10.02.11
Evidence given in Health Bill debate
The president of the Royal College of Physicians, Sir Richard Thompson, is giving evidence to the Health Bill Committee today.
The college’s main concerns are integrating commissioning and ensuring specialist involvement in decisions, reversing fragmentation in NHS services, and ensuring reforms are introduced in a “measured way”, especially considering their cost.
In a briefing note, the RCP says it “broadly welcomes some of the principles underpinning the reforms”.
It continues: “We believe that greater clinician and patient input in the design and delivery of services will result in improved patient care. Overall, we support the move towards evaluating services on the basis of outcomes.
“However, we caution that determining measurable and meaningful outcomes is a significant challenge and will take time to refine, and we offer our assistance to the government in this important task. We advise that some process measures, with a strong evidence base for improving patient care, should continue to play a role.
“Finally, of course, any unnecessary bureaucracy should be stripped away to improve value for money for the public purse. The RCP is seeking some clarity on the reforms, however.”
The organisation, like many other Royal Colleges, has serious concerns about price competition in the NHS, saying: “There is evidence that competition based on price harms, rather than enhances, quality. Health economists have stated for example that price competition lowers quality, whereas fixed prices, such as in Medicare – the US health system for the elderly – have raised it.
“There is also a risk that public trust of GPs could be eroded due to their assuming a rationing role, particularly if their patients suspect them of choosing treatment based on price, not quality.”
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