DRAFT to be expanded and developed

David Cameron is to make a speech on the NHS today. The speech has been widely reported before the event and we know that he raise the fake-accountability of the ballot box and make five pledges attemting to persuade that the NHS is safe.

The fake-accountability of the ballot box echoes Nick Clegg’s recent speech of 26 May. We know that the accountability of the ballot box is fake from our recent history. Although we finally got rid of Tony Blair, we are unable to undo many of his actions like the untold suffering and death in the Middle-East. He lied and lied and lied to pursue a perverted agenda against the wishes of the majority of the British people. So far he has not been held to account for his lies and deceptions. Cameron’s recent speech in Brussels illustrate that the Con-Dem coalition government is fully signed-up to that very same Neo-Con bullshit.

A few recent news articles concerning the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Public Finance Initiative (PFI) hospitals are raising problems for health ‘reformers’ in a two ways. Firstly, they are a huge financial burden on the NHS so that medical services are cut to pay for them. Secondly, Lansley’s reforms require that hospitals transform to NHS trust status. Since trusts are required to have a stable financial status, something must be done about the PFI hospitals which are not financially stable.

Lord Owen calls on Liberal-Democrats to reject the Abolish the NHS Bill.

Prime Minister David Cameron to make a speech on privatisation of the NHS defending – despite all the opposition – and claiming – despite all the evidence – that the NHS is not to be privatised.

A few recent news articles concerning the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Government will review NHS PFI schemes | Healthcare Network | Guardian Professional

A health minister has confirmed that the government is examining some private finance initiative (PFI) schemes involving NHS trusts, although he denied that there have been talks about injections of extra funding.

“We are committed to creating stronger hospitals through foundation trusts,” said health minister Simon Burns. “As part of this work we are examining some PFI schemes, but it is too early to know what the solutions might be, or what, if any support might be needed from the department. There have been no discussions between the Treasury and the Department for Health on specific proposals to provide extra funding for PFI hospitals.”

The Telegraph today reported that the government might have to bail out PFI hospitals. To become a foundation trust hospital, an NHS trust needs to meet strict requirements on the quality of clinical care they provide and on the state of their finances. The Financial Times along with the Telegraph reported that the review will be carried out by consultancy firm McKinsey.

PFI deals have been heavily criticised for leaving trusts with huge repayment bills. Last August the Department of Health said that the NHS faces a £65bn PFI repayment bill, six times the original total value of the buildings covered. The nature of the scheme means that private companies fund the initial building of hospitals and other health service units, often also providing maintenance services, with NHS trusts paying for the facilities over a number of years or decades.

New Statesman – The NHS hospitals that will have to cut services to survive

17 NHS trusts, more than half of which are saddled with extortionate PFI debts, face deep cuts to the frontline.

This lays bear the financial crisis facing the health service. The financial unsustainability of these trusts could see some local communities losing their maternity services or accident and emergency departments.

The FT notes that in the past six years, these 17 trusts (a graphic of the affected hospitals ishere) have needed to be bailed out with £625m in as yet unreturned loans and other forms of cash support. This is the equivalent of the annual running costs of two entire hospitals.

Perhaps the most controversial fact in this report is the fact that more than half of these hospitals have buildings funded through private finance initiatives (PFI). Because these buildings are thought to be too expensive to close, neighbouring institutions — which may not have financial problems — could be closed to save them.

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Lib Dems urged to reject ‘flawed Bill’ / Britain / Home – Morning Star

Liberal Democrat MPs were urged at the weekend by SDP founder Lord Owen to vote down the government’s unpopular NHS proposals – even if they are substantially changed.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has indicated that he is ready to accept “substantial and significant” changes to the legislation, which would hand over commissioning powers to GPs and extend private-sector provision of NHS services.

But Lord Owen said that the NHS was being “pushed to conceptual destruction” and that it was “almost impossible” to sufficiently rewrite such a flawed Bill.

He stressed that the government’s “listening exercise” had shown that professionals and users believed only minor legislative changes were required.

“To drop this massive legislative spanner into the works would be a profound error,” he said.

“A sufficient number of Liberal Democrat MPs can surely be found to vote this Bill down … with the official Labour opposition, some Northern Ireland MPs and Scottish and Welsh Nationalists, where such legislation would not have a hope of getting through their legislatures.”

David Cameron puts reputation on the line with five pledges on the future of the NHS – Telegraph

The Prime Minister will promise to keep waiting lists low, maintain spending, not to privatise the NHS, to keep care integrated and to remain committed to the “national” part of the health service.

Such is the concern in Downing Street at the damage the issue of NHS reform is causing the Government, that Mr Cameron will put his reputation on the line with a personal pledge to protect its core values. It represents his boldest attempt yet to assuage criticism from his Liberal Democrat Coalition partners and from many health professionals over the impact of the reforms.

In his speech, the Prime Minister will admit that he is willing to act on their concerns after listening to the “profession and patients” during a two-month exercise which was held after Mr Cameron called for a “pause” in the Health Bill’s passage.

His “five guarantees” are designed to show the Prime Minister is committed to the NHS, and “he is hearing what is being said”, according to one source. Mr Cameron’s promise on integrated care is designed to ensure patients receive continuity of treatment, without having to explain their condition from scratch each time to different doctors.

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Dr. Grumble responds to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s article.

GPs abandon UK as a response to ‘health reforms’.

Cuts.

Fears that GPs do not have the expertise to commission for particular needs.

A few recent news articles concerning the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Dr Grumble: Just how much can you get from a pint pot?

