Health minister's 'slip' during visit is denied (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Health minister's 'slip' during visit is denied

5:00pm Saturday 4th September 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(1)

A GOVERNMENT Cabinet minister visiting Basingstoke hospital was reported to have let slip a decision to axe a national telephone advice service for patients.

Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, was reported to have revealed to staff that NHS Direct, which this year cost £123m to run is to be replaced with a new free phone service NHS 111.

Prior to Mr Lansley’s comments on August 26, the official Government line was that a pilot scheme would first test the water.

It has since emerged that NHS 111 will not be staffed by nurses like its predecessor, but by "call advisers" who have completed a 60-hour course.

A spokesman from the Department of Health denied that the health secretary, who is pushing through many changes to the NHS in a White Paper, had let anything out of the bag.

He said: "The announcement to introduce a new easy-to-remember 111 number was not 'slipped out’, it was announced by the Health Secretary on Monday 23 August.”

He said the new NHS 111 would be a revolutionary single contact point for urgent inquiries, which could include making an appointment with a GP.

Mr Lansley was visiting Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation trust to consult with staff about his plans.

He claims he will remove power from management and make doctors responsible for allocating NHS cash.

In a brief interview with The Gazette, the MP, who toured wards and chatted with patients, said that the response from staff at Basingstoke had been generally positive. He also said that front-line jobs would be protected and hospitals would stay open wherever possible.

He said: “I’ve set out proposals detailing how NHS management costs can be cut by more than 45 per cent by letting GPs decide where money should be spent.

“We can reduce costs by £20 billion by cutting bureaucracy and improving efficiency and these savings will then be reinvested into frontline services.

“It’s very important that there isn’t a knee-jerk reaction when savings need to be made. I know in the past that staff have lost their jobs and hospitals have been closed without money-saving alternatives being properly looked at.

“It’s vital that patients are put at the heart of the NHS and the White Paper also includes plans to give patients more choice about treatment and where they are treated.”

Zena Ludick, head of elective nursing at the hospital, was impressed with the Secretary of State.

She said: “I really appreciated the “common sense” approach which Mr Lansley used.” She added: “It was very clear that the outcome for the patients will be the main driving force, and decision-making will be taking place at the front line by clinicians understanding the needs of their patients.”