Reading some of the press reports on Monday, following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the extension of the ‘families and friends’ question to more organisations serving NHS patients, felt like an old and welcome friend from some years ago had returned. It made me wonder whether, after more than two and a half years of complete mayhem, the Government may be starting to find its touch with the politics of NHS reform.
Let me describe this old friend. We used to meet every 6 weeks or so when I was special adviser on NHS reform to the New Labour Government between 2001- 07. The great thing about them was that they always had a very similar story to tell.
