Government ‘planning to water down NHS reforms’
Victoria Macdonald
Health and Social Care Editor
The coalition government is said to be preparing to agree some changes to the controversial NHS reform bill in an attempt to appease the growing number of its critics.
While Downing Street today denied that David Cameron was rowing back on his commitment to the reforms, it is believed that he will agree to some amendments, including the way in which private companies will be able to operate in the new NHS, writes Channel 4 News Social Affairs Correspondent Victoria Macdonald.
He and the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg are also expected to announce that they are about to embark on a “listening exercise” so they can take on board what some of the concerns are.
There were suggestions today, too, that the NHS Health and Social Care Bill would be delayed, but Downing Street has denied this.
Instead, the amendments are likely to include a limit to the ability of private companies to cherry-pick the easiest and more profitable cases; that the regulator, Monitor, will have to promote value for money above competition – at the moment competition is central to its role; and there were will be changes to make GP consortia more publicly accountable.
Health service reforms
Channel 4 News's Social Affairs Correspondent looks at how the planned reforms to the NHS will affect your local health service.
Victoria Macdonald: The NHS reforms and you
The reforms will put £60bn in to the hands of GPs. They will form consortia – groups of local GP surgeries banded together to purchase healthcare for their patients. Already 90 per cent of GP practices have agreed to form themselves into consortia.
But there are concerns that the reforms have gone too far, too fast. That they will allow privatisation of the NHS and that they open the NHS up to European Union competition laws, and that there is little or nothing to prevent conflicts of interest. There are also serious concerns about the fragmentation of the service.
Today’s leaks are more likely to do with concerns about the local elections next month and Lib Dem fears that they will be accusedz of destroying the NHS.
However, today’s leaks are more likely to do with concerns about the local elections next month and Liberal Democrat fears that they will be accused of destroying the NHS.
To Mr Clegg’s embarrassment, the Lib Dems voted against the reforms at last month’s spring conference, and he has been warned by his the likes of Dame Shirley Williams and Lord David Owen that they will not support the passage of the bill through the House of Lords.
Insiders say that Mr Clegg realises that this is his last opportunity to get some changes made and to appease his backbenchers. Tomorrow, the chairman of the Lib Dems’ health policy committee, John Pugh, is due to present a report summing up concerns over the reforms, which will then be passed to Mr Clegg.
However, the reforms are already underway, with primary care trusts, which are due to be abolished, already shedding staff. It is thought that to stop them now could cause even more damage.