The development of electronic health records, as part of the National Programme for Information Technology in the NHS, will provide clinical researchers with a vast mine of data that will increase the scope and improve the efficiency of research.The database will provide an up-to-date picture of what is happening across healthcare in the UK. This will allow researchers to systematically generate hypotheses for research so that new trends can be followed up. The database will also allow entire studies to be based only on electronic record data. Because records are continually updated it will be possible to “follow” the patient and capture outcome data in clinical trials and longitudinal studies.

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The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs is seeking councils who are willing to test out incentives that encourage people to reduce their waste and find better ways of disposing of it. Councils that develop schemes designed to increase the amount of materials re-used, recycled or composted, or reduce the amount of waste being produced will be able to share in the 5m pounds funding. Grants are more likely to be made where councils collaborate with each other and with local partners including the community sector and local media.Defra wants to build up an evidence base for future policy in waste management so that it can offer guidance to councils on best practice. It believes that by trialling new and innovative incentives, and monitoring and evaluating the success of existing schemes, it will be possible to highlight good practice and find out what works best in local circumstances.

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By David Allen Reproduced by permission of the Public Management and Policy Association. Consultation fatigue is a common complaint across the public sector and it has been so for many years. The author from his experience at the forefront of research argues that the real problem is that action does not follow the surveys. He suggests more focus on what matters to customers to improve public response.