The NHS reforms

The Coalition Government’s NHS Health Reforms for England have been watered down this week in response to the outcry from the medical profession and poor feedback from the public. 

The NHS reforms now include the following key elements :-

Abolition of the 10 strategic regional health authorities. Instead there will be a National Board which controls the entire NHS budget and reports to the secretary of state for health.

Abolition of the 151 Primary Healthcare Trusts which used to manage hospitals and medical services on a regional basis on behalf of the strategic health authorities. Instead more than 250 clinical commissioning groups will be established which will procure hospital services.

Instead of GPs controlling the clinical commissioning groups, they will be run by Clinical Senates consisting of a number of different clinical stakeholders not just GPs. GPs, Dentists & specialist services such as intensive care will receive their funds directly from the National Board entirely circumventing any regional control.

Competition for the provision of services will be increased within the NHS allowing private firms to bid to provide particular services better or more cost effectively than the NHS.

However, the recent watering down ensures that private provision (competition) must only be used in balanced with publicly funded provision.

These changes only affect England and the Welsh and Scottish Parliaments now control their own NHS budgets and strategies.

There is a great deal of concern that the existing Quangos are just being replaced with another set of equally wasteful Quangos.

The NHS Reforms will be phased in progressively with the major changes of structure targeted to occur by 2013.

In real terms the NHS has to make cuts of £20bn over the next 4 years. This means that private medical insurance will increasingly become a necessity for individuals and families who want to ensure that they get the best possible medical cover in a timely fashion if the worst happens.

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