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    Locked out: Cameron excludes doctors' groups from NHS reform talks

    Politics.co.uk – Mon, Feb 20, 2012

    By Ian Dunt

    Groups representing the doctors who are supposed to handle commissioning under NHS reform have been excluded from talks in Downing Street today because of their opposition to the policy.

    The British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of General Practitioners, who have long opposed Andrew Lansley's reforms, have not been invited to the event.

    "I don't think it's odd at all because this is part of an ongoing dialogue," health minister Simon Burns insisted.

    "We have had hundreds of meetings. There have been thousands of people involved in talking and looking into ways of improving and engaging on the health bill.

    "We are on this occasion meeting those organisations who are constructively engaged in implementing the modernisation."

    Downing Street insisted the widespread opposition of doctors, many of whom would be asked to take a leading role in NHS organisation under the reforms, was counter-balanced by the fact GPs throughout the country were already implementing the changes.

    But opponents are furious that events are already changing on the ground, despite the lack of parliamentary mandate.

    "It may sound like a small point to David Cameron but I wish to remind him that he doesn't yet have parliament's permission to implement reforms nobody wants and for which no-one voted," shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said.

    "This has all the hallmarks of an event thrown together in a last-ditch desperate bid to shore up collapsing support for the bill.

    "It would appear to be so last-minute that a number of important organisations have been left off the invite list, or maybe it's because the PM wouldn't like what they've got to say."

    The BMA said: "It would seem odd if the major bodies representing health professionals were not included."

    The Royal College of Physicians is holding an extraordinary general meeting in London on February 27th to discuss whether it should ask its members' view on the bill. Some reports suggest the government is putting extraordinary pressure on the group to back the bill.

    The Royal College of Surgeons has supported the bill throughout. Both groups have been invited to today's event.

    "He is clearly trying a policy of divide and rule in the hope that he can break the opposition to the bill by only asking those he believes will support him," former foreign secretary and doctor Lord Owen told the Guardian.

    "The prime minister may think he can outmanoeuvre or override the BMA in the same way that Clement Attlee and Aneurin Bevan did when the 1945 Labour government introduced the National Health Service in the face of opposition of the BMA.

    "But the BMA in 1946 was much more evenly divided than they are now and Attlee had a clear electoral mandate from the British people to push through his reforms – something Cameron does not have."

    The pressure over the government's NHS reforms is unlikely to die down this week, with Labour holding a parliamentary debate on the publication of a risk register listing the potential dangers of continuing to pursue the reforms.

     

    18 comments

    • David
      David  •  3 months ago
      So now he only invites people to his talks, eh? Did Hitler not do the same thing, not wanting to hear any voices of dissension?

      I wonder if either Cameron or Lansley will have the cheek to then issue a statement saying how everyone was in agreement with them on their policy?
      • panda
        panda 3 months ago
        david i agree
      • panda
        panda 3 months ago
        cameron is becoming a dictator
    • cru
      cru  •  3 months ago
      Ignore the british people at your own peril cameron, you will be voted out if you carry on with the privatisation of the NHS
      • Artifex
        Artifex 3 months ago
        And quite right too! He's a political hooligan. Again the consequences of Nulabour and an electorate voting for anything but Gordon Brown and his Party. Talk about a backfire. Hopefully, the Coalition will fall sooner than later.
    • DerekP
      DerekP  •  London, England  •  3 months ago
      Cold shouldering is a bad habit that he learnt when Sarkozy did it to him. LISTEN to the voice of the people, PM, you don't seem very good at that.
      • panda
        panda 3 months ago
        cameron wont listen he never listens lets get rid b4 the damage has been done
    • ABIB104
      ABIB104  •  Dumfries, Scotland  •  3 months ago
      Same old story, patients and public will supposedly be better off doing as we the goverment tell you how to look after patients. you the doctors don't know best.......... Let's face it no matter what , this goverment will not listen to sense, slowly but surely the NHS will be got rid off, and privitisation will be the new health service
      • David
        David 3 months ago
        Ubder the new proposals, hospitals will be permitted to allocate 50% of their beds to paying, private patients!

