IAN SMITH is Chief Executive Officer at Taylor Woodrow plc. Formerly Smith was CEO of the General Healthcare Group, which he joined in 2004 after an extensive international career covering a variety of industries and markets. From 2002 to 2004 he was CEO (Europe, Middle East & Africa) of logistics company Exel, having been Group Commercial Director for four years of its predecessor company, Ocean Group where he operated in the United States, Asia and Europe. Smith holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MA from Oxford University. He is currently a non-executive director of MFI. He is

"This is a powerful challenge to the conventional wisdom about choice and competition as dangers to the NHS. It makes a strong case that patient choice and competition are essential both for improving services now and for creating incentives to use innovation in the future. It should be essential reading for managers and health professionals who want to understand the real choices facing the NHS." Nick Bosanquet, Professor of Health Policy, Imperial College.

• Introduction The Case for Change What Is Wrong With the NHS A Vision for the NHS Breaking the Dysfunctional Dynamics Creating Sustainability and Building International Competitiveness