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The authors reflect on issues concerning private finance initiative (PFI) in Great Britain. They note the controversy over hospital bed reductions in Britain related to PFI in 2000. They cite the problem of higher interest rate charges and risks involving PFI, leading to the claim that PFI is even less affordable. Also noted is the number of PFI projects that had been signed to the British National Health Service (NHS).

This article focuses on a plan by the British coalition government to open up the market in the National Health Service (NHS). It notes the growing scepticism about the merit of the private sector in U.S. health care, as well as the proposal in Great Britain to devolve financial risk to general practice consortiums through market competition and a reimbursement system. It points out the risk posed by mentally ill patients due to their higher overall health costs and unpredictable care. It also notes the development of the competitive market of mixed providers, as well as the effect of competition in the NHS on quality and efficiency.

The article focuses on the UK Department of Health's "Best Research for Best Health," a report which sets up an organizational and funding framework for National Health Service and associated university medical schools in England. The report outlines the implementation of a National Institute for Health Research, which will centralize governance, staff, facilities and infrastructure needs of medical research.

Discusses new community care regulations which mean that older people may not be able to choose where they are treated. Claims of improvement of access to health care for poor and disadvantaged by health secretary John Reid versus the Community Care (Delayed Discharge) Act which comes into force in January 2004; Details of the Community Care Act; The possible undermining of the 1948 National Assistance Act, known as the Direction on Choice.

Reports on the supposed resolution of the issue of giving poor countries access to essential medicines without breaching laws on intellectual property by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Past agreements; Allowance of drug companies to charge monopoly prices for essential drugs; Provisions for over-riding of patent protection for public health purposes; 2001 declaration stating the WTO's intention of finding an interpretation that squared the interest of pharmaceutical industries and poor countries; Description of the deal as a historical agreement by WTO director general Supachai Panitchpakdi; Grounds for scepticism; Basic problems with trade related aspects of intellectual property (TRIPS); Questions from the United Kingdom Commission on Intellectual Property Rights and Development Policy.

Discusses a decision by the United Kingdom's Competition Commission that could make all contracting out and commissioning of health care by N.H.S. and social services subject to European Union competition law, rather than a matter for national public health policy. Tensions between the European Union's economic constitution and national control over healthcare policy because of healthcare reforms; Judgment by the United Kingdom tribunal that shows how the courts are moving the dividing line between economic and social activities; Implications of the judgment.

Discusses the choice extended to patients to choose among public and private health providers in Great Britain. Effort of Great Britain's National Health Service to engage more constructively with private sector; Implications for national control over health policy; Role of Great Britain's National Agreement on Trade in Services; Failure of Great Britain to protect its health policy.

Editorial. Discusses the decision by the Scottish government regarding how long term medical care challenges the National Health Service (NHS) of Great Britain. Reasons why the Scottish Executive decided not to charge elderly people for personal and social care, and how the decision impacts one made by the United Kingdom's Westminster government; Details of the decision; How Scotland has the lowest life expectancy and highest all cause standardised mortality ratio in the U.K.

Editorial. Discusses the funding of the intermediate care plan proposed by Great Britain's National Health Service (NHS). Details of the budgets of care trusts for the delivery of community health care and social care; Questions regarding the NHS definition of nursing care; Impact of altered funding mechanisms on health care quality in Great Britain.

The article presents the authors' view on the fate of the government agency the National Health Services (NHS). Topics discussed include the authors' opinion on the 2012 Health and Social Care Act and its impact in the government's healthcare services, the similarity of the care organizations created by the U.S. Affordable Care Act of 2010 to the clinical commissioning groups of Great Britain and the authors' call for the creation of a legislative bill to restore the NHS in Great Britain.

In this article the authors reflect on the possibility that the Joint Action on Monitoring Injuries in Europe (JAMIE), a project on collecting and monitoring injury data, will be left undone as the European Commission (EC), most European Union (EU) countries, including Great Britain, are not committed to continuing the project when it ends in 2014. It discusses the benefits of injury surveillance in terms of reducing the number of injuries at home and in road traffic collisions.

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of community oriented primary care as a method of teaching and applying public health skills in Great Britain. Description of King's Fund pilot project; Factors for needs assessment; Support for health authorities.

Focuses on significance of public opinion to the people running the National Health Service (NHS) in Great Britain. Opinion of National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts on public consultation; Implications of threats to health services on NHS; Processes affecting the central tenets of NHS.

The article discusses three reports on the future of medical care in Great Britain namely, "Future Direction of Health Care," from the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts, "Future Health Care Options," released by the Institute of Health Services Management and the survey of health policy makers. The first paper focused on how the National Health Service (NHS) deliver health care in the nation. The second report gave out suggestions for medical care such as social insurance and local taxation.

Evaluates 'Local Voices,' a publication of the National Health Service (NHS) Management Executive. Emphasis on the consumerism in health service; Presentation on the democracy of the consultation process of NHS; Discussion on the ministerial management of health care.

Editorial. Discusses the introduction of capital charges to National Health Service (NHS) in Great Britain. Introduction of the charges in 1992; In-depth look at the NHS trusts; Assessment of the NHS trusts' performance; Value of NHS assets.

The article discusses the Francis inquiry into substandard care at Mid Staffordshire should make the government rethink its staffing policy. It mentions that Francis had strongly recommended training and regulation of staffing levels to improve the delivery of services. However, the Quality, Innovation, Productivity, and Prevention Programme (QIPP) is driving controversial service reconfigurations - cutting staff and closing emergency services and hospitals throughout England.

A letter is presented in response to the article "Dismantling the signposts to public health? NHS data under the Health and Social Care Act 2012" by Allyson M. Pollock, Alison Macfarlane and Sylvia Godden in the April 2012 issue; a response by Pollock and colleagues to this letter is also included.

The article offers information on Health and Social Care Bill. It mentions the significance of writing a letter to the House of Lords in the Great Britain to protect National Health Service (NHS) as the bill did not deliver quality and fairness. It mentions that the healthcare needs of the entire population has been evaluated by public health professionals. It also discusses several problems related to the bill which includes the abolishment of direct accountability.

Background This article describes the issues encountered when designing a study to evaluate recruitment of minority ethnic groups into clinical cancer research in order to monitor adherence to the principles for good practice set out in the Department of Health, Research Governance Framework, England. Methods (i) A review of routine data sources to determine whether their usefulness as a source of data on prevalence of cancer in the population by ethnic category. (ii) A local case study at one hospital trust to ascertain whether the ethnicity of cancer trial participants was representative of admitted cancer patients. Results (i) The lack of a comparator population makes it problematic to assess recruitment levels by ethnic group in clinical research. (ii) The odds of being in a trial were 30% lower for a member of a minority ethnic group compared to a white cancer patient after adjusting for disease, age and gender, OR 0.70 (0.53 to 0.94). These results differed for each ethnic group; Asian patients did not appear under-represented while Black and Chinese did so. However, there are important caveats to the findings based on the limited recording of ethnicity. Conclusions The lack of available data on the ethnicity of participants in clinical research and the prevalence of cancer in the population according to ethnicity makes it difficult to design a study to monitor representation of minority ethnic groups. This information is necessary to assess adherence to the Research Governance Framework principle that research evidence reflects the diversity of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Equity, Waiting Times, and NHS Reforms: Retrospective Study," by Z. N. Cooper and colleagues in the September 3, 2009 issue.

This article presents a letter to the editor in response to the article "Evidence not ideology," by Godlee that appeared in the October 8, 2005 issue of the "British Medical Journal."

Presents a response to a letter to the editor regarding the role of industry and higher education in medical research conducted by the British National Health Service.