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An era of governance through performance management - New Labour's National Health Service from 1997 to 2010

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  • Laurence Ferry
  • Simona Scarparo

Abstract

In 1997, the New Labour government inherited a 'crisis' in the UK National Health Service from the outgoing Conservative government. To address this perceived crisis, New Labour offered investment and, contrary to expectations, further neo-liberal health service reforms. In particular, the government extended the scope of performance management beyond financial numbers to encompass all aspects of managerial and organisational performance. Drawing on an analytics of government framework, this paper demonstrates how reforms were framed and given meaning through a framework of hierarchical accountability and centralised control. These panoptical arrangements relied on performance-management technologies of targets and ratings, which were linked to patient choice and a prospective funding system called 'Payment by Results'. In turn, these top-down technologies disciplined knowledge, identity, and visibility and control of practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurence Ferry & Simona Scarparo, 2015. "An era of governance through performance management - New Labour's National Health Service from 1997 to 2010," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 219-238, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acbsfi:v:25:y:2015:i:3:p:219-238
    DOI: 10.1080/21552851.2015.1091673
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John Appleby & Renu Jobanputra, 2004. "Payment by Results," New Economy, Institute for Public Policy Research, vol. 11(4), pages 195-200, December.
    2. Ham, Chris, 1997. "Priority setting in health care: learning from international experience," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 49-66, October.
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