UNISON yesterday called on peers to oppose the Health Bill today, during its second reading in the House of Lords today.
The UK’s largest public sector union is urging them to ‘see through Health Minister Andrew Lansley’s lies’ over the fragmentation, instability and inequity of NHS services.
Unison highlighted the many dangers in the Bill, including abolishing the private patient income cap, and accompanying policies such as Any Qualified Provider.
It warned: ‘Both will lead to a much greater role for private companies and the bill will enable the Secretary of State to wash their hands of responsibility for the NHS.’
Unison General Secretary Dave Prentis said: ‘Just recently 400 health experts warned peers to oppose the Bill, joining a growing number of campaign groups, charities, patient groups, health unions and royal colleges.
‘This Bill is wasting billions of taxpayers’ money in pointless bureaucracy, as health workers lose their jobs, waiting lists grow, and operations are cancelled.
‘There are huge dangers in removing the private patient income cap, especially when budgets are tight.
‘The public care deeply about who provides health services, they do not want private companies running the show and putting profits first.
‘NHS patients will be pushed to the back of growing queues, and those who can pay will leapfrog to the front.’
Prentis concluded: ‘We must protect the NHS, it is one of the most cost-effective health systems in the developed world and public satisfaction recently reached an all-time high.
‘The government’s plans are fundamentally flawed. Peers must oppose the Bill during the Second Reading.’
The British Medical Association (BMA) issued a statement calling for the Bill to ‘be withdrawn or, at the least, undergo further, substantial amendment’.
Last Thursday BMA Chairman of Council, Dr Hamish Meldrum wrote to every peer in the House of Lords, warning that ‘the Bill, as it currently stands, poses an unacceptably high risk to the NHS in England.’
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has written to peers asking them to support amendments to the Health Bill by Lords Owen and Hennessy.
RCM general secretary Cathy Warwick said: ‘We remain far from convinced that the Bill in its current form will enable the NHS to progress for the benefit of patients.’
Echoing Unison and BMA concerns, she stressed: ‘In its current form, the Bill will effectively absolve the Health Secretary of responsibility for the NHS; that cannot be right.’
Warwick added: ‘We also share with others a similar concern about the level of competition this could bring into the NHS. The Bill could introduce competition into the NHS without public recourse to democratic oversight by elected politicians; again, this cannot be right.’
All the Medical Royal Colleges issued a joint statement yesterday calling on peers to make substantial changes to the government’s proposals.
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges is particularly concerned that patient care could suffer if the reforms designed to promote competition aren’t checked.
Bill Rogers, secretary of the North East London Council of Action, said: ‘The trade unions are asking for the House of Lords to vote against this Bill, but really the trade unions should be taking strike action to prevent it being enacted and bring down the government.
‘Really, the only way to defend the National Health Service now is to organise a general strike to bring the government down.
‘We are calling for masses of people to join our march on December 10 through Enfield to defend Chase Farm Hospital and be ready to occupy to stop it closing.’