Lack of trust over the NHS

NICK Clegg succinctly summed up the Government’s difficulties on health reform when he reportedly told David Cameron after the local elections that “the words NHS, privatisation and Conservative should never appear in the same sentence”. For, while most people accept that health providers need to adapt to take account of the financial ramifications of an ageing society, they still do not trust the Tories, or the party’s motives.

They have clearly not forgiven Mr Cameron’s party for its past dalliances with private investment. Equally, voters are bemused at the scale of the proposed changes when the Tory leader promised no top-down reorganisations prior to last year’s general election.

It is this issue of “trust” that the PM is going to have to reconcile if his proposals to pass unprecedented financial powers to GP surgeries is to become enacted. While the Prime Minister’s appreciation of the NHS is sincere, and stems from the devoted care that was afforded to his severely disabled son Ivan, there is still a lack of realism on Mr Cameron’s part that undermines his arguments.

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In a politically expedient speech that largely failed to confront the specific faults with the proposed reforms, the PM again said that NHS spending will increase in real terms, and above the rate of inflation, for the duration of this Parliament.

Yet, if extra funding is so essential, why are hospitals and health trusts having to make such serious cuts that are already leading to longer waiting times and so forth? And what are the consequences for the Government’s wider spending cuts, given that VAT remains stubbornly above Treasury forecasts, and will continue to do so for many months yet?

It is a failure to properly explain these discrepancies that is hindering Mr Cameron as he attempts to win over his many critics.

His instincts are probably right when he says that priorities should be determined locally. The private sector does, indeed, have a lot to offer, if properly regulated. However, the Prime Minister would not expect local authorities to spend such large sums of money without democratic accountability. Why, therefore, should the NHS be treated any differently?