Following my post yesterday about the revelations from GPs and Specialist Consultants around the changes to Advice and Guidance, I wanted to share with you an update on the matter:
A new report by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) links Labour's NHS referral policy to patient harm and deaths.
This comes on the back of separate reports from both GPs and Specialist Consultants, all showing deep flaws in the Government's changes to the Advice and Guidance system.
But these changes are not just flawed; they have been dangerous.
The HSSIB - which Labour is planning to strip of its independence - has told the NHS to do a rapid review of the scheme, saying “harm had arisen as a result of delayed or missed diagnoses”.
When I, and many others, pointed to legitimate concerns around the Government's policy of mandatory review of referrals, we were dismissed out of hand. I was described by the then-Health Minister as an "opportunist Tory" peddling "conspiracy theories".
When clinicians and patients spoke about the damage this would cause, the Government should have listened. We all want the system to work better.
This should never have been about politics; it should be about ensuring patients have access to the care they need in the right place at the right time. But it seems the Minister and then-Health Secretary let it cloud their judgment.
The Government and the NHS must listen to the safety watchdog and review this ill-thought-out, poorly implemented policy immediately before more patients come to harm.
The question is, will they?
