Tweet
Re: Debt with Disability News Articles
The Health and Social Care Act comes into force on 1 April with serious consequences for the poor.
[U][I][B]Source:[/B][/I][/U] [B][URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/30/health-act-means-death-of-nhs"]Health act means the death of the NHS as we know it [/URL]
[/B] I am a GP in Tower Hamlets, east London. Our centre is a stone's throw from the Olympic Park in Stratford. After the greatest show on earth left town, life here quickly returned to normal – Tower Hamlets is one of the most deprived boroughs in the country. Just before the Olympics, an eight-year-old boy came to see me. He was taking part in the opening ceremony and had developed a pain in his foot brought on by intense rehearsals. As I sat down to watch the ceremony, I kept an eye out for my young patient. Like thousands of [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/nhs"]NHS[/URL] staff, I felt very proud that Danny Boyle's extravaganza celebrated the NHS as a singular achievement in universal, free healthcare. The [URL="http://www.bbbc.org.uk/"]Bromley by Bow Centre[/URL], where I work, is [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/06/in-praise-of-bromley-by-bow-centre"]renowned as a model of holistic healthcare[/URL] and is funded by the NHS and the voluntary and private sectors. You could even argue that it is a microcosm of what David Cameron's Big Society might look like. Andrew Lansley gave his first speech as health secretary here. The Downing Street rose garden press conference and honeymoon period of the coalition now seem a long time ago. The 2010 Conservative manifesto promised to stop "the top-down reconfigurations of NHS services, imposed from Whitehall" but, only weeks into government, the mother of all reconfigurations was unveiled.
[B][URL="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/health-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/13-03-15-implementation-of-the-health-and-social-care-act-2012/"]The act comes into effect on Monday[/URL].[/B] Very few people understand its implications but it will affect each of us arguably more than any other legislation passed in our lifetimes. It is the final stage in the systematic dismantling of the NHS – a process that began about 25 years ago – carried out by stealth. The government's case for change largely rests on the premise of the NHS no longer being affordable, particularly in the current climate, and that it needs to be modernised. While there is evidently room for improvement, research overwhelmingly shows that the NHS performs well compared to other healthcare systems internationally, is cost-effective and rated highly by patients. The [B][URL="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/7/contents"]Health and Social Care Act 2012[/URL][/B] is virtually impenetrable but the main thrust of it is: primary care trusts and strategic health authorities will be disbanded. In their place, clinical commissioning groups – also known as GP consortia – will control about £60bn of the NHS budget and commission local services. Commissioning will take place through competitive tendering. NHS contracts will be opened to the voluntary and private sectors. Already, £250m of NHS services have been forced open, with 105 private firms granted contracts. This year, a further £750m of services will be tendered. The NHS annual budget is more than £100bn – there are huge profits to be made for private healthcare companies.
The Health and Social Care Act comes into force on 1 April with serious consequences for the poor.
[U][I][B]Source:[/B][/I][/U] [B][URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/30/health-act-means-death-of-nhs"]Health act means the death of the NHS as we know it [/URL]
[/B] I am a GP in Tower Hamlets, east London. Our centre is a stone's throw from the Olympic Park in Stratford. After the greatest show on earth left town, life here quickly returned to normal – Tower Hamlets is one of the most deprived boroughs in the country. Just before the Olympics, an eight-year-old boy came to see me. He was taking part in the opening ceremony and had developed a pain in his foot brought on by intense rehearsals. As I sat down to watch the ceremony, I kept an eye out for my young patient. Like thousands of [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/nhs"]NHS[/URL] staff, I felt very proud that Danny Boyle's extravaganza celebrated the NHS as a singular achievement in universal, free healthcare. The [URL="http://www.bbbc.org.uk/"]Bromley by Bow Centre[/URL], where I work, is [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/06/in-praise-of-bromley-by-bow-centre"]renowned as a model of holistic healthcare[/URL] and is funded by the NHS and the voluntary and private sectors. You could even argue that it is a microcosm of what David Cameron's Big Society might look like. Andrew Lansley gave his first speech as health secretary here. The Downing Street rose garden press conference and honeymoon period of the coalition now seem a long time ago. The 2010 Conservative manifesto promised to stop "the top-down reconfigurations of NHS services, imposed from Whitehall" but, only weeks into government, the mother of all reconfigurations was unveiled.
[B][URL="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/health-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/13-03-15-implementation-of-the-health-and-social-care-act-2012/"]The act comes into effect on Monday[/URL].[/B] Very few people understand its implications but it will affect each of us arguably more than any other legislation passed in our lifetimes. It is the final stage in the systematic dismantling of the NHS – a process that began about 25 years ago – carried out by stealth. The government's case for change largely rests on the premise of the NHS no longer being affordable, particularly in the current climate, and that it needs to be modernised. While there is evidently room for improvement, research overwhelmingly shows that the NHS performs well compared to other healthcare systems internationally, is cost-effective and rated highly by patients. The [B][URL="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/7/contents"]Health and Social Care Act 2012[/URL][/B] is virtually impenetrable but the main thrust of it is: primary care trusts and strategic health authorities will be disbanded. In their place, clinical commissioning groups – also known as GP consortia – will control about £60bn of the NHS budget and commission local services. Commissioning will take place through competitive tendering. NHS contracts will be opened to the voluntary and private sectors. Already, £250m of NHS services have been forced open, with 105 private firms granted contracts. This year, a further £750m of services will be tendered. The NHS annual budget is more than £100bn – there are huge profits to be made for private healthcare companies.
Comment