THE NEW NATIONAL-HEALTH-SERVICE - A CASE OF POSTMODERNISM

The National Health Service in Britain has recently undergone a major reorganization. It has moved away from being a planned system of healt h care delivery to a demand driven system organized on the principles of (quasi-) market competition and quality assurance. These changes ar e intended by government to 'empower' the consumer (patient) with real choice and to incorporate the health professionals within a more effe ctive and efficient system of hospital management. It is in this conte xt that the paper examines the usefulness of 'postmodernity' as an exp lanation for the emergence of new 'flexible' organizational forms with in the hospital service. The paper will concentrate on the ideological and organizational contradictions between state policy and local prac tice, especially in relation to issues of managerial vs professional a utonomy and control.