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Outgoing NHS England boss attacks coalition over reforms Outgoing NHS England boss attacks coalition over reforms
(about 4 hours later)
Sir David Nicholson, the outgoing chief executive of NHS England, launched a scathing attack on Thursday on the coalition government for wasting years pursuing its pro-market reforms of the health service instead of carrying out important changes the NHS needed. Sir David Nicholson, the outgoing chief executive of NHS England, launched a scathing attack on Thursday on the coalition government for wasting years pursuing its pro-market reforms of the health service instead of making important necessary changes.
In his final address to the NHS Confederation annual conference to top health service managers, Nicholson took aim at the political class saying "we cannot allow the tyranny of the electoral cycle stop us from making the real and fundamental changes that we need to make to the NHS". In his final address to top health service managers at the NHS Confederation annual conference, he took aim at the political class, saying: "We cannot let the tyranny of the electoral cycle stop us from making the real and fundamental changes that we need to make to the NHS."
Singling out the coalition, he said that before the 2010 election those who were now its MPs had criss-crossed the country telling voters that Labour plans to reconfigure hospitals would be put on hold and then, upon taking office, they produced the biggest reforms of the NHS in decades. He said that before the 2010 election Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs had criss-crossed the country telling voters that Labour's plans to reconfigure hospitals would be put on hold and then, upon taking office, they produced the biggest reforms of the NHS in decades.
Nicholson said: "So what happened when we got a new government in is we wasted those two years where you can really make change happen. We spent our time talking about re‑organisation and changes and all the rest of it and we didn't talk about the really important changes that are required for the NHS." Nicholson said: "So what happened when we got a new government in is we wasted those two years where you can really make change happen. We spent our time talking about reorganisation and changes and all the rest of it and we didn't talk about the really important changes that are required for the NHS."
In a speech peppered with light asides about his 35 years in the NHS, Nicholson admitted sustained criticism of his role in the Mid Staffs hospital scandal – particularly the virulent coverage in the Daily Mail which dubbed him the "man with no shame" - made it impossible for him to continue as the public face of the health service. In a speech peppered with light asides about his 35 years in the NHS, Nicholson admitted sustained criticism of his role in the Mid Staffs hospital scandal – particularly the virulent coverage in the Daily Mail which dubbed him the "man with no shame" – made it impossible for him to continue as the public face of the NHS.
"Being that story I think makes it more difficult for me to do my job. It makes it more difficult, I think, to make the changes that need to be made," he said, adding that the unrelenting scrutiny had made the job more difficult."Being that story I think makes it more difficult for me to do my job. It makes it more difficult, I think, to make the changes that need to be made," he said, adding that the unrelenting scrutiny had made the job more difficult.
"Heavens above, the job is difficult enough without some of the extra things we have to deal with, some of the absolutely overwhelming scrutiny that's put on what we do, everything from the kinds of tea bags that we use to the hotels that we stay in." "Heavens above, the job is difficult enough without some of the extra things we have to deal with, some of the absolutely overwhelming scrutiny that's put on what we do, everything from the kinds of teabags we use to the hotels we stay in."
However it was the politicians rather than the media on whom Nicholson fixed his fire. He made a thinly veiled attack on the current health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who had sought to blame a GP contract that allowed family doctors to opt out of overnight and weekend care – and contribute to the A&E crisis. Nicholson said: "I was particularly incensed about some of the coverage in relation to general practice," he told delegates. However, Nicholson aimed most of his fire at politicians. He made a thinly veiled attack on the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who had sought to blame the A&E crisis on a GP contract allowing family doctors to opt out of overnight and weekend care. Nicholson said: "I was particularly incensed about some of the coverage in relation to general practice."
Nicholson, who leaves his £211,000 job next year, warned that the public needed "clarity and honesty" from politicians – especially about the parlous financial state of public finances. He told managers that "people in this country should beware of political manifestos that say, with a little bit of growth, with a bit of management costs savings, with a bit of improvement in procurement and, oh, a bit of integration, you can solve the long‑term problems of the NHS. You can't." Nicholson, who leaves his £211,000 job next year, warned that the public needed "clarity and honesty" from politicians – especially about the parlous financial state of public finances.
Defending the service, he said that the NHS was the envy of the world and asked which other country would put its health service in an Olympics ceremony. Nicholson said that such was the focus on patient care in recent years that "we have the lowest hospital mortality rates since records began". He said that "people in this country should beware of political manifestos that say, with a little bit of growth, with a bit of management costs savings, with a bit of improvement in procurement and, oh, a bit of integration, you can solve the longterm problems of the NHS. You can't."
However given the landmark Francis review, which blamed a target-driven culture for harming patient care, Nicholson admitted that the NHS did let the public down. "On the other side, really bad things happen to some of our patients, sometimes we fail them and their families significantly." Defending the service, he said the NHS was the envy of the world and asked which other country would put its health service in an Olympics ceremony.
Nicholson said that such was the focus on patient care in recent years that "we have the lowest hospital mortality rates since records began".
However, given the landmark Francis review, which blamed a target-driven culture for harming patient care, Nicholson admitted that the NHS did let the public down. "On the other side, really bad things happen to some of our patients, sometimes we fail them and their families significantly."
The Department for Health said: "For too long the NHS was run as a top-down system. We believe that it should be able to operate independently, making the decisions and changes that patients really need. That's exactly why we introduced our reforms, to put doctors and nurses in charge and set up NHS England, to deliver the high quality health service patients expect."