Dr. Gill Morgan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation said that David Cameron’s analysis of the future direction of travel for healthcare is accurate.

“The huge potential of new technologies must sit alongside the need for people to make choices about their own health and wellbeing. An equitable service delivering excellent care to empowered and informed patients is what we all aspire to. Rising to the challenge of improving as well as maintaining the health service will take commitment from everyone working in the NHS and I have no doubt that empowering staff to get on with their job will hold the key to success. We therefore welcome David Cameron’s renewed commitment to less top-down targets and a focus on patient outcomes. The current burden of bureaucracy that the NHS faces stifles resources, time and energy. Sending the same data in a slightly different format to over 60 different agencies throughout the year cannot be a good use of NHS resources and a commitment to tackle this is also welcome,” Dr. Morgan said.

David Cameron, leader of the UK Conservative Party, has pledged to allow patients to choose their GPs. He stressed he wanted to make the Tories the party of the NHS. Not only should people be allowed to select their GP, but they should also be able to choose which hospital they use for additional treatment.

He added that he believes hospitals should have money docked if patients become infected with infections, such as the MRSA, during their hospital stay or treatment in hospital.

“The best way to enhance the power of patients is through the mechanism of choice. Quite simply, the option of gaining or losing patients is the most effective spur to improvement on the part of doctors, hospitals and other care providers. So we will give people a choice of GP. We will allow patients to choose, in consultation with their GP, where they get their secondary care. And we will ensure that hospitals and clinics and other care providers are paid according to the results they achieve. I don’t think hospitals should be paid – or paid in full – for a treatment which leaves the patient with a hospital-acquired infection like MRSA. So-called ‘treatment following adverse events’ should be the responsibility of the provider, not the purchaser – the hospital, not the GP or primary care commissioner. GPs can spend the money that they save in this way to improve care elsewhere.”

NHS Confederation
David Cameron’s speech in full

Written by – Christian Nordqvist