The New Statesman & Pfizer Policy Forum

New Statesman / Pfizer Roundtables

The healthcare sector is undergoing significant change both in the UK and across the world, and the impacts resulting from these changes are far-reaching. Opening up dialogue and generating discussion amongst a wide-range of stakeholders is crucial to managing this process and building sustainable and successful reform for the future.

The New Statesman & Pfizer Policy Forum programme aims to encourage such a dialogue, bringing together leading opinion formers from across industry, government, regulators, think tanks, academics, professional, patient and consumer groups and the media to discuss the big issues facing the healthcare sector today.

Past event

Understanding the changing face of primary care

03 November 2008

The traditional roles of general practitioners and pharmacists in the UK are changing. Pharmacies are being encouraged to evolve into centres that promote healthy living and provide an improved range of clinical services, while still maintaining their traditional role of dispensing medicines.

Management of outpatients is increasingly shifting from secondary to primary care, and “polyclinics”, providing a much wider range of services than is currently provided by most GP practices, are being planned for some parts of the country. The increasing role of online pharmacy in medicines delivery is further affecting the equilibrium of traditional roles.

This reassessment of roles and responsibilities is highlighting tensions and inequalities in the system and begs the question of how patients will understand all this complexity..

Read more on the New Statesman website.

Most recent event

The Future Direction of the NHS

20 January 2009

As we move beyond the celebrations and accolades that marked the year of the 60th anniversary of the NHS, we must now turn our attention to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead and ask how we can create a national health service fit for the twenty-first century.

This New Statesman – Pfizer Policy Forum brought together representatives of the three main political parties for a timely discussion of the next 60 years of the NHS. Chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby, the Question Time event enabled members of the health community to highlight the most pressing issues facing the sector and stimulate debate on the solutions.

The discussion touched on a wide range of questions, including patient engagement and safety, co-payment and funding, PCT commissioning, organ donation, and the role of the private sector.

The special report will be published on the New Statesman website on Friday 30 January.

Articles on Health

Keep it in your genes


29 July 2010


[Read article]


The Tories may endanger your health


22 July 2010

By the time Labour left office all patients were treated within 18 weeks. Plans for the health service will dismantle this. Rarely have proposed “reforms” alarmed so many professionals from every political corner.
[Read article]

Leader: Yet more top-down prescriptions for the NHS


15 July 2010

There is no evidence that GPs want this responsibility or have the skills to fulfil the task.
[Read article]

Being Christopher Hitchens


12 July 2010

The author and controversialist Christopher Hitchens has cancelled all appointments and begun chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus. Shortly before this news, he talked to George Eaton about his life and his work.
[Read article]

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