Responding to a report in the Guardian that the Prime Minister is considering a significant reorganisation of the NHS, to be cemented in a bill later this summer, Jon Restell, MiP Chief Executive, said:
“The NHS needs to focus on coronavirus and restarting services. It must not be distracted by a major NHS re-organisation.
“Fingers burnt by the Lansley Act have healed too quickly. These reorganisations tend to reverse progress for patients and service users, cost a fortune and see the damaging loss of managerial skills, experience and capacity. In the context of the pandemic, it could be disastrous.
“Innovation has been accelerated in response to the pandemic such as more digital access for both NHS staff and patients, and NHS bodies working more closely together. The Government should study what’s happened and also ask NHS staff what they think. In our view only essential legislative changes to support co-operation and integration should be attempted.
“Politicians should instead focus on social care reform and make it the positive legacy of the pandemic’s many tragedies.”
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MiP says regulation alone will not improve the NHS culture around raising and acting on concerns, following the findings of the Thirlwall Inquiry into the Lucy Letby case.
TUC Congress has backed a motion calling for an evidence-based and fully resourced plan for NHS management, with unions warning that cutting management capacity risks shifting essential work onto clinical teams.
The Scottish Government has announced plans to radically restructure the NHS, replacing Scotland’s 14 territorial health boards with two new ‘Strategic Health Boards’ covering the west and east of the country.
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