Competition, integration and incentives

Competition, integration and incentives: The Nuffield Trust has also published a Viewpoint by Provost of Harvard University, Professor Alan Garber, which provides a US expert view on the question of how best to balance incentives to promote innovation in the NHS. 'Competition, integration and incentives: the quest for efficiency in the English NHS' provides insight into the factors that improve health system performance. While sympathetic to integration as a way of delivering higher performance, Professor Garber warns against the blanket dismissal of competition, observing that when it comes to the organisation of health services 'we don't know which approach works best'. A competitive, flexible approach to delivery is, he argues, more likely to encourage innovation.