The best local government blogs of 2013
Here’s our own selection of the best blogs we’ve published this year in local government - from cuts to cooperative councils, privatisation to local democracy.
Interview with a Job Centre Advisor: sanction targets and corruption revealed
“@JobcentreMole is a Job Centre advisor who has taken to Twitter to speak out about the Job Centre’s unfair treatment of people who are claiming benefits. …I think that what he’s doing is very brave.” With the help of an insider, Slutocrat reveals the reality of how Job Centres treat people claiming benefits.
What should we do about kids who aren’t making progress?
My saviour, the school bell, lets out its victorious shriek right on time every single day. A fanfare for the overworked and underpaid: its cheery song bestows a triumphant feeling of glee and exultation upon those still clinging to the last fragments of their sanity, congratulating them for having made it through another day. Except […]
Six months in… health
It’s six months since we launched this version of Guerilla Policy. Here’s a selection of some of our favourite posts we’ve published in health - from scandals to targets, cuts to major changes in commissioning, and some fundamental questions about what healthcare should be about.
Targets: designed to delay our post and get us drunk?
Organisations write performance plans to meet numerical targets. But you never see performance plans for failure. Why is that? It doesn’t make any sense. If an organisation has plans to succeed 85% of the time, it therefore has aspirations to fail 15% of the time. These plans might not be written down but you can […]
Finding the source
“No matter how good you or your people are, these horrid consequences will occur when you throw targets into the mix. Is that apparent short term ‘improvement’ really worth the overall long term damage to the system?” Simon Guilfoyle identifies the problem with targets in local government.
A system fit for heroes
When I was 10, my favourite TV series was ‘Cover Up’. Recently I even found the title sequence on Youtube, with its soundtrack of Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out for a Hero. Class! (I actually remember buying the 7″ single with my pocket money). I wanted to be that dude with the M16, outwitting the baddies […]
Does it matter who pays for the youth service?
A new model of funding is emerging and is gaining considerable traction amongst the not-for-profit sector, including the youth service. There are many terms associated with this new funding model, including, social investment, social finance, social impact bonds, and infrastructure finance. Essentially, a commissioner (central government department) will commission and agree targets and outcomes with […]
Guerilla Voice: Frontline voices are increasingly lost in the ‘black box’ of public service reform
In his letter to NHS trusts warning them against gagging orders, Jeremy Hunt said it was vital to “recognise and celebrate staff” who speak out about patient safety. The same goes for staff who stand up against ‘reforms’ which threaten the care of anyone using public services.
Listening and measuring
Jonathon Tomlinson writing on Abetternhs’s blog argues that the bureaucracy attached to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is damaging the patient-doctor relationship: “Much of what is really important, the ability to listen seriously and have meaningful conversations with patients is being lost by the demand that every interaction is measured…”
Why do we struggle with ‘caring’ in the NHS?
“We know that most hospital staff are competent and compassionate, and we know that staff who feel valued and supported will deliver good care. We also know from staff surveys that morale is low and that somehow, the system all too often acts to demotivate and disengage the staff who work within it.” Following the Francis report, Dr Mark Newbold tries to understand why there are still concerns about care in the NHS.
Does the Mid Staffordshire scandal have any meaning for the Ministry of Justice?
I had thought that I had a topic suitable for blogging today; that is until I listened for the third time to the “News” from Sky, BBC and Ch 4 and read today`s “Times”. The revelations of the misdeeds at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust were shocking. Indeed at the weekend an ill relative in pain […]
Reform or perform?
“Not once – not once – has anyone talked about the actual role the police play in society or about the volume or variety of work they undertake.” Nathan Constable argues that the government’s current approach to police reform is misguided and ideological and should instead focus on reforming the work and role of the police service.
Troubled thinking
“As you probably know, I argue that targets alone generate perverse incentives which lead to goal displacement, gaming and other horrible consequences.” InspGuilfoyle critiques the use of targets and incentives in the Troubled Families programme.