Lansley reforms marginalised, says report

  The Health and Social Care Act’s reforms have been steadily diminished from future planning in the NHS, according to a new report. A King’s Fund study into the state of governance and strategy in the NHS in 2016/17 concludes that key aspects of the HSCA (Health and Social Care Act), such as competition and local autonomy for health providers, have been marginalised. The report, What the Planning Guidance Means for the NHS 2016/17 and Beyond, states that control of the health service is instead becoming increasingly centralised, adding that the continued squeeze on funding means the NHS faces a ‘watershed moment’. BMA council chair Mark Porter said that the diminishment of the HSCA’s emphasis on competition in healthcare was welcome.   'Pointless' However, he said that the move towards centralised control of finances over autonomy presented a new set of concerns. ‘The Lansley [pictured] reforms were a pointless distraction that never delivered practically on their avowed aim of devolving clinical decisions or policy making. ‘Their demise will not be mourned by NHS staff and patients who failed to see any benefits despite years of protracted political game playing that surrounding the HSCA. ‘It is, however, now being replaced with a system that could be even worse: an over-centralised, directive-heavy approach that is the complete opposite of the localised, quality-first agenda we have been repeatedly promised. &lsqu...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news