NHS papers expose risks of health reforms

[oldironside]

The government's health reforms run a high risk of reducing levels of safety and patient care while leading to overspending, internal NHS reports have warned.

The potential for conflict between NHS organisations in the new system and upheaval during the transition is high, according to risk assessments drawn up by the four English NHS regions. There is also a high chance the reforms will fail to achieve hoped-for management improvements and budget cuts, they say.

Some of the anticipated problems are rated at the highest risk category, "significant", and many others are considered "high risk", even after mitigation measures designed to tackle the issues raised, and despite all actions taken after previous risk reports last autumn.

The warnings – dated January and not due to be updated for three months – will be in place when the controversial health and social care bill becomes law, provided the government succeeds in getting it passed before Easter.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/feb/14/nhs-health-social-care-bill#start-of-comments

I knew this. You knew this. Sometimes I wonder why they just can't see it. Even if they are trying to line their own pockets, surely they are smart enough to know this is going to backfire on them. Brits like the NHS and any attempt to introduce any Americanisation is going to cause massive resentment.

[DCKit]

1. They've got to break the NHS before they can begin clamoring for its demise. nt

[LeftishBrit]

2. k&r

In the days of Thatcher, a friend gave me a T-shirt displaying the message: 'WARNING: HM GOVERNMENT CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH SERVICE'. Even truer now than then!