After
a six month long row over polyclinics, few were expecting Lord Ara
Darzi's "once in a generation" NHS review to deliver much in the way of
good headlines. But a glance at this morning's papers suggests he might
have pulled off the remarkable feat of putting together a report on the
NHS that wasn't instantly torn to shreds.
Most positive, perhaps, was the Guardian,
whose leader praises the report as "a serious dose of professional
engagement". It proclaims itself impressed with plans for "GPs [to]
face proper inspection, and NHS trusts to collate data on clinical
outcomes." And though it warns that "the balance between giving power
away and retaining influence is a difficult one to strike... the signs
yesterday were encouraging."
The Telegraph
is similarly impressed. The paper rolls out King's Fund economist
Professor John Appleby, who's pleased to find that "the NHS will become
the first system in the world to record and publish what patients feel
about their health." He doubts that postcode lotteries can be
eliminated, and isn't convinced the report lives up to its "once in a
generation" billing. But, he concludes, "it's undoubtedly a step in the
right direction towards a service that places patients at its heart."
The Independent
is less enamoured. There are "some decent ideas", such as plans for
nurse-led social enterprises and polyclinics, it says. And "the fact
these reforms have drawn fire from that most reactionary of unions, the
British Medical Association, is a sign the rest of us should welcome
them". But ultimately, it warns, the only way to cement patient power
in the NHS is "increasing competition between providers."
Most cynical is the Times,
which warns that by guaranteeing access to drugs the NHS has "stepped
onto [the] inflationary train." Thorough deregulation of NHS providers
is the only way to guarantee value for money, it argues. "The goal must
be an NHS that delivers the best possible care, not a monument to
outdated ideologies. Lord Darzi's proposals are a step in that
direction, but a timid one."
There is some comfort for those who are reeling in horror from Darzi's recommendations, however. Back in the Guardian,
columnist Richard Smith reminds us that the NHS often fails to
implement such grand plans thanks to "the constant stream of new
ideas." "There is no need to bother implementing idea A because ideas
B, C and D will be along in a minute, and A will be completely
forgotten."