Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
TORY bruiser Norman Tebbit has launched an amazing attack on the Government's health reforms.The ex-Cabinet minister and Margaret Thatcher's former hatchet man admitted grave concerns they could do "considerable" damage to NHS hospitals.
Lord Tebbit said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's plans could bring "unfair" competition, enabling private firms to cherry pick.He said: "It's fine for the private sector, which doesn't have responsibility for teaching and bringing on young surgeons, to take the straightforward and easy stuff.
"But that means the public sector is then left without the base of work to subsidise the more difficult surgery and the teaching of surgeons."
Lord Tebbit, whose wife Margaret was left in a wheelchair after the IRA Brighton bomb attack in 1984, spoke of his experience as chairman of a charitable fund which helped the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust. He told how a local private hospital was contracted by the NHS to help shorten waiting lists.
"But the damage it did to the finances of Nuffield and its ability to carry out training...was quite considerable," he said. "The private sector hospital had neither any obligation, nor wish, to take on the more difficult and complex surgery.
It had no obligation to teach the next generation of surgeons the skills they would need to deal with such work.
"That was all left to be done by the NHS hospital. But the NHS hospital lost income from that bread-and-butter work. It no longer had enough of the routine work for young surgeons to gain the experience needed to take on difficult and complex work and it ran into real financial difficulties." The Tory peer suggested that one solution could be to privatise all hospital trusts.He also added that the only member of his family to get private medical treatment was his dog!!
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
There is considerable disquiet about Lansleys plans, a number of people from all sides are getting the jitters. There was some quiet talk of reining back yesterday from the Conservatives themselves...as you indicate. So will be interesting to see how it develops.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
My daughter was very sad this week as many of her former collegues have been shewn the door .Daughter left before the PCTs were cut twenty three years of dedicated service .Luckily she has a good job in the private sector howeve involves a lot of travelling ..
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
there is also a blue mp( a g.p.) who is leading a back bench revolt against the plans.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Yes very sad news there about the loss of talented people. There was a very vociferous BBC's Question Time last night where a number of people expressed horror that these cuts are ideological...Its very sad, because how are we ever to replace the talent lost.
Glad your daughter has secured a new position Sue.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
Norman wasnt going to stay quiet long
now we are see even more divisions
its crumbling again
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
It's not fair to call cuts in public spending ideological. If that is true, the same charge may be laid at the door of Mr Wilkins Mickawber who had strong views on the subject of balancing income and expenditure.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
from my experience the reds like to spend whether or not the money is there, the blues will cut services to people irrespective of the country's finances.
in other words it is all about ideology, nothing will change that.
Unregistered User
Sorry folks, I can't see how you can call the NHS budget that has increased a cut.
Yes they may be re-organising & changing systems of delivery & payment but cuts it ain't.
Because they will be asking your local doctors & you via local Neighbourhood Forums where you want the money & services to be delivered , is that wrong?
Yes Norm. is right at this stage they have not worked out who will commission the training numbers of professionals. Yet that is currently being worked thru.
Locally your GP'S , KCC & DDC will be part of the first wave pilots.
I'll post more as the projects progress.
Watty
Sue - glad your daughter secured a good post. I have to say, I treasure our NHS and I think that the measure of a societys civilisation is how it manages health and social care and support for the vulnerable and poor, but the current unwieldy and arrogant "organisations" that are the PCTs and SHAs make it inevitable that there will be change and development. It is time. It would be good to see a bit more proper planning, though, and some decent organisational support for the GP consortia. It is interesting, from my angle, to watch the less skilled but more arrogant PCT folk scrabbling for private sector jobs. The private sector, to their surprise, is not beating a path to their doors..............
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
Like our norman i have concerns over the future of the NHS
having more of a say is a grand idea if it were true
sadly doctors to have a vested interest in private medicine, and i hope this doesn';t cloud there decision making.
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
Watty
Increased spending doesn't mean there will no cuts as the increased budget will only just cover inflation,wage demands and increased energy bills.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Unregistered User
Straightforward point is that there are no central government cuts to NHS budget.
It's a matter of terminology.
Local government has been cut, Home Office has been cut , other services have been cut, not the NHS.
Re-organisation is not the same as cuts.
Watty
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i find all this very confusing, we are told that there is an increase in spending on the n.h.s. at the the same time the same coves tell us that each department of that institution must make savings.
we then find that redundancies are taking place.
seems like a game of smoke and mirrors.
Welcome to my world!!!!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
looks like lord norman has got this way and there will be major climbdown by the prime minister this week.
the backbench 1922 committee were planning to join forces with the yellows in rebelling against the changes.
how long before andrew lansley is offered as a sacrificial lamb to save dave's face?
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
I too find it hard to understand what has been planned with the NHS: the TV announced spending cuts of tens of billions of pounds over so and so many years, then Tory supporters stated that there will be no cuts in NHS spending.
At this rate, people will be confused. The only certainty is that the era of wild dreams of spending and spending that was rife in the Labour days is over.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
everybody is confused alex, the government keep changing their minds.
we are now told the next 3 months will be a consultation period.
Unregistered User
No cuts to overall NHS budget.
The issue is how the NHS is to be MANAGED.
This is about changing who makes the spending decisions.
Should it be your local doctors or PCT professionals?
Watty
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
No cuts to the over N,H,S, budget,means there will be cuts and front line to.
