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Public Services for All > Published by Alex Hern, February 9th 2012 at 10:27 am

The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill

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The pro-NHS reform Financial Times has published a leader today pushing for the government to drop the “mess” that is the health and social care bill.

The paper begins by attacking the prime minister for failing to live up to his manifesto pledge to avoid top-down reorganisations of the NHS, but then praises the ultimate objectives of the bill. It lays the blame for its failings squarely at the feet of the “political skill”, or lack thereof, of the government, and Andrew Lansley in particular.

The leader concludes (£):

There is no easy escape from the mess the government has created. But its objective should be to pursue the course that offers the best chance of securing the substance of the reforms.

Dropping the bill and pursuing change without omnibus legislation looks on balance the better bet, even if it comes at a cost. The NHS is already adapting to the new structures. Some bureaucratic machinery might have to be rebuilt. Mr Lansley’s position would be weakened – perhaps fatally.

Although the FT is pro-reform, wrongly believing that “if the NHS is to become more efficient, as it must, there should be more clinical involvement in healthcare commissioning”, they have joined the CPHVA, RCGP, CSP, UNISON, UNITE, GMB, RCM, RCN, BMA, RCP, RCR, MiP, COT, IHSM and the Faculty of Public Health in calling for the government to drop the bill.

In May last year, Nick Clegg announced:

No bill is better than a bad bill.

Now that the consensus is that this is a bad bill, the time has come for him to live up to his words and join the coalition to save the NHS.

See also:

• Ten reasons peers should vote against Lansley’s anti-NHS bill – Shamik Das, October 12th 2011

• Miliband goes on attack as fight to save the NHS stepped up – Shamik Das, February 6th 2012

• Sign my petition to drop Lansley’s monster – Dr Kailash Chand OBE, November 24th 2011

• Don’t believe the spin – the health reforms are Cameron’s just as much as Lansley’s – Shamik Das, February 8th 2012

• Lord Owen turns on coalition health plans – Will Straw, January 19th 2011

  • http://twitter.com/adammcgibbon/status/167555782106296320 Adam McGibbon

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/mrhuishdances/status/167555890084462592 MrHuish

    RT @leftfootfwd: The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/r9hpUERi by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/tomvine92/status/167555942311919617 Tom Vine

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/dcwood1986/status/167555997324423168 Daniel Wood

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/stop1984/status/167556090026926080 Andreas Baader

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/bestboomer/status/167556155374178304 hilary fawcett

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/fionamontw/status/167556162068283392 Fiona Montgomery

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/pinkhumanist/status/167557479746633728 Pink Humanist

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/redmadden/status/167557542476660736 Dave Madden

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/e1ucidate/status/167557557710368768 Karen Webb

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/politicalplanet/status/167560696547127296 Political Planet

    The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill: Alex Hern reports on the calls from the Financial Times to d… http://t.co/TGkkfSry

  • http://twitter.com/pulpark/status/167561954028826624 Pulp Ark

    The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill http://t.co/tDosA7xw #Public_Services_for_All #Andrew_Lansley #muslim #tcot #sioa

  • http://twitter.com/patronpress/status/167563090383220737 Patron Press – #P2

    #UK : The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill http://t.co/7wvX2yPv

  • http://twitter.com/dfrchester/status/167564252327051264 Dave Russell

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/adpucci/status/167564918302842880 Pucci D

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/chaostocosmos/status/167566183573364736 Pamela Heywood

    The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill http://t.co/NEu5mbeP

  • http://twitter.com/hens4freedom/status/167566520216600576 Hens4Freedom

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/shamethedevil/status/167566662248312832 John Jackson

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/jphimister/status/167568245153464320 Joseph Burnett

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/nightsiren/status/167572977230168064 Rosie Walters

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/yrotitna/status/167578486523957248 Yrotitna

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/lisassprince/status/167579080282210304 Lisa Sprince

    The Financial Times joins the calls to #dropthebill (and hints it wants #lansleyout): http://t.co/6Uv5fLpo by @alexhern #savetheNHS

  • http://twitter.com/sberriman/status/167581688409489408 Simon Berriman

    RT @leftfootfwd: The Financial Times comes out against the #NHS bill http://t.co/dfNtWCpm

  • http://twitter.com/therightarticle/status/167584504297435137 Michael

    Pro-NHS reform FT pushes for the government to drop the “mess” that is the health and social care bill – http://t.co/Wr5I89LB

  • http://twitter.com/brianfmoylan/status/167586904244621314 Brian Moylan

    RT @TheRightArticle: Pro-NHS reform FT pushes for government to drop the “mess” that is the health & social care bill http://t.co/nu2ccL3H

  • http://twitter.com/j_chatterton/status/167591620722704384 Johnny Chatterton

    I'm over the moon about this: "The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill"
    http://t.co/8jSQOKxR

  • http://twitter.com/carolynanderson/status/167658281786019840 Carolyn Anderson

    The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/xkV2fjxs

  • http://twitter.com/s_amani/status/167683819418288128 Sarah Amani

    The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill http://t.co/a3IsdZT1 #nhsreform

  • http://twitter.com/percyblakeney63/status/167695730193084416 Andy Payne

    More & more voices are speaking out > The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill #savethenhs http://t.co/B7ShV3sQ

  • http://twitter.com/scoscarwood/status/167696555858604033 Celia Kelly

    RT @leftfootfwd: The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill http://t.co/BKmhqwDK

  • http://twitter.com/robert_j_morgan/status/167703464674201600 robert morgan

    RT @leftfootfwd: The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill http://t.co/E7AQCxBz

  • http://twitter.com/underthebed1/status/167712447644442626 Underthebed

    RT @leftfootfwd: The Financial Times comes out http://t.co/XgzOZg2Q

  • http://twitter.com/underthebed1/status/167714025117974530 Underthebed

    @chrisWhite_MP
    http://t.co/XgzOZg2Q

    #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/yrotitna/status/167714932807311360 Yrotitna

    More & more voices are speaking out > The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill #savethenhs http://t.co/B7ShV3sQ

  • http://twitter.com/___jo___/status/167727743931400192 Jo Bates

    Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/p8oMfIrs

  • http://twitter.com/postpolionews/status/167800924482445312 Chris Salter

    RT @leftfootfwd: The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill http://t.co/vJ929aU3 #ppnews

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/02/conhome-drop-the-health-bill/ ConHome: Drop the Health Bill | Left Foot Forward

    [...] know the health profession is against the bill. We know the public are suspicious. We know it will make more bureaucracy not [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/02/what-does-qe3-mean-for-the-real-economy/ What does QE3 mean for the real economy? | Left Foot Forward

    [...] The Financial Times comes out against the NHS bill – Alex Hern, February 9th [...]

  • http://twitter.com/fredricketts/status/168688706780274690 Fredricketts

    Let’s start, with a reform to the NHS, where the NHS, stops treating foreign illegal’s, that are being treated… http://t.co/keLPRDpv

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/02/gps-implementing-health-reforms-have-come-out-against-them/ Even GPs implementing Cameron’s health reforms have come out against them | Left Foot Forward

    [...] CSP, UNISON, UNITE, GMB, RCM, RCN, BMA, RCP, RCR, MiP, COT, IHSM and the Faculty of Public Health oppose the health and social care bill, health workers are backing the [...]

  • http://twitter.com/cameronsfollys/status/174574948684275712 cameronsfollys

    Feb 9th 2012: The #Financial #Times comes out against the #NHS #bill http://t.co/NTHQVfke [Hmm!]