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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2105095/Prime-Minister-takes-Tescos-attacks-critics-workfare-scheme.html

The Prime Minister will use an appearance with the Prince of Wales to launch his most outspoken attack to date on critics who argue company executives are ‘out for themselves’.

‘We have got to fight this mood with all we’ve got,’ Mr Cameron will say, describing business as ‘the most powerful force for social progress the world has ever known’.

Are you sure?

 


 

 

 

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NHS news review

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Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat(Conservative) coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

NHS reforms: medical leaders demand publication of risk assessment

Doctors’ and nurses’ chiefs call for release of government’s own analysis of dangers ahead of Commons debate

Medical leaders are urging the government to end its “astonishing” refusal to publish its own assessment of the risks its NHS shakeup poses for the service and patients.

The leaders of Britain’s doctors, GPs, nurses and midwives are among an alliance of senior figures in healthcare who are demanding the release of the Department of Health (DH) analysis of the dangers involved in the radical restructuring of the NHS in England.

It should be made available “forthwith” so that parliamentarians scrutinising the health and social care bill can be fully informed about it before they give it final approval, they say. Hamish Meldrum, leader of the British Medical Association (BMA), the chair of the Royal College of GPs, Dr Clare Gerada, and the Royal College of Nursing’s chief executive, Dr Peter Carter, are among nine signatories of an open letter to ministers on the issue.

It was published on Wednesday morning, hours before MPs were due to stage a six-and-a-half-hour-long debate in the House of Commons in the afternoon. The debate was called by Labour to highlight the government’s refusal to release the NHS risk register. The information commissioner ruled last November that it should be published. There was “a very strong public interest in disclosure of the information, given the significant change to the structure of the health service the government’s policies on the modernisation will bring”, the commissioner said.

The DH appealed against that ruling, however. It claims that releasing the document would set an unwelcome precedent that would make ministers and civil servants reluctant to discuss the risks of certain policies in full detail. But its continued secrecy has prompted rising concern among MPs, peers and medical groups that potentially vital information is being wrongly withheld which could influence the bill’s passage through parliament.

Labour calls on Lib Dem MPs to support NHS risk register fight in Commons today

Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, speaking ahead of Labour’s opposition day debate in the House of Commons today, is calling on Liberal Democrat MPs to support his call for the Government’s risk assessment on the Health Bill to be published.

The internal risk register drawn up by the Department of Health shows the impact of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Labour are calling on the Government to respect the ruling by the Information Commissioner and to publish the risk register associated with the Health and Social Care Bill in order to ensure that it informs public and parliamentary debate.

 

Why I had to confront Andrew Lansley about the NHS

The NHS doesn’t belong to whichever government is in power – it belongs to the people and we’re being bulldozed from all sides

I have been campaigning to protect the NHS from 1979 when the Conservative government started closing hospitals; in Wandsworth, where I live, they closed five. I campaigned under the Labour government, too. But this is the most frightening situation I have seen.

The NHS is so important to me because I was born outside it, so I know how difficult it is to live without it. I saw my father going to work when he was very ill, because he couldn’t afford to take time off. My mother was ill and he had to pay five shillings for the doctor, our rent was only 12 shillings, so he had to work even though he had emphysema. In those days you couldn’t afford to be ill – and that’s what’s going to happen again.

If this bill goes through it is another step towards privatisation and we will no longer have the same care for everyone. I won’t feel safe. Under the NHS I feel safe, but once it goes private who is accountable? Already it’s difficult to see a chiropodist, optician or dentist.

Lots of people want to tell Andrew Lansley what they think, but he doesn’t want to listen to them. Yesterday, for instance, only the few professional bodies who agreed with the bill were invited to a meeting in Downing Street. The majority, 98%, who oppose the bill, he wouldn’t even listen to.

 

Lib Dem activists promise NHS bill trouble

Lib Dem activists are preparing an emergency motion for their spring conference urging the party to work towards defeating the NHS reform bill.

It “applauds the hard work being done by Liberal Democrat peers to remove the worst elements” of the Health and Social Care Bill.

It notes the government has “totally failed to convince either the public or NHS staff” of the need for change.

 

Doctor who criticised NHS reforms is threatened with disciplinary action

Andrew Lansley is accused of bullying staff who speak out against NHS reforms after senior doctor is told to attend hearing

 

Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, has been accused of “bullying” NHS staff who speak out against his NHS shakeup after a senior doctor who signed a letter criticising the proposed changes was threatened with disciplinary action.

