The New Politics of the NHS has become established over 30 years as the key overview of the NHS, its processes and paths of influence. The seventh edition remains a clear, easy-to-read guide to often complex debates. It encompasses both the background of the evolution of the NHS since its foundation, and a completely up-to-date picture of its prese

Rudolf Klein is Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Policy (CASP) at Bath. He is Professorial Fellow of the King's Fund Institute and author of The Politics of the NHS.

Preface. Acknowledgements. The politics of creation. The emerging consensus. The curtain goes up. Coalition compromises. Private negotiation into public controversy. Whose victory was it? References. The politics of consolidation. Infinite demands, finite means. Whatever is best administered is best. Centre-periphery relations: the circle refuses to be squared. The pattern of inequalities. Professional influence and public power. Agenda for the future. References. The politics of technocratic change. Growing scarcity in an era of growth. Planning and rationing. National policy and medical decisions. In search of an organisational fix. References. The politics of disillusionment. The politics of economic crisis: the NHS in a new environment. The exploding health care policy arena. The politics of ideological confrontation: a case study. The politics of organisational stasis. Back to the drawing board: the consensus under challenge. References. The politics of value for money. The changing environment. Political v. financial constraints. The return to centralisation. The new managerialism. A drift to privatisation? Controlling the gatekeepers. References. The politics of the big bang. A dialogue of the deaf. Reviewing the options. An explosion of opposition. General practitioners on the rampage. Implementation as learning. New themes in the health policy arena. A new hierarchy of command. The Conservative legacy. References. The politics of The Third Way. The Third Way. New Labour in office. Strategy for the NHS. Regulating the medical profession. Resources, rationing and crisis. Commanding but not controlling? References. The politics of reinvention. Economic success, political victory. The great transformation. Present needs, future demands. Managing the performance of the NHS. The implementation gap. Enter the regulators. Changing the money flows. Balancing voice and choice. The private sector to the rescue. The State and the profession. Reorganising yet again. Bey