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    Cameron's 'Cold Shoulder' To Health Leaders

    David Cameron has been accused of shutting healthcare professionals out of talks on the coalition's controversial NHS reforms.

    It has emerged that major bodies critical of the proposals have not been invited to a Downing Street meeting to take place on Monday.

    The British Medical Association (BMA), The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) and The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have all called for the Health and Social Care bill to be scrapped, but none of those organisations will attend.

    The Bill has been so badly received that Monday's meeting is being described as an emergency summit.

    The BMA said it was "odd that major bodies representing health professionals weren't included".

    As the Health Care Bill plans to give GPs control over £80bn of NHS budgets, the RCGP said it was "surprised" not to have been invited.

    Despite having the single biggest workforce in the NHS, the RCN has also been excluded.

    Its chief executive, Dr Peter Carter, told Sky News: "We don't know why we haven't been invited but we, like others, find it extraordinary because at the end of the day, it's nurses, doctors, physios, GPs that actually keep the health service going. 

    "So whoever advised the Prime Minister that by excluding these groups would be the way forward, I would say they've given him poor advice.... Anyone who's opposed the bill seems to have been excluded and we would say that's not a very sensible way to move forward."

    Mr Cameron has called the meeting to discuss the implementation of the Health and Social Care Bill, which has yet to reach the statute book.

    Downing Street would not disclose who had been invited to attend the meeting, saying only that it was a "range of national healthcare organisations and clinical commissioning groups".

    A spokeswoman said it was being held "to discuss implementation of the health reforms with representatives from a range of national healthcare organisations and clinical commissioning groups.

    "This forms part of the Government's on-going dialogue with health practitioners about the implementation of these reforms."

    Mr Cameron reaffirmed his support for the reforms last weekend after reports that three Tory Cabinet ministers were against the Bill and influential website Conservative Home urged him to drop it.

    The Prime Minister insisted he was "at one" with his beleaguered Health Secretary Andrew Lansley .

    More than 142,000 people, including footballer Rio Ferdinand and TV star and author Stephen Fry, have signed an e-petition calling for the Bill to be dropped.

     
    • Bennythemouth  •  3 months ago
      Its simple. Private healthcare companies donate cash to the Tory Party, they are now getting their reward: the privatisation of the NHS.
    • Sean  •  3 months ago
      How unsurprising. Cameron has no intention of being diverted from his two pointed attack on the NHS and the welfare state. This is all part of the Tory strategy of making the ordinary people of this country pay for the actions of his mates, the bankers, whose actions created this great depression.
    • Jerry  •  3 months ago
      What do you expect from the Tories. The exist for one reason-to exploit the workers.
    • sheila  •  London, England  •  3 months ago
      vote this bum out at the first chance
    • TUSC  •  3 months ago
      People of the UK need to get back to there roots and unite together, and fight the government by taking to the streets in a peaceful demo in London on a week day, bring London to a stand still it would be the only way this government will listen.
    • sansho  •  3 months ago
      Showing true colours- same old Tories- savaging the public sector, throwing people on the dole queue and destroying the NHS for private gain. I can''t believe how easily people have been fooled by Cameron- helped along by the Tory media. The "veto" in Europe was only to protect his buddies the city slickers; had Europe been against ordinary workers instead he would have happily supported the measures. Cameron is a phoney: remember "hug a hoodie" to shed the nasty Tory image, and how he milked his son's health, but once in power it's a different story. He's an Etonian pillar of the class war.

