Planning and Health Care

Abstract

In the first section of this book, an attempt was made to show how the philosophy and techniques of economics could assist planning and decision making in health care. In chapter 9 the operation of the service was described in terms of levels of decision-making, financial control, advice and consultation. The omission of any description of a planning and evaluation framework reflects the reality of the current process of resource allocation within health areas despite the developing planning cycle, at least in England, which is intended to revolve around detailed patient-orientated plans produced at the operational level. In this chapter, the absence of a planning framework is discussed and a proposal made for a more efficient structure which would allow health service staff to focus on the aspects of planning and evaluation appropriate to their varying levels of responsibility.