The doctor has been told to attend a disciplinary hearing later this week by the NHS primary care trust (PCT) that employs him. It claims he breached the NHS code of conduct by airing his concerns.

In the Commons Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, asked Lansley if the trust’s action showed it was now his “policy to threaten NHS staff with disciplinary action if they speak out about his reorganisation”. He challenged the minister to reconcile his “new top-down bullying policy” with his previous strong support for NHS whistleblowers.

Prof John Ashton, county medical officer for Cumbria, received a letter from his PCT last week after he joined 22 other signatories to a letter in a national newspaper criticising Lansley’s health and social care bill. The letter read: “You are bound by the NHS code of conduct and as such it is inappropriate for individuals to raise their personal concerns about the proposed government reforms.” Ashton will have to “explain and account” for his actions at the hearing.

[“You have mistaken my professional concerns as personal concerns. I am bound by the requirement to endevour to provide the best possible care for my patients”. Continue by explaining how proposed ‘reforms’ will adversely affect provision of care.]?

I’ve just tried to make an appointment to see my GP. I was offered one in a fortnight’s time. Looks like you need to book them before you get ill.

 

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NHS news review

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Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat(Conservative) coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Lansley has a hard time from those opposed to his destruction of the NHS and uninvited to the meeting of supporters at 10 Downing Street.

Andrew Lansley heckled by NHS union rep June Hautot before crunch summit

Health secretary Andrew Lansley faced angry protesters outside Downing St – spearheaded by vocal former NHS union representative June Hautot, 75 – as David Cameron went ahead with a highly-criticised summit on planned reforms.

No 10 faced deep criticism for failing to release the guest list to today’s meeting on the health and social care bill, with eight royal colleges saying they were not invited and health unions almost totally excluded.

Mr Lansley, the main architect of the bill, was almost prevented from entering Downing St altogether by a group of demonstrators.

As boos and chants of ‘greedy, greedy, greedy’ rang out, former NHS union rep Ms Hautot, 75, stood in the health secretary’s way saying: ‘I’ve had enough of you and Cameron’.

Ms Hautot, from Tooting, south London, later told reporters: ‘He said, “I want to get through” and I said, “You can wait. There’s a lot of people out there waiting for treatment and if your bill goes through, they will be waiting a lot longer”.’

‘He said, “we are not privatising the NHS”. I said, “I’ve got news for you. You’ve been privatising it since 1979”.’

[The reference to 1979 relates to the UK Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.]

 

Lansley: Traitor

“Summit of the willing” puts Cameron at centre of NHS storm by Wendy Savage

‘Codswallop! Don’t lie to me, Mr Lansley’: Fury of pensioner (who just happens to be former union firebrand) confronting Health Secretary as PM vows to press on with NHS reform

June, 75, stands up to Andrew Lansley’s NHS reforms

 

David Cameron’s NHS summit guests refuse to follow reforms script

Prime minister’s plan to discuss implementation of health bill backfires as ‘supporters’ take opportunity to outline concerns

If David Cameron was hoping for an easy ride on his controversial NHS shakeup by excluding its fiercest critics from the Downing Street gathering of carefully selected health leaders, he will have been disappointed.

While the atmosphere was polite and constructive, those invited used the opportunity to detail their concerns about how the health and social care bill could damage the NHS. They raised directly with the prime minister the same fears and uncertainties that the leaders of Britain’s nurses, doctors and other professions who want the bill scrapped would have mentioned – if they had been present.

 

Same old Tories? The public turns against NHS reform

 

The health bill could spell serious trouble for the Conservatives, as a poll shows declining support.

If you were in any doubt about how damaging the continued controversy over the NHS bill could be for the Conservatives, look no further than the Guardian/ICM poll out today.

The topline figures are typical: the Tories are on 36 (despite opening up a five point lead in the Guardian‘s poll last month), Labour are up two on last month at 37, while the Liberal Democrats are at 14. These results mirror those in the Populus/Times poll, also out today, which puts the Tories on 37, Labour on 39, and the Liberal Democrats on 11.

It certainly jumps out that the Tories have lost four percentage points in a single month in the ICM poll, although it looks as if that five-point lead was an outlier. The really interesting findings are on the NHS.

