RCN responds to Prime Minister’s comments at PMQs
Published: 07 September 2011
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today reiterated its concerns in relation to the Health and Social Care Bill following the Prime Minister’s comments at Prime Minister’s Questions.
During the discussion, Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that the Royal College of Nursing, along with other organisations, was in support of the Health and Social Care Bill. The RCN issued a full parliamentary briefing on Friday with the following comment -
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing said:
“The Bill being placed before parliament next week has enormous ramifications for patients and for our members. While we acknowledge that the Government have listened to our members in a number of areas, we still have very serious concerns about where these reforms leave a health service already facing an unprecedented financial challenge.
“The Government has now changed the bill in response to calls from nurses and others, setting out what will happen if providers fail either financially or clinically, amending the language of Monitor’s role in competition and ensuring that nurses will be represented on the Clinical Commissioning Group boards. We have also welcomed the government’s commitment to maintain a system for professional education and training within the comprehensive health service.
“However, at a time when the NHS needs to find £20 billion in efficiencies, tackle waste, work harder to prevent ill health and deal with an aging population, we are telling MPs that this Bill risks creating a new and expensive bureaucracy and fragmenting care. This fragmentation risks making inequalities worse, and preventing health providers from collaborating in the interests of patients. We must avoid a situation where existing NHS providers are left with expensive areas of care while private providers are able to “cherry pick” the services which can be delivered easily. As the Bill enters this final phase, we will be working to ensure that there are checks and balances to avoid these very real risks.”
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. You can read the full briefing for parliamentarians here - http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/402860/RCN_Health_and_Social_Care_Bill_Report_and_Third_Reading_Briefing.pdf
2. For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
3. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations