Now that the three party leaders have each pronounced on capitalism, domestic politics is returning to its familiar battlegrounds. And there are few more familiar battlegrounds, for this government, than the NHS. Earlier this week a couple of unions came out completely against Andrew Lansley’s health reforms, despite his previous efforts to accommodate their concerns. And now we learn that the Commons health select committee, chaired by the former Tory Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell, is set to criticise those reforms as well. According to the Observer, a report that they’re publishing this week will raise a common complaint: that it’s tricky for the NHS to both reorganise and find efficiencies at the same time.
When the health select committee last made a prominent intervention in the debate, and called for Lansley’s local ‘GP consortia’ to include people other than GPs, the government basically acquiesced to their demands. But this time, I imagine, it will be a little different. Now that Lansley has already gone through the rigmarole of pausing, listening, engaging and all that, it would be deeply embarrassing for him to have to stall his plans once again. He is likely to be more resistent to this second major uprising against his health reforms.
But such resistence will also cause problems, not least because it means Lansley’s opponents will keep attacking his Health Bill from all sides. One thing to look out for is whether any more Lib Dems follow Andrew George’s example, and call for it to be shelved. Another is whether this has any implications for Lansley’s career. It’s a funny thing, Dorrell has been frequently linked to the Health Secretary’s job — and installing Dorrell could give No.10 just the excuse it may need to start again on health reform. In the meantime, the current Health Secretary has a struggle on to communicate his reforms, and for his own sake as well as theirs.
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