04.01.11
Root and branch
How much of the deep and wide-ranging concern about NHS reform will Andrew Lansley take on board before his cherished policies become law? They surely will, in some form, despite the misgivings of the health unions, experts on the health select committee and the political opposition at Westminster.
Reforming the NHS is a supremely complicated job – and it is even difficult to say whether trying to do it at a time when managers are trying to cope with the need for huge efficiency savings is reckless, or whether this is the best time to get it done.
The proposals on increasing transparency accountability will always make sense, despite the misgivings within the NHS and the potential for over-simplification and ‘league tables’. GP-led commissioning makes sense in theory – but it would be better if the money saved by removing tiers of organisational bureaucracy could be diverted directly to the mythical ‘frontline’. Such hopes seem unlikely to be realised. Costs are bound to end up climbing and climbing, so we must hope the confusion and uncertainty at this stage heralds a better-performing NHS at the other side – whatever it costs.
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