Prominent GP warns Lansley to abandon Bill
Tuesday 14 February 2012
by Will Stone, Health & Social Affairs Reporter
Unpopular NHS reforms suffered another vote of no confidence today after the former vice-chairman of a local commissioning group urged Andrew Lansley to scrap them.
Dr Peter Bailey, who is also a former local medical committee chairman, has told the Health Secretary he should "get rid of the Bill" in an article published on bmj.com.
The Cambridgeshire GP warned that family doctors were "being set up" by the Health and Social Care Bill as they are asked to take over jobs previously done at primary care trusts (PCTs) without sufficient skills or time to do so, while simultaneously trying to save £20 billion.
He spoke of the surprise at the Bill's proposal to abolish PCTs in light of the successes that have been achieved in the existing structure.
Dr Bailey told the Morning Star: "GPs are trained very differently to how NHS managers are and that's one of the Bill's biggest mistakes.
"But PCTs are far more cost-effective than they were, so it's not too late."
But he said his suggestions that the reforms were unworkable fell upon "deaf or reluctant ears" when he met Mr Lansley, Prime Minister David Cameron and NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson.
He added: "Let us put down the sledgehammer. Get rid of the Bill. And bring in a structural engineer to stabilise our finest institution."
Dr Bailey is the latest in a lengthy list of growing opposition against the reforms including nurses, unions, medical groups, economists, Liberal Democrats and even senior Tories themselves.
But both the PM and Mr Lansley have defiantly defended the Bill, arguing that it cuts bureaucracy, despite experts warning that it is more likely to create more.
