English reforms lose their appeal in Ontario?

England has had a disproportionate impact on health care reform in Ontario over the last decade or so --under both Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments.

After the election of a Conservative-Liberal Democrat government in Britain in 2010, English health policy took a decided turn towards bonzo-privatization. (As elsewhere, this was done on a "need to know" basis: the electorate were only informed about the policy after the election.)

So it was with a worried eye that I looked at the latest report on these reforms and what they might mean for Ontario from Ontario's (very establishment-oriented) health care think tank, "The Change Foundation".

The good news is that The Change Foundation shows rather tepid interest in the latest English reforms. Here, for example, are their two take away lessons from the English reforms:

Quality improvement in primary care must be integrated with a performance measurement framework which is connected and aligned with performance measurement for the broader healthcare system. We need an overarching quality outcomes framework with an integrated, cascading set of measures. Ontario can learn from England’s experience with the NHS Mandate, its closely linked Outcomes Framework, and the integration of performance measurement with payment.

We can also learn from the NHS England’s experience with patient and public engagement. They have a history of involving patients, informal caregivers and the public in the development of healthcare guidance and quality standards, and the Health and Social Care Act provides additional opportunities for patients and families to express their views about their healthcare system.

Not much more than quibbles from where I sit.

Perhaps the Foundation's rather limp interest is connected to the problems the legislation had getting passed, the replacement of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley (who had led the reforms), the flack the Tories are getting over the reforms, and widespread doubts the reforms will actually solve anything.

Photos: Run Prime Minister Run (with apologies to Cary Grant) and Oops! by Byzantine_K

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