Monthly Archives: June 2006

Why NICE is in need of a re-fit?

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Just read the very timely HSJ magazine piece (‘Why NICE is in need of a re-fit’) scrutinising NICE and discussing the public criticism it’s come in for over Herceptin and new guidance. And yes, it includes scrutiny of its public health remit, following the merger with the Health Development Agency (HDA) in April 2005. Well, if that’s not enough meat to chew on here’s the text of the email I sent to NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon in response to the staff merger consultation document.

Being a positive systems-minded kind of a guy I also wanted to reproduce my notes to NICE’s Magnus Anderson at the time of the merger on the implications of the different cultures of the two organisations for the merger. The response from Magnus was welcoming, though one line now jumps out at me: “It seems to make sense to consider cultural issues in the light of the overall structure and strategy – rather than the other way round.” It’s that old ‘systems first, people second’ syndrome (aka ‘fat finger syndrome’) is it not, which can contribute to systematic failure if you’re not careful? Surely culture and structure/strategy should ideally be co-designed in tandem? Anyhow all this contributed to my own ideas on ‘social complexity’.

Free Kaka wallpaper for your computer

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Came across the Guarana Antartica (Brazil’s own Coca Cola) corporate marketing blog for Kaka today. Looks like it’s doing well, with plenty of comments etc. But where are the giveaways? Well, I may not have a drinks manufacturer behind me, but I can still come up with some corporate goodies. I’ve borrowed the nice image below from their blog, and it turns out you can save this and make it into a neat Kaka wallpaper for your computer.

Just right click the image, then select ‘Set as wallpaper’, then select funnily enough ‘Stretch’ and the image nicely fits to your screen, then select ‘Set Wallpaper’ and your done. This is the process of Windows XP 2003 so you may need to play around with other versions of Windows to get it to work.

Or if you fancy a lovely gift have a look at this collection of affordable leather handbags, also made in Brazil.


How a Child Becomes a Scientist

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Just reading the intriguing book ‘When We Were Kids; How a Child Becomes a Scientist’ by John Brockman which has inspired to think off any clues in my own childhood to such later (albeit amateur) pursuits. I can’t really think of any though since historian David Cannadine once said I had a ‘profound mind’, maybe I should sleep on it before my ego gets the better of me? (My abiding memory of him is sitting there in tutorials while he paced around the room rolling his eyes as he thought deep thoughts). Perhaps my interest in the science of coincidence is a legacy from childhood, though it’s far from unique? Certainly I recall playing with fire engines outside our home in Danbury, Essex, while firefighters were attending to an oven fire inside, and making a note of the coincidence. But one of the features of coincidences is how they stick in our mind, so nothing there either! So I guess this means (1) I’m not a scientist (2) Profound mind? On the available evidence it appears David Cannadine was talking about himself as I can’t see no Wikipedia entry for myself! So I guess the next best thing is my Christ’s College matriculation pic from 1984 (see Photos for the full blown version):

Shiftlogs

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At today’s GC 2006 Expo I went straight to the 10 o’clock presentation from Adriana Cronin-Lukas from the Big Blog Company who had some excellent things to say about ‘social media’ in her seminar on ‘revolutionising the way that you and your team work’. Interestingly, while most had heard of blogs few had used newsreaders or heard of tagging. Some educational work to be done there with the public sector. (Perhaps a marketing idea with a product on social media for beginners?). Personally I was intrigued by Adriana’s mentioned of the way Disney has very successfully used Six Apart weblog’s for global cable operator shift work, termed ‘shiftlogs‘ (“They didn’t call it blogging, they just called it a ‘Shiftlog‘, which is what they’d always called it.”). This links back to my interest in shift handover applications for hospitals.

Anyhow by way of coincidence I’m off to the British Computer Society this evening to hear a talk from Surgeon Captain Peter Buxton, OBE, and Lieutenant Commander Mark Trasler on telemedicine in the armed forces, which may again touch on this subject. Particularly as Lt Cm Mark Trasler is reportedly down to look at the possible use of transferring the experience of the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme to the NHS.

Their fascinating talk on how the Navy is setting up a new health care reporting held some useful lessons for the NHS, for example in making sure (following the system problems thrown up by Gulf War Syndrome) that battlefield injuries are properly recorded. However, when I asked it they didn’t seem to have any plans for an electronic shift handover system within military hospitals. Lt Cm Mark Trasler instead suggested the Americans might be leading in that respect.

Spain vs Tunisia

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Wow, for a moment there I was rubbing my eyes, with Tunisia leading Spain 1-0 at half time, but Juan was right, it didn’t last for long!

In the meantime I finally got round to checking out the Cluetrain Mainfesto online. Time to read the book (then buy the T-shirt, and see the film – or is there a set correct order one should approach these matters?!).

Latest discovery proves pyramid theory?

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This has been reported on the Bosnian Pyramid site. So maybe they are right despite criticisms?

