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Equity and excellence in health service
THERE'S been a huge amount of discussion about the Government's plans for reforming the National Health Service.
So, although they were announced a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd take this opportunity to clarify exactly what we want to do and why.
All the details were in the White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' but to sum it up in a few words, it was all about passing power from bureaucrats to patients and healthcare professionals.
Patients will be able to choose which medical practice they register with – irrespective of where they live. They'll also have more say over which consultants they see.
Generating the most interest has been our proposal to give groups of GPs the power to commission services for the people they care for. This means that strategic health authorities and primary care trusts, and all the bureaucracy they bring with them, will be phased out.
We've committed to increasing NHS funding in real terms each year of the current Parliament. Added to this, the money saved by our reforms – up to 20bn by 2014 - will be directed straight towards frontline services – exactly what matters and makes a difference to patients and their families.
Our reasoning is simple enough, we want to focus on the NHS delivering health outcomes that are on par with – or better than – other comparable countries and we believe that GPs are best placed to decide exactly which services local people are in need of – and, in fact, want!
Those with good memories will know that our plans tally exactly with my own long-held and public concerns about our local NHS bureaucracy.
When Horsham and Crawley hospitals were downgraded and services transferred to East Surrey Hospital, local people and local politicians were given assurances that the services people relied upon would stay. This has not happened. Services have been salami-sliced away – being continuously transferred, bit by bit, to Redhill.
The local PCT has conducted a number of costly reviews which all conclude that the people of north-east West Sussex have no need for a new hospital.
Even though existing hospitals are running at almost full capacity and East Surrey Hospital is impossible to get to and dirty when you do get there.
Local people know we desperately need a new hospital and in every single conversation I have ever had with them, local GPs know it too! I support the reform proposals because power and money would be taken from local NHS bureaucrats and returned to patients and their GPs. I'd be pleased to hear readers' views on this important topic.
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to 2 C
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