2012 December

Will commissioners respond to feedback?

A date for your editorial diary in the latest briefing from the NHS Commissioning Board, on one specific pledge being made on health services: “All NHS patients should have the opportunity to leave feedback, in real time, on any service, … Continue reading

Just how many Olympic tickets went to the public?

Data tucked away in the Ticketing Report by London 2012 confirms that the UK public’s ability to buy tickets for more popular events was significantly restricted. The triathlon, track cycling, and ceremonies topped the table of events where low proportions of tickets … Continue reading

Scrutinising the new health system? Health and wellbeing boards

There’s a quick guide to health and wellbeing boards on the Department of Health website, explaining how they are intended to guide spending decisions under the new health system, where clinical commissioning groups control £60bn of spending. Some highlights for … Continue reading

Get the data: Olympic tickets £20 or less by sport

In a third post publishing cleaned data from the Ticketing Report by London 2012 we’ve extracted Appendix III: £20 or less tickets available by sport. The data is in the table below, as well as a Google spreadsheet here. As in previous data … Continue reading

Get the data: Olympic ‘Pay Your Age’ tickets by sport

In our second post publishing cleaned data from the Ticketing Report by London 2012 we’ve extracted Appendix IV:  PYA [Pay Your Age tickets] Allocation by Sport. The data is in the table below, as well as a Google spreadsheet here. As in the … Continue reading

Hospital blunders investigated by Melanie Hall

Help Me Investigate user Melanie Hall has been using Freedom of Information requests to look at ‘hospital blunders’: serious untoward incidents (SUIs) and ‘never events’. She reports: “Surgeons operating on the wrong side of the body, swabs left inside patients after … Continue reading

Get the data: Olympic ticket prices by sport and category

Following the publication of the Ticketing Report by London 2012 this week (thanks Claire Miller for the tip), we’ve extracted some of the data buried within. First up is Appendix V from the report: Price category of sold tickets by Olympic … Continue reading

What to do when an FOI response is not provided in the form asked for

Heard the one about the FOI request for data to be provided in an Excel spreadsheet? The authority printed it out, scanned it, and sent a PDF version of the scan.

You’ll forgive the journalist for being suspicious when an autho…

What standard to hold health service providers to? A consultation to watch

Consultations are always useful sources of information, background, and analysis of a particular sector. The NHS Commissioning Board recently launched a consultation on “service specifications and clinical policies”. These, they say, are “important in clearly defining what the NHS Commissioning Board … Continue reading

Audit looks at costs, legacy and lessons of the Olympics

The National Audit Office has published its report into the 2012 London Olympics. It includes sections on costs, on legacy, and lessons. Can you find anything in it?