NHS Reforms: Are They Within The Law? letter printed in the Journal 23rd aug.

With regard to the article in the Newcastle Journal, Tuesday August 16th entitled:
‘Government Under Fire Over Care Plans’.
In that article attention was drawn to concerns about the establishment of private bodies calling themselves ‘Clinical Commissioning Groups’. A few months ago, before the bill stalled in Parliament, these were calling themselves: GP Consortia.

The Government claims that these private bodies or companies will take over the management of health services once their NHS bill has been passed by Parliament.

The point with regard to the Law is, it hasn’t. The Health and Social Care bill has stalled due to lack of political support and therefore, it is not Law.
So who is commissioning these privateers? There are 14 such across our region.

On what basis is money being spent? How much has been spent so far? And, are these actions lawful?

These questions were asked at the last meeting of the North of Tyne Primary Care Trust that was held on: Tuesday 26th July at the NHS Trust’s HQ on the Great Park, North Gosforth. The Chair at that meeting advised that: “they had to put these bodies in place in order to prepare for the changes in the bill once it becomes law”.

But that did not answer the point about the unlawfulness and whether funding and establishing such groups before the bill has been passed by Parliament, is acting within the Law?

Next Meeting: Thursday 1st September at
St John’s Church Hall, Grainger St, Newcastle. 7.pm.
Secretary Martin Manasse.

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