- guardian.co.uk, Sunday May 4 2003 00.19 BST
The Prime Minister's hope, as he writes in The Observer today, is for genuine boldness in re-organising NHS services with patients' needs firmly at the centre. That is something which Britain has lacked for too long. But the Government also appears, finally, to be making appropriate overtures to those most concerned that the principles of equity in health care are being sacrificed in pursuit of diversity and the holy grail of choice.
Key complaints that a 'two-tier' system might develop have been addressed with Tony Blair's pledge that all hospitals will be able to apply for foundation status by 2008. The announcement of an extra £100 million to help hospitals prepare for foundation status is welcome. And so is the news that the NHS Modernisation Agency will be advising hospitals how they can improve their star rating and so put themselves in position to apply for the new freedoms should they wish to.
The aspiration of giving the NHS new incentives and more local leadership should be welcomed. For far too long, any manager, doctor, nurse or therapist who has wanted to try a different way of treating patients has faced a demoralising uphill battle to change the status quo. There has to be an element of experimenting if patients are going to see a difference in the way Accident & Emergency departments, wards and GP clinics are run. The danger still is that the politicians will be unable to let go, and continue to insist on interfering with local plans that begin to look too radical.
With a steady build-up of capacity, and staff who are willing to go that extra mile, current prospects for the whole of the NHS, which remains a cornerstone of our national identity, look good. If the Prime Minister is held to his latest pledges, and he should be, the heat and fury that will dominate Westminster this week will eventually look distinctly overblown.
