Rt. Hon. John F. Spellar MP

Cameron's NHS plans will cost £22,316,347 million in Sandwell

Labour has today revealed the hidden cost of the Government’s wasteful NHS reorganisation in Sandwell. New guidelines will force the local NHS to put aside £22,316,347 from their budget this year and next to pay for a costly NHS restructure that David Cameron had previously repeatedly ruled out.

Commenting on the issue John Spellar, MP for Warley, said:

"These shocking new figures show the Government’s reorganisation is costing the NHS even more than we first feared. It is scandalous that they are telling our local NHS to hold back millions of pounds for their own reckless plans whilst thousands of nursing jobs are being axed.

“Before his plans are even fully through Parliament, David Cameron's reorganisation is hitting the NHS hard and costs are now topping £3.4bn across the country for the first time. Spending this amount on an unnecessary reorganisation is totally unjustifiable when every single penny should be focused on maintaining standards of care.

“Department of Health ‘Health Profiles’ released earlier this year show that despite all cause mortality rates reducing in Sandwell they remain above the UK average and average levels of adult ‘healthy eating’, smoking and obesity are worse than the England average. The NHS should be concentrating on continuing to bring these in line with the UK average, not wasting millions on this unwelcome reorganisation.

“At the election Cameron ruled out top-down NHS reorganisations. But only weeks after entering Number 10, he ripped up his own words and ordered the biggest and most dangerous upheaval of the NHS since it began."

The financial request is buried in the Government’s new NHS 'Operating Framework' document and takes the nationwide cost of the NHS reorganisation above previous estimates of £2-3bn, with Primary Care Trusts now holding back £3.44bn over two years.

Last Thursday evening leading doctors from the British Medical Association voted to call for an immediate halt to the Government’s costly and controversial Health Bill. “

John Spellar MP added:

“The people of Sandwell did not vote for it and our doctors, nurses and patients have already expressed huge concerns at the plans. Yet Cameron is ploughing on with his Health Bill, ignoring public and professional opinion. The time has come for him to listen, put the NHS first and drop his dangerous Bill.”

Labour is running a major national drive to unite the country in a call on the Government to drop its unwanted Health Bill and people are being urged to add their name to the Government online petition by Dr Kailash Chand at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22670