Richard Vize

Hancock’s response to the care homes judgement shows he's determined to blame officials for Covid mistakes
29 Apr 2022 Coronavirus
Hancock’s response to the care homes judgement shows he's determined to blame officials for Covid mistakes
The court judgement, and Hancock’s pugnacious response, show the battle at the Covid-19 inquiry between ministers and officials over who is ultimately to blame for failures and mistakes is likely to get brutal
Trial by committee: How appearances before select committees affect the careers of top officials
25 Jun 2019 Government Tax Profession
Trial by committee: How appearances before select committees affect the careers of top officials

They play an increasingly important part in parliament’s scrutiny of government and can inspire dread in even the most experienced perm sec. Forty years on from the creation of the modern select committee on 25 June 1979, Richard Vize looks at how they affect policy – and the lives of civil servants
“You can’t save the NHS by re-organising it to death”: the history of NHS reforms over seven decades
05 Jul 2018 Health & Social Care
“You can’t save the NHS by re-organising it to death”: the history of NHS reforms over seven decades

The NHS has been through many “reorganisation convulsions” as successive governments sought to redefine the relationship between health services and Whitehall. Richard Vize looks at the most important shifts, including Andrew Lansley’s attempt to blow ministerial control apart, and asks what’s next for a service in perpetual motion
From Jags to jabs: how Jeremy Marlow went from John Prescott’s speechwriter to driving NHS efficiency
02 Aug 2017 Civil Service Reform
From Jags to jabs: how Jeremy Marlow went from John Prescott’s speechwriter to driving NHS efficiency

After a wide-ranging career in the civil service, including a spell as John Prescott’s speechwriter, Jeremy Marlow is now focused on driving efficiency in the NHS. He speaks to Richard Vize about what Whitehall and the health service can learn from each other