Lib Dems set for next stage of NHS reform struggle
By Alex Stevenson Follow @alex__stevenson
Further concessions to the government's beleaguered NHS reforms seem likely after Liberal Democrat peers launched a new offensive against the health and social care bill.
A series of amendments further eroding the role of competition in the health service, the key thrust of the legislation, have been tabled, the Guardian reported.
They propose putting the emphasis on foundation trusts cooperating rather than competing and scrap a duty on the Competition Commission to investigate whether a competition culture is developing in health services.
The Department of Health is already indicating they are open to accepting further changes.
Health minister Earl Howe said Lib Dem ringleader Shirley Williams was "unnecessarily worried" by the government's proposals but suggested he could "reach accommodation" with her views.
"Nobody is forcing competition down anybody's throat but if you, as a doctor, believe that your patient deserves a better service then you can justify looking around," he told the House magazine.
"A lot of the concern is unnecessary and unwarranted, but there are, of course, worries about competition law which we've got to sort out and I believe we can.
"Shirley Williams has been tremendous in challenging us all along the way – with her immense experience she's very well equipped to do that. I see her a lot and I shall hope to talk through her particular concerns on this aspect of the bill… and I hope we can reach accommodation."
The Lib Dems are viewed as critical to securing the bill's eventual passage through parliament, as the junior coalition party's spring conference approaches. Many grassroots activists are expected to demand the reforms be shelved altogether.
That is against the interests of Nick Clegg, who signed up to the initial legislative proposals and took credit for changing its contents substantially at the close of last summer's listening pause.
Support for the reforms from within the NHS itself continues to drain away, however.
Yesterday the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) joined a number of other professional bodies in withdrawing its support for the bill altogether.
Seventy-nine per cent of its members voted for the college to demand the "outright withdrawal" of the health and social care bill.
RCPCH president Professor Terence Stephenson said: "Pushing the bill through is creating disaffection amongst the very people – the clinicians – who will be delivering these changes on the ground when the reality is that there are areas of reform where the healthcare profession are in agreement, most obviously the principle of clinically led commissioning and improving how services are delivered.
"All those representing healthcare professionals need to be brought together to thrash out how these areas of consensus can be effectively put into practice."
The bill returns to the House of Lords for its report stage next week.
