Nurses for Reform Blog

The recent announcements that the government is creating more Academies and Free Schools is really good news for education in the UK.  However, it really is a shame that the same reforms are not being applied to the UK’s hospitals.

While NFR would agree that the development of GP Consortia are a good idea and should be pursued, the government’s healthcare reforms must be as bold and exciting as those in education.

NFR would like to see all NHS hospitals being returned to the independent sector, being run by a multitude of for and not-for-profit suppliers.  While the healthcare unions are busy protecting their own vested interests it is becoming increasingly apparent that patients and consumers of healthcare just want good quality and value for money.  It is time that the government and the unions realised this and started setting hospitals free to deliver this.

This article clearly demonstrates that the UKs parents and indeed many teachers, do not believe that the state is providing the education that they want for their children.  The demand to be allowed to set up free schools has been far greater than expected.

NFR believes that the Coalition Government should not just stop at schools, hospitals should be next in line.  As I have written before, local planning laws must be changed to allow much greater diversity of provision.  Hospitals could be set up for example by private companies, mutuals, charities, patient groups etc and they should also be able to take over failing NHS hospitals and to compete for care for and treat NHS patients.