You’ll be able to read the full text of our interview with Andrew Lansley online tomorrow morning. But with health questions in Parliament coming up shortly, here are a few choice extracts from the article in the latest issue, out today.
On the BMA’s opposition to the reforms:
The one exception that he identifies, in his view of the broadly consensual reception his bill has received, is that of the BMA and the trade unions. Lansley says they are against the idea of “any qualified provider”, under which the private sector would be able to bid to provide NHS services. He is dismissive of their view saying, “Basically, it’s a trade union monopoly thing.”
Responding to the idea that his reforms constitute a revolution in the NHS, he said:
“It’s an evolution. What part of it isn’t?... What people are frightened by is change and what people see is the security of the hierarchy of management.”
Former Conservative health secretary Stephen Dorrell also spoke to us about why he feels Lansley’s reforms have floundered:
“The NHS is more sensitive than many other policy areas. My personal view is that if you change something on the NHS, don’t draw attention to it unless you’ve done it already. If you create lots of attention on reform, you’re giving people the chance to oppose it, rather than getting on and doing it.”
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