13 April 2011

NHS listening exercise: how to get involved

Make your views on the Lansley reforms known here. Let's hope they really mean to listen. And are they asking the right questions?

Posted by Dr Grumble

9 comments:

Northern Doc said...

Thanks Dr G. We've been looking for this one for days it has been so "quick" to be set up by the "listening" Party. Wonder if Mr L. et al heard useful anything yesterday?

No doubt the use of electronic tracking will enable the Stasi to pick off any dissenters who submit forms one by one!!

14 April 2011 at 07:17
Anonymous said...

They have already closed the comments on this page: http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/nhs-future-forum/

They didn't give much time for questions about how the NHS Future Forum members were selected and other questions related to the fairness of the process. The above page was quickly followed by pages which attempt to constrain the comments. It reminds me of the forest consultation which haad questions along the lines of "Which way would you like the forests to be privatised?". I fear this is more of the same. Let's hope the end result will be the same.

14 April 2011 at 07:55
Anonymous said...

I think you will find that those who have expressed concerns about the reforms such as the President of the Royal College of Physicians have been left off the panel.

Clearly a stitch-up is what is intended.

14 April 2011 at 10:16
Dr Grumble said...

Wednesbury unreasonableness springs to mind:

http://www.practicallaw.com/6-200-9152

14 April 2011 at 10:27
Anonymous said...

Is it my imagination or are adverse comments being removed from the Department of Health website?

http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/about-the-nhs-future-forum/#

14 April 2011 at 10:37
Anonymous said...

Anonymous@7:55 said:

"haad questions along the lines of "Which way would you like the forests to be privatised?"

That's exactly what my hunch is about this pretending to listen exercise. It's like when it comes to disability benefits and we hear tons of sound bites and assurances that "genuinely ill people have nothing to fear" and "wont be forced back into work" and yet in practice I know many genuinely very ill people who are refused benefits based on the flimsiest of reasons and often their ATOS assessments have more holes than swiss cheese.

As you can see, there's such a vast gap between the soundbites and the reality. I mention the disability situation because I can see the parallels: people who express concerns will be given the same assurances in neat little soundbites about how "frontline services will not be cut" when we all know this kind of spin has no basis in reality.

Neelu

14 April 2011 at 18:21
RockDoctor retired said...

I clicked on your link and there I found this statement

"...All responses and views should be submitted by 31 May 2011 to inform the Government’s response to the listening exercise. However, we would be grateful to receive responses as early as possible so that they these can help shape the NHS Future Forum’s initial advice to the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health, which is due to be submitted by the end of May"....

In other words, if you don't get your answer in NOW, we won't take any account of it at all, 'cos we have to have the answers to the big boys by the same day that the consultation closes....and we wont change our minds over late submissions.......Says it all really

15 April 2011 at 15:15
Dr Grumble said...

It seems that this exercise is about implementing rather than listening. On the other hand they may be trying to gauge the depth of opposition. Perhaps there is a chance that if they receive overwhelmingly hostile responses they may just back down. But I doubt it. I think we are witnessing the end of the NHS in England.

15 April 2011 at 15:23
Anonymous said...

Lansley isn't listening

15 April 2011 at 20:44

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)