LETTERS
25/05/11 Over a barrel
Major NHS IT projects have been a cause for alarm for years now, so it takes a lot to shock most ob- servers.
But the fact that the contracts with the major IT suppliers seem to have entered the crazy realm of defence deals – where the suppli- ers seem to hold all the cards and the taxpayer none – still needs se- rious investigation.
It’s hardly news that cancelling a contract doesn’t come free, that’s the nature of the beast, but more must be done to give more legal weight to the fact that the Depart- ment of Health considers CSC, for example, to have breached its contract.
With so many missed deadlines and delays, and the Prime Minis- ter himself getting involved, some- thing has to give: and it shouldn’t be the taxpayer. Not any more.
23/05/11 Refer to notes
Daily we have new research published in various apparently reputable journals hailing one scientific discovery or another. Equally we have experts wheeled out to give the sober warning that the research might not be all it is cracked up to be.
In our media it increasingly ap- pears to be American scientists publishing with British experts demurring.
What are we looking at here? Overzealous
Americans lauding
every set of results as a major breakthrough to get more money? Or British experts on the back foot pouring scorn because the re- search was not conducted here?
As ever, it’s probably a mixture of both.
Does it matter? It may blindingly ignorant to say but shouldn’t the scientific profession start behav- ing a bit more sensibly?
There is no greater turn off for the general public than public spats of the he said-she said variety.
20/05/11 Dare we hope?
Research from America suggests a man paralysed from the chest down can now stand unaided, wiggle his toes and move his knee, ankle and hip joints. With assistance Rob Summers can also walk on a treadmill.
The procedure involved the
insertion of electrodes into Summers’ damaged spinal cord, with remarkable results.
This announcement followed quickly on from the encourag- ing results of another study that appears to have found a way of keeping HIV/AIDS at bay in mon- keys.
The results of both studies have been couched in the usual caveat-laden speak of scientists looking
on, warning that there
is no cure yet, but for the mere interested observer, these kinds of announcements can only be welcomed.
For those afflicted with such ter- rible
injuries, as Rob Summers was, the news that he appears to have literally made great strides towards independence will be viewed with the greatest of hope.
11/05/11 Heads above the parapet
Just a few short months ago, it would not have been big news to hear that the heads of GP consor- tia support the idea of having GP consortia.
But it is a sign of the times, and of the political toxicity of the current NHS reforms proposals, that this is virtually the first time in weeks that anybody but a Government minister has publicly backed the Health & Social Care Bill in its cur- rent form.
It is a welcome boost to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, no doubt, and if all of the opposition to the Bill came only from the La- bour Party and some disaffected Lib Dems on the left of the party, he may even be tempted to think things will go his way after all.
But the fact is that he is still facing
outright opposition from the BMA, Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of GPs, criticism from senior Lib Dems, the NHS Confederation and The King’s Fund, and, privately, concern even from many Conservative MPs.
The worst of all worlds could be a compromise botch-job with lots of different types of commissioning bodies, which would confuse pa- tients and waste time battling over funding. Unfortunately, with the potentially premature dismantling of many PCTs and SHAs before the reforms actually passed Par- liament, that could be just what we are heading for.
06/05/11 Heart-breaking decisions
The upcoming debate about clos- ing heart transplant units – like the controversy over specialist chil- dren’s heart units, and over dis- trict hospital closures – show up one of the problems with the NHS.
Clinical leaders, managers and administrators know full well the advantages of more centralised and specialist hospitals and units, from both a financial and patient care perspective.
But, politically, such decisions are often a nightmare, with entire communities never likely to be won round by arguments that their local or closest centre or hospital needs to close. They often win support from local politicians, pa- tients’ groups and local authori- ties, especially when money is the main issue.
People may be more likely to think carefully about such closures when clinicians and charities like the British Heart Foundation are in support of the measures – but for many it will be too hard to stomach.
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16 | national health executive May/Jun 11
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