Mixed opinion over planned NHS overhaul
West Berkshire's medical professionals and politicians are split on the idea of transforming the running of the NHS
WEST Berkshire's medical professionals and politicians have reacted with mixed opinion over the Government's planned massive NHS overhaul.
As part of the Health and Social Care Bill, which was presented to Parliament yesterday (Wednesday) and, if passed, will be the biggest shake up to the system since the NHS was launched in 1948, general practitioners would get control of about 80 per cent of the NHS budget by 2013.
Managers working for primary care trusts (PCTs), who are currently responsible for planning and buying local services from hospital care to district nursing, would be replaced by a consortia of GPs taking on these responsibilities.
A GP at the Downland Practice in Chieveley, Dr James Cave, said that in general terms, he felt the transformation of the running of the NHS was good.
He said: "For the people of West Berkshire they might find that their GP might be slightly less available because they are busy with other things, but their appointments with consultants might be at the local hospital.
"I would hope that with the change we will see more local services and more slick services."
However, Dr Cave did reserve some concerns about the level of extra training that GPs would need, as he said they were some of the busiest clinicians to be taking on additional job roles.
Erica Tipton, chairwoman of the patient participation group at the Chapel Row Surgery in Bucklebury, and also on the patient panel at West Berkshire Community Hospital in London Road, said that what they were currently trying to establish was who was going to report to who before they could relay the information back to patients.
She said: "We care about patients and the relationship between patients, GPs and, up until now, the PCT.
"We think [the shake-up] is costly but it could be a much more positive step because GPs are going to be running it and taking it all the way through."
However, she added that she was worried by the lack of detail about the changes that was available so far.
Newbury MP, Richard Benyon (Con), has supported the changes and claimed that almost nobody in his constituency knows how the current NHS system operates or who is in charge, but that they know who their GP is.
He said: "People must not think that they will not see their GP because they will be a businessman in a suit.
"The most important thing is that people get a better service and feel close to those providing the services.
"[The change] is both needed and popular."
Mr Benyon rejected recent criticism of his party for allegedly rushing the changes through and said it had already been trialled for several months now in various parts of the country.
But the former MP for Newbury, David Rendel, a Liberal Democrat, has not toed the coalition party line and has told the Newbury Weekly News that he holds concerns about the reform, as, he claimed, do many other people.
He said: "I'm all for doctors and patients having greater power about decision making but the burden being put on GPs will be very difficult because we will have to train GPs which could cause a lot of extra expense and it will have to be found from somewhere else.
"There could be considerable damage in terms of extra work for the GPs.”
Why not share your views on the Bill on our online forum at newburytoday.co.uk