An outright majority of respondents — 52 per cent — believe that the health bill should be scrapped. Just 33 per cent believe that at this stage it is better to persevere with the reform, meaning that there is a 19 point margin in favour of axing the bill. This is reasonably consistent across social classes, gender, and regions.

 

 

 

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NHS news review ~ the ConDems NHS PR disaster

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Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat(Conservative) coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

NHS news is looking increasingly toxic for the illegitimate ConDem coalition government.

  • A poll shows that the government is not trusted in claimed support for NHS principles.
  • The e-petiton calling for the Health and Social Care / Destroy the NHS Bill to be scrapped reaches 150 thousand and will imminently be the most supported e-petition.
  • Cameron has called a summit of health professionals supportive of reforms at Downing Street today. Commentators note that Cameron and Lansley do not listen to opposing opinions and opponents hold an opposing summit.

Cameron not trusted over NHS

 

Just one in three voters believe David Cameron is a sincere supporter of the principles of the NHS, a devastating new poll reveals, as the row over the Government’s health reforms shows no sign of abating.

Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will host a Downing Street summit on the Health and Social Care Bill, which critics say places too much emphasis on competition and is a distraction from the need to save £20bn by 2015. But some bodies critical of the Bill, such as the Royal College of General Practitioners, haven’t been invited. Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said: “You don’t get progress on the NHS by shutting the door of No 10 on doctors, nurses and patients’ groups.”

In the ComRes/IoS poll, 27 per cent of people said private firms should have more involvement in the delivery of NHS services; 36 per cent said the NHS would be safer under Labour.

 

Cameron facing collapse in trust over health reforms says poll

 

Six times as many people trust health professionals than David Cameron and Andrew Lansley (60 per cent – 10 per cent) over their health reforms and 68 per cent want the government to publish its own risk register on the reforms says a new YouGov poll.

The YouGov poll for Progressive Polling/Unite the union, also shows splits in the coalition’s support. Lib Dem supporters (80 per cent) are more likely to want the risk register published. The register crucially details the impact of the coalition’s plans on the NHS.

Labour supporters follow closely (73 per cent) with a majority of Conservatives (62 per cent) backing the information commissioner’s ruling to release the document under the Freedom of Information Act.

The poll of 1,772 people makes grim reading for the prime minister’s personal ratings and shows that the NHS is quickly becoming a toxic issue for the Tories.

Three times as many people think David Cameron has not delivered on his pre-election assurances (59 per cent to 19 per cent). Among Female voters, 16 per cent believe he has not delivered with just 8 per cent trusting him and Andrew Lansley more than health professionals over the reforms.

Labour also has a 15 per cent lead over the Tories on which party has the best approach to health.

The damning poll comes ahead of Wednesday’s (22 February) opposition debate in the House of Commons over the government’s refusal to release the NHS risk register. The following week will see the government go to the high court to stop the potentially damaging report from being published.

Commenting, Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said: “David Cameron is haemorrhaging trust over the health bill with public disquiet growing each day the government fights to keep the risk register secret. People have a right to know what damage these so called reforms will do to their NHS.

“The government’s secrecy begs the question of who comes first; the people who pay for and use the NHS, or corporate consultants like McKinsey who drafted the bill and stand to make money from Cameron’s privatisation plan? David Cameron and Andrew Lansley need to come clean, get in step with public opinion and drop this unnecessary and damaging bill.”

Critical doctors ‘locked out’ of Downing Street NHS meeting

Prime Minister takes charge of controversial reforms and hosts implementation summitDavid Cameron will today signal his determination to press ahead with health reforms as he stages a Downing Street summit from which critics of the plans have been excluded.

The Prime Minister, who has taken personal charge of implementing the overhaul, will make clear he believes the preparations for the changes are too advanced to be halted and will argue that patients can already see improvements where preparations have been begun.

Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, has faced renewed calls to scrap the Health and Social Care Bill from organisations representing doctors and nurses, as well as intense speculation he could be reshuffled out of his job.

Liberal Democrat critics will try to raise the issue in an emergency motion to their spring conference next month and disquiet over the reforms has even surfaced around the Cabinet table.

Last night, Government sources said this afternoon’s session was designed to examine in detail how the reforms could be rolled out rather than to discuss amending or abandoning them.

Downing Street said the guest list comprised a “range of national healthcare organisations and clinical commissioning groups”, thought to include the NHS Confederation and groups of family doctors who back the shake-up.

