UNISON, the UK’s largest union, today called on the Government to “ditch the dog eat dog world of the Health and Social Care Act and bring back an integrated, joined-up service in the interests of patients”.
The call comes following the Government announcement that they will amend controversial regulations that leave the NHS wide open to aggressive competition.
UNISON has been at the forefront of the growing opposition against Section 75, joined by MPs, the medical Royal Colleges, clinical commissioners, charities, health staff and patients.
Section 75 would require virtually all commissioning to be carried out through competition, regardless of the will of local people. However, UNISON is warning that today’s u-turn is only the start, and that the NHS is still vulnerable to competition.
While welcoming the fact that the government have finally realised the damage enforcing a compulsory competition regime on the NHS will have, Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health, went on to say:
“No one should be fooled into thinking that Norman Lamb’s announcement that the regulations will be amended is sufficient. With or without the regulations, the Health & Social Care Act remains the most damaging piece of legislation ever aimed at the NHS.
“The government should properly redesign the rules to make clear that, as a minimum, competition is not compulsory and nor is it an end in itself. This latest debacle only serves to emphasise the mess the government is in less than a month before the new health system comes online on 1 April.
“UNISON remembers only too well the 2011 “pause” in the legislation that led to very little actual change in the direction of this costly and unnecessary overhaul.”
ENDS
