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Clegg-like convictions



Step forward NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson, who wins the Nick Clegg award for sticking to his guns.

In the summer, he told the NHS Confederation conference the time frame for the white paper was hugely optimistic and GPs were hopelessly unprepared for commissioning, claiming the best groups would score ‘about a three' out of 10. Fast forward four months, and he was waxing lyrical at the NHS Employers conference over the ‘brilliant vision' and ‘incredible journey' being undertaken by the NHS – a journey surely only matched by his own take on the reforms.

David Nicholson