The NHS in England provides health care for approximately 51 million people, an enormous organisational task. This page provides you with resources to help you understand how it is structured, organised and works on a daily basis. It will also provide information on some of the key policy debates that are currently taking place.
The majority of resources derive from our events with leading figures in the field, which we encourage you to sign up and attend. It is so important that we, as medical students, understand how the NHS works and are involved in debates about the future of health care.
1. a crash course on the nhs
2. the price of a life: rationalising cost-effective medicine
3. who's the boss? doctors, managers and professionals
4. the recession: the impact on the NHS and medical students
The Royal Society of Medicine, 24th November 2009
How have recent reforms shaped the NHS today? How is it now structured and organised? Where is the NHS heading? How does this affect our jobs as doctors?
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The Structure of the NHS
James Gubb, Director, Civitas Health Unit
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How to run a National Health Service
Julian Le Grand, Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy, LSE
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Improving the Quality of Patient Care
Professor Martin Marshall, Director of Clinical Quality, The Health Foundation
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Listen again to the discussion from the evening here.
Recommended reading
- A Junior Doctor's guide to the NHS. Department of Health. June 2009.
- Health and ten years of Labour government: achievements and challenges. King's Fund. May 2007.
- High Quality Care for All: NHS Next Stage Review Final Report. Lord Darzi. Department of Health. 30 June 2008.
- Briefing on NHS Next Stage Review Final Report. King's Fund. July 2008.
- Ten years on: what devolution has meant for the NHS. Graham Clews. Health Service Journal. 7 May 2009.
- Eurohealth bulletin. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Vol. 14 No. 4 (2008).
- Equity, Waiting times and NHS reforms: retrospective study. Cooper Z et al. BMJ 2009;339:b3264.
- Le Grand, Julian (2003) Motivation, agency, and public policy: of knights and knaves, pawns and queens. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. ISBN 0199266999
- Le Grand, Julian (2007) The other invisible hand: delivering public services through choice and competition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. ISBN 9780691129365
- Applying quality improvement approaches to healthcare. Marshall M. BMJ 2009; 339;b3411.
BMA House, 28th January 2010
What role does NICE play? Who shapes the clinical guidelines we follow? Who determines what drugs we can prescribe and why?
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Challenges for the pharmaceutical industry
Dr Richard Barker, Director General of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)
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The role of NICE
Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, Chairman, NICE
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Recommended reading
The Royal College of Physicians, 24th February 2010
Do doctors make good managers? Who is best placed to lead service change? How can you get involved in clinical leadership?
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Clinical leadership
Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director
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Managing on the front line
Mr Mark Goldman, CEO, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
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Listen again to the discussion from the evening here.
Recommended reading
The Royal College of Surgeons of England, 12 April 2010
How has health policy been shaped in recent times? How will the recession affect the NHS and healthcare globally? Can medical students make a difference?
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The scale of the challenge
Nigel Edwards, Director of Policy and Communications, NHS Confederation
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The clinical and managerial response
Professor Aidan Halligan, Director of Education, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust (former deputy CMO)
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Recommended reading
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