A new report is calling on doctors to be more responsive to patient and public expectations and play a more active role in improving health services. The report, from the King’s Fund, says that in return doctors should be able to expect government and managers to allow them to exercise judgement over clinical priorities and be given a greater role in managing and redesigning health services.The document, “On being a doctor: Redefining medical professionalism for better patient care” says although individual doctors are highly trusted, confidence in the profession as a whole is in danger of being undermined. It highlights a number of challenges facing the profession, including growing public expectations of health care, government demands for more responsive public services, and managers pursuing performance targets.

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A project is being launched today in Middlesbrough to encourage local councils and voluntary organisations to share examples of how they are working together productively. To mark the launch of Local Ideals, representatives from all five unitary authorities in the Tees Valley will join partners from the voluntary sector to share ideas of good practice.Local Ideals is a partnership between the National Councilfor Voluntary Organisations and IdeA. It will pull together all the relevant policies and guidance on local collaboration and identify fresh examples of good practice.

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By Jane MartinPublic trust in government has diminished and the resulting accountability gap has allowed a culture of suspicion to develop. The decline in trust is particularly acute in local government. The author argues that scrutiny, particularly at the local level has a role to play in restoring trust. The scrutiny by non-executive councillors of internal decisions and of other public authorities, including the NHS, provides an opportunity to reduce the accountability gap. Effective scrutiny will increase the dialogue between governors and the governed and should not be seen as a myopic and forensic activity to keep backbenchers tied up in the minutiae. The key features of scrutiny are that it serves as a challenge of a critical friend, it articulates the public voice, it is carried out by lay scrutineers and it makes an impact on public services.

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