A doctor in David Cameron’s Witney constituency has said “things are going to fail, hospitals will close” as a result of the health and social care bill.
A week ago, David Cameron tried to embarrass Ed Miliband by claiming a doctor in his Doncaster constituency supported the health reforms – a doctor, that is, who has quit his commissioning group and doesn’t even live in Doncaster – yet today, a real doctor in his own Witney constituency has said “things are going to fail, hospitals will close” as a result of the health and social care bill.
The senior GP has told the New Statesman:
“I would say very few GPs are happy with [the NHS reform] at all… [It’s] not a question of supporting it, it’s a question of going along with it… In my practice, nobody supports the changes…
“People think there should be more clinical involvement in commissioning. But I don’t think many people think that GPs are the right people to commission. They need input into it – but if we wanted to be managers we would have trained to be managers, not doctors.”
Adding:
“Most GPs are incredibly worried about conflict of interest. How can you be a patient’s advocate and look after the money?
“A lot of people think the whole thing’s designed to fail so they can bring private providers in. It’s the one big bit of the economy that hasn’t got private money in it.”
And of the effects to patients from the health service overhaul, the Witney GP warns:
“The public have just got no idea what’s hitting them… Things are going to fail, hospitals will close, because the money’s not going to be there. Things will get taken over. And if you’re going to have to make a profit out of it, you’re not going to have the same service.”
This lunchtime, the prime minister was again quizzed over the NHS reforms at PMQs, with Miliband again telling him to drop the bill.
As Left Foot Forward has reported many times before, as the links below show, next to nobody in the NHS supports the changes; now that even a senior GP in his own constituency has articulated that opposition, will David Cameron finally listen?
See also:
• Sign my petition to drop Lansley’s monster – Dr Kailash Chand OBE, November 24th 2011
• Lansley told to his face why his NHS reforms are wrong, wrong, wrong – Shamik Das, October 14th 2011
• Cameron’s fantasy list of NHS reform backers – Shamik Das, September 7th 2011
• Doctors still fear coalition health reforms – Daniel Elton, June 27th 2011
• So who backs Lansley’s health reforms then? – Dominic Browne, June 1st 2011
• Doctors tell Lansley: “Stop this bill” – Dominic Browne, March 15th 2011
• So, Mr Cameron, who backs your NHS reforms? Erm… – Shamik Das, February 2nd 2011
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42 Responses to “GP in Cameron’s constituency: “Nobody supports the NHS changes””
Blarg1987
I am annoyed that the LAbour party or the media have asked the follwing question:
When the Conservative party where last in office they advocated simular policies that led to the privatisation of key industries on which they later stood as board of directors or recieved large donations before and after approving the sell offs.
Will the goverment improve anti corruption legislation preventing any MP who approves privatisation unable to ever direclety or indirelty be involved with said organisation after retirement from politics and if not make any sale null and void for the same thing i.e. leaving politics and sitting on the board. If not why not?
As I am sure the goverment would be stuck over the barrel and the health bill would collapse from both public outcry and the media sensing blood 🙂
John Broggio
GP in Cameron’s constituency: “Nobody supports the NHS changes” http://t.co/dMUBRGYW
Miss E
GP in Cameron’s constituency: “Nobody supports the NHS changes” http://t.co/dMUBRGYW
Laura
GP in Cameron’s constituency: “Nobody supports the NHS changes” http://t.co/dMUBRGYW
Captain Swing
GP in Cameron’s constituency: “Nobody supports the NHS changes” http://t.co/dMUBRGYW