It just gets worse for Andrew Lansley. This morning, in an unprecedented joint editorial, the British Medical Journal, Health Service Journal and Nursing Times have launched a new offensive against his health reforms.
The government’s plans, they write, are an “unholy mess” causing “deep distress . . . among those who must deliver the service”. They go on to attack the coalition for its
. . . poor political judgement and reluctance to engage with criticism, [meaning that] what many people in healthcare considered “reasonable” objectives morphed into an old-fashioned top down reorganisation.
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. . . The resulting upheaval has been unnecessary, poorly conceived, badly communicated, and a dangerous distraction at a time when the NHS is required to make unprecedented savings.
In spite of the legislative “pause” last summer, Lansley’s reforms are fast becoming Cameron’s biggest political headache. As Rafael noted last week, an increasing number of Tory MPs are convinced that the bill ought to be “killed” somehow. The latest YouGov poll puts Labour eight points ahead of the Conservatives on the NHS, and some Tories fear it could cost their party a majority at the next election.
Should Chris Huhne’s legal travails force Cameron to reshuffle his cabinet, the PM may well take an opportunity to move the discredited Lansley.