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EDITOR'S CHOICE: Fiona Godlee Untangling a skein of wool BMJ 2005; 331: 0-g [Full text]

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How widely can these principles be applied?

Angshu Bhowmik   (24 July 2005)

Re: How widely can these principles be applied?

Charles A Akle   (29 July 2005)

How widely can these principles be applied? 24 July 2005
Angshu Bhowmik, Consultant Physician Homerton Hospital, E9 6SR Send response to journal: Re: How widely can these principles be applied?	"Managers .... were inexperienced. Health ministers changed constantly, each bringing a new set of ideas to meet the heightened expectations born of the latest political crisis. Reforms were introduced rapidly using law and regulation rather than training and communication, creating a damaging gap in perception: senior policy makers now believe that changes were effective, while managers feel they were frequent but superficial." Are you sure this is a description of the Health Service in Hungary? It sounds like a description of the UK NHS obtained using time travel from about 5 years in the future. Competing interests: None declared
Re: How widely can these principles be applied? 29 July 2005
Charles A Akle, Consultant Surgeon The London Clinic, London, W1G 6BW Send response to journal: Re: Re: How widely can these principles be applied?	I was about to send exactly the same comment as Angshu Bhowmik (24 July 2005). I think the 'perverted policy cycle' applies to our health system and we are a perfect example of what happens when we do not make sensible political and economic reforms. It is for us to learn from the mistakes of the evolving states, not the other way round. The sooner politics leaves the NHS and independent sector, the sooner we can try to restore a system that was the envy of the world. Competing interests: None declared