What a week! 'It's doin' my head in...' as they say! Every newspaper, news bulletin and Twitter time-line choc-a-bloc with the news that the NHS is choc-a-bloc.

When all is said and done (and a great deal more has been said than has been done), 9 out of ten patients are going through the system fine. And, when all is said and done (and a great deal has been said and a huge amount done) there is a hard-core group of (mainly) elderly people with low levels of acuity who are in the system, ready to leave but can't for all the reasons we have said about and no one knows how to get it done... so to speak.

A dozen hospitals are in real problems but is has to be said... a lot are getting it done. A lot are managing to wriggle, muddle, manage or plan their way through.

That's the 'thing' about the NHS. Multi-faceted, hugely variable with good stuff and bad, side by side. I like the good stuff. Some of you will know (and take part) in my regular 11am Sunday morning #nhsSuperSunday ten minute Tweet-a-thon of all the good stuff in the NHS for that week.

It's been running for a year. There is a huge amount of inspiring 'good stuff' going on. There is a summary here... well worth a look.

The NHS is expert at finding fault. We spend millions on it. The CQC's (Now being openly challenged as 'not-fit-for-purpose') only reason for being is to ferret about and find 'an empty drinking glass out of the reach of a patient'. All the good things the NHS does go unnoticed. There is no easy and sensible mechanism to share good practice or solutions to problems. If we spent half of what we waste on the CQC, on sharing best practice, we could leverage NHS performance over night.

I've been saying (and I confess, not doing very much) we need the Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff; a simple accessible repository of good ideas, innovation, solutions and original thinking, sharing good stuff.

Got a problem? Right now hiding it from the regulators and crossing your fingers is about the best it gets. Alternatively; got a problem, access the Academy of Fabulous Stuff and find an answer looks to me like a better idea.

Watch this space for an announcement about the Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff, coming soon...

In the meantime; the National Treasure, Nigel Edwards at the Nuffs has had a very good idea. Nigel knows there is good stuff going on and has made an announcement:

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The Nuffield Trust Expert Seminar on A&E and emergency care

We are convening a seminar to look at what has been happening, why and what has worked with the aim of bringing some better science and thinking to the current debate.

We would like expressions of interest where people have detailed analysis of these issues or case studies of successfully managing the system

Email seminar@nuffieldtrust.org.uk with brief details and contact information

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At last someone is looking for solutions! Hooooooray! Hip-Hip hooray! Hat's off, a round of applause for Nigel, if you please.  I thank you!

Let's get behind this. Let's really give this a push. If you have an idea, a solution or some best practice to share. If you have some data we can put with other data and squeeze the juice out of it, if you have done something that has worked... please share it. If this is not your sector please pass it on to colleagues who may be able to help.

You don't have to be the boss or a director (although we'd like to hear from them. too) but if your department or where you are working is doing good stuff, an innovative solution or an approach that works please get in touch.  If you have an analysis that throws some light in a dark corner, please let us know.

Let's find out what's going on, what works and how to do more of it.

It ain't rocket science and thank you for sharing.

Have a good weekend. 

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What's the future for primary care?

If you want to know, too, join me, the NHSE Primary care Tsar and Deputy Medical Director Mike Bewick, leading GP Dr Clare Gerada and the president of the NAPC and former policy advisor Dr James Kingsland, at the Kings Fund for a night of

 The Big Conversation about Primary Care. 

  Details here. 

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roy.lilley@nhsmanagers.net 

Know something I don't - email me in confidence.

Leaving the NHS, changing jobs - you don't have to say goodbye to us! You can update your Email Address from the link you'll find right at the bottom of the page, and we'll keep mailing.