Written by Janet
A supporter of former PM Tony Blair’s health reforms is now going to advise the Conservatives arguing that the party is now committed to the NHS. Professor David Kerr, a leading cancer specialist, will become shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley’s principal clinical adviser – a paid role.
He said efforts to increase patient choice under Mr Blair had been affected by a “blizzard” of targets.
But Labour says Tory plans to scrap its patient guarantees will be damaging. News of Prof Kerr’s appointment comes on the eve of the Tories’ spring conference in Brighton, where leader David Cameron will seek to rally party supporters ahead of the general election – which must be held by June. The Tories said Prof Kerr’s endorsement showed a growing belief that their policies offered the best future for the health service.
Currently professor of cancer medicine at the University of Oxford, he was a strong supporter of key reforms, such as maximum waiting times for treatment and foundation hospitals, undertaken by Labour.
He has called for a shift in emphasis from general targets to individual results, focusing on helping patients live longer and in better health.
He has argued that the NHS should publish information about the quality of care and patient experience offered by hospitals and medical practices, including details of mortality and survival rates for some procedures, to help people compare their performance. The Tories said Prof Kerr would advise Mr Lansley on how to achieve the best clinical outcomes in cancer and other areas and how to use NHS data to help people give patients more choice and drive up standards.
Prof Kerr will be paid for the part-time role although the Conservatives stressed that he was not being lined up for a position in government should the party win the election. Labour says Tory plans to scrap many NHS targets and patient guarantees for diagnosis and treatment are “dogmatic” and could reverse progress in cancer survival rates.
newsdeskinternational
/ 07/12/2010Tories set out plans for ‘results-driven NHS’
Ministers will set out a new results-driven framework for the NHS today, which they claim could save thousands of lives a year.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tories-set-out-plans-for-resultsdriven-nhs-2024587.html
newsdeskinternational
/ 07/14/2010Commons clash over NHS shake-up
Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition leader Harriet Harman have clashed over the costs of the proposed overhaul of the NHS.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10634206