Criticism Department of Health (England)

1 criticism

1.1 introduction of user charges nhs services
1.2 fragmentation of nhs services
1.3 superbugs , pfi
1.4 prescribing
1.5 medical training
1.6 recurrent nhs reorganisation

criticism

quarry house: dh building shared department work , pensions @ quarry hill, leeds (known locally kremlin )


introduction of user charges nhs services

the publication of professor lord darzi s review of nhs prompted criticism of government , department of health claiming paved way user charging, , contradicting nhs plan 2000 stated user charges unfair , inequitable in increase proportion of funding unhealthy, old , poor compared healthy, young , wealthy . report introduces concept of personal budgets.

fragmentation of nhs services

darzi s report splits integrated services core , additional , enhanced services, critics lead abandoning open-ended duty of care on nhs founded.

superbugs , pfi

fatal outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant bacteria ( superbugs ), such methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) , clostridium difficile, in nhs hospitals has led criticism of dh s decision outsource cleaning via private finance initiative contracts cutting corners on cleaning .

a deep clean initiative announced department of health criticised infection control experts , lancet gimmick failed address causes of in-hospital infections, firms doing work attempt avoid paying regular better cleaning, , nhs managers ineffective.

it attracted criticism because quarter of £60m funding scheme went hospitals, , because number of hospitals missed completion target, , of june 2008 1 in 4 nhs trusts not meeting government s standards on hygiene.

prescribing

its advice primary care on prescribing drugs such proton pump inhibitors has been criticised wasteful.

medical training

the dh has attracted criticism disastrous handling of outcome of modernising medical careers, in particular in changes made specialist training of doctors , medical training application service (mtas). these changes left 29,193 junior doctors uk , overseas... chasing 15,600 posts... , resulted in accusations dh had broken law refusing reveal scores candidates. there judicial review , boycott of system senior doctors across country. mtas scrapped , patricia hewitt, secretary of state health, resigned following accusations had lied house of commons on system. after abolition of mtas, anger among medical profession continued, british medical association commenting of dh response not response late, not go far enough .

the official government inquiry mmc recommended responsibility medical training removed dh.

recurrent nhs reorganisation

successive dh ministerial teams have been criticised repeated reorganisations of nhs in england, primary care commissioning responsibility, in particular, has been allocated 4 different sets of organisations in last ten years: pcgs, small area pcts (e.g. covering rural local authority district or part of city), larger-area pcts (e.g. covering whole county), pct clusters (e.g. quarter of london or south of tyne , wear) , unspecified clinical commissioning groups. tendency introduce each reorganisation before predecessor has had time settle down , generate improved performance has attracted censure amongst healthcare professions in uk , beyond, including reference ironic concept of redisorganization . andrew lansley s promise before 2010 general election not impose top-down reorganisation, followed instigation ministerial level of 1 of fundamental nhs reorganisations yet envisaged, has generated widespread opprobrium, although commentators have suggested extent completing job started under blair administration.

the nhs of 1 april 2013 no longer situated within dh, nhs england went live @ same time. therefore, dh has further scrunity role of nhs services , commissioning. (see arms length bodies section).