Defend our NHS

Labour councillors with MP Mike Gapes and Oona King outside KGH

The Coalition Government’s plans to reorganise the NHS is about to move centre stage in the political debate as the Labour Party launches a new campaign to ‘defend our NHS’. Here in Redbridge, the future of vital services at King George Hospital serves as a microcosm of what the Government’s plans will mean and a warning about how the ConDems’ approach to health threatens accountability to patients.

The sword of Damacles has been hanging over the A&E department and maternity unit at King George Hospital for some time. Following a strong fightback locally, led by my fellow Chadwell ward councillor Andy Walker and backed by Ilford’s Labour and Tory MPs, the future of KGH was offered a lifeline by an independent review ordered by Labour’ s then Health Secretary Andy Burnham, prior to the General Election. Before the election, the Tories’ Health spokesman, Andrew Lansley, went as far to promise that there would be no “forced closures” of A&E departments by government.

It has since transpired that Lansley’s guarantee of no “forced closures” is a false promise raising false hopes. When asked for their views in an official consultation on the future of services at KGH. 65% of respondents from Redbridge said they were opposed to the closures, but the Government and Health for North East London have yet to confirm whether the controversial plans will be shelved.

Labour MP Mike Gapes has raised the future of services at King George Hospital with Lansley on the floor of the House of Commons. Lansley’s reply is telling of this Government’s approach to decision making within the NHS. Referring to his plans to reorganise the NHS, Lansley said:

“… GPs, the local authority, local people and patients-could have an opportunity themselves to decide how services might best be designed for local people. That is the pledge that I have made. Those criteria will enable that process to be led locally, rather than imposed and forced on people.”

The reality is far from improving patient power. Although the system of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) is not perfect, under present arrangements Redbridge residents, councillors and Members of Parliament have at least known where decisions are made and how best to apply pressure to that process. Under the ConDem plans, PCTs would be abolished and the power to commission services would pass to GPs: shifting power from patients to providers at huge cost and bureaucratic upheaval that will turn GPs into managers focussed on paper work instead of patient care.

David Furness, author of the Social Market Foundation’s major report on the NHS has described the plans as “at best a waste of time, at worst a waste of money”. His comment is worth quoting in full:

“Giving control of NHS funds to GPs is like asking your waiter to manage a restaurant. They might know what you want to eat but they won’t necessarily be any good at ordering stock, designing a menu or controlling the chef. Commissioning healthcare is very difficult and needs a specialised organisation to do it. And the evidence suggests that small commissioners find it difficult to take on powerful providers and reform services. GP commissioning risks handing real control of the NHS to vested interests on the provider side as GPs simply won’t have the muscle to drive through change.”

You can bet that in the coming weeks and months, Lansley distance himself as much as possible from the threat to King George Hospital, blaming the Strategic Health Authority, PCT and any other arm of the NHS machinery from decisions opposed by the overwhelming majority of residents. This is just a symptom of the ConDem vision for the future of the NHS.

Locally, the Labour Party will fight alongside the Tories and the Lib Dems for the future of King George Hospital, but nationally we must fight to stop the Tories and the Lib Dems dismantling the NHS and consigning the future of patient care to a devastating postcode lottery. The future of our National Health Service depends on it.

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