Government continues listening exercises

The Prime Minister joined the Health Secretary for the latest of the ‘listening exercises’ designed to give Government frontline feedback on the unpopular NHS reforms.

Representatives from the Foundation Trust Network met David Cameron and Andrew Lansley at Downing Street, and its director, Sue Slipman, said afterwards: “We welcome this opportunity to contribute to the Government’s listening exercise. We took the opportunity both to express our deep support for the reforms in their impact on foundation trusts but also to express our concerns about the challenges organisations are facing during this period of transition.”

NHS trusts organising any kinds of discussion or consultation events touching on the reforms have been encouraged to ‘re-badge’ them as listening events, it has been reported. Many in the medical community remain sceptical that the ‘listening exercise’ during the two-month pause in the Health and Social Care Bill’s passage through Parliament is anything other than a PR exercise.

Cameron told Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday: “Normally governments just plough ahead regardless, but I think it’s important to see if we can further improve those policies and, at the same time, make sure we have more full-throated support from people working in the NHS, most of whom know change is necessary.

“I want to get them on board for the changes we are considering and see if they have ideas for further improvement.”

Lansley, who received a near-unanimous vote of no-confidence in his handling of NHS reform from the Royal College of Nursing last week, said: “This listening exercise is a genuine opportunity to pause, reflect and improve our plans for the NHS and I’m impressed at the level of enthusiasm from all those wanting to get involved.”