04.02.11
Doctors ask for changes to NHS bill
BMA council members have demanded a number of “key amendments” to the NHS reforms as some doctors threatened strike action in the most extreme case.
They say too much is already happening too fast, making the controversial reforms a fait accompli before a “full and proper debate by Parliament”.
They want a special representative meeting for grassroots doctors to help shape the BMA’s approach to the bill.
The BMA’s chief concern is with what it calls ‘forced competition’, which it says will make it impossible to provide the best quality care for patients. It supports the principle of GP-led commissioning.
BMA council chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum has written to David Cameron to dispute some of the claims the Prime Minister has been making about the reforms.
A Department of Health spokesperson said: “We are not pre-empting Parliament … It makes financial sense for PCTs to work in clusters through shared management arrangements. But they remain statutorily responsible and accountable for commissioning health services.”
MPs backed the bill by 321 votes to 235 after six hours of debate this week.
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