NHSchoices, NHSvoices

by Jack Stilgoe

Rumour has is that, at the end of the month, part of Blair's e-legacy will be unveiled. "NHSchoices" (www.nhschoices.nhs.uk), currently in  clunky phantom mode, will combine NHSdirect's battle against cyberchondria with information about hospitals to help Us make Better Choices. Except that its purpose isn't to empower us. There are worries about the quality of the information that the site is based on. But these are secondary, given that the real purpose of the web site is to increase the efficiency of citizens as rational consumers, so that we can shock the NHS into reform. Apparently, they're going to try to maintain an element of voice in the web site, allowing us to exchange stories about hospitals. But, given that Patient Opinion have already been doing this in a more legitimate and credible way, why don't they let them get on with it? It seems we are still not being the people the Department of Health want us to be.


P.S. I just googled "NHSvoices." At the moment, it's a googlewhack, except that now it isn't. But perhaps some budding social entrepreneur would like to set it up as a new web site...

Nick Temple

You are spot on, Jack. Paul Hodgkin, who set up Patient Opinion, is an SSE Fellow, and we've also blogged on this from a social enterprise point of view, and the divergence between rhetoric and reality: see (Slightly less) Patient Opinion

Jack Stilgoe

Thanks Nick. It seems that the problem is a managerial desire to control the conversations that people are having. But we know that people will always find new ways to talk about things that matter. Unless central government takes risks and takes advantage of what other sectors have to offer, it will always be playing catch-up.

Pete Bradwell

Also interesting that NHSchoices, as far as I can tell, doesn't look like it's banging the same public service drum as the recent 'Power of Information' review.   It's from Tom Steinberg and Ed Mayo with a little help from the Cabinet Office, and bangs the drum of citizen-created and shared content and information.  It's a good report and has some interesting recommendations for how and why government should use a less controlled approach to information exchange.

Hilary Armstrong said as it was launched:

“Government cannot afford to overlook this phenomenon of citizens changing their lives through their use of information, especially what they find on the internet. We need to support ordinary people to take advantage of these opportunities to build community networks and make informed decisions on issues relating to their day to day lives.

This is a thorough and pioneering piece of work which will give the government a platform to ensure it takes full advantage of new these opportunities sooner rather than later.”

Which, in the context of this NHS site, is maybe another example of Nick's rhetoric and reality point.

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