Conservative health spokesman berates trusts for following Conservative policy
On today’s ‘Daily Politics’ , the Shadow Health spokesman Andrew Lansley criticised Primary Care Trusts, saying PCTs ‘ are not assessing the quality of out-of-hours service, they are contracting on price alone’.
Excuse me, Mr Lansley! Thatcher’s Conservative govenments introduced Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) in the Local Government Planning and Land Act (1980) and extended it further in the Local Government Act (1988). CCT was introduced into the NHS under John Major’s government in the early 1990s. Under CCT, price was everything and quality counted for nothing.
Things may have changed a little for the better under the ‘Best Value’ regime introduced by the Labour government in 1998, but old attitudes still hold. Only a couple of months ago, local Conservative councillors criticised Three Rivers council for staying with an in-house rubbish and recycling crew, which has proved to be better, more flexible and cheaper than the previous private contractors.
As a local councillor, I always remember whose money I’m spending, but buying cheap isn’t always best. I’m glad that Lansley has seen the light at last and realises what knowing the price of everything usually means.
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Comments
15 February 2010, 12:53 pm
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