Public, private, neither, both? Publicness theory and the analysis of healthcare organisations

▸ Recent English health reforms have resulted in a shift of focus from targets to outcomes and to provision of care by any provider. ▸ The wide range of organisations now providing healthcare services are not easily classified as either public or private. ▸ A publicness grid for hospitals locates them according to the extent of their political and economic authority. ▸ A framework is given linking core, dimensional and normative publicness and their indicators to public service outcomes. ▸ Publicness theory can help health administrators and researchers understand and better manage public service outcomes.