        I'm sure somewhere in the charter which set up the NHS there's something about equal access to healthcare for all...
    • Lecutas of Borg
      Lecutas of Borg  •  Grimsby, England  •  3 months ago
      Patients dying thru lack of care, medicines and staff being made redundant. The government has just announced a £1million compensation package for illegal immigrants bratts ! Baffles the hell put of me, who the hell put this SOS in power ? Me ? I will be voting for the BNP in both local and national elections from here on in as these appear to be the ONLY party that will get us out of the EU, PC and HR #$%$ and back to the UK !!
    • F MARTIN
      F MARTIN  •  Birmingham, England  •  3 months ago
      Not surprising if you understand Tory philosophy i.e. the wealthy should be given more wealth and to hell with the less well off- they are only less rich because of laziness on their
      part. Just think what additiional rich pickings would become available in a vertually privatised health service,both for the existing vultures and new companies. MP's are
      very good at having interests in companies with tickets to ride THE GREAT NATIONAL GRAVY TRAIN.
    • Dave
      Dave  •  Sheffield, England  •  3 months ago
      Orange Cameron looking for a new photocall,hope he gets a hedgehog up his back passage and it dies, then see how much he needs the NHS.
    • AJ
      AJ  •  Sheffield, England  •  3 months ago
      If he is so sure that he is right why will he not make his party legally and financially responsable for anything that goes wrong
    • David
      David  •  Hamilton, Scotland  •  3 months ago
      Do the conservatives never learn. Look how good their other privatisations have been, gas, electricity, water, railways etc.
    • ALICE
      ALICE  •  Birmingham, England  •  3 months ago
      all these mps are the same never listen to the public just do what they want not us he will regret that when it comes to voting he was right when he said time for change its time all these mps were held to account for this mess that they made not us as they are the ones running this country into the ground and getting very well paid for it they are al a disgrace
    • S
      S  •  Birmingham, England  •  3 months ago
      I wonder if Camoron invited big investers to the meeting to profiteer from the NHS when it becomes privatized.
    • Walter b masson
      Walter b masson  •  Manchester, England  •  3 months ago
      All these young doctors that this idiot has put on the dole que , needs to practice on a real problem Daves brain needs urgent attention ? After going through 2 years of doing it his way , its a virus very contagious ,thought to have contacted it from the last 2 foreign prime ministers BLAIR & BROWN EXPERTS THINK THEY KNOW THE PROBLEM SITTING IN THE SAME PRIVATE JET 300 DAYS EVERY YEAR ? BLAIR AND BROWN HAS GOT IT VERY VERY BAD NOW AS THEY CANT REMEMBER WHY THEY DONT WANT TO COME BACK ? BUT THE BRAIN STUDENTS ARE GOING TO TREAT OUR DAVE NOW , AS HES GETTING PRETTY BAD FORGETTING TO INVITE A VERY INPORTANT N.H.S STAFF TO MAKE SURE HE GETS VHIS OWN WAY ? AND ANOTHER WORRING THING IS THE IDIOT HAS FORGOTTEN WHERE THE FRONT DOOR IS ?
    • hazelo3c
      hazelo3c  •  2 months ago
      Crafty b*****d all he wanted was "YES men and "YES"women there so as he could avoid any opposition.How very dare he.
    • bob m
      bob m  •  Cheltenham, England  •  3 months ago
      the people will make you lisen mr p/m
    • Richard
      Richard  •  2 months ago
      That's saddam cameron being the dictator everyone knows he is and basically eliminating all opposition to his ideas and things he wants to make law. Jeez, this will never end, what the hell's cameron gonna do next? He's ruining this country, as if it wasn't already on a downward slope towards becoming a shattered country, shattered by past governments. Winston Churchill would be turning in his grave if he could see what the government have done to this once amazing, great country.
    • eaglescout
      eaglescout  •  3 months ago
      More proof Britain does not do democracy.This was proven by past dictators like Thatcher,Blair and Brown who listened to no one but their peers,who were not even MPs
    • super_slo_mo
      super_slo_mo  •  3 months ago
      Cameron!!
    • Artifex
      Artifex  •  3 months ago
      OH.... DO SHUT UP! DAVE KNOWS WHAT IS BEST. (Idiot twerp)
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