Power to the people? An international review of the democratizing effects of direct elections to healthcare organizations

The theory and practice of integrative health care governance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline the theory and practice of governance for integrated care, using the case of New Zealand’s healthcare alliances.

Design/methodology/approach

This is descriptive analysis.

Findings

Alliance governance provides considerable scope for bringing health professional together to focus on whole system approaches to care design. As such, it facilitates care integration.

Research limitations/implications

This is a descriptive review.

Originality/value

Descriptions of alliance governance in New Zealand and in general are rare in the literature. This paper fills this gap.

Consumers or Citizens? Whose Voice Will Healthwatch Represent and Will It Matter? Comment on "Challenges Facing Healthwatch, a New Consumer Champion in England"

Efforts to achieve effective and meaningful patient and public involvement (PPI) in healthcare have existed for nearly a century, albeit with limited success. This brief commentary discusses a recent paper by Carter and Martin exploring the "Challenges Facing Healthwatch, a New Consumer Champion in England," and places these challenges in the context of the broader struggle to give a voice to healthcare consumers and citizens. With an overview of what can go right and—perhaps more importantly—what can go wrong, the question remains: will Healthwatch—and other PPI efforts in healthcare—represent the voice of consumers or citizens and will it matter?