NHS Reorganisation

Rehman Chishti Excerpts

Wednesday 16th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[John Healey]

Nobody can doubt our commitment to the NHS, and to both investment and reform, during our 13 years in office—often in the face of opposition from trade unions. Of course there is room for efficiencies, and there are ways to get much better value for money out of the NHS but, as the Select Committee on Health has said, the reforms will make it harder, not easier, to meet that challenge.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

Has the shadow Health Secretary seen the consultation responses to the White Paper, which show widespread support for the reforms?

[John Healey]

The hon. Gentleman needs to read some of the material for himself, rather than just reading the briefings provided by his Whips and his Front-Bench team. Some of the 52 organisations that this Government and the Health Secretary claim supported the Bill have written to me saying that far from supporting the principles of the Bill, they have “grave concerns” about the White Paper; that was said by the Patients Association. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has said:

“We have been very clear that we have grave concerns about the scope and speed of the structural changes proposed”.

Diabetes UK, Cancer Research UK, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and others do not take kindly to being misrepresented by Ministers as supporting this Bill when they have such grave concerns.