David Cameron was evasive and engaged in distraction at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday. I’ve started seriously wondering wether he’s intellect-challenged.

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.

Fight the cuts – strike, demonstrate, stand against cuts | The Socialist 27 April 2011

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On 5 May over 9,500 council seats will be contested across England, as well as elections to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies and the AV referendum.

Millions of people will see these elections as an opportunity to express their hatred for the axe-wielding Tories and Lib Dems. However, while there is no mass party through which working class people can effectively fight the cuts, Labour is likely to benefit from this desire to punish the government. But this will not be done with great enthusiasm – Labour’s slogan of “cuts too far too fast” is not a rallying call and their record of implementing brutal cuts in local government means huge suffering.

But as the working class in Britain begins to flex its muscles, the need for an independent political voice is increasingly urgent.
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Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals to axe 300 beds under cuts

HUNDREDS of hospital beds are to be cut at the region’s main hospitals as health officials battle to save millions of pounds.

Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, has 1,514 beds on more than 50 wards.

The move will cut 300 beds by closing two wards per year for the next five years and comes as the trust has to make £95 million in efficiency savings by 2015.

It could also see the trust scaling back its estate, knocking down empty wards and cutting back on costs.

Trust chief executive Phil Morley said reducing the number of acute beds by 300 will save £10 million.

He warned the move was a reflection of the challenges and pressures facing the NHS nationally, not just in East Yorkshire.
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David Cameron’s patronising putdown | Politics | The Guardian

The Chamber is well used to extraordinary displays of boorishness during prime minister’s questions but even hardened MPs were taken aback by David Cameron’s performance on Wednesday, when (to recap, in case you have somehow missed a moment that within minutes was swamping the Twittersphere and within an hour had spawned nearly 400 news stories) he was challenged by Angela Eagle, shadow chief secretary to the treasury.

It was not a particularly earth-shattering challenge – he had said former Labour MP Howard Stoate (whom he was enlisting in his increasingly ragged defence of Andrew Lansley’s NHS reforms) had been defeated by a Tory at the last election; she was pointing out, in the vociferous way required when a roomful of supposed adults is shouting at each other like sleep-deprived six-year-olds, that Stoate had in fact retired, rather than been defeated, in order to return to his job as a GP. “Calm down, dear,” said Cameron, failing only to pat her gently on the head as he said it. “Calm down. Calm down and listen to the doctor.”

In terms of levels of offensiveness, where to start? The imputation that Eagle, being a woman, was just being hysterical, over-emotional? The further imputation that nothing she said was therefore worth listening to? The belittling “dear”? The arrogant superiority? The paternal order to listen not just to him, but to “the doctor”, these men who know best? Frankly, he only failed to pat her gently on the head.

“Calm down,” he said yet again, in case anyone had missed it. They most definitely hadn’t: even the Daily Telegraph, which could not resist an en passant dig at the “frighteningly feminist” Eagle, noted that: “The wind whistled around the Commons chamber in the seconds after he said it.” There was some laughter: George Osborne, unsurprisingly, guffawed, but Nick Clegg, sitting to the prime minister’s right, went completely, unsmilingly still, as though by doing so he could somehow will himself invisible, or at least somewhere else.

 

Cameron launches Commons attack on Labour’s NHS policy in Wales – Politics News – Politics – News – WalesOnline

CONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron yesterday used Prime Minister’s Questions to launch repeated attacks on Labour’s plans for the NHS in Wales.

Mr Cameron waded into one of the most contentious issues in the Assembly election when he claimed that a Labour-led Government would leave patients worse off than those in England.

He launched the assault on the party led in the Assembly by Carwyn Jones during a question session which threatened to descend into farce when he appeared to tell a female Labour MP to “calm down, dear”.

The heated exchanges came after Labour Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan asked if Conservative Health Secretary Andrew Lansley was safe in his job.

His plans for sweeping NHS reform in England are now subject to a “pause” and have been emphatically rejected in a no confidence vote by the Royal College of Nursing.
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Pulse – Advertising standards investigate promotion of NHS reforms

Advertising standards authorities have launched an investigation into the Department of Health’s promotion of the NHS reforms during their ‘listening exercise’, after they received a number of complaints about a patient leaflet on the health bill.