However, the British Medical Association, the Royal Colleges representing GPs, nursing and midwives and health unions said they had not been invited to the discussion with Mr Cameron and Mr Lansley. Andy Burnham, the shadow Health Secretary, said: “The NHS means too much to too many people for the Government to play this dangerous game of divide and rule.

“People have strong and sincerely-held views about the risks to the NHS from the Government’s re-organisation. They deserve a hearing – not to have the door of Downing Street shut in their faces.”

Peter Carter, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “We don’t know why we haven’t been invited but we, like others, find it extraordinary because at the end of the day, it is nurses, doctors, physios, GPs that actually keep the health service going.”

More of the same:

David Cameron accused of divide and rule on health bill

Cameron’s ‘Cold Shoulder’ To Health Leaders

David Cameron facing questions about NHS reforms summit

Downing Street NHS Summit – UNISON Response

Government unwilling to engage, says RCN

 

 

27/11/13 Having received a takedown notice from the Independent newspaper for a different posting, I have reviewed this article which links to an article at the Independent’s website in order to attempt to ensure conformance with copyright laws.

I consider this posting to comply with copyright laws since
a. Only a small portion of the original article has been quoted satisfying the fair use criteria, and / or
b. This posting satisfies the requirements of a derivative work.

Please be assured that this blog is a non-commercial blog (weblog) which does not feature advertising and has not ever produced any income.

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Continue ReadingNHS news review ~ the ConDems NHS PR disaster

NHS news review

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Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat (Conservative) coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Cameron ‘has broken NHS promises’

Labour leader Ed Miliband is set to step up his attack on the Government’s NHS reforms, accusing Prime Minister David Cameron of breaking his promises on health.

During a visit to the Royal Bolton Hospital, in Greater Manchester, Mr Miliband will denounce the Government’s Health And Social Care Bill as “bad for the NHS” and repeat his call on the Prime Minister to scrap it.

More than 120,000 people have now signed an e-petition on a Government website calling for the dumping of the Bill, which has attracted opposition from health professionals and patients’ groups.

 

NHS bill will damage children’s health, say paediatricians

More than 150 paediatricians have signed a damning letter calling on the government to scrap its health and social care billMore than 150 paediatricians are calling on the government to scrap its controversial health bill, saying it will have an extremely damaging effect on the health of children.

In a damning letter to The Lancet medical journal, members of the UK’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said there was “no prospect” of improving the health and social care bill, which is going through parliament.

They accused the government of “misrepresenting” the bill as being something that was necessary for the NHS.

The signatories join several royal medical colleges, including the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Radiologists, in calling for the bill to be scrapped.

The move will put increasing pressure on the government over the reforms, which have come under repeated fire from healthcare professionals.

Unions, including the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing, and the Royal College of Midwives, are among those calling for the bill to be withdrawn.

Friday’s letter said that “if passed, we believe that the bill will have an extremely damaging effect on the healthcare of children and their families, and their access to high quality, effective services”.

It added: “We see no prospect for improvement to the bill sufficient to safeguard the rights of access to healthcare by children and their families.

Market-based healthcare is the wrong prescription for the NHS

The health and social care bill proposes a system that will destroy all the advantages of the centrally planned NHS

by Andy Burnham, shadow Minister for Health

By framing this debate in terms of competition, the prime minister is not just choosing the wrong policy prescription for the NHS; it is potentially catastrophic for his entire political project. This is the man who used the NHS to pose as a different kind of Tory. He promised to protect it and spare it from upheaval. In taking a different course, and arguing for a market, he is taking a huge gamble. There is still time to turn back. For Labour, it is to our political advantage if the PM digs in behind his health secretary and his bill – effectively guaranteeing that the NHS will be a major political issue at the next election. But, even so, I’m sure I speak for the nearly all members of the Labour party in saying that we hope the prime minister sees sense at the eleventh hour and drops the bill. In the final analysis, the NHS matters more to this party than our own electoral self-interest.

Government urged to return to NHS pension talks or face action

 

The BMA has requested an urgent meeting with the chief secretary to the Treasury in a further effort to re-start talks with the government on changes to the NHS pension scheme.

The BMA is seeking a fairer offer after 46,000 doctors and medical students responded to a survey last month, with 84% rejecting the government’s current plans which include raising the normal pension age for NHS staff.

