BMA: Hopeful ‘missing’ concerns will be addressed
Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association Council, believes government response will be critical factor:
"The way the government and the Future Forum have engaged with the profession during this listening exercise has been a refreshing experience. It is vital that this constructive approach is maintained in the following months as the detail is worked on.
"The Future Forum’s recommendations address many of the BMA's key concerns, to a greater or lesser extent. We are hopeful that our 'missing' concerns, such as the excessive power of the NHS Commissioning Board over consortia and the so called 'quality premium' will be addressed as more detail emerges. While we welcome the acknowledgement that the education and training reforms need much more thinking through, there needs to be immediate action to prevent the imminent implosion of deaneries.
"Obviously, the critical factor is now how the government responds, as well as ensuring that the detail of the changes matches up to expectations. But if the government does accept the recommendations we have heard today we will be seeing, at the least, a dramatically different health and social care bill and one that would get us onto a much better track.
"There will then still be plenty more to do to ensure that the amended reforms do support the NHS and its staff in continuing to improve care for patients and tackle the major financial challenges ahead."
