From the UK Guardian: private healthcare providers. The research on comparative performance of for profit and not for profit healthcare providers is well developed, so it is surprising to see such a weak quality assessment about private providers in the NHS.… Read More »Mixed economy of healthcare is more intelligent than a supertanker
Dr Tim Oliver posted on the LSE Blog a thoughtful item on the various ways to understand the negotiation structure of Brexit [link to item] He puts forward four key ones, and what I want to do is briefly comment… Read More »UK and the EU: Brexit as failed ideology
A central feature of any high performing healthcare system or organisation includes best practice in medicines use and management. As all aspects of healthcare are under varying degrees of financial stress these days, cost controls and appropriate use of medicines… Read More »Intelligent medicines optimisation
How can I be sure the medicine I take is genuine? Counterfeit medicines are a global problem, with trade in the billions of dollars. The World Health Organization estimates 8-10% of all drugs supplied globally are counterfeit. Counterfeits are a… Read More »Smart anti-counterfeiting: it is all in the system’s design
The King’s Fund, a UK health charity ran a scenario essay writing competition, and here is the link and of course congratulations to the winner: (winner, runner up and other scenarios, but not mine). My scenario builds on the notion… Read More »Smarter and more Intelligent Healthcare in 2035
Healthcare systems are often seen as requiring an economy of scale. This in part is a function of how prevalent diseases are, such that in some small countries they would have one case in 2 years, rather than one case… Read More »Small might be smarter, think hive mind for innovation
This is a summary of some emerging and salient issues related to the UK departure from the EU. Workforce It is estimated that the UK recruits 7000 nurses and 2000 doctors annually from the EU. The UK is currently unable… Read More »Live short and don’t prosper: post-Brexit healthcare and life sciences
While folks have been quick to jump on the results of the referendum as evidence of democracy at work, (and perhaps that is partly true), a few days later we see the consequences. Economic challenges anew, social discontent in the… Read More »Patience and the political process
Continuing the theme of looking at life sciences, healthcare implications for the UK exiting the EU. The NHS, the UK’s public healthcare system, procures medicines in many cases through the benefits of the single market. While it is not clear… Read More »“I told you so”: post-Brexit access to medicines and medical device technologies
The British public in the Referendum on the EU has voted for the UK to relinguish membership in the EU. This, in time, will be seen as a mistake for various reasons and of course it will take some time… Read More »UK out of EU: healthcare implications