The NHS: distraction therapy

[Northerner]

It has been another bleak 24 hours in the NHS. Christine Green, the chief executive of Tameside foundation trust, resigned in the wake of the Guardian's disclosure of long waits, overcrowding and staff shortages. Tameside is one of 14 hospitals being investigated for unusually high death rates: a report is due later this month. Meanwhile, the new leadership team at the Care Quality Commission admitted to MPs that they had been wrong to try to hide the names of those allegedly involved in covering up a report on Morecambe Bay, as more emails emerged illustrating the lack of transparency. And the launch problems of the new 111 helpline intensified as NHS Direct pulled out of two contracts, claiming that they were "financially unsustainable". This is a service under mounting pressure, as constrained budgets highlight long-standing problems in a leadership that has also to grapple with the vast challenge of structural reform.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/03/nhs-therapy-editorial