The pamphlet ‘Working together for a stronger NHS’ was published earlier this month to explain the rationale behind the Government’s NHS reforms, but after a number of complaints – including from one from John McTernan, former political secretary to Tony Blair – the Advertising Standards Authority have launched an investigation.

The leaflet suggests that the NHS perform better if it has more competition between providers of healthcare, including private companies.

The Department of Health says the leaflet is based on ‘a wide range of reputable sources’, but Mr McTernan claims that the information presented in the leaflet is misleading.
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Government must learn from PFI mistakes, says NAO | Healthcare Network | Guardian Professional

The National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised central government for pushing local state sector bodies, including NHS trusts, into using the private finance initiative (PFI) rather than other methods of finance.

In a new report, the central government watchdog concurs with parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, which in January noted that some organisations chose the PFI route due to a lack of other options.

It said the committee had seen “no clear evidence to conclude whether PFI has been demonstrably better or worse value for money for housing and hospitals than other procurement options,” adding: “In many cases local authorities and NHS trusts chose the PFI route because the departments offered no realistic funding alternative. This led to the committee’s recommendation that departments should prepare and publish whole-programme evaluations.”

The NAO adds that under national accounting rules, privately financed projects will often still be off the government’s balance sheet, which it says may act as an incentive to use PFI.

The report says that lessons from the experience of using PFI schemes can be applied to other types of procurement and help government achieve major cost savings, but it warns that Whitehall must do more to act as an “intelligent customer”.

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NHS news: This posting covers yesterday’s news. I’ll do a further NHS news review for today.

Three Labour MPs – Grahame Morris, Diane Abbott and Michael Meacher – object to the bill to destroy the NHS, Conservative pro-‘reforms’ Dr. Jonathan Munday warns “I am now getting seriously worried that the political pressure on Lansley is such that the government may abort GP commissioning entirely…” and cuts.

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.

Nothing more than a hollow political stunt / Features / Home – Morning Star

Radical plans to shake up the NHS have been put on hold for what has been spun as a natural break and an opportunity to “pause, listen, reflect and improve” the Health and Social Care Bill.

This cynical step by the coalition’s leaders is a strategy destined to fail.

The prospect of Andrew Lansley’s flagship policy receiving royal assent must now be constrained by the fact that minor tweaks will not change the thrust and direction of travel charted by the Bill.

Lansley’s plans are not simply another reorganisation but a root-and-branch upheaval, which over time will lay the foundations for private health care to compete against in-house NHS provision throughout the entire health service.

Much has been made of the need to make new GP-led commissioning consortiums more inclusive and accountable.

As the Bill currently stands, primary care trusts will be replaced by statutory private bodies with GPs acting as figureheads.

These bodies will be able to conduct their affairs behind closed doors.

Freedom of information requests will not apply to them and there will be no legislative safeguards against conflicts of interests between commissioning and providing NHS services.

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Grahame Morris is Labour MP for Easington and a member of the health select committee.

Cost of change ‘out of control’ / Britain / Home – Morning Star

An influential group of MPs fuelled the row over the coalition’s NHS shake-up today by warning that ministers have “no control” over many of the costs.

Pushing through the changes at the same time as seeking £20 billion in “efficiency savings” by 2014/15 could also put patient care at risk, the Commons public accounts committee warned.

It raised the concerns in a report into the unpopular changes, which are opposed by unions and the public and threaten to drive a wedge between the coalition partners.

One of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s closest advisers, Norman Lamb, has hinted he could quit unless implementation of the package – which would put GPs in charge of commissioning services – is slowed down.

Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge said: “Whilst the reforms could complement the imperative of achieving £20bn efficiency gains, the reorganisation might also distract those responsible for making the savings while safeguarding standards of patient care.

“Furthermore, if the Department of Health estimate of the one-off costs associated with reorganisation turns out to have been too low, it will make the challenge of achieving savings for reinvestment even tougher.”
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Lansley accused on NHS reforms ‘pause’: ePolitix.com

The health secretary has faced criticisms from Labour MPs over his pledge to “pause and listen” to concerns over planned reforms the NHS, ahead of next week’s local elections.

