Although the government is committed to making amendments to the NHS Bill, the British Medical Association (BMA) reject the idea that changes to the health and social care bill will reduce the risk of privatisation of the health service.

In the latest attack on the government’s NHS reforms, doctors voted to launch a public campaign against the health bill. The BMA council voted to pass a series of motions critical of the government’s bill – and crucially accepted that doctors “start a public campaign to call for the withdrawal of the health and social care bill”.

The motion put forward by NHS consultants Clive Peedell and Jack Davis will continue to put pressure on the government during parliament’s summer break. 

The BMA voted to “reject the idea that the government’s proposed changes to the bill will significantly reduce the risk if further marketisation and privatisation of the NHS and agreed that the government is misleading the public by repeatedly stating that there will be no privatisation of the NHS”.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the BMA, said, “Whilst the BMA recognises there have been some changes following the listening pause, there is widespread feeling that the proposed legislation is hopelessly complex, and it really would be better if the bill were withdrawn”.

Dr Peedell, a colleague on the council, said, “That the health bill was just a privatisation bill with a third of it devoted to producing an economic regulated market”.

Despite the government’s attempt to appease both professional and public anger over the NHS reform bill - with the legislative pause, this has so far had little effect. Internet campaigners 38 Degrees, which has 850,000 members in the UK, claim they have raised enough money through their online marketing campaign to employ lawyers to go over the 180 amendments produced by the government when it re-submitted the bill for its second reading earlier in July.

David Babbs, the organisations executive director, said, “38 Degrees members want to cut through the tangled web of amendments which make up Andrew Lansley’s re-written NHS plans. So we’re chipping in to hire legal experts to go through the bill with a fine tooth comb”.

“We’re concerned that real threats to our NHS may still lurk behind Lansley and David Cameron’s warm words. We are on a slippery slope to the NHS being broken up by EU competition laws. Why does Lansley seem to be watering down his legal duty to provide a national health service?”

Labour’s John Healey, said, “Despite David Cameron’s promises, his health bill changes are a bureaucratic mess, not a proper plan for improving patient care. Now people are realising that despite the ‘pause’, the wasteful and unnecessary reorganisation is going ahead and the long-term Tory plans to break up the NHS remain intact”.

The Department of Health said, “We will never privatise the NHS. The BMA’s position is disappointing because previously the doctors’ union said there was much in our response to the listening exercise that addressed their concerns, and that many of the principles outlined reflected changes they had called for”.

“The independent NHS Future Forum confirmed there is widespread support for the principles of our plans to modernise the NHS, including handling more control to doctors, nurses and frontline professionals”.

“Patients will never have to pay for NHS care. The bill has changed substantially since the BMA first voted to oppose government policy. Our plans have been greatly strengthened in order to improve care for patients and safeguard the future of the NHS”.

As the government continues with its NHS Reform Bill, those within the profession feel the government really isn’t listening to their concerns. With increasing financial pressures being put on the NHS to save money, the opening up of the NHS to privatisation, critics would argue that this would have an effect on patient care with profits coming first. 

Furthermore, as NHS Trusts across the UK implement ways to reduce their spending by cutting back on services, it is those in the frontline that have to deal with these problems such as doctors, GPs and GP Locums. 

However, the independent Future Forum has confirmed that the amendments proposed by Andrew Lansley will give more control to doctors and nurses. 

Despite the changes that are taking place within the NHS, those within the profession continue to provide first class patient care and at MPP Locums we work within the healthcare profession supplying professional health care and locum staff across the UK to NHS Trusts and Private Healthcare providers. 

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