Steve Field warns of clinicians' concerns over health reforms

Professor Steve Field’s remarks were made while giving evidence to the Health Select Committee this morning, during a session on the government’s response to the Future Forum’s report, which was published on Monday.

He told the committee that clinicians he met yesterday “were very concerned that the government’s response might mean they are slowing down on what they’re doing”, as they will now be required to appoint new members to their boards but had not yet received guidance on where to recruit from.

He added that the pause had also held up reform. He said: “In some areas it has been a real problem because [commissioning groups] haven’t been able to move forward.”

Sir Stephen Bubb, who chaired the Future Forum group which looked at competition and choice, criticised the government’s response to his report, as the new assurances around competition could send out a negative message to private or third sector providers.

“I’m slightly disappointed at the messaging there has been over the role of competition since we produced our report.”

“What would worry me is if messages going out from the government and the [Department of Health] that we’re back to the status quo – it really discourages people that want to do something different, who want to be innovative and use competition to drive change. That would be disastrous if we do that.”

Sir Stephen also expressed disappointment that ministers had not been more enthusiastic about his proposals that citizens be given a “right to challenge”, allowing them to take over services as set out in other parts of the public sector in the Localism Bill.

He described the government’s response to the recommendation as “limp”, adding: “I would have hoped the government would have jumped on this.”

Ministers said they would look at the recommendation, though more work needs to be done.

Prof Field issued a plea to parliament to quickly pass the amended Health Bill, and then “get out of the NHS” to allow doctors to take over the running of the service.

Chair Stephen Dorrell asked Prof Field whether the government’s amendments to the bill reduced the likelihood of the NHS being able to deliver the £20bn efficiency challenge, after former health secretary Alan Milburn, called the amendments a “policy disaster”.

Mr Milburn, now an adviser to the current government, wrote in a newspaper article today that the changes to the bill had set back reform by a generation and made it harder to save money through genuine efficiencies.

Prof Field said competition would not necessarily deliver increased efficiency, and called for more integrated health and social care systems and said the NHS needed to quickly address variations in general practice.

He told MPs: “This is a time for politicians to get out of the NHS, give us some space so we can actually get on with running the service.

“I would like to see the bill passed through as quickly as possible, amended to make it work, but actually my plea as a GP is I want to get on and help my patients.”