Nearly two thirds said they would be prepared to take industrial action if the government does not improve its offer. In recent exchanges, the health secretary indicated that there would be no movement in the Department of Health’s position.

Under the government’s plans to reform the NHS pension scheme doctors’ retirement age would increase to 68; there would be a move from a final salary pension scheme to one based on career average earnings; and there would be an increase in contributions for senior doctors from 8.5% up to 14.5% by 2014.

In the letter, the BMA points out that the NHS pension is in a very different situation from other public sector schemes, having been radically overhauled less than four years ago.

“It is in good financial health, and currently provides £2billion to the Treasury every year,” it says. “In addition, the cost-sharing agreement reached at the time ensured that any increase in contributions needed in the future would be met by employees, not the taxpayer.”

The letter highlights the unfairness of NHS staff paying twice as much for the same pensions as some other public sector workers on similar salaries. It quotes the Public Accounts Committee’s warning that the government’s proposals “could destabilise the largest public sector pension scheme, increasing the burden on the state, and creating problems with retention of senior staff”

Related: BMA may ballot over pensions

 

 

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In other news, ConDems attack the disabled

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News that 

  • the illegitimate ConDem – Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government is forcing the disabled to permenantly work unpaid
  • the Tesco supermarket chain is engaging unpaid workers to work night shifts stacking shelves
  • Emma Harrison of a4e recieves a banker-busting bonus of £9million due to the government’s fetish for privatized outsourcing

Disabled people face unlimited unpaid work or cuts in benefit

Mental health groups and charities attack plans drawn up by Department for Work and Pensions

Some long-term sick and disabled people face being forced to work unpaid for an unlimited amount of time or have their benefits cut under plans being drawn up by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Mental health professionals and charities have said they fear those deemed fit to undertake limited amounts of work under a controversial assessment process could suffer further harm to their health if the plans go ahead.

The new policy, outlined by DWP officials in meetings with disabilities groups, is due to be announced after legal changes contained in clause 54 of the welfare reform bill have made their way through parliament.

The policy could mean that those on employment and support allowance who have been placed in the work-related activity group (Wrag) could be compelled to undertake work experience for charities, public bodies and high-street retailers. The Wrag group includes those who have been diagnosed with terminal cancer but have more than six months to live; accident and stroke victims; and some of those with mental health issues.

 

Tesco’s Secret Workfare Slaves

Furious shoppers are threatening to boycott Tesco after their use of forced labour schemes came to light yesterday.

An advert on the Jobcentre Plus website is calling for night-shift workers who will be expected to work for just Jobseekers Allowance (paid by the Government,  not Tesco, at a rate of £53.45 per week for under 25s) plus expenses.  The position is advertised as permanent.

Tesco have claimed the role is not permanent and that this was a mistake which they have asked the DWP to remove from their website.  So far it is still there.

 

 

Emma Harrison: The UK’s Biggest Benefit Cheat

£9 million pounds is the annual cost of this parasite to our community.  British people, that is your money!

Emma Harrison, chair of poverty pimps A4e received a banker busting £9 million dividend this year on the back of her company’s shoddy back to work schemes.

A4e provide  workfare and job search schemes for the Government which are notorious for being badly resourced and delivering poor results.  It’s hardly surprisingly when rogue trader Harrison is trousering most of the cash.  Inmates at A4e schemes have complained of lack of even basic IT facilities to enable them to look for work online, poor quality or non-existent training and people forced to sit around in A4e’s offices for 30 hours a week on mandatory workfare schemes because A4e can’t find them anything to do.    It now appears that every penny saved siphoning off cash intended to help people into work is going straight into the upkeep of Emma’s Derbyshire mansion.

On the recent Pathways to Work scheme A4e only succeeded in placing a derisory 9% of people into work – a percentage that well may have got jobs anyway, and perhaps sooner, had they not been subject to A4e’s interference.

 

 

 

Continue ReadingIn other news, ConDems attack the disabled

Hmm, thinks on the NHS and politics generally

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I’ve not really formulated my thoughts but I’m thinking along the lines that engaging in conventional politics is entering into negotiation and bestowing an undeserved legitimacy on the current political agenda.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have their positions of power and are abusing their positions of power based on outright lies – deliberate deceptions. Instead of engaging with them and their excessively offensive policies shouldn’t they be rejected outright as illegitimate? Instead of engaging in their discourse, shouldn’t it be an outright rejection? Shouldn’t the response to attempts to destroy the NHS, unnecessary austerity, quantitive easing continuing to fill the pockets of rich bankers and traders, militarism and invasions be far more radical?

