Category: The Midlands

NHS Commissioning Board local area teams map: naming with LAT-itude

List and links to individual pages on local area teams

Other maps of the new NHS: clinical commissioning groups (CCGs); commissioning support units (CSUs); specialised commissioning hubs and clinical senates.

I’ve been looking at NHS local area teams as part of a forthcoming report for my employer EHI Intelligence, which will also cover CCGs and CSUs. LATs, the 27 local offices of the NHS Commissioning Board, are another part of the new structure of NHS that comes into force as of 1 April. Among other things, they will provide access to centrally-run ICT systems such as NHSmail.

And, this being the NHS, the local area teams map below based on a PDF from the commissioning board* features names that don’t exist on any current map of England, or at least not in the same shape. There are some names shared with CCGs and CSUs – although there are also LATs which break new ground. Continue reading “NHS Commissioning Board local area teams map: naming with LAT-itude”

Where is The North? Where is The South? The NHS can help

Perhaps the most evocative road signs are those that mention not a city or town, but a region – particularly when that region is The North, which appears (as The NORTH) on signs as far south as Upper Street in Islington. But there is a problem: where is The North, or at least, where is its southern boundary? Continue reading “Where is The North? Where is The South? The NHS can help”

NHS commissioning support units: CSU-zy names, CSU-zy regions

As noted in May, the eventual names of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have ended up being sensible and a bit dull – with the exception of appropriately-independent NHS Kernow CCG (Cornwall). But this is not the case for commissioning support units, which will provide a range of services to CCGs behind the scenes. Firstly, there’s been an in-flight change of generic name – CSUs were firstly known as commissioning support services, then they weren’t.

Continue reading “NHS commissioning support units: CSU-zy names, CSU-zy regions”

Olympic football: South Korea, Switzerland and a big hand for Coventry

Yesterday, Mexico defeated Gabon 2-0 then the Republic of Korea worked hard to beat Switzerland 2-1 in group B of the men’s Olympic football tournament. Not the sort of matches that get much attention here – although South Korea and California showed an interest – but a great day out and a great advert for Coventry, which hosted the two matches. Continue reading “Olympic football: South Korea, Switzerland and a big hand for Coventry”

Why broadband in Britain is what it is

Johnny from America has emailed about an article I wrote in 2007 on broadband in Britain, including why it takes so long to install. “This article came up during my recent quest to find out why everything seems so backward and archaic as it pertains to obtaining broadband internet access in the England,” he writes, adding that in the US, you can often buy a cable modem, call a provider, plug the modem in and be online in half an hour. “This is quite the contrast to here, would you not agree?” he asks.
Continue reading “Why broadband in Britain is what it is”