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Roy Lilley puts tthe case very succinctly and I set this out below for all those who have not seen today's Newsletter 'Seven Simple Truths':

1. The Bill replaces three levels of management (DH, SHA, PCT) with Seven; (DH, NCB, 4 Clustered SHA, 50 Commissioning Support groups, 300-ish CCGs, Clinical Senates and HealthWatch.)

2. GPs cannot 'do commissioning'; it is too complex, they can't fit it in part-time and look after patients. They can and should influence local commissioning decisions.

3. The complexity of buying healthcare is recognised by the DH who have invented Commissioning Support Organisations (not in the Bill), to help. They are intended to be private companies who will decide what healthcare we can have and pocket any savings.

4. The Coalition has not saved millions in bureaucracy; they have shifted costs by sacking really experienced people who are now being re-hired to commission care on behalf of GPs.

5. No one is really worried about the 'private sector' per-se. But, if you spend £100 on healthcare in the NHS you get one hundred quid's worth of healthcare less about 5% management costs. In the private sector you'll get a hundred quid's worth less 3% management costs, 5% profit, 12% to pay bank loans and charges, plus a chunk for bonuses, dividends and return for investors. And, no provision for what happens if they go broke or get fed up.

6. There is no increase in patient choice; we are all stuck with our local GP who is stuck with his local CCG who are stuffed into CSO's who will decide what we can have and when we can have it. All the decisions about us are being made without us.

7. The NHS will function perfectly well without the Bill; it is performing pretty well now and can coalesce around what it is doing. But, waiting times are on the way up and we are getting fatter and older. The Bill does nothing about any of that and the Service should be allowed to concentrate its efforts to meet those challenges.

As a Senior Manager I left the NHS last year after being repeatedly told that I could not continue delivering services to the 'gold' standard. It was time to leave and put my skills, knowledge and experience to better use - still helping and serving others.

Having been through many reorganisations, this one is absolutely stupid - it defies description.

It takes a really big person to admit they've got it wrong. I feel sorry for you. Andrew, for your own sake, admit it and move on. The profession will think more of you and I am sure will willingly work with you on how best to move the NHS forward.

Incidentally, I've not long re-watched Director Michael Moore's film on the state of the US healthcare system and I am even more convinced that we should not be contemplating going down this route. We have a system that is envied throughout the world, it is productive and does need modernising further, but your reforms will kill it off completely. I really pity you as I really would not want that to be on my conscience.

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