The world is watching the English experiment

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

It may seem parochial for the BMJ to use so much space discussing the NHS—and the English NHS at that. But I make no apologies—firstly, because if doctors are to take the lead in health care, as they must and as they are being encouraged to do, they need to understand the systems that deliver it. Secondly, because the wider world is watching what may come to be known as the English experiment. As evidence of this, the New England Journal of Medicine has published another paper on England’s use of quality indicators and performance payments. As Alison Tonks describes it (doi: 10.1136/bmj.a891), the paper from Martin Roland’s group in Manchester finds that GPs’ professionalism outweighs temptations to game the system. To minimise overtreatment, GPs are allowed to exclude clinically inappropriate patients from target calculations, but rates of such "exception reporting" among English general practices were low. I find . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Ethics of PCT decision making on funding cancer treatments

Timothy S Maughan and Joanne Rule
BMJ 2008 337: a1243. [Extract] [Full Text]

All you need to read in the other general journals
BMJ 2008 337: a891. [Full Text]

Health care in US ranks lowest among developed countries

Bob Roehr
BMJ 2008 337: a889. [Extract] [Full Text]

Will the NHS strategic plan benefit patients?

Donald W Light
BMJ 2008 337: a824. [Extract] [Full Text]

A transatlantic review of the NHS at 60

Donald M Berwick
BMJ 2008 337: a838. [Extract] [Full Text]

Harms of target driven health care

Nigel Rawlinson
BMJ 2008 337: a885. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Maughan, T. S, Rule, J. (2008). Ethics of PCT decision making on funding cancer treatments. BMJ 337: a1243-a1243 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

As Doctors, What Are We Expected To Do?

Kadiyali M Srivatsa
bmj.com, 29 Jul 2008 [Full text]

The ethics of PCT decision-making on funding of cancer treatments

Timothy S Maughan, et al.
bmj.com, 30 Jul 2008 [Full text]

Cancer Waiting Times

Edward J Fitzsimons
bmj.com, 31 Jul 2008 [Full text]

The World has turned its back on the "English experiment"

Taiyyab Mehmood
bmj.com, 2 Aug 2008 [Full text]

Treating the clock, NOT the patient compromises patient safety

Syed Ishaq Husain, et al.
bmj.com, 8 Aug 2008 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more >>