NHS: government plans will still damage NHS

I wrote to the local press recently about my concerns regarding the NHS - see here and I also wrote to our MP here. Well I've now had a reply yesterday from Neil Carmichael - and I hugely welcome the significant changes made to the original plans by the Coalition - but I still have very significant concerns.

Yes it sounds like the role of the NHS regulator, "Monitor", will now have an overall focus on promoting the interests of patients not price competition as originally proposed - although the devil will be in the detail and even Lib Dems have warned that this may not be as it seems (see here). The problems of cherry-picking by private providers look set to remain. While yesterday at the BMA's annual conference doctors have rejected the Coalitions changes saying they will not protect the NHS. They have called for 'further big changes'.

It does seem, as Labour have claimed, that the government has a long term plan to break up the NHS and established a "full-scale market" - although it is a little strong coming from Labour who pushed the privatisation agenda in the NHS while they were in power.