The other problem is that Cameron, who never had his eye on the NHS ball in the first place, will lose sight of it altogether once he's away. Why do I say this? Well, that old silver-haired fox Lansley is jumping up and down in anticipation of the Health and Social Care Bill being passed before the end of this Parliament. It's already limping through the Lords. Now few obstacles seem to lie in its path and Lansley's ultimate triumph.
However, Lansley's seeming triumph could spell disaster for Cameron. If the Bill comes into force and the great British public see its effect and feel its impact - then Cameron will be finished!
So, I would suggest that a well meaning aide should quietly deposit the following two facts on Cameron's knee - as he flies South through the skies.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists have issued a press release. It reads:
Only 1 in 10 psychiatrists believe that the reforms proposed in the government’s Health and Social Care Bill will lead to better patient care, according to a snapshot survey carried out by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych).http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/thepresidentsblog/nhsreformsurveyresults.aspx
The survey, which had 1,890 respondents, also found that:
84% believe that the RCPsych should call for the Bill to be withdrawn
93% were not reassured by the Government’s response to the recent Listening Exercise
85% believe that the current reforms will not deliver cost-effective care
78% believe that the current reforms will not improve relationships between GPs and psychiatrists
Professor Sue Bailey, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "Our findings are extremely worrying. Nine out of 10 of the psychiatrists who responded do not think that the current reforms will lead to better patient care. Our mental health service users are a particularly vulnerable group, who already experience considerable health inequalities. History tells us that in times of economic restraint, when combined with major reform, those with mental health problems fare the worst.
"Perhaps most significantly, 84% of our members have expressed the view that the Bill should be withdrawn. At this stage of the Bill’s passage, and on behalf of our members, I urgently call on the House of Lords to set up a health select committee to interrogate and debate more fully the implications of these reforms for our patients."
Professor Bailey continued: "In the meantime psychiatrists, as doctors, are continuously working with our GP colleagues to ensure we deliver the best care and treatment for patients and their families."
That seems pretty clear! The trick-cyclists don't think much of this proposed new-look NHS.
And now for the group of doctors whom, Lansley claimed, were right behind his proposals!! This is what the Royal College of General Practitioners' survey found:
The snapshot poll, conducted via the online tool SurveyMonkey, is the latest in a series of three commissioned by RCGP Chair Dr Clare Gerada to assess the views of the College membership as the Bill passes through the final stages of Parliamentary process. It attracted the largest response to date, with more than 1,900 people taking part.
When asked what they thought the result of the reforms would be:
More than 50 per cent (987 respondents) said that the reforms would increase the involvement of the private sector
More than 43 per cent (828 respondents) said that they strongly disagreed that they would reduce bureaucracy in the NHS
Only 4 per cent (75 respondents) agreed that the reforms would result in better care for patients
More than 93 per cent of respondents said that they did not feel reassured by Government’s response, and more than 90 per cent said that their support for the reforms remained either unchanged (63.5 per cent), or that they were less supportive (29.2 per cent).
When asked whether they personally wished to be involved on the board of a clinical commissioning group, almost 70% of respondents said that they did not. However, 16.1 per cent of respondents said they wished to be involved, and nearly half of them said that they were ‘excited about [the] role’ (48 per cent), and that they felt confident in their commissioning skills (44.3 per cent).
The present Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Dr Clare Gerada commenting on the survey results, said:
“The survey confirms what we have been saying all along; the College has made its support for placing GPs at the heart of the health service clear, but the results of this snapshot survey are impossible to ignore, and the majority of respondents still have concerns about commercialisation, increased bureaucracy and standards of patient care that the Government has not allayed.http://www.rcgp.org.uk/news/press_releases_and_statements/rcgp_survey_on_health_bill.aspx
“With the Bill making its way through the House of Lords, it is important that peers have as much information as possible so that they can ask the relevant questions, and make informed choices about what happens next. We must make sure that the reforms do not diminish the care we provide to our patients.”
Those results are really scary! If 70% of the GPs said that they did not want to be involved in the new clinical commissioning groups - one has to ask: Who will be on them? And - how will it affect patients?
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges - in other words the Biggest of Big medical cheeses - has issued a statement about Lansley's NHS reforms.
Professor Sir Neil Douglas, Chairman of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said:
“Across the medical profession there are continuing concerns that the Health and Social Care Bill could damage patient care. All the Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties representing the whole medical profession have come together to support this clear statement of our anxieties.http://aomrc.org.uk/component/content/article/38-general-news/277-senior-doctors-to-lobby-lords-on-health-and-social-care-bill.html
We are calling on the House of Lords to address these concerns when they consider the Bill and for the Government to respond to them.
We are not completely opposed to all aspects of the Bill but have grave concerns that the reforms will undermine the provision of joined up services for patients and lead to a widening of health inequalities which would run counter to the expressly stated wishes of the Government.
We are, therefore, also asking the House of Lords to examine the impact of the Bill to ensure patients get fair access to healthcare whatever their income and background or wherever they live. We support the call to establish a Select Committee to examine the potential effect of the proposals on health inequalities”
Cameron - start thinking! You do enough shouting of abuse during PMQs. Now TRY to use your brain - before it's too late for you and your Coalition partners!
It is time for an aide to whisper in the delicate ear of Cameron that Lansley's proposals are barking mad - if not a ticking time-bomb! Surely, the concerns expressed by these doctors should, as they say, 'give you pause'! If it doesn't, then I despair for your futures when you are ill, as well as for those of doctors and nurses working in the NHS.
So, now humans may have to depend on charities providing them with their health and care needs. Great world - if you don't weaken!
'Bye'
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