Debates & Lectures archive

Tim Kelsey began with an arresting disclosure: that there are GPs in the UK who have never diagnosed a case of cancer because they are 'incompetent'. Statistics for the inequality of care across the country also demonstrate, for instance, that you are three times more likely to die of curable emphysema in Tyneside than in Dorset.

As a journalist he said that he first learnt from his mother’s of a GP colleague who had completely failed to deliver reasonable care to his patients. Kelsey decided to compile a ‘good hospital’ guide where transparency would lead to greater safety. Since the formation of Dr Foster Intelligence, transparency will lead to quality
and sustainability.

Why? Because when you publish data on healthcare you increase accountability. Transparency directly drives outcomes in productivity in public services. We have tried paying doctors more, we have applied regulation; we could try rationing services; we could continue to set targets, but all that has achieved is a drop in waiting times. The simple answer is for open data – public reporting. We need data on GPs’ performance; data on social care. At a time when clinical provision has become a commodity we need an intelligent, transparent health service delivered by genuinely caring professionals.