Andy Cowper: So, are social care and the NHS now sorted?
15 Sep Health & Social Care

Andy Cowper: So, are social care and the NHS now sorted?

The government’s tax hike for health and social care will provide extra funding, but does it go far enough?
by Andy Cowper
Opinion: Improving government communication won’t save muddled policy decisions
17 Sep Communications
Opinion: Improving government communication won’t save muddled policy decisions
Opinion: As the government considers its approach to regulation, here’s how it could improve scrutiny
13 Sep Policy
Opinion: As the government considers its approach to regulation, here’s how it could improve scrutiny
Colin Talbot: Remembering 9/11
10 Sep Foreign Affairs
Colin Talbot: Remembering 9/11
Take a few extra steps to prevent fraud and enhance the user experience Sponsored
13 Sep Fraud, Error Debt & Grants
Take a few extra steps to prevent fraud and enhance the user experience
Barley Laing, the UK managing director at Melissa, explains how the tech behind acronyms like eIDV, MRZ, OCR, and AI can deliver valuable information to keep the public sector fraud-free
Mixed messaging: Lee Cain's proposals to reform government communications need more clarity
07 Sep Communications
Mixed messaging: Lee Cain's proposals to reform government communications need more clarity
Kay Hender, head of communications at the FDA union, argues that Lee Cain has identified some of the challenges faced by the Government Communications Service, but his proposed solutions are contradictory and could make things worse
The pain of migraines: one civil servant shares their experience
03 Sep Health & Social Care
The pain of migraines: one civil servant shares their experience
The condition can be crippling, but what can be done to ease the symptoms? To mark Migraine Awareness Week, Paul Scullion shares his own experiences
I had amazing support at work when I miscarried. Civil servants deserve the same
25 Aug HR
I had amazing support at work when I miscarried. Civil servants deserve the same
Civil service policy on pregnancy loss is "paltry", Victoria Jones writes
Procurement and the pandemic: How CCS rose to the challenge of Covid-19
16 Aug Commercial
Procurement and the pandemic: How CCS rose to the challenge of Covid-19
The Crown Commercial Service has helped the public sector in its agile response to the coronavirus. Chief executive Simon Tse shares the lessons from the past year
Opinion: Lessons for the government consulting hub
12 Aug Commercial
Opinion: Lessons for the government consulting hub
The government has confirmed that it plans to go ahead with the creation of a central consultancy hub. How should it work? Iain Greenwood explores the issues
Dave Penman: Riffing Rishi’s Pret project could undermine civil service relocation drive
05 Aug HR
Dave Penman: Riffing Rishi’s Pret project could undermine civil service relocation drive
Ministers are starting to drop hints about driving civil servants back to the office again as the summer break starts. But this could undermine the government’s own efforts to move officials out of Whitehall
Andy Cowper: A new NHS chief exec, and a personal responsibility lecture from Boris Johnson
30 Jul Health & Social Care
Andy Cowper: A new NHS chief exec, and a personal responsibility lecture from Boris Johnson
The PM has gone ahead with the Covid unlocking, but the new health secretary had to go nearly straight into isolation after testing positive. Sajid Javid also got to grips with his in-tray, including appointing a new NHS chief
Caroline Slocock: The Greensill review's treatment of Jeremy Heywood is blatantly unfair
29 Jul Finance
Caroline Slocock: The Greensill review's treatment of Jeremy Heywood is blatantly unfair
Refusing to hear evidence from the late cab sec's widow is an unfortunate look for a government with a track record of treating civil servants badly
Time for evidence: an ex-Treasury official on why the Spending Review must match money to outcomes
22 Jul Finance
Time for evidence: an ex-Treasury official on why the Spending Review must match money to outcomes
Ministers regularly talk about the amounts they are spending but, with a difficult Spending Review under way, the public need the tools to determine whether they are getting value for money, says former Treasury official Andrew Hudson
Dave Penman: Bold ideas and recipes for chaos from the Commission for Smart Government
15 Jul Civil Service Reform
Dave Penman: Bold ideas and recipes for chaos from the Commission for Smart Government
The new review is a serious piece of work, and comes just weeks after the government’s own declaration on reform. But do ministers have a clear strategy for the reform they want?
