NHS Reorganisation

We need to get more GPs to do that, and I think that is what the Secretary of State is trying to say. The Government plan no testing or pilots, just a big bang, using consortiums as a shield to deflect criticism from them, rather as they currently use the Liberal Democrats. The fourth aim was promoting public health. Everybody agrees that prevention is key to easing the cost burdens further down the health pathway, so if we were serious, we would be doing more about promoting public health. Simply allocating 4% of the NHS budget and giving it to cash-strapped local authorities does not seem the best and most effective way of promoting public health. We await more detail, although that might be as difficult to follow as the Department of Health's £1 billion allocation to social care. That brings me to the fifth aim of the White Paper. Following the publication yesterday of ““A Vision for Adult Social Care”” by the Department, the foreword gives us a sense of where we are heading with the Government's policy. Under the third value, responsibility, it states:"““Social care is not solely the responsibility of the state. Communities and wider civil society must be set free to run innovative local schemes and build local networks of support.””" I wonder whether that is code for ““We've got no real money to invest. Local authorities are not going to be able to meet the demand. Oh well, you'd better get on with it yourself.”” It is no use the document quoting Frederick Seebohm from 1968, as that might not reflect the world of today. As an ideal, it is great, but not every family and every individual can offer the help and support that are required. There are incredible strains on hard-working families and individuals trying to make ends meet while struggling to provide care for ill and elderly relatives—