ANDREW LANSLEY, HAS LOST TOUCH WITH REALITY

On Thursday the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) moved to oppose the Health and Social Care Bill, arguing that serious concerns have not been addressed during the parliamentary process, listening exercise or political engagement.

The health secretary, Andrew Lansley's response illustrated that he has lost touch with reality. His reaction to the RCN’s move was to say: "They want to have a go at the government … about pay and pensions. The public know we have to do this. It's a purely political operation." (sic).


The RCN, which had not previously opposed the bill as a whole, has taken this decision at this point arguing that the proposals will not deliver on the principles originally set out, and that recent announcements such as the rise in the cap on private patients being treated in NHS hospitals to almost half (49%) make the bill in its entirety a serious threat to the NHS.

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary said: “Opposing this bill is not a decision we have taken lightly – we have worked hard on behalf of all our members to influence the decisions that have been taken as the bill has gone through parliament. However, it is now clear that these ‘reforms’ are forging ahead on the ground – without the concerns of nurses and other clinicians being heeded. We have sought a range of assurances, but now feel that the reforms as they stand could have the opposite effect from that which was intended. These root and branch reforms are pressing ahead in tandem with the “Nicholson challenge”, which requires the NHS to save £20 billion in England alone by 2014.

“The RCN has been on record as saying that withdrawing the bill would create confusion and turmoil, however, on the ground, we believe that the turmoil of proceeding with these reforms is now greater than the turmoil of stopping them. The sheer scale of member concerns, which have been building over recent weeks, has led us to conclude that the consequences of the bill may be entirely different from the principles which were originally set out.

“The RCN feels that these concerns are so fundamental that we must now oppose the Health and Social Care Bill. Our Frontline First campaign has shown that cuts are being made, 48,000 in England alone at the last count, and patient care is undoubtedly being put in jeopardy. With this in mind, the RCN proposed an amendment to the bill which would guarantee safe staffing levels, but the government chose not to take this proposal forward. Without these checks and balances, and a commitment to regulate the Healthcare Assistants who are so crucial to the delivery of care, these reforms could damage the very system they were designed to improve.

“Most recently, the announcement that the cap for private income would be 49% has left nurses with real fears that the needs of the market could come ahead of the needs of patients. While we are not opposed to the principle of competition in the NHS, recent developments have shown that the balance between competition and quality has become skewed.”

The RCN has set out a number of areas of concern since July 2010. It believes that concerns remain across all these areas which have led to the change in the RCN position.

• Competition, as opposed to competition and collaboration
• Nurse involvement
• Health inequalities
• National pay, terms and conditions
• Staffing levels
• Private income cap
• Public health
• Workforce planning
• Any qualified provider

Dr Peter Carter added: “While we will continue to raise the concerns of our members around all aspects of this bill, our overall view is that the bill as a whole risks damaging the NHS which our members work hard to build and to support. In combination with the financial pressures all Trusts are facing, and with the rising public health challenge of the coming years, we fear the NHS is now facing a very bleak future.”