Seriously good advice 👇

One of my favourite insights from this Working Paper on Big Local: the power of taking a more organic approach to governance. Rather than designing governance in Whitehall - a chart that looks neat on paper - cultivate it as a local capability. 🧵

I have much sympathy with the Trustees who will be able to do a lot with £5m. But the film of this would end with the purchaser leaving the triptych on permanent loan and covering the insurance cost...

See also 🎶 We three Kings of orient are/One in a taxi, one in a car/One on a scooter, beeping his hoo-ooter/Following yonder star 🎶

This is such a good piece of work by @nuffieldtrust.org.uk & @instituteforgovernment.org.uk. The structure is not the fundamental problem, it's the multiplicity of dysfunctional behaviours which surround it. Until those are fixed, every structure is likely to fail.

Unless you're @hpiandycowper.bsky.social.

You can now apply for the job I am leaving! Here it is: jobsearch.bmj.com/jobs/job/NIH.... An NIHR job hosted by the BMJ Group. Closing date 30 November

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead was right.

How much do I wish I was qualified for this role...

This piece from the Weekend FT seems relevant bsky.app/profile/heta...

If I was invited to join a panel at a week's notice I would have a pretty good idea why...

Wishing this was the most horrifying news this morning...

It's a long way from the Thames but @londonmudlark.bsky.social might know someone who might know?

Calling ALL health data folk: Re UK Health Data Research Service. The UK gov & Wellcome have pledged up to £600 million to create a HDRS. Myself & an ace team have been tasked by Wellcome to assess the existing health data ecosystem & identify what is needed to support the HDRS 👇. Get in touch

Reform's voters are highly motivated, and for the most part strongly dislike Labour. You win at constituency level by bringing together the 'activated liberals' who dislike the idea of a Reform MP/government more than anything. You don't do that by moving closer to Reform.

At @thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk University of Cambridge, we're looking for a talented early career researcher to support an exciting programme of work on innovation and improvement in healthcare. This is a great opportunity. Apply by 18 November www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...

Oh Siena. Back in my happy place to see the newly restored allegory of good government. The detail is glorious. People dancing and playing games, bootmakers selling their goods, builders repairing the roof. In bad government (still sadly poorly preserved) the buildings are full of holes.

This is good. The NHS espouses Team B/C while still in practice too often behaving like Team A. So everyone is frustrated. Shorter feedback cycles help with the political cycle too, as long as politicians actually understand iteration and don't tear things up after the 1st failure.

Love love love this little newsletter. And the motto and crest. Cheer up, be brave, join in.

🧵 illustrating beautifully how safe care is enabled by people who aren't doctors and nurses. (We need drs & nurses, but we need techies - and porters & cleaners and many others too) Sounds a fab role @hadleybeeman.bsky.social!

I have discovered that women are more than capable of undertaking any task which requires physical strength or of learning any discipline which requires discernment and intelligence. Books which say otherwise were definitely not written by women. - Christine de Pizan, b. 1365

Experimenting with a new concept using @queermedieval.bsky.social’s Portland Frog woodcut. Embracing goofiness as protest.

"But running a country IS hard work. It is mud, and muck and coffee stains." Fabulous read. Hope springs eternal...

Working on something with a typo. The Untied States. Quite.

How cool is this?? Can't do the date but will definitely check it out in the future.

The @mndassoc.bsky.social has been a tremendous support for my family. From their helpline taking my desperate phone calls, to making direct grants to mum so she has equipment she needs without delay. You can help their work & direct grants by donating here: donate.mndassociation.org?campaign=25S...

Policymaking - developing and agreeing policies, and then implementing them - is difficult, but plenty of people (increasingly) confuse it with "coming up with ideas for policies" which is, indeed, very easy. Same philosophy that says that announcing the thing is the same as doing the thing

New Archbishop of Canterbury will face old evils on.ft.com/47hTXyH | opinion

So far as I can tell, to-date she is the only HSJ contributor to be made Archbishop of Canterbury.

"...we can and will use the privilege of our leadership to call out injustice, to celebrate connection and to help make things safer and fairer.” Absolutely stonking statement from ADASS.

Good to hear @sharonbrennan.bsky.social @nationalvoices.bsky.social championing the crucial role that VCSE’s will play in realising the shift to community and brilliantly making the point that the 10YP care plan target must not result in tokenistic recording of patient wishes. #LabourConference2025

Together with a set of ridiculously qualified colleagues, under the auspices of the BMJ, have contributed to this assessment of the Government's 10 Year Plan for the NHS. We conclude that we need greater clarity on the how and fewer priorities. www.bmj.com/content/390/...

The Boring Fund will be open for applications in November. If your small UK charity needs (up to) £200 to cover something boring like insurance or web hosting, take a look. They welcome donations too.

Meanwhile the govt does nothing to address the underlying reasons for the closures of community spaces i.e. serious underfunding of local authorities

Oh god this is the story of life in the public sector. I do know that agreeing a simple place based funding formula is not in fact that simple, but it could be absolutely transformational in really enabling local leaders to meet local needs.

Just finished this-a really interesting piece of analysis looking at how the culture of central government can frustrate reform efforts. Check it out! So much of culture is set at the top-it's one aspect we're looking into, examining the role of ministers in public service reform. Watch this space!

Now THIS is inclusion.

Feel like we should bring back the old twitter follow friday to boost good people on here who maybe didn't get an initial boost from the starter packs. So follow @psurridge.bsky.social and @profjanegreen.bsky.social - two excellent and thoughtful political scientists.

Just an outpouring of joy. A lot for the foodies here, & not all cheap.. but it's a glorious mix of the stupidly luxurious and free to anyone and everyone which typifies London. And I love this: "we must start with the spirit of London. Which is: turn your face to the world. Look outward, always."

Isn’t it just simple for Starmer et al to say that old, well understood fact: “There is no such thing as complete freedom to do and say what you want because one person’s freedom to do that can mean another person’s loss of freedom from living without abuse, fear or worse”. Draw your lines.

Visit from Sky TV repairman this morning along with his BSL interpreter. Was - as you'd expect - as easy as anything. And he fixed the connection problem. More of this as an everyday thing, please.

The Albert Hall a sea of blue flags with yellow stars tonight...

When Ted Heath sacked Enoch Powell he was acting in the face of a majority in favour. Harold Wilson backed him up and called the speech “evil”. Long past time for Keir and Kemi to do the same.

And EU flags outnumber Union Jacks 3 or 4:1 amongst the prommers.

Somewhere in a parallel universe another DHSC has worked with people who actually use services, and the organisations which amplify their voices, to develop performance information which is genuinely meaningful...

Watching a plane fly towards a rainbow, and although I know perfectly well that flying *through* a rainbow isn't really a thing, just imagine if it was... 🌈 🏳️‍🌈 🌈