Govt's NHS Reforms 'Risky', Report Will Warn

2:36pm UK, Sunday January 16, 2011

Ruth Barnett, Sky News Online

Health reforms planned by the Government are "extraordinarily risky" and could lead to lower standards of care, a report from the NHS Confederation is expected to warn.

Andrew Lansley wants to shake up the way hospitals are run and hand power to GPs

The organisation, which represents hospitals and primary care trusts, agrees reform is needed but will criticise Health Secretary Andrew Lansley for failing to explain how the changes will benefit patients, the Observer reported.

Mr Lansley is expected to publish the Health and Social Care Bill on Wednesday.

His reforms will hand GPs responsibility for around 80% of the NHS budget and abolish primary care trusts.

"Price competition", which will allow hospitals to undercut each other to attract patients, could risk standards of care, the NHS Confederation is set to warn.

"The absence of any compelling story about why the reforms are necessary or how they will translate into improved outcomes is of concern," it will say.

GPs may have to ration treatment and managers have to carry out the reforms despitebeing subjected to "unpleasant and demotivating" attacks.

The Government has protected the NHS budget, but it must still simplify its structure and cut bureaucracy.

Department of Health spokesman

There are risks to carrying out such substantial reforms at the same time as cutting managers by 45% and attempting to save £20bn by 2015, it will add.

Former health secretary Andy Burnham told Murnaghan the overhaul could bring chaos.

"These reforms threaten to unpick the fabric of our National Health Service. At just the moment when the NHS faces a huge financial challenge what do they do? They bring in a massive reorganisation on a scale that we have never seen before in the NHS," he said.

He described it as the "wrong reform at the wrong time" and claimed Labour's warnings about the Government's handling of the NHS had been proven correct.

Labour's shadow health secretary, John Healey, said the Confederation's report was a "comprehensive demolition job on the Conservative-led Government's handling of the NHS".

Andrew Lansley's reforms are wrong, ex health secretary Andy Burnham says

He said Prime Minister David Cameron had broken his promise to protect the health service.

But the Department of Health said the reforms would allow the NHS to put patients at the heart of everything it did and would "liberate" staff.

"We have listened extensively to all views about our plans to modernise the NHS. And now, with thanks to some 6,000 responses, we have set out with clarity and with direction why and how we need to deliver long-lasting reform in the NHS," a spokesman said.

"The Government has protected the NHS budget, but it must still simplify its structure and cut bureaucracy, which will release further savings to invest in care for patients. Modernisation of the NHS is a necessity, not an option.

"What we are proposing is a carefully staged transition, with the ever increasing engagement of patients and NHS staff," he added.