“Finance directors are not Paul Daniels and cannot magic away deficits.”
Andy McKeon, managing director of health at the Audit Commission, tells HSJ (Jan 26) that responsibility for the financial health of the NHS should not rest solely on the shoulders of finance directors
“At £76.4 billion, the NHS budget is now larger than the gross domestic product of 155 members of the United Nations.”
Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, outlines the vastness of the NHS, in The Times (Jan 26)
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“The worst outcome would be if we raised more money locally and councils didn’t have the power to spend it. It is perhaps better to collect tax centrally and display publicly how the money is used locally.”
Sir Michael Lyons says that all options are still on the table in his review of local government finances, in Public Servant (Jan 27)
“The beauty of the GLA is that decisions are down to one person. Without a mayor, there is no way there would have been an Olympic bid,”
David Lunts, the executive director of policy and partnerships at the GLA, sings the praises of independent city leadership, in Regeneration & Renewal (Jan 27)
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“What incentive is there for schools and professionals to work harder to make sure (that) these children achieve as much as others?”
Pam Hibbert, principal policy officer at Barnardo’s, on the Government’s lower GCSE target for children in care, in The Times Educational Supplement (Jan 27)