In its infinite wisdom, the DH has published what it calls an 'infographic' which purports to depict the new structure of the NHS. It's available at https://www.wp.dh.gov.uk/healthandcare/files/2012/06/system-graphic.pdf.
For some reason, policy people love this sort of thing because they think it encapsulates the important high-level concepts at work in the re-disorganisation of the NHS. It's also loaded with some fairly obvious symbolism: patients are placed right in the middle of seven concentric circles (ie patients are 'at the heart' of the reforms), whilst the DH and Lansley form a crust on the outside, perhaps holding everything together (I migth be reading too much into that).
But what does it really show? In practice, it illustrates the vast array of disjointed organisations - and entire solar system of quangos and layers of management than now surround patients and the 'real NHS' (ie the bit that the public actually use) and form an enormous buffer between the public and the secretary of state.
And whe all know what that huge layer of flab is really there for don't we? Yes, to insulate Mr Lansley's ears from the sound
of falling bedpans.
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