Mrs Jones: While we must all tighten our belts in times of trouble, it seems awfully hypocritical that the Tories promise to safeguard the NHS and then promptly demand cuts of £20bn in the next four years.
Mr Jones: Well yes my dear. With the medical profession lined up against the reforms, the government does not seem to have taken its listening exercise seriously.
UK Healthcare Reform
What:
When the government promised to ringfence the health budget in 2010, you may well have taken comfort in the knowledge that the Tories would be steering clear of our beloved NHS. But just like every government before them and every government yet to come, the coalition can’t resist having a little tinker. The £1.4bn ‘tinker’ of the NHS is being pushed through at a time when savings of up to £20bn have been demanded over the next four years.
The plan aims to take away power from expert ‘bureaucrats’ and give GPs and clinicians more responsibility in allocating the healthcare budget – after all, if you’re smart enough to do medicine, you’re probably pretty good at business administration too.
Who:
The health minister, Andrew Lansley, is taking the lead on these reforms, which he developed during his time in the shadow cabinet. In yet another misjudged political manoeuvre, Nick Clegg has backed the plans.
Despite putting things on hold last spring to ‘listen’ to government critics, ministers seem determined not to let the hostile opinions of doctors, nurses, clinicians and policy experts spoil the party. This week however, the reforms are back in the headlines after even the government’s own MPs have spoken out. A Conservative-led cross-party select committee on health has said the reforms will inevitably lead hospitals and trusts to cut services.
Sound bites to wow with:
‘Introducing free market solutions to healthcare promotes a fundamental conflict of interest between provider and user and leads to over-provision of services.’
‘Decentralising healthcare provision will inevitably lead to a postcode lottery, where standards of care will vary hugely from one area to another.’
Don’t say:
‘Why don’t we just model our healthcare system on the United States?’
