- Conservative election poster 2010
A few recent news articles concerning the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.
Private medical insurance news: Increased need for private care and insurance
Commenting on the NHS Confederation’s survey findings that 53% of NHS leaders felt NHS availability of care and waiting times will worsen, Debbie Kleiner-Gaines of the Association of Medical Insurance Intermediaries says, “This will be a very worrying concern impacting a lot of people who may now find it necessary to consider having access to the private sector and possibly insurance to fund it. At least then they can be confident speedy treatment will be available if they need it.”
Lansley’s defence of management cuts is disingenuous and dangerous | Leader | Health Service Journal
“I try to avoid saying things that are capable of misinterpretation,” Andrew Lansley told HSJ last week.
Readers will judge for themselves whether the health secretary has been successful in achieving that goal during his first year in office.
Mr Lansley was talking about hospital reconfiguration – but he made much the same point when pressed during his NHS Confederation conference speech on why he had not spoken up more for NHS managers.
As soon as the question was asked, the health secretary adopted his now familiar tone of barely restrained frustration: hadn’t he always attacked “bureaucracy” and not “managers”? Hadn’t he always praised the importance of good “management”?
He was not responsible “for what the Daily Mail writes”.
This is disingenuous rubbish. Mr Lansley – in common with many politicians – is rarely unhappy when talk of “too much bureaucracy” is translated into “too many managers”. Praise for those in management roles is saved for speeches aimed at NHS leadership which are unlikely to get wider coverage elsewhere.
…