Gordon Brown to appoint Alan Johnson to the Department of Health
Alan JohnsonGordon Brown is the new prime minister.
Really.
No definitive news as to cabinet appointments as yet (10.30 pm on Wednesday 27th June) but the word is that Patricia Hewitt has resigned to spend more time with her elderly parents in Australia. No crocodile tears about that.
And it seems that Alan Johnson is to take over at the Department of Health.
I hope that is true.
Alan Johnson has always struck Dr Crippen as a sensible, down to earth man and, by all accounts, he is good at getting on with people. He may have the skills (that Hewitt lacked) to get the doctors and nurses on side.
I hope that is true too.
As always at times like this it is fascinating to watch the orderly transfer of power in a democracy. To watch Gordon Brown leaving the Palace in the bullet proof Jaguar and minutes later watch Tony Blair carrying his own suitcase towads a Seven Series BMW and being redirected to a Vauxhall.
Gordon Brown has many advantages over Tony Blair. Not least, he will not have a Macbeth living next door. But what fun listening to Gordon Brown talking as though he was taking over from a rival political party. Perhaps he was.
Whatever Gordon Brown does, doctors must give Alan Johnson a chance. NHS BLOG DOCTOR believes he is the best possible appointment.
Oh! Dear, I felt a bit like this in 1997
Labels: Alan Johnson
20 Comments:
I thought the car thing was hilarious. Having worked in Govt I know it's the loss of the limo that hurts the most.
I thought the "I promise to do my best" speech was a little lack lustre and a bit like the Boy Brigade oath. Finally he's got his PM badge, but I bet the uniform doesn't fit anymore.
And all that codswallop about listening to the people.
That'll make a change then Gordon.
Still feeling trepidation, but agreed, tempered with a sopcon of optomism as he does seem to be the best candidate for Health.
For what it's worth, as someone working in education I can say that people in the sector are generally dissappointed to see Johnson go.
He can be a slippery bugger, but he certainly gives the impression of taking seriously the various professional interests that actual deliver services.
Of course, as Nick Robinson said on Today this morning, Johnson's gift is seen to be more in presentation than administration, so maybe it reflects denial about how deeply the problems in the health service run.
itll still be the same fucked up centralised stalinist nonsense with the patients having no say
best way of fixing the nhs would be to just give the patients cheques to spend, force the providers to compete for the cheques
fully expect lots of good words but little delivery
no one
Judge him on action not words.
Firstly immediate action is necessary to increase junior doctors training provision, even if it costs the whole of the so-called surplus in the NHS.
Anything less and he'll be in trouble sooner than he thinks! Speed is of the essence and the DoH should have provision ready as a contingency. All he needs to do is make his decision!
No one how much should the cheque be for?
I mean should we give you a blank cheque in case your ill? or maybe a stipend of £50 a week?
If your wealthy why don't you just go private and if not then should we just stop your NI and let you pay the full wack?
I have some doubts over Patsy's announcement. If she wanted to spend more time with her elderly parents she could have resigned at any time before.
I think this is a case of her jumping before she was pushed.
FP,
The NI has nothing to do with health costs, I don't believe it ever has.
Lizzie
Your point is well made! All power corrupts and she has clung on to it as long as she possibly could.
A pity she didn't see the light sooner, perhaps after her hammering on 'Question Time' and then some sensible recovery of the mess caused by MMC could have been put in place!
I think Johnson is a brilliant MP - it is a shame that his reputation will be ruined by the poison challis of government - the DoH. Unless Brown gives it a complete overhaul, it will have to make do with a second rate department operating under impossible conditions.
But - out of all the candidates for the job, Johnson is the best.
Don't know enough about Johnson but hallelujah, the witch is dead.
No one - I find your dogmatic faith in clinging to a suggestion that is not being successfully utilised anywhere else in the world strangely cheering.
oh but it is successful in many places
turn the nhs into a state backed insurance company which pays out fully and fairly when you need it
give all the providers, hospitals, clinics etc away to whoever wants them
let the patients decide where to take their insurance payouts
lets see how long the dirt, rudeness, and waits last if the end customer has some buying power
God - Please let the bitch Hewitt fall ill in Australia. At my hospital. Please.
I would look forward to the challenge to see whether my profesionalism would win out over my base nature.
Dr Sniper
I am not impressed.
His chat on education resembles Hewitt on health.
He just waffles on about more A grades and more shiny new PFI schools.
Shame about the easier exams, falling numeracy and literacy and generally pitiful standard of education that school leavers depart with.
I have learned from Google that his constituency neighbour is none other than Prescott
www.alanjohnson.org makes for wonderful reading.... They havent updated it yet despite the £10000 they get a year for website maintenance
"oh but it is successful in many places"
For example?
From my Univ perch, second what aardvark said about Johnson. I think there will be more sense than with Patsy "Don't tell me how to lead, I used to be a (management) CONSULTANT" Hewitt that the people in the system know something about their own business...
...but on the other hand the doctors can also expect to hear "just why do you think your job is so different from other peoples' jobs?"
Based on the general tone of how he treated Universities I wouldn't be surprised if Johnson in effect offers to return some autonomy to the medical profession - or at least to the Trusts and hospitals - in exchange for wage restraint. And I think doctors can expect to be asked why they should get x% if everyone else in the NHS is getting less than x%, independent pay review body notwithstanding.
Good Riddance to Hewitt!!
She was a liar, incompetent & uncaring.
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