The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Lansley faces confidence vote by nurses – and the public isn’t far behind

Poll finds that just 3 per cent of voters want reforms to proceed unaltered, while nurses’ conference shows its anger.

By Samira Shackle Published 13 April 2011 15:17

Anger over Andrew Lansley's proposed NHS reforms shows no sign of abating, with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) congress overwhelmingly backing a vote of no confidence in the Health Secretary as polls show that the public remains unconvinced by the plans.

The vote took place just hours before his arrival at the RCN conference in Liverpool. He has been accused of not having the "guts" to address the whole conference. Instead, he will take part in a Q&A session with a selected small group of 50.

Emotions in the medical profession are running high over Lansley's proposed shake-up of the NHS in England. A similar motion was proposed to the British Medical Association last month, though it was narrowly rejected.

The government has taken the unusual step of pausing the bill to engage in a "listening exercise" with health professionals and the public – but nurses do not seem to be impressed. When the health minister Anne Milton addressed the RCN congress, mention of the exercise was met with derisive laughter. "It's not a joke," she said. "A pause in the legislative programme is there, and we are going to use it."

Perhaps even more worrying for the government is the lack of public support for the measures.

Over at PoliticsHome, Mark Gettleson flags up some overlooked figures from the weekend's YouGov tracker. The poll shows that just 17 per cent of voters trust Lansley on the NHS – including only 41 per cent of Conservatives.

Looking at the reforms themselves, opposition stands at 52 per cent, with just 27 per cent of the public in favour. Dig deeper, and the picture gets even bleaker for the government: just 3 per cent of voters – including 5 per cent of Conservatives – want the reforms to proceed unaltered.

Lansley is clearly not winning the battle of public opinion on this, and risks becoming increasingly isolated if he does not take the concerns of health professionals into account. One must hope that the "listening exercise" transmutes into substantive changes to the bill.

More from Samira Shackle

13 comments

Sun, 2011-04-17 08:58 — C Baker

I love the story about this on Guido Fawkes blog order order, regarding the unison members that are opposed to financial scrutiny in the nhs. Here is a quote from the said blog
'There are thousands of these reps across the country being paid not to teach or save lives, but instead to work for their union. It’s a huge loophole that sees £67 million of taxpayer spending not going to frontline workers, but to the unions, who in turn channel millions of pounds back into the Labour Party.'

All I ask is that the nhs spends the money on healthcare. The NHS is a brilliant service, but having worked there as a health care assistant as a student, i was astonished at the waste of resources, not on patient admin, such as receptionists, filers and medical records keepers, but on weird meetings between union members and private sector businesses, both scratching each others backs. Coffee machines in full flow.
My friend is a buyer for one of the major London hospitals and each year, despite the painting and maintenance budget being rolled over and a massive bulging pot, she has to turn away nurses' requests in departments that need supplies for the wards. Surley if there is 5 years surplus for costs, then some could be spared for medical supplies. That money could go to jobs for more medical staff or supplies.

The nhs already uses private business for their supplies. Last time i looked, miliband, cleg and cameron weren't making catheters.

The rip off IT projects that have cost loads and i even thought for one moment that Labour was going to give their Lord Sugar contracts last seen advertised on prime time bbc tv for his amscreens in hospitals.

Look in to how your local nhs is run and how much chief execs are paid etc. Put nurses wages up by all means. It's a hard job. But don't think for one minute that tax payers money is all going to doctors and nurses in pay or front line services.Loads is being taken out by some quite surprising vested interests. You have to have seen it to believe it.

Wed, 2011-04-13 15:44 — ang (not verified)

Cameron should take note, that even joe bloggs knows you can't mess with the NHS.
Alistair Campbell slaughtered the arrogant cow that is Kay Burly, on sky news today, when she said that, 'The coalition would say they have to do this because of the mess that Labour left.' Campbells' reply was, 'Labour left the NHS in the best position it has ever been, with patient satisfaction at an all time high' and of course he is right and she is dumb.
Waiting times in A&E are already getting longer and Ambulance services are being cut, surely Amulances are as front line as it gets. Cameron you are such a liar and you have no mandate to interfere with our NHS.

Wed, 2011-04-13 17:01 — Stu (not verified)

NHS is a tough cookie to crack.. every government has tried to reform it in one way or another.

To say that Labour had left it in a good position is a joke. How about explaining how £250m is given to private hospitals to carry out NHS operations that never happened? ask him how much it cost to change a light bulb?

Yes Labour would say they 'invested' alot of money or should i say 'wasted' Tax payers money or how about flushed the massive amounts of borrowed cash down the loo and ended up with the largest debt in the entire history of Britain???

Wed, 2011-04-13 18:07 — ang (not verified)

@Stu.
Fact. Labour left the NHS in the best condition ever, with the highest level of patient satisfaction. How is that a joke?
Labour governments invest in public services, in order to enhance ordinary people's lives. That is why I will always vote Labour.
I think you are clutching at straws towards the end.

Wed, 2011-04-13 18:26 — mittfh

"A plague on both your houses!"

Both parties appear to be filled with ministers who have grand visions of their ideal future, but know virtually nothing about the services they're in charge of. Unsurprisingly, mistakes, cover-ups and bad decisions abound.

Wed, 2011-04-13 19:02 — Anton Jury (not verified)

These deceitful lying Coalition politicians should leave our health out of politics and stop trying to feather their own nests and putting our health at risk.

Dont they get it : Our health is the most important thing to all of us !

Wed, 2011-04-13 19:32 — matthew fox (not verified)

@Stu

Do you hanker for the good old days of people waiting two years for an operation.

Conservatives hate money being spent on the NHS. They opposed the creation of the NHS and spent the best part of two decades wrecking the health services.

Wed, 2011-04-13 20:24 — Extranea (not verified)

If Lansley survives this NHS reform he will be the houdini of modern politics. he has messed up so completely, it is only Cameron who can save him, or wants to. http://bit.ly/hFFQ8s

Wed, 2011-04-13 22:10 — James (not verified)

Lansley's response is that he's "sorry" that he hasn't communicated the reforms clearly enough.

Why is it that when we the public don't agree with politicians they tell us it's because we don't understand properly? How patronising!

I seem to remember Clegg saying something similar over tuition fees.

Wed, 2011-04-13 23:07 — Scotty

Another ideologically driven rant by luddite trade union reps to prevent badly needed improvements to the NHS - the costs are rising and the country has no money, thanks labour, so it cannot carry on as it is. Labour wasted an opportunity by throwing money at the vested interests of the doctors with no productivity return and now they talk about the proposed changes are not thought through. When did labour do any thinking other than lets spend more, that will look good to0 their supporters.
THe NHS is failing because it is not properly managed, so a restructure is needed and at least this government is listening, not like labour's blinkered approach to any change.

Thu, 2011-04-14 02:23 — Stu (not verified)

@Ang

highest level of satisfaction... i know for certain that lots of people will disagree...

you're right, Labour borrowed a whole load of money to invest in public services... infact a load of money we can't pay back wait wait wait... aren't we supposed to have some cash in the coffers for a rainy day since Britain has been booming for 10 years or so???...

you forget of course spend but at least spend WISELY and like most families... don't spend what you can't afford..

@matthew fox

hanker at the good old days?...I like the NHS I don't believe it has ever been perfect and won't but it can't stay as it is...

Thu, 2011-04-14 08:07 — Luddite (not verified)

The problem with the NHS is to many working in it, seem more concerned with politics then health-care. The NHS is to important to be used as a political football by both left and right. It should be well funded and well run, that's the problem for us all to solve.