New Coalition NHS Reforms Could See Many NHS Hospitals Close

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12321166

The Tory-led Coalition's controversial plans for the NHS were unveiled in the House of Commons today.

The proposals mean that GPs will take over control of most of the NHS budget, supposedly allowing more decisions to be made at local level rather than from Whitehall.

A good idea on the surface, perhaps.

However, this is a clear example of how the Conservatives' obsession with the market is going to be put into practice in the implementation of Government policy.

Private companies will be allowed to compete with NHS hospitals in the provision of services.  So obviously any GP being offered a lower price by a non-NHS source will be very tempted to take them on.

This will unundoubtedly lead to patient care becoming secondary to cost and one can only envisage a two-tier NHS emerging as a result.

More worrying is that many NHS hospitals could now go to the wall as a direct consequence of the new reforms. Under the proposed system, where people follow the market, the fear is that those hospitals that do not attract enough patients will be forced to close their doors.

The whole foundation on which these changes are based is that they will  increase in choice of care available to patients.  But if hospitals do not treat enough people, they will not survive, with their subsequence closure  leading inevitably to patient choice being diminished.

The NHS will never be perfect, but the Coalition have engaged in change for change's sake and patients will suffer as a consequence.