stuarthoddinott.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

Civil service cuts - a 🧵 with some initial reactions… Civil Service told to slash running costs by 15% www.bbc.com/news/article...

submitted 13 hours ago • 16 comments

In need of some weekend reading? Week in Public Services is out! @cassiarowland.bsky.social on purposeful activity in prisons @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social on NHS targets & GP partnerships model And me on address data in public service delivery & what's happened to disadvantaged pupils' funding

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Next week's Spring Statement is looking like the set piece event it was never meant to be. We @instituteforgov.bsky.social have set out the key questions we'll be asking on the day. Check our website and bsky for analysis on the day 1/2 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rach...

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

NEW: Can the government hit its 18 week waiting times target? I have a new @theifs.bsky.social report out today (with Olly Harvey-Rich) that models how – and whether – the NHS can hit the 18 week target. A quick thread 🧵 bsky.app/profile/thei...

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

My latest for @instituteforgov.bsky.social makes the case for chancellor Rachel Reeves to do nothing at the Spring Statement, even if she is on course to miss her fiscal rules by a small margin. 1/3

submitted 4 days ago • 2 comments

The govt is right about duplication between DHSC and NHSE It sounds academic, but has real consequences, it means more assurance and requests for data from frontline staff, distracting from other work But abolishing NHSE will not make that disappear - DHSC, CO and HMT also guilty of that behaviour

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

Completely agree with Nick here. How long will this take? How much attention will this distract from delivering reform? The next election will come quickly and if reorganisation is the only thing the govt has to show on the NHS after 5 years, it'll be tough to argue it's met its manifesto promises

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

At our event last year, Streeting said that a top down reorganisation of the NHS would be "the last thing [he] would want to do" What's changed since September? www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/ifg-la...

submitted 10 days ago • 4 comments

I've been wondering this since Starmer announced abolition of NHSE - ever since Pritchard resigned, the government's approach to managing the NHS has seemed haphazard and rushed Regardless of the merits of abolishing NHSE, it is less than ideal to make and change policy so chaotically

submitted 10 days ago • 7 comments

Our 'Ministers reflect' archive has some interesting views about NHSE Alistair Burt said "[ministers] lacked the executive authority that I think you have in some other places" I'd imagine Streeting shared some of that frustration www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/defaul...

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

Good time to reread @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social piece analysing the resignation of NHSE chief executive. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/aman...

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

For some context on the relative sizes of NHSE and DHSC, this chart is helpful Bit out of date, but NHSE is a very large organisation ~17.5k in May 2023 and has shrunk since then. Will be interesting to see how many of those staff come into the department

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

New: I’ve written about the challenges facing the Office for National Statistics and what needs to be done about it Includes some new lines on morale at the ONS based on recent Civil Service People Survey data

submitted 11 days ago • 2 comments

Normally I'd agree with anyone arguing to stop NHS management cuts. But not sure that's the story here The current NHSE/DHSC structure is bizarre - I think it actively hurts frontline performance If Streeting thinks the same, it makes sense to reform. Q: is this really the best way to do it?

submitted 12 days ago • 1 comment

Pat McFadden’s plans for the civil service have prompted me to write something I’ve thought for a long time: the civil service should introduce regular, predictable, well-managed and compulsory redundancy rounds www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/civi...

submitted 14 days ago • 4 comments

The appointment of the next NHS England CEO and DHSC permanent secretary will have an outsized influence on the success of Labour’s NHS reform plans. Wes Streeting has an opportunity to pick his health policy champions www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/aman...

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

Amanda Pritchard’s resignation is a moment of opportunity for Wes Streeting Big appointments by Wes Streeting could shape the future of health policy, says @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/aman...

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

Loading unfunded costs on care providers ultimately leads to a ‘doom loop’ in which fewer people receive #socialcare support. That’s the key lesson in this year’s Social Care 360 report. Here’s a short thread on the key findings ⬇️ www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-...

submitted 20 days ago • 1 comment

The government has launched an ambitious new round of local government reorganisation. Sign up to this @instituteforgov.bsky.social event - Monday 3 March - to hear more about the benefits and risks of this process, past lessons and the links to broader devolution plans. Full details below:

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

The govt granted 30 local authorities 'exceptional financial support' this week, worth a total of £1.3bn in 2025/26 That's slightly down from (revised) total of £1.5bn in 2024/25 but way up on the £77m of 2018/19 Hard to argue this is exceptional anymore: this is Slough's 8th year receiving it

submitted 30 days ago • 1 comment

Will there be tax rises to fund greater defence spending? A "good chance", says @theifs.bsky.social's Paul Johnson, as the alternative is cuts to departments that already face pressure The IfG's @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social said "by definition" cuts will be needed if tax rises are off the table

submitted 31 days ago • 12 comments

Surely a data error, but according to NHS England's December 2024 GP workforce data, there is a 17 year old salaried GP working somewhere in South East London

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

New NHS performance data out today. 173k people attending A&E in January waited more than 12 hours for care That's 12.7% of all attendances, the second highest level on record, behind only December 2022

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

Fancy an update on public services? We @instituteforgov.bsky.social wrote a blog👇 @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social worries leadership on NHS reform is lacking @cassiarowland.bsky.social isn't sure about restructuring the courts And the approach to local government finance may be shifting further...

submitted 40 days ago • 0 comments

Really good article. There's a very good argument for local authorities supporting people who hoard One LA told us that it's been one of their key preventative interventions, reducing their spending on housing and social services, as well as NHS spend www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

submitted 46 days ago • 0 comments

We @instituteforgov.bsky.social are doing a new project looking at how to help officials make better policy under pressure 💨 If you have experience of fast policymaking please give our survey a look and share your insights! Should take a maximum of 10mins to fill out

submitted 47 days ago • 0 comments

Interesting that the govt has granted larger council tax rises for 6 local authorities for 2025/26. At least one of those (Somerset) requested an increase last year but was denied The last govt only gave that power after an LA had issued a section 114 notice

submitted 48 days ago • 1 comment

NEW: The @instituteforgov.bsky.social has today published exclusive interviews with nine former Scottish and Welsh Ministers. The transcripts are full of insights into brexit, the pandemic, and government breakdowns. But what advice did they have for their fellow ministers?

submitted 51 days ago • 1 comment

NHSE claims that PAC has a "flawed understanding" of NHS finance. Bold. Looks like they're choosing to deny rather than engage with PAC's critique I also really dislike the argument that NHS productivity is growing twice as fast as pre-pandemic...you'd hope so! It's starting from a low base

submitted 53 days ago • 1 comment