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Dear Supporter,
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2019.
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The Government's NHS Long Term Plan is Just More of the Same
Recently certain sections of the media have been reporting that the privatisation of the NHS could be coming to an end. These reports base their claims on the fact the NHS Long Term Plan makes explicit reference to repealing the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act currently requiring services to be put out to competitive tender. The recent increase in funding for front-line care – announced by the Prime Minister as a “present” for the NHS’ 70th birthday - has also bolstered the false, image, of a potential Tory U-turn when it comes to the privatisation project. However, we should not be deceived by either of these things writes National Health Action Party Press Officer, Kane Shaw, in the latest edition of Red Pepper.
In the article, entitled ‘Theresa May’s “NHS Long Term Plan” spells more cuts and privatisation’, we make the argument that the increase in funding for front-line care has not been matched in other vital areas such as capital spending, recruitment, adult social care and the public health grant. And that moreover, the 3.4% fails to meet the basic needs of the health service overall, as has been agreed by all independent commentators. From here we also make the case that the NHS Long Term Plan is pursing an aggressive and impossible deficit reduction programme which will lead to the closures of services. The article also makes the case that the “plan” is yet another cynical attempt by NHS England and the government to rebrand Accountable Care Organisations. You can read the entire article here.
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The Disintegration and Privatisation of Cancer Care
Churchill Hospital in Oxford, recently found itself thrust into the media spotlight, after it failed to win a contract to continue delivering its world leading treatment for cancer. The hospital uses PET-CT scanners to both detect cancers, and to also assess whether treatments are working. But as a result of the Health and Social Care Act, the service recently had to be put out to tender and was awarded to private company InHealth.
Medical professionals have condemned the decision. There is a real risk that the diagnostic services offered by InHealth will be of lower quality than what is currently on offer. The privatisation also means that incredibly sick patients will be required to make longer journeys for treatment, and that cancer research at the hospital will also suffer.
Dr Helen Salisbury, GP, National Health Action Party Spokesperson and Oxford resident has recently wrote an article for the British Medical Journal and featured on the NHA website making the case for the decision to be reversed. You can read that article here.
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We make the case for the expansion of GP at Hand to Birmingham to be scrapped
The National Health Action Party believes that GP at Hand should be scrapped and we’re not alone. GPs have voted overwhelmingly for the current out-of-area provisions in the GP contract to be reformed in order to put an end to GP at Hand’s business model. The app represents a danger to patient safety and through its cherry picking of patients is undermining the financial stability of general practice.
Consequently, both the NHA and the wider healthcare community were shocked to recently hear that NHS England have granted permission for the app to expand its services to Birmingham. Especially as the announcement was made whilst an investigation into the effects the app is having on the finances of general practice – currently being undertaken by the Care Quality Commission – is still pending, and whilst an investigation by Ipsos Mori – and commissioned by NHS England - is also pending.
The fact that NHS England have given the greenlight for the expansion not only flies in the fact of evidence-based policy making, it also goes against the wishes of Birmingham based CCGs who originally requested that the app’s rollout be blocked. You can read more about the decision and our call for the decision to be reversed here.
If you’re not familiar with the saga of GP at Hand and why it needs to be scrapped then we recommend that you read our previous article on the history of the app, which you can find here.
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The scrapping the four-hour A&E target is an attack on patient safety
A&E performance is now at an all-time historic low. Last month only 77.1% of patients admitted to A&E were treated within four-hours of admission. That is the worst performance on record since the target was brought in by New Labour in 2004 and is part of a trend where the target has not been met since 2015.
As a result of this decline the government and NHS England – against the advice of numerous medical colleges – have decided to scrap the target. The official reason for the scrapping of the target being that it distracts from the delivery of care as NHS Trust supposedly seek to game the system. In short, the excuse is a total nonsense.
The National Health Action Party has not only made the case – and will continue to make the case – that the target should be retained, but also that the decline in A&E performance is a direct result of increased demand and the NHS’ having been subjected to the longest spending squeeze in its 70-year history. You can read our article on the matter here.
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Brexit: what now?
Brexit has been dominating the headlines - and with good reason. It seems that not a day goes by where there isn't some twist, turn and fresh incompetence by the government. It's been hard for most of us to keep track, but that doesn't mean we haven't been trying!
Dr Louise Irvine, our Party Secretary has been monitoring the situation closely and giving her thoughts on what needs to be done and ultimately, why Brexit needs to be stopped. You can read those articles here and here. Although be warned, things are changing so fast there's a real risk they'll be out of date by the time you read them.
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Thank you for your support
With best wishes as always,
Dr Alex Ashman, on behalf of the NHA Team.
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