BMA leaders face hostility over NHS reforms

29 Jun 06
The Department of Health will hold a summit next week with the leaders of frontline NHS staff in an attempt to win back clinicians' support for its reform programme.

30 June 2006

The Department of Health will hold a summit next week with the leaders of frontline NHS staff in an attempt to win back clinicians' support for its reform programme.

The summit, 'Clinical leadership: improving care for patients', will be a prelude to a larger conference later in the year.

In recent months, an increasingly tense relationship between the health unions and ministers has broken out into open hostility, following a wave of redundancies.

Doctors and nurses have criticised the flagging, multibillion pound health service IT system as well as the creation of a new market in health care.

But at the British Medical Association's annual conference in Belfast this week, its chair Jim Johnson insisted ministers had responded to staff concerns.

The BMA's leadership was under pressure from members who feel it has aligned itself too closely with the government. The conference backed a motion accusing leaders of letting down patients, the profession and the country. However, it stopped short of passing a proposal to affiliate the Association with Keep the NHS Public, the anti-private sector pressure group.

Johnson rounded on his critics, saying the profession had to work with the government to gain influence. But he also urged ministers to work with clinicians. 'We are not the enemy. We are committed to our patients and to the NHS. Give us the chance and we will help you deliver the best health service in the world.'

He saved his greatest ire for the new NHS market, criticising the 'breakneck' speed of change, poor commissioning by primary care trusts and the 'inflexible, insensitive' payment by results system.

PFjun2006

Did you enjoy this article?

AddToAny

Top