NHS reforms: risks must be published
Reporter: ANDREW RUDKIN
Date published: 12 March 2012
HEALTH battle: Jenny Price (right), from Failsworth, signs Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams’ protest against the health bill
AN Oldham MP has won her fight against the Government to release findings of how a controversial health bill will affect the NHS.
Debbie Abrahams believes uncovering the risk register of the Health and Social Care Bill will have damaging repercussions for the Prime Minister.
The Oldham East and Saddleworth MP, said: “This is a crushing defeat for David Cameron as he becomes increasingly desperate trying to force this bill through Parliament in the next 10 days.
“He must now comply and order the immediate release of the risk register.”
The release follows Freedom of Information requests and an Opposition Day Debate, which was called last month.
Mrs Abrahams, the parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to shadow health secretary Andy Burnham and one of the shadow health team, said “I’m delighted with this result as I was inundated with emails from concerned constituents who will now get the opportunity to see for themselves the damage the Government’s NHS reorganisation could cause.
“The Liberal Democrats members must now send out the clearest possible message to their MPs and Peers that this ruling must be respected.”
An e-petition, set up by former Oldham doctors leader Dr Kailash Chand, has broken the 172,000 signature mark to drop the health bill.
The reforms would include the winding down of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities, and increasing GPs’ powers to commission services on behalf of their patients.
Mrs Abrahams was out in Oldham town centre on Saturday with around a dozen Labour supporters expressing their worries on the bill.
Phil Gaul, secretary of the Alexandra Labour Party, was one of the campaigners. He said: “The NHS is too big for party politics and the response was quite positive from the public.
“These are the wrong changes at the wrong time.”
The e-petition is at www.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22670
