I'll do it for ?200K per year
Love Rog

-----Original Message-----
From: GP-UK [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Laurie Slater
Sent: 24 September 2004 12:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Aidan Halligan resigns


<< Aidan Halligan resigns .......
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3532809 >>

Julian:
<< Aidan Halligan was not a clinician in any meaningful sense, and I
think there are good reasons we should all congratulate him on his most
excellent new appointment, especially if also ends his tenure as Deputy
CMO England and Wales. Laurie, I think there are several members of this
very list who could do the job at NPfIT, and add a great deal more value
and expertise than the previous incumbent. It would be very interesting
to see what happened if anyone felt like applying. >>

The poisoned chalice. Whoever takes this on would certainly need many
strings to their bow. I am inclined to agree that the being too far from
the coal face is never good quality in leaders. As well as being au fait
with the very complex situation in primary care (by virtue of having
dirty hands) his replacement will need to be a skilful and tough
negotiator as well as knowing how to motivate and rally. Whether we like
it or not this job will require political skills, although I'm not sure
that these are mutually exclusive with being able to properly represent
clinicians and to ensure that the needs of primary care are heard and
met.

There are many large stumbling blocks in sight for CRS. IMO, the most
fundamental of these are around the issues of planning resources and
overall scope.

NPfIT are aware of the mission critical need to get both GPs and
secondary care clinicians engaged if they are to get acceptance of CRS
within the clinical community. If you wanted to role out the biggest
restructuring of the NHS since its inception it would be entirely
reasonable to anticipate a very significant input from clinicians and it
would make perfect sense to plan to role out such a massive programme
during a "quite period". Ha ha! Of course, no such thing exists.
Everyone in the NHS should by now be used to dealing with change and we
are all familiar enough with the idea of just "getting on with it". The
change which CRS brings however is of a different order of magnitude and
needs dedicated resources and advanced planning if we are to continue in
parallel with the unabated job of delivering health care. More difficult
than delivering a final solution (which has yet to be defined) is the
task of providing stepping stones and interim solutions which will allow
continuity of care throughout this collossal programme of change.
However, to expect the required basic design input and workability
feedback about a completely new way of delivering healthcare from GPs at
a time when they are totally absorbed with radically restructuring their
own organisations (courtesy of nGMS) could hardly be considered good
timing. The situation is not a lot different in secondary care where the
thumbscrews continue to turn in each and every department and
speciality. Those responsible for the nationwide role out of CRS need to
recognise the need for some slack across the whole of the NHS. Without
this CRS risks failing for want of vital front liners to be involved.
There are plenty enough other challenges ahead, but only if adequate
resources are made available to mobilise representative feedback can we
start to discuss the many fundamental issues which have still to be
addressed.

Perhaps at the time that Px Rx was being planned it may not have been
possible to predict nGMS and all that this entailed. I am not party to
the conspiracy theory that it this was planned as a way to divert us,
not least because there is no doubt in my mind that CRS will simply not
take off if clinicians don't embrace it. However, we are now pulling our
oars to the beat of a national drum which seems to be set at a rate
which will see deliverables met come hell or high water. Many of these
deliverables are laughable in that they are widely acknowledged as being
either unsuitable or impractical, but at the moment the drummer is only
listening to those in his employ, who are either less inclined to tell
him that they are adrift from the course they were commissioned to
steer, or are partially sighted themselves. Now might be a very good
time for the drummer to slow the ship, listen to the oarsmen and reset
not only his rate, but also review the destination.

Laurie