What the experts would do if they could spend health budget

IN A shrinking economy, controlling the current pocket-lining arrangements is a priority. Medical inflation is not an act of God: it is a consequence of the “free market” in healthcare.

The priorities are:

* Replace the system of centralised administration with a decentralised approach, giving hospitals greater freedom to deliver their services. Devolve hospital budgets down to individual services: require heads of departments (senior clinicians) to take responsibility for expenditure. Publish detailed accounts to involve everyone, from (in-house) cleaners up, in the drive to end corruption and eliminate waste. Micro-management would make the current crude “cut, squeeze and freeze” approach redundant.