Never in the history of the NHS has a parliamentary Bill met with the level of opposition that has met the Lansley Health and Social Care Bill. What Lansley lacks in drafting skills he makes up for with tenacity and nobody would be surprised to learn that he is now fighting a rearguard action to drive through the changes he and his henchman have decided are necessary. Now you might think that Grumble is a bit antagonistic towards Mr Lansley. And you would be right. But Grumble is a fair man and he likes to look at the evidence and, if there is no evidence, the arguments. So it was with interest that Grumble read Lansley’s recent article in the Telegraph. Unsurprisingly there is quite a lot wrong with it.

Now if Grumble were to write an article on the NHS he would start with a little homily about the wonders of the health service. It is the obvious way to start but we don’t get this from the Secretary of State. Oh no. Quite the opposite. He sees the NHS not as something to be valued and cherished but a burdensome yoke. Keeping it going as it is will inevtiably lead to a ‘crisis tomorrow’. What is his evidence? It is that there are ‘enormous financial pressures looming on the horizon’. You have heard it all before. This is the ‘something must be done’ argument which politicians use to justify almost anything that they want to change – especially when they have no better argument for change.

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Hospital trust to axe 300 posts – Health – Peterborough Evening Telegraph

Wednesday, 12.15pm: Around 300 posts are to be axed across Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the new £289 million Peterborough City Hospital.

As revealed by the Evening Telegraph earlier today (1 June), the trust’s board spent yesterday afternoon locked in talks to decide how to find £38 million worth of savings in its 2011/12 budget.

Trust chairman Nigel Hards suggested that jobs could be lost, but only today has the scale of the losses been announced.

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Pulse – GPs heading overseas up a fifth as partners flee pay cuts

Exclusive: The Government’s plans for GP commissioning, threats to the NHS pension and successive falls in partners’ take-home pay have led to a sharp spike in the number of GPs leaving the UK to work overseas, according to recruitment agencies.

The medical recruitment company Austmedics told Pulse it has seen a rise of up to 40% in enquiries about jobs in Australia over the past year – with the number of GPs actually signing contracts up by a fifth.

It cited the NHS reforms and successive GP pay freezes as key factors in the increase, with salaried GPs in Australia able to earn anything from £80,000 to £190,000 – and pay an effective tax rate of just 15%.

The new figures come after a Pulse investigation last year revealed a surge in the number of foreign vacancies being advertised, with almost one in seven job listings now for a job abroad.

Guy Hazel, managing director of Austmedics, reported a ‘very significant rise’ in the number of GP partners leaving the UK. He is currently recruiting on behalf of 78 Australian practices, and has 36 GPs based in the UK who are in the process of signing contracts.

‘Usually we have salaried GPs and very few partners. However this year we have seen a large number of partners resigning and moving to Australia,’ he said.

‘GPs are considering going because of the relentless pace of change – the combination of commissioning and a general feeling that GPs are unappreciated.’

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GP commissioning could risk more abuse scandals – 6/3/2011 – Community Care

GPs, who would take over commissioning healthcare for people with learning disabilities under the Health and Social Care Bill, may lack the expertise to do so, it has been claimed.

Earlier this week, BBC’s Panorama exposed a pattern of abuse at Winterbourne View, a private hospital in Bristol for people with learning disabilities, complex needs and challenging behaviour. The case has resulted in four arrests and the suspension of 13 staff.

“The issue for me is that all the people at Winterbourne were funded by primary care trusts,” said Denise Platt, former chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Care Quality Commission’s predecessor. “You have to ask the question, linked to the NHS reforms, if you have GPs purchasing this care, does it leave the way open to more Winterbournes?”

Keith Smith, chief executive of the British Institute of Learning Disabilities, did not believe that GPs had the specialist knowledge and expertise to commission services for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.

“Getting the commissioning right from this small group of people is a very specialist requirement,” said Smith, whose organisation advises on supporting people with challenging behaviour.

“Within the context of budget cuts, we are losing commissioners with expertise in this area because they are being made redundant.”

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A few recent news articles concerning the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

NHS news is dominated by an article by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in the Daily Telegraph.

HealthInvestor: Top health CEOs reveal fears for short-term

The NHS reforms will lead to “short-term pain” but huge long-term opportunities for independent healthcare providers, according to a survey of 20 leading chief executives in the sector.

Consultants The Parthenon Group interviewed 20 CEOs from the UK’s biggest healthcare companies including Nuffield Health, Barchester, Four Seasons, BMI and HCA.

Around 8/10 of respondents remain positive about NHS reform in the long term, with the government’s Any Qualified Provider (AQP) policy still likely to open up much of the NHS market.

Alistair Stranack, partner at The Parthenon Group’s healthcare practice, said he expects around 50% of the NHS’s £120bn funding will be up for grabs via AQP when the reforms are finally passed.

But continued bias against the private sector and worsening bureaucracy means the value of contracts actually awarded to the sector is unlikely to rise above 5-10% over the next five years, he said.

One CEO, responding to the survey, said “the bureaucratic burdeon of AQP is likely to slow down private sector participation and may prove more cumbersome than existing systems of choice like Choose and Book.”

There would be “some hiatus in the short term” but there was “no doubt we will see growth in the longer term as new areas are opened up to AQP,” another company leader commented.

Speaking at a Parthenon event in London, Nick Bosanquet, health economist at Imperial College, predicted that the current crisis in the NHS’s finances would lead to up to 25% of all healthcare in the UK being self-funded or insurance-based by 2018.

NHS news review is very brief today due to network issues.