You are reading this book either out of curiosity or because you are familiar with healthcare issues and want to learn about new ideas and solutions. This book was written because the people who work at Plexus share a vision: to make a substantial contribution to the quality, accessibility and affordability of healthcare. We believe that these are complementary goals, that efficient healthcare can also be top quality healthcare. We hope that by sharing this book with you, you will help us to achieve our vision. We are convinced that healthcare must improve in a number of fundamental ways: lower risk, improved communication, clearer responsibility, better decision making and positioning of patients at the centre of the system. These goals are not exclusive, and well-designed healthcare systems can achieve improvements in all of these areas at the same time. However, we have a long way to go to realise these goals and the changes required will be difficult. But the time to ignore the issues and patch up the problems is over. Plexus helps our clients make decisions that lead to good outcomes. We realise that this is not always pain-free. The short-term benefits of the status quo are easier to maintain. You will find many examples of the challenges associated with change in this book - and some might equate making changes in healthcare to walking into a minefield. However, at Plexus we are convinced that by doing the right thing, things you believe in and choices that you stand by, you will find your way through the maze. With our clients and our colleagues we have spent a lot of time identifying how Plexus can support the people who are improving healthcare. Our organisation has grown rapidly, now we have close to 50 highly educated professionals. Developing a results- orientated culture and investing in skills development within our team has enabled us to achieve our goals and help our clients to achieve theirs. We are convinced that there is value in pursuing our vision, but our growth and the structure of healthcare markets make us potentially vulnerable. In this book we discuss our vision, opinions and facts but you will also get to know who we are. That is why we clearly state our values, advertise our ideas and ensure that people in healthcare recognise our name. We are sharing this book with you because we are not afraid to say, 'We are Plexus, and this is what we stand for.'