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Public Services for All > Published by Guest, March 16th 2011 at 2:45 pm

Exposed: Lansley’s NHS reform cheerleaders

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By Tamasin Cave of Spinwatch

Just as yesterday the British Medical Society urged Andrew Lansley to scrap ‘top-down reforms’ of the NHS, today we see the government’s champions hit the airwaves. Radio 2′s Jeremy Vine show this lunchtime featured two such champions, one introduced as a GP, the other a ‘health expert’.

The former, Dr Paul Charlson, is indeed a GP in favour of Lansley’s reforms. He also runs a private centre which specialises in cosmetic anti-aging treatments (Botox), not typical of most GPs. Charlson is also spokesperson for a lobby group called Doctors for Reform, which is supported by the free-market think tank, Reform. Funding for Reform has come from the UK’s largest private hospital group - General Healthcare Group - and other private health companies set to benefit from Lansley’s reforms.

Vine’s ‘health expert’ was Dr Helen Evans, director of Nurses for Reform. Its funding is more opaque, but it does have ties to many free-market think tanks that favour privatisation. These include the Adam Smith Institute and the Centre for Policy Studies, a think tank that promotes “the opening up [of] state monopolies” in health.

Helen-Evans-David-Cameron
Evans has labelled the NHS a:

“Stalinist, nationalised abhorrence.”

And written:

“Britain can do musch [sic] better without its so called ‘principals’ [sic].”

As the criticism of the NHS reforms gets louder, expect to hear more from these two.

  • http://twitter.com/hhaylo/status/48033595163545600 Hhaylo

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/celticchickadee/status/48034731299848192 isla dowds

    RT @leftfootfwd:Exposed: Lansley's #NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave @Spinwatch #savethenhs #healthbil #libdems

  • http://twitter.com/northerntuc/status/48035114696974336 Northern TUC

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/thepeasantpoet/status/48035168493121536 SNC

    RT @celticchickadee: RT @leftfootfwd:Exposed: Lansley's #NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave @Spinwatch #savet …

  • http://twitter.com/dubious1977/status/48035573155377152 David Dubost

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/clivemcr/status/48039819179327488 Clive

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/pandorasboxheal/status/48042679002607618 Christine Ramsbottom

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/hens4freedom/status/48044233772367872 Hens4Freedom

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/casebrook/status/48046221851504640 Brooke Casey

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: He also runs a private centre which specialises in cosmetic anti-agi… http://bit.ly/eCoesw

  • http://twitter.com/mikercameron/status/48046435895214081 Mike Cameron

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders http://bit.ly/fT5idW

  • http://twitter.com/mikejenkins1189/status/48050187570118656 Mike Jenkins

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: He also runs a private centre which specialises in cosmetic anti-agi… http://bit.ly/fQB9lr

  • http://twitter.com/natural21beauty/status/48050304691879936 jgray

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: He also runs a private centre which specialises in cosmetic anti-agi… http://bit.ly/hyk7i6

  • http://twitter.com/nhsspy/status/48052176920125443 Watching You

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/jnnybtchr/status/48052313675407360 Jonny

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/tess1959/status/48053000228438016 Teresa

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders http://bit.ly/fT5idW BBC bias or duped?

  • Roberta Smith

    GPs have been on gravy train of perks from the vast salesforce of big pharma -taking perks in order to use whatever companies brand of a drug-thats hardly independent healthcare-indeed its downright scary – think SEROXAT – at least these changes will make the money and perks GPs get more transparent – more honest

  • Alex

    The NHS is a stalinist horror – and an expensive one. Not accountable to patients, overstreched due to immigration and expenditure on people who don’t look after themselves. A little bit of competition should be encouraged.

  • http://twitter.com/slintottuk/status/48070115060760576 Stephen Lintott

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://bit.ly/e2OTuG

  • http://twitter.com/matthewhoulihan/status/48071050289872896 Matthew Houlihan

    RT @Slintottuk: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://bit.ly/e2OTuG

  • Cath C

    Don’t think the proposed changes are going to make anything more transparent. We’re gradually going to end up with more and more private companies having a monopoly over services and resources which seems ominous to say the least. Also, GP consortia trying to spend as little as possible and bidding for patients will surely disadvantage children, elderly, those with multiple medical problems. Try not to tar everyone with the same brush in your criticisms, most GPs nowadays prescribe from an evidence based formulary of medications that are deemed to be most cost-effective, though sure maybe this hasn’t always been the case.

    As for comments about NHS being a stalinist horror, I think you might be being a little melodramatic there! It certainly isn’t perfect, we could do better, look at France for example, but it does score highly in opinion polls.
    Are you proposing that we stop spending money on immigrants and ‘people who don’t look after themselves’? Sounds worryingly fascist to me.

    Private healthcare is fine for a straightforward investigation/procedure until something goes wrong when you will be sent back to the NHS who will then have to clean up the mess.