Opinion: Getting Great British Railways on track
06 Jul Economy
Opinion: Getting Great British Railways on track
There remains a great deal to do to translate the government’s high-level vision into a concrete plan, says the Institute for Government's Matthew Gill
How ministers can be involved in civil service appointments
02 Jul Civil Service Reform
How ministers can be involved in civil service appointments
After the government pledged to give ministers ‘visibility’ of senior civil service appointments in their department, a member of the Civil Service Commission sets out how the system works now
Opinion: Why the Declaration on Government Reform shows the time for change has come
23 Jun Civil Service Reform
Opinion: Why the Declaration on Government Reform shows the time for change has come
Civil service reform is not a zero sum game where ministers win and civil servants lose, says Martin Wheatley, the research director of the Commission for Smart Government. Now is the time to make positive change for all
Opinion: What the Whitehall-focused Declaration On Government Reform gets wrong
21 Jun Civil Service Reform
Opinion: What the Whitehall-focused Declaration On Government Reform gets wrong
The government’s plan for civil service reform doesn’t engage with the reality of the devolved UK, says Colin Talbot
Dave Penman: Dom should put up or shut up
17 Jun Coronavirus
Dave Penman: Dom should put up or shut up
The prime minister’s former top adviser fired broadsides across all of Whitehall in his evidence on the government’s coronavirus response. But we got more accusations than facts
Gove’s government reform plan: what it means for the civil service, and what is missing
17 Jun Civil Service Reform
Gove’s government reform plan: what it means for the civil service, and what is missing
The Declaration on Government Reform sets out plans for civil service reform one year on from Michael Gove’s landmark speech on public service. Bronwen Maddox and Alex Thomas from the Institute for Government take a look at what it means
Colin Talbot: Why we weren't ready for Covid-19
14 Jun
Colin Talbot: Why we weren't ready for Covid-19
Dominic Cummings has claimed there was no plan for a pandemic when coronavirus struck. Was he right?
Games, simulations, and digital twins: the technology transforming the citizen experience Sponsored
09 Jun Coronavirus
Games, simulations, and digital twins: the technology transforming the citizen experience
Data is playing an increasingly important role in the delivery of public services. But what if a shock like the COVID-19 pandemic renders data out of date? Deloitte has been working out not only how to unlock insight from the most recent information, but also how to use this information with cutting-edge technology to fundamentally improve the citizen experience
Andy Cowper: The Treasury’s back – and so is Dom
08 Jun Coronavirus
Andy Cowper: The Treasury’s back – and so is Dom
The Department of Health and Social Care – and its secretary of state – has had another month in the headlines. But did it just see its future in the school funding row?
Peter Schofield on DWP at 20: A department two decades in the making that rose to the challenge of a lifetime
08 Jun
Peter Schofield on DWP at 20: A department two decades in the making that rose to the challenge of a lifetime
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Department for Work and Pensions. Permanent secretary Peter Schofield reflects on the momentous occasion
‘Hard work doesn’t let Whitehall off the hook on transparency’: Meg Hillier on the civil service’s Covid response
03 Jun Coronavirus
‘Hard work doesn’t let Whitehall off the hook on transparency’: Meg Hillier on the civil service’s Covid response
Public Accounts Committee chair warns that perm sec churn ‘requires younger civil servants to have the courage to call out ministers’
'The inflection point is here': how Covid is driving digital transformation in health Sponsored
01 Jun Digital, Data & Technology
"The inflection point is here": how Covid is driving digital transformation in health
It’s been one of the most challenging years for healthcare providers, but Salesforce sees lasting change from accelerated digital transformation
Opinion: The government must change its approach if the new subsidy control system is to be a success
01 Jun Brexit
Opinion: The government must change its approach if the new subsidy control system is to be a success
The government has an opportunity to design a better system than the EU state aid regime it will replace, but its current approach risks missing the opportunity