‘When there is so much brilliant care it is unbelievably hard to shine a spotlight on exactly where factors have gone incorrect.’ Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian
Polly Toynbee asserted that I am ”keen to ferret out negative therapy, if only for nefarious political purposes” (The new climate of diktat and fear sweeping the NHS,7 January).
Toynbee is properly informed on many items but incorrect on this. Rooting out bad care in the NHS is the toughest challenge dealing with any wellness secretary. When there is so significantly brilliant care, and NHS staff are operating so challenging, it is unbelievably difficult to shine a spotlight on exactly where factors have gone wrong. But it is not correct to applaud left-leaning politicians who try out to enhance companies for the poorest although writing off Conservatives doing the exact same factor as “political” or “nefarious”.
The reality is that the final government absolutely failed to deal with a quantity of hospitals regularly offering unacceptably poor care. Considering that July, 14 hospitals have been place into “unique measures”: each single one particular had warning indicators that could have been picked up by the last government. In contrast to Labour, who removed specialist-led inspections that could have uncovered poor practice, we have appointed a new chief inspector of hospitals and thorough Ofsted-design inspections to make certain failing hospitals are turned close to.
Toynbee then explained that clause 118 of the care bill, at present ahead of parliament, heralds “a new climate of diktat: whistleblowers beware”. But why did she not mention that we have launched a new duty of candour for the two organisations and men and women to make it less complicated for people to speak out and giving them better protection? As an alternative of a climate exactly where whistleblowers are bullied and harassed, we are carrying out every little thing possible to market openness and transparency, such as recognising two brave whistleblowers in the latest New Yr honours.
Clause 118 is necessary simply because we want the energy to turn close to failing hospitals swiftly and – in extremis – put them into administration before men and women are harmed or die unnecessarily. Toynbee talks of a court situation brought by Lewisham hospital protesters “to stop their providers becoming cannibalised to shore up the finances of close by south London hospitals, bankrupted by a PFI”. I make no apology for wanting to sort out this kind of issues in south London, where the hospital was failing so badly it was losing £1 million a week. And yes, the high court prevented me like Lewisham as part of the resolution in the way I desired – but as Toynbee is aware of perfectly well, it is often not feasible to remedy problems in a single hospital without affecting the wider health economic climate.
Unique administrators do have to seek the advice of even below the powers in clause 118. Even so, the process has to occur swiftly, since when a hospital is failing lives can be place at threat. That is why it matters so significantly – and why, in opposing it, Labour are voting to entrench the failures they failed to tackle. It is Labour whom Toynbee must be attacking for “nefarious” political behaviour.
The NHS is 1 of the best issues about Britain – every person can count on good healthcare what ever their background or fiscal situations. But we do it no favours if we never act quickly in which care falls short. So when health secretaries of what ever political stripe do challenging but needed things, they must be supported by absolutely everyone who cares about the NHS, such as Polly Toynbee.
Polly Toynbee must not get in touch with us nefarious. Conservatives genuinely care about the NHS | Jeremy Hunt
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