  • http://dawnwillis.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/lansley%e2%80%99s-nhs-reform-cheerleaders/ Lansley’s NHS reform cheerleaders « Dawn Willis sharing the News & Views of the Mentally Wealthy
  • http://twitter.com/aliciazmat/status/48079856860266496 aliciazmat

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: He also runs a private centre which specialises in cosmetic anti-agi… http://bit.ly/eleplK

  • http://twitter.com/aliciazmat/status/48079856881254400 Alicia Mathews

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: He also runs a private centre which specialises in cosmetic anti-agi… http://bit.ly/eleplK

  • Henry

    The NHS is a lot less expensive – however you calculate it – than the ‘competitive’ American system.

  • john merton

    We must fight with all our might

  • http://twitter.com/paulmgleeson/status/48083629083074560 Paul Gleeson

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/cheerontheguys/status/48088309548843008 Brooke Fisher

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders http://bit.ly/hllnnH

  • http://twitter.com/tomayates/status/48128253168332800 Tom Yates

    RT @leftfootfwd: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders: http://bit.ly/fDtg6F by Tamasin Cave of @Spinwatch

  • http://twitter.com/powerbase/status/48133870155087874 Powerbase

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://ow.ly/4g0RA

  • http://twitter.com/spinwatch/status/48133873007202304 Spinwatch

    Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://ow.ly/4g0Ts

  • http://twitter.com/moodindi/status/48134298280280064 moodindi

    RT @Spinwatch: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://ow.ly/4g0Ts

  • http://twitter.com/mulberrybush/status/48134696877563904 diana smith

    RT @Powerbase: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://ow.ly/4g0RA

  • http://twitter.com/nishmadoshi/status/48139512504782848 Nishma Doshi

    RT @Spinwatch: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://ow.ly/4g0Ts

  • http://twitter.com/billericaylolly/status/48141713172213760 Billericay Lolly

    RT @Spinwatch: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://ow.ly/4g0Ts

  • http://twitter.com/tcgriffin/status/48143017483321344 Tom Griffin

    RT @Spinwatch: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://ow.ly/4g0Ts

  • Mr. Sensible

    Roberta, according to the Guardian this morning GPs could double their income under these proposals.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/mar/15/nhs-reforms-gps-double-income

    The government’s proposals are in a mess.

  • http://twitter.com/aboutpower/status/48143437953904640 Alan Marshall

    RT @Spinwatch: Exposed: Lansley's NHS reform cheerleaders | Left Foot Forward http://ow.ly/4g0Ts

  • Liz

    From my experience many GPs are very capable exert pressure on their patients,especially those who are under the care of a hospital team. In an effort to persuade them to be blood tested in the GP surgery,rather than in the local hospital, they can withhold prescription meds, on the grounds that they don’t have blood test results. In any event they can, and do, deregister any patients who prove too expensive or inconvenient. Better not to further empower GPs, I feel.

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/03/look-left-18-03-11/ Look Left – World finally decides to take action against Gaddafi | Left Foot Forward

    [...] those backing the reforms, Left Foot Forward revealed, were Dr Paul Charlson and Dr Helen Evans. Charlson is a spokesman for a lobby group called Doctors [...]

  • http://launchpadncl.org.uk/2011/03/26/saturdays-melange-of-mental-health-and-health-newsviews-and-info/ Saturday(!)’s melange of Mental Health and Health news,views and info. « Launchpad: By and for mental health service users

    [...] of those most vocal in their backing of the Government’s ‘direction of travel’ may not be exactly representative and may operate under rather misleading monikers, and there are certainly some interesting behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings going on by private sector [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/05/health-reform-backers-agenda-cut-the-front-line-introduce-upfront-payments/ Health reform backers’ agenda: Cut the front line, introduce upfront payments | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Another sub-group of Reform, Nurses for Reform, is headed up by Dr Helen Evans who has called the NHS a ‘Stalinist abhorrence’ and a ‘sixty-year mistake’ was invited by [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/06/nhs-top-tory-thinks-lord-tebbit-stalinist/ Is Lord Tebbit a Stalinist? Top Tory seems to think so | Left Foot Forward

    [...] A Tory MP and backer of Andrew Lansley’s NHS reform plans, given a platform at Conservative Home, has said that those opposing the reforms are tantamount to Stalinists. This echoes the words of fellow Lansley supporter Dr Helen Evans, director of Nurses for Reform, who, having met face to face with Cameron, called the NHS a “Stalinist abhorrence”. [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/09/david-cameron-ed-miliband-pmqs-07-09-11-health-reforms/ Cameron’s fantasy list of NHS reform backers | Left Foot Forward

    [...] wealthy bankers, privatisation fanatics, Freemason enthusiasts and anti-NHS extremists who describe the NHS as a “Stalinist, nationalised [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/10/andrew-lansley-private-health-links/ Has Lansley misled the House over links to private health? | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Exposed: Lansley’s NHS reform cheerleaders – Tamasin Cave, March 16th [...]