‘Brutal’ NHS cuts that threaten public outcry kept secret, say doctors
DOCTORS HAVE warned that plans for “brutal” NHS cuts are shrouded in secrecy and will cause uproar once revealed.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says health service leaders have refused to publish details of proposals that could extend waiting times, reduce access to services, cut down on prescriptions and treatments, an merge or close hospitals and facilities.
It submitted Freedom of Information requests to the health body NHS Improvement which oversees trusts and to 13 health areas around the country, asking for the proposal documents.
Eight of the 13 areas responded – but the BMA says none of them provided the full document or any significant details.
BMA council deputy chairman Dr David Wrigley said: “These plans could have serious consequences for doctors working on the front line and for the care and treatment patients receive and can expect in hospitals and GP surgeries in these areas. It is bad enough that brutal cuts could threaten the services, but it is totally unacceptable that proposals of this scale, which would affect large numbers of patients, are shrouded in such secrecy.”
An NHS spokesman said the report was “recycling old claims” but added: “The NHS has always had to live within the budget that parliament allocates, and the usual requirements for public consultation... continue to apply.”