The Week, 1 March 2019

4 Mar 2019 03:44 PM

Blog posted by: Claudia Martinez, 1 March 2019.

Reformer of The Week

The Health and Social Care Committee for urging the Government to kickstart an “Early Years Revolution” and encouraging local authorities to test a wide variety of approaches to understand “what works” to improve children’s outcomes in the first 1000 days of life.

Quotes of The Week

“There is still a domestic agenda that I want to get on with - deliver." Rt Hon Theresa May, on Monday.

“Not only have these failings been extremely costly for taxpayers, but we have seen the number of people on short sentences recalled to prison skyrocket.” Sir Amyas Morse, Comptroller & Auditor General, speaking about the NAO investigation into Transforming Rehabilitation reforms on Friday.

Bad Week For

Transforming Rehabilitation

A new report by NAO has found that The Ministry of Justice’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms were "rushed" and have failed to meet targets to reduce reoffending. Speaking for Reform last week Rt Hon David Gauke MP, spoke of the need for better and alternative ways of punishing and rehabilitating offenders.

NHS Accountability

The NHS is planning to scrap four-hour A&E waiting targets and reform competition and procurement rules. The question is how the NHS will be held accountable to taxpayers for how resources are spent.

Good Week For

Health Education

Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP has confirmed that, from September 2020, pupils of all ages will be taught about positive mental and physical wellbeing as part of a new compulsory health education programme.

Genomic Healthcare

A new National Genomic Healthcare strategy was announced by the Government this week. The strategy will increase the use of DNA sequencing data, to support people with rare diseases through preventative and personalised services.

Reform’s Week

Reform announced that Charlotte Pickles has been appointed to succeed Andrew Haldenby as its Director

Reform published a report titled, Proceed with caution: What makes personal budgets work? The report examines of how personal budgets have been used to deliver public services in the UK and suggests solutions to the key challenges raised by their implementation so far.

Eleonora Harwich, Head of Digital and Technological Innovation at Reform, spoke at The Royal Society of Medicine’s event, ‘Recent developments in AI and digital health 2019’. She also spoke at The London Interdisciplinary Biosciences Consortium Teaching Week 2019 where she presented the findings of Thinking on its own: AI in the NHS and Making NHS data work for everyone.