“A press conference held earlier today (Sunday) at the Bosnian Pyramid of the Moon puts “beyond doubt” the existence of a pyramid at the site, says the Archeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun (APBPS).

“The Pljesevica Hill was previously named the Bosnian Pyramid of the Moon by the APBPS Foundation. Experts from the Foundation have now revealed the discovery of a vertical wall that forms part of the Pyramid of The Moon.

“Lamia el-Hadidi (Conservation Specialist, Egypt) assumes that the wall forms part of a tomb belonging to the pyramid. She pointed out that the wall is clearly manmade, comprising blocks that have been cut by man, refined and used to build this vertical wall.

“Prof.Dr.Ric.Geol. Dario Andretta, chairman of the Humanitarian University for the Multidisciplinary International Culture (Rome), announced that this evidence puts beyond doubt the existence of a true pyramid at this site.

“Experts from APBPS expect to have further announcements about the nature of the wall that has been discovered in the next two to three days. Excavations will now continue to take place to the left, right and above the wall. The team has also discovered steps which they say probably lead into the tomb.

“Andretta has also announced that more experts from across Italy will be coming to join Bosnians on the site to be part of largest current international archeological project.

“It is said that the discovery of the entrance at the Bosnian Pyramid of the Moon proves beyond doubt that this is a true pyramid.”

Rob Hall photos online

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Disordered Constructs

digital photo of building
“An exhibition of digital photographic art is coming to Melton Library Art Gallery. Leicesterhire photographer Bob Hall will be exhibiting his work at the Disordered Constructs exhibition.” (Congratulations to Rob/Bob).

Strange kind of Saturday

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Today was a strange day for the following disparate reasons:

1. On the tube train into town a little girl with a family from Africa started getting funny with me on the train. She only stopped after I made a point to her grandmother sitting opposite.
2. I read an article from John Craig at Demos on companies being more emotionally intelligent to balance the emotional labour they were placing on employees (“In this new age of emotional labour we need emotionally intelligent employers”). Easier said than done when you really think about it.
3. I had a long chat with my mother about life. She had a short cry. Pointed out that it would be helpful if she updated the family on where she was in terms of her relationship with Rob. Guess it was about time.
4. Got my mother to pop into the Indian sweet shop on Drummond Street; thought a bit too much for me to join her in picking out my sweets?!
5. Went to the Old Red Lion in Angel to wait for Wull and saw Ghana beat the Czech Republic, which was good. Then saw the ‘Love & Monsters’ episode of Doctor Who on the big screen which summed up the day which the closing message that the world is bigger than houses and cars, that it is ‘much stranger than that’. Couldn’t agree more, especially during the World Cup…
6. Then caught the America vs Italy game with numerous sendings off, but with a 1-1 final score. Funny game, very unexpected. Was cheering on America and all.
7. Off to Dermott’s 40th birthday bash at 34 Provost Street with 4 good bands. Managed to stop some ageing cynical hippie from grabbing a can of Guinness out of my hand.
8. Then had another party character favourite, the trendy know-it-all, come over and tell me something I should be doing. Funny thing was I couldn’t understand a word he was saying (maybe the tinnitus?)
9. Wull complaining he’d drunk too much.
10. Off to the taxi rank down Old Street and next to the office (‘Far West End Taxis’) found a club playing Arabic/Turkish/R&B which suits Shirley & me.
11. Made a crack with Shirley after she gave me her PIN number to get money for the taxi (as she was a bit tipsy), like I was on a first date. This joke led to tears in the taxi back!
12. Next day realised I made two ladies cry on one day.

PS: Does this make me ‘emotionally intelligent’?

Kaka’s grandmother gave him his first football

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In this recent interview with Kaka it turns out that his grandmother gave him his first football, and that he got all romantic with Caroline in Italy. (Apologies for the rough quality of the translation, some day I’ll learn proper Portuguese – what is ‘Pantry?!’; Original Portuguese version at the bottom of the page):

“Sandra Annemberg talks with craque that it made an impression in the first game of Brazil. It was born in Brasilia, started to shine in S

Go figure – the National Programme for IT in the NHS report

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Today’s report on the National Programme for IT in the NHS from the National Audit Office has some interesting things to say about involving staff (see hard copy pages 44-47). I noticed for example that Connecting  for Health’s website is praised in communicating progress, as is the role of the National Clinical Leads; but at the same time it notes that NHS staff want more information from their locality rather than the centre.

Sounds contradictory? Check out the survey result tables below from the report, which put nurses bottom of the list when asked if they have a positive view of the future of the programme, but top of the list when asked whether the programme will have a positive effect in their daily work. Nurses’ opinion is the symmetrical opposite of information managers, who come top in the first question and bottom in the second. Go figure? Well, NHS IT, sounds like it’s about technology, but it’s really about people who use that technology, I guess.