Labour councillors at Thursday’s full council meeting (12 May) rejected Liberal Democrat proposals to reform the NHS and Social Care Bill – which is currently on ‘pause’ in Parliament while the government consults.

Liberal Democrat Leyton councillor Bob Sullivan said:

“I am disappointed that the Labour party hid behind tired old slogans rather than taking the opportunity to seek to improve the NHS Bill. Given the choice between a superficial slanging match and constructive debate, local Labour councillors will choose the slanging match every time.”

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Bob Sullivan welcomed the parts of the Bill which reduce NHS bureaucracy and give more control to the patients but said Liberal Democrats were concerned by the Bill’s emphasis on competition and its commissioning proposals.

The Lib Dem Group set out a series of measures that would improve the Bill, including:

1. No decision about the spending of NHS funds to be made in private and without proper consultation
2. The ruling out of any competition based on price to prevent loss-leading corporate providers under-cutting NHS tariffs, and to ensure that healthcare providers ‘compete’ on quality of care.
3. New private providers to be allowed only where there is no risk of ‘cherry-picking’ which would destabilise or undermine the existing NHS service relied upon for emergencies and complex cases,
   and where the needs of equity, research and training are met.
4. NHS commissioning being retained as a public function.
5. The continued separation of commissioning and provision of services to prevent conflicts of interests.
6. An NHS, responsive to patients’ needs, based on co-operation rather than competition, and which promotes quality and equity not the market.

The proposals are in line with Liberal Democrat policy agreed at the party’s Spring Conference in March.

Unfortunately the Labour party voted down the proposed improvements in favour of a motion which contained no specific response to the current consultation exercise.