      Tory Bliar has a lot to answer for too. If only we had someone with the passion of Nye Bevan, and Labour serving the less well off with real purpose. Instead many of the working class are easy fodder for Rupert Murdoch's brainwashing. Attlee's post-war govt had greater debts to overcome, and yet created the NHS, the welfare state, rebuilt the devastated country- it's a massive media lie that there's no alternative to cuts! Greece can't repay its debts cos cuts forced on it have only weakened their economy further. The international rightwing solutions to the rightwing credit crunch problems have failed miserably.
      • Kenneth 3 months ago
        my respect to you sansho absolutely correct
      • ishmael 3 months ago
        best comment I've seen yet.
    • Arthur Johnson  •  Manchester, England  •  3 months ago
      He wants 'yes' men only to attend, teddy gets chucked out of the pram otherwise.
    • WILLIAM  •  Manchester, England  •  3 months ago
      This is what happens in a DICTATORSHIP if someone disagrees with you ,you simply ignore them.
    • P  •  Sheffield, England  •  3 months ago
      HAS BRITAIN GOT A DICTATOR FOR A P.M IS THIS A CASE OF THE TAIL WAGGING THE DOG DOES HE NOT KNOW HE HIS A PUBLIC SERVANT ?? HE DID NOT GET ENOUGH VOTES TO FORM A GOVERMENT PUBLIC TAXPAYER ????
      • David 3 months ago
        Quite right, It is time this country had a change next G.E. I will be voting for the UKIP
      • philip threlfal 3 months ago
        So shall i be David and i hope a few more of the electorate come to their senses .
      • Margaret 3 months ago
        So true lets all vote for UKIP before it is to late.
    • Sarah the first  •  3 months ago
      Not to mention Camerons Cold Shoulder to the working class, disabled people, children, old people....................
      • Donald 3 months ago
        ......... in fact everyone expect the "cigar smoking" classes.
      • PATCHA 3 months ago
        why are the british people just moaning about it,we need a well advertised demo in London on a saturday where all people can march in protest,just maybe if the demo is big enough the coalition MP,s will take notice,we know Cameron wont,but if his cronies think they will lose their jobs then they might revolt.
      • A Yahoo! User 3 months ago
        Amazingly biased comments, not true. Incredible how the reality of controlling and reducing massive overspends, and dependency culture, creates such reactions.

        Of course there is a danger that those in genuine need will be affected, and as far as is possible they must, must, be protected.

        However the alternative is to follow Greece and then the working class, children, old people, etc, will really feel the cold shoulder. Do please comment from a position of knowledge.
    • Judith  •  3 months ago
      If he's excluding the NHS health care PROFESSIONALS, that only leaves the private chaps & his bisness chaps in administration - see if they're ready for full privatisation.
      The much maligned doctors have resisted privatisation for years, & been railroaded over by all governments since Thatcher. Over to you folks now.
      • Salamanderski 3 months ago
        The organisations named are unions! NHS works for them now and not for me the patient!
    • Kenneth  •  3 months ago
      NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF CIVILISED HUMANITY HAVE SO MANY DECENT PEOPLE HAD JUST CAUSE TO LOATHE AND DESPISE SO FEW
    • deedee  •  Reading, England  •  3 months ago
      I think its time we fired the lot of them, after all they are only employees.
    • D.  •  Birmingham, England  •  3 months ago
      Bet he claims to have consulted everyone and they're all in favour of the reforms!
    • Republic  •  Derby, England  •  3 months ago
      This is the same Cameron who said during the election campaign he was going to listen to the people who run the Health Service. It seems only if they were going to say things he agreed with.
    • Taylor  •  3 months ago
      Is there any point to making a point, government just pisses on its very own, and welcomes all illegals with an open cheque book..................................
    • lindsey i  •  Bury, England  •  3 months ago
      I expect the meeting is with the private sector and insurance companies - because after all, that's who Cameron thinks should run the health service - of course, it won't be a health service - it will be a fragmented, unaccountable mish mash for those who don't budget for health or who are too poor to pay for health, and an unfathomable piecemeal care system without follow-up care for those who can pay
    • M  •  3 months ago
      Politicians don't want those on the inside having a say because they actually know what they are talking about. This is why the NHS has been in the doldrums for the last two decades or so. THEY WILL NOT LISTEN. They would rather listen to the intellectuals (the so-called experts) and to their friends in the business world (who have a vested interest). If you think about it sensibly what is going on in the NHS mirrors exactly what goes on in defence and the MoD. Businesses ripping off the taxpayer, mismanagement, budgets out of control and cuts in front line staff but not were it is really needed.
    • “Davy”  •  3 months ago
      Its time for the masses to revolt against the three main parties and get some honest people into Westminster. Personally we are hurting now because of them so why not hurt a wee bit more by the whole country calling a National strike
    • I'm alrite Jack  •  Newtown, Wales  •  3 months ago
      Aneurin Bevan........ Without equal, the Welshman who delivered the greatest social advance in the history of the UK, the NHS.
      And he never achieved the highest political office, just an humble Ebbw Vale Labour MP.
      That is the problem with all MP's/Parties today, they just do things for their SHORT-TERM GAIN to give themselves "brownie points" for votes, pity they did not put things in place LONG-TERM for the benefit of the whole UK, irrespective of whether they are in power or not at the time implemented for the benefit of all the people!............ Just like Mr.Aneurin Bevan many years ago.