09.10.18
Local NHS needs more powers and ‘reimagined’ relationship with national leaders
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, has urged the government to avoid a Brexit that would damage the NHS and called for greater powers to be devolved to local system leaders.
Speaking to delegates in Manchester during the opening speech of his organisation’s annual conference, Hopson argued that, as well as avoiding overloading the long-term plan with unrealistic expectations, the government “needs to avoid a Brexit that damages the NHS.”
Hopson also claimed that the NHS suffers from too much central management from Whitehall and called for greater devolution of powers to local system leaders. He said: “The NHS pendulum swings between devolution and centralisation, and now it is dangerously swinging towards centralisation.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chris argues there's too much management from Whitehall.<br>"The NHS pendulum swings between devolution & centralisation, & now it is dangerously swinging towards centralisation." <br>He calls for local leaders to have greater power, they are best informed on their communities <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHSP18?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHSP18</a></p>— National Health Executive (@nhenews) <a href="https://twitter.com/nhenews/status/1049596668205850625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Hopson stated that local system leaders are better informed about the communities they serve and that the working relationship between local and national leaders needs to be “reimagined.”
He rounded off his speech by saying the government must also “ensure the NHS has the capital, public health and training budgets it needs when the next Spending Review completes its work. And, above all, it absolutely must develop a robust long-term solution to social care.”
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