Downing Street Says

Put that the Prime Minister needed to concentrate in NHS reform, the Prime Minister’s Spokeswoman (PMS) said that the Prime Minister was focussing on modernising public services, which the NHS was part of. The Prime Minister was also involved in work this week on trade and youth employment.

Asked if the Prime Minister was confident that he could salvage something out of the Health Bill, the PMS said that this listening exercise was taking place in a natural break in the Parliamentary process and people were aware of the areas which we were specifically looking at. We expected substantial changes as part of the listening exercise.

Asked what the substantial changes were, the PMS said that the listening exercise was continuing. We had said that we would pause, listen, reflect and make improvements, and we were still in the process.

Asked what areas the Government was particularly looking at, the PMS said that the Health Secretary set out in his original statement to the House some of the areas where he anticipated improvements including choice, competition and the involvement of the private sector; private companies cherry-picking NHS activity; and transparency and accountability regarding GP commissioning groups.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought that Andrew Lansley would be the Health Secretary in six months time, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had full confidence in Andrew Lansley.

Asked if the Deputy Prime Minister had been right yesterday when he said that one of things that would be changed was that GPs wouldn’t be forced into taking part in GP commissioning groups, the PMS said that she was not going to contradict the Deputy Prime Minister and that the listening exercise continued.

Asked if the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister were scheduled to have a meeting on the NHS this week, the PMS said that the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister met regularly on a whole range of issues.

Asked if the Prime Minister had a view on the Deputy Prime Minister’s comments over the weekend that substantial changes had been agreed, the PMS said that the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Health Secretary all agreed that there was a need for reform and they expected to come back with substantive changes once the listening exercise concluded next month.

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» Monday, May 9, 2011

Health

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