There’s been a mixed welcome to proposals by the Government for the modernisation of the contracts of NHS consultants.Modernisation of the ways of working of this key group are seen as vital to the success of the NHS Plan, though have been the subject of tense discussion so far between the Department of Health and the BMA.
At the first joint seminar of its kind, civil servants and executives from BT, J Sainsbury, Mars and the big banks have openly discussed ideas about best practice in customer service.The purpose was to compare and contrast best practice in customer focus in the public and private sectors and create an environment where the sectors can learn from each others’ approaches.
The process of modernisation is forcing a crisis of morale among Scottish General Practitioners, according to a new survey by the BMA.The committee representing Scottish GPS has produced a survey which shows GPs suffering high levels of stress and considering abandoning their profession.
The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has come up with a new formula for making procurement more efficient.Its ‘Gateway’ process renders major, novel or complex public projects liable to pass through a series of ‘gates’ at key stages. The ‘gates’ must be passed before the project proceeds further.
Read more on NEW PROCUREMENT TECHNIQUE PROMISES TO SAVE MILLIONS…
Parker R, Bradley LThe International Journal of Public Sector Management, (UK), 2000 Vol 13 No 2
Start page: 125. No of pages: 17
Examines organisational culture in the Australian public sector through internal/external orientation and control/flexibility. Briefly reviews the literature on organisational culture, extending Zammuto and Krakower’s competing values framework. Next, outlines the changes in public sector organisational culture in the last 30 years, going on to describe the changes in the Queensland public sector in the last 20 years. Surveys public sector managers in Queensland using a mail questionnaire, reporting that management and public choice theory are not being used in public sector departments and that public sector departments continue to reflect traditional hierarchical approaches to public administration.
The Government is safeguarding its plans for the 18,500 post offices to become one stop government shops by providing funding to help with the costs of relocating and refurbishing rural post offices. The money will help support initiatives by volunteer or community groups to maintain or re-open post office facilities in areas where the traditional post office is closing. It could help in establishing up to 200 community post offices in the UK.In a further move within the Post Office, a new senior role will be created to oversee the network’s interests and look at the options and alternative solutions for avoiding rural closures.
A new attack has been launched on benefit fraud which is running at 1.3 billion pounds annually. This is 8.4 per cent of expenditure and represents 80 pounds for each UK household.The latest weapon to be brought into the campaign is a series of three 40-second TV commercials. They portray typical examples of fraud such as a dole cheat earning cash in hand whilst claiming benefit and playing on the sympathy of friends to cadge free drinks.
Following the award of beacon status to 43 councils earlier in the month, themes have been announced for the third wave of the beacon scheme. Applications from councils that want to become exemplars in their chosen theme must be submitted by May and the results will be announced early next year. The 50 councils that achieve beacon status in the third wave will then open their doors to colleagues to demonstrate how they are meeting the various challenges.Crime reduction in rural areas features among the themes. Although evidence from the British Crime Survey shows that levels of general crime, and the levels of fear of crime,are significantly lower in rural than in urban areas, the threat of crime felt by rural communities is still very real. Councils wishing to achieve beacon status in this field will have to show that their strategies are dealing effectively with burglaries, thefts of and from cars, violence and drug offences, as well as crimes peculiar to the countryside, such as thefts of livestock and farm equipment, wildlife crime and mass trespass.
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