Privatised public services – A sign of the future

TREATMENT IN TODAY’S NHS

This is what treatment is like in an NHS hospital today
This is what happened to my sister in a semi-privatised, squeezed by New Labour and Margaret Thatcher, we’re so proud of our standard of excellence we are applying for Foundation Hospital status hospital
This is what happened to my sister, … Continue reading

Are you happy with what’s being said on your behalf?

NCIA has now heard back from all but one of the national bodies, in response to our open letter to them about the new Compact. These bodies speak on our behalf – or, in the case of Directory for Social Change, on matters that affect us.  And how strange…..not a word from ACEVO. They are … Continue reading

Co-option or what? NCIA asks second tiers why they support the new Compact

The National Coalition for Independent Action today released an open letter to the Chief Executives of the five national bodies which have endorsed the revised National Compact, launched on December 16th. The full text of the letter reads:

“19/1/10

Dear Stephen, Debra, Stuart, Kevin and Justin,

We write this open letter to you, having been … Continue reading

What’s 2010 bringing & what’s NCIA doing ’bout it?

2010 promises to be a year of change, upheaval and hardship. On the one hand there is the prospect of a change in government following the General Election. Although the result of the election may lead to some change in the way in which the government behaves and in its choice of priorities, in truth … Continue reading

Say No to Commissioning

One of the principal ways – perhaps the main way – in which the Government is mounting its assault on the voluntary sector is through the peddling of its latest ‘fad’ for PROCUREMENT AND COMMISSIONING. Statutory services of all sorts have been told – explicitly or implicitly – to develop strategies for this. There has … Continue reading

Democracy at Work – A True Story

Little Fish is a social justice organisation that supports vulnerable clients with acute needs while also campaigning on equality issues nationally. Earlier this year, Little Fish made a charity of the year-type arrangement with a commercial organisation, let’s call them Loan Sharks Ltd. Little Fish’s management were pleased to announce the sponsorship of Loan Sharks … Continue reading

Systems thinking in the public sector

Much of what we complain is being forced onto voluntary organisations by local and central Government derives from ineffective and outdated management styles and theories – targets, performance management, quality assurance, benchmarking, regulation and the rest of it. These styles and techniques make services worse not better, build in unnecessary costs and make it harder … Continue reading