Forum

• Your message to the new Health Secretary

  Whatever your political affiliation, as employees of the NHS, what would be your message to Andrew Lansley?
  

• Cigarette packaging ban

  Australia is to become the first country to introduce mandatory plain cigarette packaging. How much of a role should government play with regard to smoking?
  

• NHS Admin Savings

  Management/Admin savings in the NHS may be very substantial. I used to be in management consultancy working for a major national company, our team went into all the companies and evaluated their O & M, did time standards for all major tasks with the net result that a 20% saving was made across the board. These were commercial companies already very carefully & economically run, the NHS does not have that discipline, hence I suspect savings (without loss of front line service, even with improved front line service) of up to 40% may be possible in admin & management! That's an awful lot of money for more doctors, nurses, ancillary staff and drugs!
  

• Health First in the NHS

  Please, please can we put health promotion to the front of the agenda? Can we start to re-educate the public that they are active participants in their own health; the NHS can't do it alone!
  
• If you have any comments or suggestions for things you would like Frank to write about, why not email him at franklyspeaking@247mediagroup.co.uk