The NHS is not safe in Tory hands‏

Before the election it now seems that both parties in the Coalition Government made pledges they had no intention of keeping. The Tories, knowing the public still remember the Thatcher days of the NHS, were at great pains to promise that the NHS would be safe in their hands. As can now been seen these promises were false.

The NHS is about to be subjected to the most fundamental reforms which will see over £80 billion being handed over to GPs to commission services; increased privatisation; and a budget which in real terms is decreasing.

There has been the scrapping of waiting time targets which is already seeing a growth in waiting times, and the call of well respected health trade unions, the British Medical Association, and the Royal College of General Practitioners are all being ignored by this Government.

Respected think tanks, such as the Kings Trust, are warning Lansley that if he pushes ahead with his reforms at the current pace there will be untold chaos and damage - the majority of GP’s don’t want to be commissioners, but PCT’s and SHA’s are being abolished. Private companies are circling around like vultures offering to provide their 'expertise'.

Budgets are under real pressure and as a consequence of Government policy health organisations are having to find millions in 'efficiency' savings. The NHS workforce is reducing, and this will have an impact on patient care. The RCN are right to highlight the important role of nursing staff, however we must not forget that healthcare is delivered by the whole health team, whether that be nursing staff, porters, domestics, or admin.

We saw what happened with infection rates rising at the height of cleaning contracts being privatised, and profit coming before quality. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/dec/26/nhs-staff-cuts-lives-nursing

The NHS is not safe in their hands, and UNISON (as the largest health workers union) must be at the forefront of the united campaigning alliances bringing together NHS staff and patients to highlight the real intentions of this Government which is to bring private business into providing healthcare. There will be only one outcome if is this is allowed to happen and that will be an NHS being delivered with fewer staff, and reduced outcomes for patients.

The NHS is consistently rated highly by the public, and with the increased funding years of funding we have seen reduced waiting times, improved quality and outcomes for patients. This is being put under threat by a Government, and if they get their way the NHS as we know it will be destroyed.

Clare Williams