04 August 2006
The government faces a summer of discontent from NHS unions unhappy at its perseverance with market reforms.
Despite recent attempts by ministers to win back healthcare professionals' support for their reform programme, this week unions, including Unison, Amicus, the Royal College of Nursing and the British Medical Association, joined forces against many aspects of those reforms.
They will lobby MPs in advance of the TUC and Labour Party conferences next month and have requested an urgent meeting with Tony Blair to discuss planned NHS job cuts. A lobby of Parliament is planned for the autumn.
Much of the unions' concerns focus on the increasing influence of private healthcare providers, as well as the planned privatisation of NHS Logistics – Unison is currently balloting staff on industrial action against the sale.
The unions said: 'We do not believe that handing over the provision of services to private providers and allowing individuals and shareholders to make a profit from taxpayers is in the best interests of the NHS.'
Despite the campaign, ministers did not flinch this week from adding to private involvement in NHS services.
Five independent providers are understood to have been chosen as preferred bidders to supply more than 1.5 million diagnostic procedures, including X-rays and ultrasound scans. The contracts are worth £1bn over five years and will play a pivotal role if the NHS is to meet the 18-week waiting time target by 2008.
On August 2, health minister Lord Warner set out plans to make pathology services more efficient.
He was responding to a review on the services by Lord Carter, published on the same day. Carter said pathology had become fragmented and inefficient and recommended changes in staff roles, better IT and clearer commissioning plans.
Lord Warner promised 12 pilot projects to test the recommendations and greater private sector provision.
He added: 'We need to explore what lessons there are to be learned from the independent sector, particularly in providing routine tests.
'We need to look for substantial efficiency gains through new ways of working that can be fully implemented in 2008/09. I am looking for at least a 10% gain.'
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