Final attempts to rally support for ‘Foundation Hospitals’
Health Secretary, Alan Milburn has unveiled a £200 million package to help every NHS hospital gain Foundation Hospital status within five years.
The package forms part of Tony Blair’s final attempts at rallying his backbench and avoiding a rebellion of unprecedented proportions, and involves every hopsital forming a timetable for gaining foundation status.
The Prime Minister is set to make a speech later today over controversial plans to award good performance with greater freedoms thus creating independent, not-for-profit organisations within the NHS.
However, Mr Blair has his work cut out in trying to convince his Party prior to a key House of Commons vote on the Bill’s second reading, due to take place on Wednesday.
He has faced criticism from all sides on the plans – more than 130 Labour MPs are already signed up against the vote, the Conservatives have warned Mr Blair that the Opposition cannot be relied upon to rescue him this time, as it did on war in Iraq, and public service unions are up in arms over the proposals.
Critics fear that the devolution of power away from Whitehall to the top performing NHS Trusts will lead to a “two-tier” health service, and Mr Milburns announcements have focused on reducing those fears, promising to put money where it is most needed.
Mr Blair is expected to further reject such claims today and to warn critics that turning their back on reform would be a huge mistake.
In addition to his plea, the funding boost has been unveiled as part of the ‘NHS Improvement Programme’.
The document outlines how the Government intends to raise standards across the board and help every NHS Trust acquire a ‘three-star’ rating within five years and thus qualify for Foundation Trust status.
Mr Milburn said, “It is not about elitism or two-tierism. It is about levelling up, not levelling down. It is about raising standards in every hospital so that no NHS hospital is left behind.”
However, MPs are also set to hear the other side of the argument before casting their vote on the plans.
The Commons Health Committee is set to publish its own report shortly before the vote tomorrow.
The Committee is expected to warn that the Trusts will have a detrimental impact on the NHS by attracting, staff, patients and funds from other hospitals.
David Hinchliffe, Chair of the House of Commons Health Committee has condemned the plans as “contrary to everything the Labour Party has stood for since it created the NHS in 1948.”