Shadow health minister Diane Abbott asked how the public are expected to take the discussions and the listening exercise on the Health and Social Care Bill “seriously”.

Speaking during departmental questions in the Commons, Andrew Lansley said the government is united in its commitment to strengthen the NHS.

Abbott told MPs the pause was merely “a device” to get the coalition through the May elections, with the health secretary determined to “get away with as little substantive change” as possible.
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Oldham News | News Headlines | Meacher blasts NHS changes – Chronicle Online

Oldham West and Royton MP Michael Meacher has written to health secretary Andrew Lansley to oppose what he describes as lunatic changes to the NHS which he believes are unconstitutional.

He said that abolishing local Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) — which run community health services — will have “significant detrimental consequences on patient care”.

And he believes that it puts the whole provision of health care at risk.

The change is part of the move giving GPs rather than PCTs the power to commission community health services.

As part of the transition, a temporary Greater Manchester PCT serving around three million people will be in place by June.

In his letter, Mr Meacher writes: “These arrangements have been made with no consultation at any level and, for the first time in NHS history, there will be no decision-making at local level.
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Protest to save NHS is gathering momentum|30Apr11|Socialist Worker

NHS campaigners across London are in a buoyant mood as they prepare for a major demonstration in May against the government’s health service “reforms”.

Prime minister David Cameron and his health secretary Andrew Lansley are still reeling from a stream of attacks on their health bill.

And last week around 40 activists met to plan the next phase of their assault.

“It was a brilliant meeting. Full of life and lots of people committed to making the protest a success,” said Jordan, an occupational therapist and Unison union rep at Hackney’s Homerton hospital.

“Trade unionists from my part of east London agreed to distribute 10,000 postcards for the demo that my union branch is sponsoring. By this weekend we’d already given out 2,000 of them.
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Step back from NHS, Tory boy|30Apr11|Socialist Worker

A doctor who runs a sparsely-supported campaign in support of the government’s health “reforms” has been revealed as a leading Tory—and the head of a body that expects to profit from the changes.

Dr Jonathan Munday, the former Conservative mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, is leading an operation to rescue Andrew Lansley’s health bill.

He also runs a GP commissioning consortia, Victoria, found in the new NHS “cluster” of north west London.

In a leaked email, he told the heads of GP consortia that the political climate against reforms is “getting worse by the day”.

“I am now getting seriously worried that the political pressure on Lansley is such that the government may abort GP commissioning entirely or, almost worse, may so water it down and constrain it so that GP consortia will have the worst of all worlds—a lot of effort, political responsibility for any cuts but no ability to wrest initiatives or make needed reforms,” he moaned.
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Southport Hospital axes first of three wards – Skelmersdale Advertiser

A MERSEYSIDE hospital will close a 28-bed ward as part of a £30m cuts plan.

Ward 7b, at Southport and Formby District General Hospital, will shut before the end of May.

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust said the move would save £1m, with health bosses insisting that patient care would not be compromised.

The trust must save £8.5m this year and £30m over a four-year period. It has already announced plans to cut 125 jobs.
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Massive NHS cuts will help save £77million (From Basildon Recorder)

NHS services will face huge cuts as health chiefs admit they have to save an unprecedented £77.6 million over the coming financial year.

Measures are being drawn up to scale back yet more services and change the way patients are treated – effectively meaning fewer people will be referred to hospital.

Millions will be sliced off budgets for elderly care, end of life services, hospital referrals and medication, raising fears healthcare in south Essex will be cut to the bone.

The health trust which serves Basildon and Thurrock, has now merged with its counterpart in Southend and Castle Point to make savings.

Together they saved £52million in order to end the 2010/11 financial year in the black – but this was as a result of a swathe of cuts to services being made. Now more are looming.

Despite having a combined budget of £1.2billion for the coming financial year, health bosses say their costs are rising at an alarming rate.

