Can anyone explain the NHS reforms? asks a desperate Professor

The Health and Social Care Bill has now been in Parliamentary process for over a year but bewilderment increases.

 

Last week, Martin Mckee, Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine wrote an article in the British Medical Journal called - Does anyone understand the government’s plan for the NHS?  He said he could not understand why it was being brought in as most of the clinical evidence cited by Lansley has been discredited; he could not understand what it was trying to do as the interpretations keep changing and Lansley's actions (e.g. instructions) often seem to bely what he says is in the Bill; and he could not see why it is necessary - either the changes currently happening in anticipation of the Bill show that it is not necessary, or they are in effect a contempt of Parliament.  He appealed for help. 

 

A few days later he wrote to the BMJ saying:  Dear Editor,  I am very grateful to all of those who have responded to my request for anyone who actually understands the NHS reforms to explain them to me. They have been unanimous in explaining how the implementation of the reforms is already leading to the dismantling of the NHS, often describing graphically the effects locally of demoralisation, fragmentation, withdrawal of services (often affecting the most vulnerable), and explicit denial of treatment. 

 

Meanwhile Alex Scott Samuel has written a piece saying what he thinks the NHS will be like.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/20/where-the-nhs-is-heading.  On the same day the tragic death was reported of Sarah Burke, an American free skier favourite for gold at the next Winter Olympics while she was training; her family had to launch a public appeal for help with the $250,000 medical costs (which has in fact already met its target!).

 

Organisations representing GPs, Nurses, Public Health Doctors, and the Royal Medical Colleges have all in the last few days come out against the Bill.  It is reported that the House of Commons Select Committee on Health, chaired by a Tory ex Health Minister and with a coalition majority will issue a highly critical report in the next few days.

 

The Department of Health is increasingly panicked about all the new mechanisms.  Regulation is now being emphasised at least as much as competition (i.e., as forecast, just another type of bureaucracy).  PCT and CCG lack of enthusiasm for Any Qualified Provider is forcing the the Department to move back towards competitive tendering. It is also distributing money (often in a totally unrealistic way) to try and patch up gaps in waiting lists and make Lansley appear bountiful. Meanwhile private companies are threatening to go bust if the NHS won't patch up their failures.

 

All Lansley and his supporters (yes he does have some) can do is impugn the motives of his critics (they are just concerned about pay or pensions) or, as some GPs do, blame all the chaos on manipulation by centralists in the Department of Health.

 

As the NHS is laid waste around us, the Tories say they think they have amendments which will satisfy the Lib Dems and Clegg says the plans must go ahead and betrays his lack of understanding by saying that the NHS cannot be frozen in time. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16669836 .

 

The Bill is apparently scheduled to return to the Lords on 8th February (not yet finally confirmed on the website).  We must do all we can to persuade waverers in the Lords and our representatives in the Commons to throw the Bill out in its entirety.

 

Please suggest ideas or ways in which we can continue to show our distaste for the Bill in Sheffield as the debate goes on.

 

And if you are interested in debating about what we would really like the NHS to look like, (especially if you work in it)  let us know by adding a comment or emailing us at team@sheffieldsaveournhs.co.uk

Lansley's secret visit to Sheffield on 16th Jan

Andrew Lansley attended a meeting of NHS Sheffield on Thursday 16th January and then visited at least one GP practice.  At the public meeting of the CCG later in the afternoon, the CCG appeared keen to emphasise that they had presented Lansley with evidence of how well Sheffield was doing at moving forward in anticipation of the Bill - whilst also no doubt raising some local issues or difficulties.  At a time when 98% of GPs in this months survey by the Royal College of GPs are saying drop the Bill, it is pretty dismal that our GPs in NHS Sheffield should appear to be encouraging him.  We need to make sure that any future visits will show him what people in Sheffield think of the Bill.

Clive Peedell is continuing his run to London where, on Sunday, he will be supported by other health professionals. 

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