NHS Reorganisation

I often comment that when I became an MP I did not get two items that would have made life so much easier—tarot cards and a crystal ball. In considering the coalition Government's health policy, they would be essential tools for the job, because before the general election, the statements of the Leader of the Opposition—now the Prime Minister—gave us the impression of a future for the NHS that was completely different from the one we are now faced with. He said:"““We are the only party committed to protecting NHS spending…I'll cut the deficit, not the NHS.””" He spoke about a period of organisational stability in the NHS. Those were broken promise No. 1 and broken promise No. 2. Instead, we are faced with a vision from the Secretary of State which could set us back 20 years. I say so not as political rhetoric, but from 30 years' direct involvement in the NHS, including 10 years as chair of a hospital. The press seems to share that pessimistic view—““extraordinary gamble,”” ““cocktail of instability,”” ““accident waiting to happen””—hardly a ringing endorsement of the Government's health policy. For me, it is a recipe for disaster: one part reduced financial resources, two parts structural reform and three parts break-neck speed—