28.09.12
Saving for the sake of it?
The accepted method for dealing with failing hospitals in recent times has been to save them from shutdown or private takeover. The Government favours mergers with other hospitals, regardless of their ability to take on a poorly performing organisation, the new report from Reform suggests.
Public resistance to private companies running hospitals, and insistence that they get to keep their local A&E has put pressure on politicians to ignore the warning signs, keep bailing them out and avoiding an option that while potentially necessary, is decidedly unpopular.
But leaders in the NHS must be prepared to make the difficult decisions that can improve the operation of poorly performing hospitals. Managers must realise the importance of taking radical measures for the greater good, rather than always succumbing to public demand.
Is this the right way forward for the NHS? If so, Government must support leaders to be bold and make the necessary decisions.
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