The former MP, who led the Lid Dem rebellion which forced the government to ‘pause’ its proposed health reforms, believes “there are new threats to the NHS emerging as the Conservatives appear to try to bring in competition and privatisation through another route.” Speaking to the Guardian, Harris expressed concerns regarding competition, commissioning of private firms, and the level of responsibility for the NHS held by the health secretary.
The Shadow Health secretary said the government had “learned little” from the listening exercise. He said the changes to the Bill had been a "political fix" designed to “buy off” the wider opposition to the planned NHS reform. He warned that the government is “railroading” the Bill through parliament, only allowing 10 scrutiny sessions “which means there will be around seven minutes fro each amendment for scrutiny”. He added that the cost of reorganisation is likely to rise as a result of the proposed changes.
Liberal Democrat Peer Williams believes that the proposed amendments to the Bill mean that the NHS “will now survive as the framework for our healthcare” and that Liberal Democrats “can be proud of the influence we have exerted to change the Government’s plans”. She believes that the Prime Minister can now say “with confidence that the NHS is safe in the Coalition’s hands”.
Health expert Lilley says the amended Bill will take the NHS back 30 years. He says, “NHS finances are in a dreadful state, waiting times will creep up. There is no proper strategic management, good people are long-gone and the ones that are left are struggling. There is no chance the Service will save an honest £4bn this year. It will take five years for the mess to be cleared up and the new structures embedded and working.” Lilley concludes, “This whole misadventure has left the NHS like a porcelain plate, dropped and guiltily glued back together. The cracks will forever bear witness to the clumsy, ham-fisted, idiocy that thought spinning it was a good idea. Crack pot.”
The reworked health bill remains largely irrelevant to the biggest challenges facing the NHS and will be seen as a historical “footnote”, says Commons health committee chair Stephen Dorrell. The Conservative MP Dorrell said “I don’t think that the NHS bill either in its original form or its current form makes much difference. What is needed is a way to find the political and managerial will to radically change the way service is delivered. We need more integrated services, challenging inadequate clinical practice, intervening earlier in order to deliver care that isn’t picking up the pieces in an accident and emergency service and takes more seriously the obligation to improve health and lifestyle.”
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