Routine reporting
BMJ 2007; 334 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39091.552940.47 (Published 11 January 2007) Cite this as: BMJ 2007;334:0
- Fiona Godlee, editor
- fgodlee{at}bmj.com
UK health care is suffering from what Will Hutton calls the “delivery paradox” (doi: 10.1136/bmj.39080.574699.47). Although standards of care are improving, public satisfaction is falling. This is important, says Hutton, because public dissatisfaction threatens could support for the universal public delivery of health care, which is fundamental to the NHS.
What's to be done? Hutton's solution won't suit everyone. It's called distributive democracy and goes completely counter to the current tide in the UK towards ever greater centralisation (despite the government's rhetoric of decentralisation). Hutton argues that general elections and party democracy can't respond to users' needs at a local level or on a day to day basis. Instead …