Was the children's tsar right to rip chunks out of the NHS boss?

Anne Longfield provoked a reaction but the confrontation is in danger of obscuring the issues around mental health services she wanted to highlight

The mauling of NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens by children’s commissioner Anne Longfield over mental health services is a rare example of brutal disputes between officials breaking out in public.

The children’s commissioner for England, a post created in 2004, exists to stand up for the rights of children, particularly on issues affecting the most vulnerable.

Related: Children’s tsar savages NHS over 'unacceptable' mental health care

Longfield’s argument that the system is driven by crisis rather than early intervention applies to the entire NHS

Related: Children’s services more than £600m in the red, warn councils

Continue reading... October 20, 2017 at 05:15PM