Published: 07 April 2006
Concern over lack of parliamentary scrutiny of health White Paper
Amicus Health is calling for a new inquiry by the House of Commons Health Select Committee into the future of primary care, as the NHS continues to be buffeted by financial crises and job cuts.
Amicus is also demanding a range of government assurances to safeguard primary care jobs and services in its response to the recent White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say.
Amicus, which has 100,000 members working in the health sector, said its principal concern is that the White Paper was an end in itself and will not be followed by a parliamentary Bill.
In a briefing to MPs, Amicus said:
“If this is the case, we question the absence of parliamentary scrutiny and debate.”
It called upon the House of Commons Health Select Committee to follow up its report last December on primary care with a new inquiry into ‘the impact of primary care trusts (PCTS) divesting themselves of primary care provision’.
Amicus fears that if PCTs lose their ability to provide services in a co-ordinated fashion locally, this will lead to increased ‘fragmentation’ of the NHS and ‘creeping privatisation’ with the adverse knock-on effects for patient care and uncertainty in relation to staff pay and pensions.
‘Service reconfiguration’ in the context of ‘solutions’ to address financial crises is in reality ‘a dumbing down’ of services, by stripping out higher paid qualified staff and introducing grade mix to balance the books rather than enhance patient/client care.
The briefing continued:
“Cuts in frontline staff are short-sighted as they will inevitably impact on the nation’s health and will hamper government targets to deliver public health improvements”.
Amicus said it was disappointed that there were no proposals to improve managerial accountability in the NHS and urged the government to address this long-standing problem.
Amicus Head of Health, Gail Cartmail said:
“Since the White Paper came out in January, the NHS has been buffeted by financial crises, managerial panic and job cuts that have completely undermined the White Paper’s ethos and principles.
Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt needs to steady the ship immediately and get the government’s avowed good intentions towards the NHS - as outlined in the White Paper - back on course”.
Further information
CPHVA website
White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say
Amicus response to White Paper
Committee report - Changes to Primary Care Trusts (3.8Mb)
Government response
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