April 24 brought Lord Philip Hunt’s motion against the Health and Social Care Act Secondary Legislation Section 75 - a rarely achieved format in the Lords, only allowed in exceptional circumstances.
April 24 brought Lord Philip Hunt’s Pray Debate fatal motion against the Health and Social Care Act Secondary Legislation Section 75 – a rarely achieved format in the Lords, only allowed in exceptional circumstances.
Lords on all sides had been inundated with letters and emails of concern – not just, as Shirley Williams said in what must count as one of the most disingenuous speeches this parliament, due to “a blizzard” of distortion “extensively spread via social networks”, but because more and more of the general public had gained an understanding of basic procurement law.
If the law says that a Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) may allocate a clinical service to a sole provider as long as none other are capable of running the service, then it stands to reason that the CCG will be more concerned with how to prove that when challenged than just going for the simple route of selecting their own long term preferred provider.
Far from the 40 staff of Monitor being equipped to block a legal avalanche, or Regulations 2 and 3 overriding errant 5, this is a lawyers-cum-privatisation charter which can only be stopped by CCGs undertaking the very tendering the coaltion are pretending they are preventing – whilst of course setting them up to do exactly that.
The Lib Dems decided that they would once again portray themselves as saviours of the faulty elements of the legislation – although some stared ahead in a rather fixed manner whilst Lord Clement-Jones and Shirley Williams spoke of the wondrous things they had done and of the terrible injustice in criticising their efforts.
Perhaps they had been hypnotised. Earl Freddie Howe turned his head from his front bench to fix his gaze upon Baroness Williams as she spoke – in part needy, in part threatening. Hopefully he had a crick in his neck afterwards.
They continually stated that their own changes in March, meant no change since 2010 – conveniently ‘forgetting’ that the introduction of the Health & Social Care Act has changed everything. If no change – why bother with the Act or Section 75 at all? Do they think we didn’t notice? Probably.
Lord Warner (of Lewisham ) was overtly the most audacious of the night – not for him the mealy mouthed meanderings of the Lib Dems. Everything he has been saying in private, came to the fore in publicly disowning Labour’s efforts. This man is all about competition and the ‘managed market’ – he clearly stated he was “with Earl Howe” before sinking low in his seat to mutterings of disapproval. Let us hope that the party soon disowns him in return.
Although Lord Hunt presented an excellent case, the whipped Lib Dems declared solidarity with Earl Howe, which sadly meant he really knew that it was lost before he started. The Tories had dragged out all of Thatcher’s old contemptibles and from the conspiratorial looks being shot across the chamber, it was evident that Shirley Williams had worked her ‘magic’ on a couple of key cross benchers – where there were also notable abstentions.
The most moving speech of the night came from Lord Owen – who spoke strong and true and visibly elicited more than a solitary tear when he mourned
‘tonight I feel one feeling only: overwhelming sadness’.
The debate in full: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/130424-0003.htm.
64 Responses to “The ultimate betrayal – Shirley Williams and the Lib Dems hit the NHS where it hurts”
LB
Not the case. The level of under reporting is massive.
Compare the researched figures with the number of deaths actually reported.
Less than 10% get reported.
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you advocating the idea that nurses who finish their shift about to leave see a patient who is dehydrated then should get them water?
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Far from it. I’m referring to cases like these two.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9370376/Man-22-who-died-from-dehydration-in-hospital-rang-police-for-a-drink-of-water.html
A 22 year old who died from dehydration whilst in hospital was so desperate for a drink of water he phoned the police from his bed for help, an inquest has been told.
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Kane Gorny’s mum Rita Cronin told an inquest into her son’s death that when the police turned up at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, they were turned away by doctors and she was repeatedly ignored by staff when she begged for help for her son.
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/8411662.SIDCUP__Widow_says_nurse_denied_her_dying_husband_dignity_and_compassion/
A WIDOW has said she may be able to forgive the nurse who made her husband’s last hours a misery, but she cannot understand why.
Derek Sauter, 60, was refused water, had his mobile phone seized and was left with dangerously low oxygen levels by Caroline Lowe, the sister in charge of his care at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup.
He died a day after being admitted to hospital on June 27 2008, a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)hearing was told last week.
His widow, midwife Sue Sauter, 61, said Lowe, 53, had been described at a previous hospital hearing as “blase, showing no remorse, giving no defence of her actions and showing no empathy with the family”.
She added: “I do not understand any professional acting as she did.”
Mrs Sauter told the NMC hearing how her husband, a Healthcare Commissionadministrator had felt confident going into hospital.
But after a series of distressing calls from her husband, she made her way to the hospital early the next morning.
When Mrs Sauter arrived, she was told her husband was already dead.
Lowe greeted her by claiming her husband had been “harassing” staff over his treatment.
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Just two of many
Bill Kruse
Nobody voted for these policies. Cameron got in a an entirely false premise. he has no mandate for any of the laws made and they should each and every one be nulled immediately he’s removed from an office he should never have held in the first place.
blarg1987
And which thing are you mentioning? Bear in mind, their are questionts to ask such as how many things were verbally reported but not noted down, and how many things were reported but were dropped by management, or dropped under threats of intimidation? Under reporting may also be due to staff lacking time to report issues.
Yes I accept the two articles above are bad, however there are as many if not more in other countries like in the USA where people have been refused health care by medical insurence industry or refused to pay out as standard procedures are classed as experimental. Add to that over here the NHS is subject to FOI while private medical companies are exempt so it is hard to gauge an accurate number.
blarg1987
You do realise that woukld mean MP’s who set policy? and Senior managers, and would affect only a handfull of staff on the ground? Which is something I would agree with.
The major problem with the NHS is us, politicians say they can make it chepaer and offer more accountability and so you have a larger paper trail (mainly affecting nursing practices since the late 80’s), One thing to mention is that the Swiss model costs more. SO the underlying problem is resources allocated to the institution.
I think the NHS shoudl be an independent body from goverment to run health for the people by the people. I would be reluctant to have th profit motive in any health care system but you can have accountability through say your local counciller who sits on the board and the legal system. The other thing I would add would be staff should be allowed to make it easier to stop bad practice.
barsacq
You’re splitting hairs. We all voted at the same time, as one nation. That’s what Burnham means. Honestly, some people!