Meacher’s warning as NHS faces shake-up

Oldham MP Michael Meacher has warned that government plans to give GPs more powers over health budgets will result in health disparities across the country — with the North fairing worst.

The Oldham West and Royton MP fears that over time the principles of the NHS will go and provision will move more towards an American-style system where the rich will be able to pay for the health care they need.

The Government announced this week that, by 2013, Primary Care Trusts, which commission health services, will be replaced by 500 GP consortias. The group of GPs will decide how 80 per cent of the NHS budget is spent.

Mr Meacher said: “I do not know GPs who have the skills, aptitude or inclination to do this massive job of commissioning services. In the medium and long term patients will suffer.

“This will not happen over night but in five years time we may see real discrepancies across the country.

“I think the South will do a lot better as it is where there is more money but it will not be the same in the North. This will cause regional disparities.

“It is moving towards a market-based system. The principles of the NHS will go and it will move towards a more American approach where the rich will get access as they can afford it. There will be a multi-tier service.”

Mr Meacher fears many of the services will be outsourced to private companies and said there was “no doubt” American companies saw the changes as an new opportunity to make money.

Oldham Primary Care Trust will cease to exist in 2013 if the plans go ahead.

Chief executive of NHS Oldham Gail Richards said: “We already work incredibly closely with GPs in Oldham and have done a lot of thinking and talking with them and our staff about what the future may look like.

“Clearly there is a lot of information in the white paper and the other documents which are coming out alongside it, and we are now examining this in detail.

“What is vital is that we make sure NHS services in Oldham continue to be delivered safely and effectively for local people, while we work to deliver the changes outlined.”