They must save a total of £117million over the next four years, with £77.6million having to be saved in this financial year –- 2011/2012.
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There’s been very little NHS news over the bank holiday weekend. Today’s NHS news is about cuts, the denial of services and drugs and an article by the Morning Star about how the listening exercise is a sham.

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.



Patients still paying for free cancer drugs – Health and beauty – Lifestyle – getreading – Reading Post

Health bosses in Berkshire have said it is “very disappointing” to hear many cancer patients in the area are paying for much needed medication which they could get for free.

Figures released from a National Cancer Patient Experience Survey show around 37 per cent of people surveyed who are receiving treatment for cancer with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust have not been told they are eligible for free prescriptions.

Since April 2009, cancer patients have been eligible for exemption certificates for medication relating to their illness, its treatment and the effects of the treatment.

However, according to the survey, conducted by the Department of Health last year, many cancer patients are still not aware of the free cancer treatment available to them, and are said to be cutting back on essential items such as food or heating to cover the cost.

But the boy’s father, Max, has now learned the request has been unsuccessful and has vowed to lodge an appeal. Without the drug, he says his son will suffer permanent mental and physical disabilities.

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Effort to cut £150m from health budgets – East Hampshire – The News

NHS trusts across the area are looking to save a staggering £150m-plus this year, The News can reveal.

The trust which runs Portsmouth hospitals has already this week announced plans to axe up to 99 jobs in a bid to save £30.5m. But now NHS Hampshire – which funds healthcare across the county – has declared it needs to shave £105m off its budget.

NHS Portsmouth – which pays for city healthcare – has to save £15.2m, while the area’s ambulance service needs to save £6m.

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The reason for the massive savings is down to reduced government spending. Also the health service as a whole was last year told it needed to make efficiency savings of £20bn by 2014.

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Don’t swallow Lansley’s pre-election pause / Features / Home – Morning Star

Don’t believe the headlines about a pause or a so-called “listening exercise.” Cameron and Lansley are forging ahead with their plans to break up the NHS into a competitive market, and to slice off a growing share of the NHS budget for private providers.

The pause in the process is designed to give Lib Dems long enough to see their party massacred in the local elections and scare them into agreeing to support Lansley’s Health Bill for fear that they trigger the collapse of the coalition.

To front up the so-called “listening” exercise, an NHS Future Forum has been set up. It is stuffed with high-profile supporters of Lansley’s plans. All five of the GPs on the panel are among the minority of GPs who signed up for Lansley’s suggested commissioning consortiums. The whole forum is under the chairmanship of Professor Steve Field, who controversially supported Lansley’s white paper back in July and has since been replaced as president of the Royal College of GPs by Dr Clare Gerada, who has criticised much of the Lansley plan.

The forum on “choice and competition” will be led by Sir Stephen Bubb, a one-time Labour councillor and now at the head the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations.

Bubb is a vigorous advocate of competition and greater private-sector involvement in delivering healthcare. He led a challenge to Labour’s attempts to designate the NHS as preferred provider of community health services.

Other doctors, trust bosses, primary care trust and strategic health authority bosses and senior council officers among the 40 hand-picked appointees on the forum are likely to be influenced by their career aspirations. They are unlikely to listen to any articulate critics of the Lansley plan.

The whole process has been set up to waste a month, to give the impression of responding to public opinion – and then to press through the key elements of the plan with little if any actual change.

There is no indication that the principal objections raised at the Lib Dem conference a few weeks ago have been taken on board by the Tories, not least because the suggestion that the private sector can somehow be prevented from “cherry-picking” the most profitable services from the NHS is pure fantasy.
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Woman to pay thousands for brain tumour op which NHS wouldn’t fund

A WOMAN will this week spend £16,500 undergoing surgery on three brain tumours which the NHS refused to fund.

Lynn Payne, 62, of Radcliffe-on-Trent, was diagnosed with the tumours in February after she lost feeling to her right leg.

Following the diagnosis she applied for funding to have the tumours treated with radioactive gamma rays.

But the East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group turned down her request as did her primary care trust, NHS Notts County, forcing her to pay £16,500 to have the surgery done privately.
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