16/2/12 17.45 edit: attacks on disability benefits, privatization of education.

 

Continue ReadingHmm, thinks on the NHS and politics generally

NHS news ~ People being drunk is a ‘scandal’ insists man dismantling the NHS

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People being drunk is a ‘scandal’ insists man dismantling the NHS

David Cameron has announced plans to address the ‘national scandal’ of people drinking more than he’d like, just as soon as he’s finished his non-scandalous dismantling of the NHS.

Cameron will use a speech today to outline why everyone should be angry at people drinking exactly as much as they want to, instead if his team of shady operatives trying to break up just about the only thing this country should be proud of.

As one drinker explained, “Does the man not own a dictionary?”

“I mean, how is me drinking precisely what I want a ‘scandal’, yet forcing through the least popular NHS legislation in a generation which will change forever an institution that is the envy of the world, is not?”

Another said, “Look, I wasn’t very happy about the changes he’s making to the NHS, but let me be very clear – if he comes for my booze he’s a dead man.”

 

 

Continue ReadingNHS news ~ People being drunk is a ‘scandal’ insists man dismantling the NHS

NHS news review

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Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat (Conservative) coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

A government e-petition has reached the critical 100,000 signiatures for a further debate of the Health and Social Care / Destroy the NHS Bill by MPs. Dr. Kalish Chand explains why he started this e-petition.

The number of signatories increased hugely yesterday – I saw it at 60 thousand in the morning, it’s now beyond 111 thousand. The e-petition simply reads “Calls on the Government to drop its Health and Social Care Bill.” and is still accepting signiatures.

Cameron, Clegg and Lansley will be asked to respond to this huge show of opposition to their plans to destroy the NHS. Cameron is expected to make a strong defence of his brutal attack on the NHS today.

 

NHS bill eligible for new parliament debate after 100,000 sign e-petition

The government’s controversial NHS bill is now eligible for a new debate in parliament after a campaigner’s e-petition gathered support on Tuesday at the rate of more than 1,000 signatures an hour.

With more than 100,000 signing up, GP Kailash Chand’s appeal calling on government “to drop its health and social care bill” has been boosted by support from celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Rio Ferdinand and Jamie Oliver.

The internet round robin has also been backed by digital campaigners – known as clicktivists – at 38 degrees.

Once it crossed the 100,000 threshold, ministers have to consider the issue for debate in the Commons.

“I wanted people to get a simple message. This bill is about privatisation. Do you want to drop it?” said Chand, who described the surge in support as a “Valentine present to someone who loves the NHS”.

The Institute of Healthcare Management – which represents NHS managers also published results of its survey showing 87% of members say the bill is “fundamentally flawed”

The institute joins the Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Nurses, Chartered Society of Physiotherapists and other bodies in calling for the bill – currently before the Lords – to be scrapped.

 

NHS papers expose risks of health reforms

Health and social care bill could harm patient care and increase costs, internal reports warn

The government’s health reforms run a high risk of reducing levels of safety and patient care while leading to overspending, internal NHS reports have warned.

The potential for conflict between NHS organisations in the new system and upheaval during the transition is high, according to risk assessments drawn up by the four English NHS regions. There is also a high chance the reforms will fail to achieve hoped-for management improvements and budget cuts, they say.

Some of the anticipated problems are rated at the highest risk category, “significant”, and many others are considered “high risk”, even after mitigation measures designed to tackle the issues raised, and despite all actions taken after previous risk reports last autumn.

The warnings – dated January and not due to be updated for three months – will be in place when the controversial health and social care bill becomes law, provided the government succeeds in getting it passed before Easter.

The reports are by the four NHS super-regions in England, created last year by merging 10 regional bodies together into London, the south of England, the Midlands and east, and the north of England. They emerge at a tricky time for ministers as they are likely to reflect the concerns raised by a national risk register, drawn up by civil servants at the Department of Health last year, which the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, is fighting a legal battle to avoid publishing. Pressure on Lansley will be further raised next week when Labour has called an opposition day debate on the issue.

Continue ReadingNHS news review