Dr Alison Talbot-Smith, an experienced doctor and researcher, and Professor Allyson M. Pollock, one of the UKs leading authorities on the NHS, give a lucid and incisive account of the new NHS – which has emerged from a far-reaching programme of market-oriented changes.
Providing an authoritative and accessible overview of the new NHS, the book describes:
- the structures and functions of the new organizations in each of the devolved countries
- the funding of NHS services, education, training and research and resource allocation
- the regulation of the new NHS systems and workforce
- the relationships between the NHS, the Department of Health, local authorities and regulatory bodies, and between the NHS and the private sector
- the future implications of current policies.
This is an indispensable resource for those working in healthcare today as clinicians, academics, researchers and managers. It will also be essential reading for academics, students, and researchers in related fields, as well as the general public.
1. Introduction 2. Organisations with Strategic Roles 3. Organisations Commissioning Services 4. Organisations Providing Services 5. Funding and Resources 6. Efficiency and Standards 7. Research and Development and Research Governance 8. The NHS Workforce 9. Devolution: The NHS in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 10. The Future
Biography
Dr Alison Talbot-Smith first trained in Public Health medicine, working for the NHS in London and researching at UCL. She has recently returned to clinical medicine as a specialist registrar in respiratory medicine.
Professor Allyson Pollock is Head of the Centre for International Public Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh and Honorary Professor at UCL. She was until recently Director of Research & Development at UCL Hospitals NHS Trust. She trained in medicine in Scotland and public health in London.
'The British National Health Service is undergoing unprecedented change. Disconnected policies are being developed at breakneck speed…Alison Talbot-Smith and Allyson Pollock are to be congratulated for bringing some clarity into this otherwise extremely confusing situation.' - Martin McKee, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
'Talbot-Smith and Pollock do an admirable job in view of the difficulty of keeping up to date in such a volatile policy environment.' - bmj.com
'This guide is easy to read and objective. One of the authors, Allyson Pollock, is well known for her recent publication NHS pls - looking at the social, economic and political effects of changes in healthcare policy. This book approaches the issues in the NHS from a different tack.' - Nursing Standard
Another blockbuster from Allyson Pollock - Paul Walker, Healthmatters
Having worked in the NHS from 1965 to 1993 I felt that I was fully convesant with its workings - but no longer. Like Martin Mckee (quoted on the jacket) I am confused by its growing complexity and wondering whether anyone - including those at the top really comprehends it but clearly the authors of this book do - and that is why its so valuable. Paul Walker - Healthmatters
