BMA: NHS reforms are a big risk

The BMA's chairman of council, Dr Hamish Meldrum, issues his organisation's latest call for the government to abandon its NHS reforms:

"Even at this stage, there are still unanswered questions about what statutory functions some bodies will have, making planning very difficult.

"Guidance is being issued that is overly restrictive and more and more bureaucracy is being created to try to deal with issues which should have been dealt with at the beginning. A huge amount of time, energy, money and commitment has been wasted because of a lack of a clear plan from the outset.

"We want the government to rethink its reform package and withdraw the bill. It should be focusing on delivering high-quality, coordinated and integrated health care, not side-tracking staff with major structural reform.

"Continuing with this legislation, especially in a period of huge financial constraint, is an enormous risk." 

Political news to your inbox

Fill in your details to receive Politics.co.uk's brand of informed, in-depth and independent coverage of Westminster to your inbox

Hot topics

Britain's great energy debate

How the power gets to Britain's homes in the next century remains a matter of deep controversy

As the next general election begins to loom over the horizon, the debate over Britain's future energy mix is starting to hot up - and nothing seems guaranteed.

The Heathrow third runway debate

Heathrow's third runway is just one of many options

There won't be a final decision on Britain's long-term aviation strategy until after the 2015 general election - but an aggressive national debate is already underway.

Opinion Former Events

BSIA: Information Destruction Exhibition & Conference 2013

Following the great success of the BSIA's Information Destruction Conference and Exhibition in May 2012, we are pleased to annouce that the event is returning again in June 2013. This one-day conference and exhibition is aimed at key decision makers in organisations that carry out the secure destruction of confidential material.