Stop the Health and Social Care Reform Bill
Stop the Health and Social Care Reform Bill
The Bill proposes the biggest changes to the NHS since its creation –posing the end of the NHS as a national service. The proposals are a big threat to disabled people.
01/06/2011
The Bill can be found at: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11
Critics say the Bill:
- Gives the Secretary of state too much control and allows changes to take place without consultation;
- Forces one part of the NHS to compete with another;
- Puts cost-cutting above patient care;
- Will cause a disconnection between services;
- Will cause a postcode lottery of services to develop.
Changes proposed include abolishing Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities and passing commissioning to GPs.
The Department of Health expects to save £1.3bn in the costs of services once reforms are in place. However, the cost of transferring commissioning to GP’s will cost more than the amount saved by 2012-13. Thousands of people estimated as likely to lose their jobs, costing hundreds of millions of pounds in redundancy payments.
Unions, doctors and nurses strongly oppose the reforms and government has been forced to delay – although remains committed to changes. The BMA has called for the Bill to withdrawn completely.
You can contact your MP to say that you oppose the Bill.
If you do not know who your MP is, you can find out at: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/
More information is available from the links in the right hand column.
